Cruisin' to New Year's Day 2024

Item: MSC Meraviglia
Rating: 4
Author: 24MyLuckyDragon

MSC Meraviglia Cruise Review to Caribbean - Bahamas

24MyLuckyDragon

Contributor Level: First Mate

60 Days Till Next Cruise

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Reviews: 14

Helpful Votes: 256

Overall rating:

4 out of 5

7 Night Florida & Bahamas (New York Roundtrip)

Sail date: December 30, 2023

Ship: MSC Meraviglia

Cabin type: Inside

Cabin number: 14090

Traveled as: Singles/Friends

Reviewed: 10 months ago

Review summary

Overall, I had a great time. I'm there to relax and enjoy & come in with an open mind. A cruise like any other vacation is a short time to reward yourself. During this cruise, I met some great people who love to cruise and were there with one mission in mind: to have fun! Maximize your time & make every minute count! Happy New Year & Happy Cruising! 😎⚓🥳

Embarkation

4 out of 5

Not bad actually, considering that ship was booked to capacity. The lines were really long & terminal was packed, but the Usher's kept the lines moving very quickly. My check in was very efficient & used the new QR Code system provided, once checked in I was onboard the ship within 5-7 minutes tops.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

4 out of 5

I was assigned to "Le'Olive D'oro" and the wait staff were great. The food was ok, although in general not sure why the food always arrives "lukewarm" & this is across the board on all MDR's. The only foods served hot are the pizza fresh out of the oven/hot dogs/cheeseburgers/fries right out of the frier at the pool area marketplace. Big shout out to MDR waiter Ravindra Bora/India. Extremely accommodating. Wendy Mejia/DR - Bar services @ Meraviglia Bar is a Gem! My biggest issue is the early/late dinner schedules - on the first day of the cruise it's nothing but complaints about this bc it seems that even tho cruisers pre-select a time, their card prints another time. BTW, The Panorama Room is only catering to the "Aurea" guests/accommodating their preferred dinner schedules. I don't know why still have this pre-selected time thing, they should just move to "Freestyle Dining" like NCL. That eliminates the constant argument about -pre-fixed dinner times.

L'Olive Doree & L'Olivo D'Oro

4 out of 5

Very Nice staff - shout out to wait staff!

Mervaglia Bar & Lounge

4 out of 5

It always great vibe - crowded because it's right next to the theatre and shops. Great wait staff, but some bartenders are way too slow. Hire more people MSC!

Marketplace Buffet

3 out of 5

Super busy & very crowded - wait staff tries to keep up w/ cleaning tables, even saw ranking officers trying to help out. Way too many people at times and the lines are super long. Some people like they've never seen food before. It's a buffet - they replenish constantly. smh!

Onboard Activities

4 out of 5

R & R at the pool & great time at the Horizon Pool - albeit tad cold even during our port stay at Port Canaveral & The Bahamas. Great views & super chilled vibe ~

Entertainment

4 out of 5

The Broadway Theatre shows were great! Super packed tho' you need to book & get there early. Although now they have 3 evening shows: 7 pm, 8:30 pm & 10:00 pm - well done MSC! They also have an evening Magic show & 1 comedy night. Very funny!

Children's Programs

N/A no small children

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

My experience with the wait staff, room steward Ship personnel has always been positive. My room steward was never around bc he was so busy - but always kept my room super neat & clean. Thanks, Mr. Jayvee!! Even though they seem understaffed at times, they try to accommodate the patron. Shout out to the Jewelry Shop staff at Effy & main Jewelry shop!! Super nice & very eager to assist. Although it needs to be mentioned - hardly any inventory!! Every 7 days they pick up 4600-5000 cruisers, they should bring the inventory to support that kind of foot traffic. Shout out to ALL THE BARTENDING Staff! It's not easy to manage that high demand, but they try. Thanks!

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

The ship is always kept clean and well-maintained. However, I did notice that some hand sanitizer stands were empty for several days. There is no "washy-washy" person at buffet main entrance either, but you can wash your hands at the sinks before entering the buffet hall. Luckily some of us always observe that practice...I prefer to just bring home "souvenirs"...

Cabin / Stateroom

4 out of 5

Very efficient, clean & perfect distance from elevators. BTW, reported the Panoramic elevator breakdown 3 times...finally towards the end of the cruise the sign was flashing "Out of Service" - hope they correct this issue soon because that elevator goes straight up to the pool/buffet deck.

Ship tip

Book your entertainment early & arrive on time! These time slots sell out fast. Try the pizza! Also, MSC has taken corrective action regarding complaints about people sitting for hours & hours at the buffet tables, while people have nowhere to sit & enjoy a quick meal. They have added signs on the tables asking patrons "to be kind & vacate the seating for the next diner". Thanks MSC for listening to the numerous complaints.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Brooklyn, New York

4 out of 5

N/A NYC "local"

Thumbs Up 0

Port Canaveral, Florida

4 out of 5

MSC Meraviglia arrived at Port Canaveral early & enjoying Coco Beach self excursion/$20 van. Water is beautiful & refreshing. Very nice day at the beach. Happy Cruising 🤩⚓️😎❣️‼️

Thumbs Up 0

Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, Bahamas

1 out of 5

Overnight storm. Meraviglia not allowed to dock at Ocean Caye due to bad weather, according to Capt., 4 failed attempts: choppy waters & high winds.

Thumbs Up 0

Disembarkation

2 out of 5

Always a disaster. Lines were going in whatever direction - I even skipped breakfast just so I could leave early & try to avoid the meltdown. But it worked great for me because i was done & out by 8:20 am.

Traveler Photos

8 Comments

24MyLuckyDragon 10 months ago

@willwork4cruz, correct, other cruise lines are much better at keeping the MDR meals hot. Glad you enjoyed my review & thanks for your feedback. Happy cruising ⚓️😎🤩❣️‼️

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willwork4cruz 10 months ago

Thanks for the review. I think you answered your own question about why the MDR food is not hot like the fresh out of the oven food. It’s because it’s not fresh out of the oven. Since they are making thousands of meals to be served during dinner, they need to start hours beforehand. Some ships are better at keeping the food warm for hours but no MDR food is cooked to order.

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TheBigSalad 10 months ago

Thanks for sharing your experience.

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ZATHROS 10 months ago

Thanks for sharing.

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javawoody 10 months ago

Glad you enjoyed your cruise

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cruising2004 10 months ago

Glad you had a great cruise! Wonder attitude and review, thanks for sharing!

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Niavlys 10 months ago

Thank you for sharing your view

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Gwbigdog 10 months ago

Thanks for sharing your cruise with us

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Other reviews of this sailing

Will never again travel with MSC