Sailed with MSC in Europe on smaller ships. Seems as if MSC is trying to figure out how to do bigger ships (i.e. more passengers) but failing in the food area. Excel in entertainment, ship design, activities though.
Embarkation
1 out of 5
Embarkation took 2+ hours; seems disorganized. Longest embarkation of any cruise line.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
Ate most of the time in the dining rooms as the buffet was constantly crowded and dirty. Food at buffet was okay. Not very appetizing and have same dishes from day to day. Dining room - half of the days, the entrees were different and tantalizing. Others, it tasted the same even though the sauce was different (i.e. steak). Skimpy on ingredients for soups (mostly broth) although I appreciate less use of salt in the soup. Entrees could use spices or other ingredients to make it taste better
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
Due to weather, pool was closed most days. However, there were other activities such as dance classes, etc. to keep busy.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
All the shows were spectacular and professional.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Staff was excellent in the dining room, not so much in buffet. When there were spills, waiters didn't clean up right away, left food on floor for a while before sweeping it up. Didn't mop but just used paper towels to clean the spill. Buffet felt like a big mess hall as stations weren't open to help with traffic even though there were 4500+ passengers. Overall, the staff was excellent in that they wanted to please you as much as possible.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
Liked the openness of the Promenade. Overall, ship was clean except for the buffet, which felt dirty and crowded.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
Cabin felt a little smaller than other MSC ships. Liked the shower enclosure. Closet was small. Impractical storage below tv. Couldn't fit anything in the 2 tier shelf except for paper.
Thank you for your very well detailed review. Sorry about embarkation day, which seems to be a never ending story for MSC. April of 2024 will mark 1 year since MSC arrived at NYC Brooklyn port. I’m hoping by then they correct the issues surrounding embarkation. The food is another issue because it appears there is no consistency, except for the boring part. I sailed in September on a sold-out cruise & my embarkation was great, and overall a pretty enjoyable cruise for me. Not sure why MSC is taking so long in correcting problems that seem like everyone complains about, week after week. Thanks for sharing your experience & happy cursing 🤩⚓️😎❣️‼️
January 2020, I actually sailed the MSC Bellísima which is a large ship and it was nothing like the Meraviglia in any shape or form. When they arrived in the USA that's when they went downhill based on all the complaints from passengers who didn't like Italian food, announcements in various languages and other things. So they basically said you all will get even less. It's nothing like the other ships unfortunately. And you're spot on about the food. It's sad and sorry.
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