Better than last year's Royal Caribbean cruise
MSC Meraviglia Cruise Review to Canada, New England, New York
Contributor Level:
Purser
Cruises: 7+ cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 10
7 Night Canada & New England (New York Roundtrip)
Sail date: May 12, 2024
Ship: MSC Meraviglia
Cabin type: Balcony
Cabin number: 12154
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 24 days ago
Review summary
I'm going to gripe about an unpleasant encounter first, then I will review the ship. I have one major complaint about this boat. It is the casino manager. They have a system whereby if you cash out and are owed coin as part of the balance, they will not cash out the coin until the last day. Fine; except then on the last day we had to make 4 trips to get the 65 cents we were owed and wait in line over 10 minutes each trip. They kept telling us come back at noon, come back at 2, come back at 4. Each time...no coin. The 65 cents is no big deal, it's the repeated misinformation, and total disregard for our time that irks. Before the attempt to get coin we went to the front Desk and complained, they said they messaged the casino manager, and we were assured they would be ready for us, so we went straight there. Nope nada. I felt like I was part of a Charlie Brown script. If you value you your time, and have any desire not to let them keep your change, then don't use the casino. Now onto the boat- Embarkation and disembarkation with MSC has been amazing; organized and quick. I've been on 2 MSC cruises, the Seaside out of Port Canaveral for a week 8/2024, and the Meraviglia out of Brooklyn for a week 5/12/2024; I much prefer the Seaside. The Meraviglia was built in 2017, the same as the Seaside, and they hold a similar number of passengers. The Meraviglia holds about 350 more. The Meraviglia seems much less techie, and is lacking many of the cool items on the Seaside like elevators that give a wait time, and cutting edge video displays. They also have only one buffet area while the Seaside has 2. That makes a huge difference. I also found the layout for premium dining and the shops more customer friendly on the Seaside. The entertainment on the Seaside was far superior to Meraviglia in every way as well. More live entertainment in the lounges and common areas, and the sound quality was better too. The stage shows on Seaside, many performed by the crew, were much more lively and entertaining than those on Meraviglia. The food was good, much better than my most recent Royal Caribbean cruise last year, on both MSC ships. The staff on both MSC ships were also friendly and eager to please(except the casino issue described above) Many parts of the voyage were lackluster and they could have easily been better, however the trip left me relaxed and pleased overall.Embarkation
Embarkation with both my MSC cruises has been amazing; organized, comfortable and quick. They even had chairs to sit on while waiting.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
Iv'e been on 2 MSC cruises. This one and on Seaside 08/2023. The Seaside buffet was superior. They had 2 buffet areas and that made a huge difference. The Meraviglia buffet was standard fair. I was looking for to the fresh made mozzarella, but they don't do that any more. They had just changed the buffet menu. The worst thing about the buffet is the noise. They really need to at some sound dampeners. They have hard ceilings, floors and walls, so nothing absorbs the sound, and it can get overwhelming. Another thing that made me very uncomfortable about the buffet was the lack of wash stations at the entrances from the pool deck and the side entrances. Only the main entrance had a wash station. The main dining room was great, the food quality far surpassed the food on the Royal Caribbean Quantum of the Seas Alaska Cruise 05/29/2023. They do charge a nominal $5 fee for a second entree, however extra starters ot desserts are free. The portions are perfect with just one entree; we never left wanting more.
Onboard Activities
With the chilly May weather, the outdoor areas were a bit too brisk, however even in good weather, the offerings were average. No rock climbing, no ultra modern rollercoasters, or elevating viewing balls. You standard water park(very large and nice), pools(plenty for all), pickleball, an abundance of karaoke options, and my favorite...foosball for free.
Entertainment
Here is one area that the Meraviglia fell short. The entertainment on the Seaside was far superior to Meraviglia in every way. More live entertainment in the lounges and common areas, and the sound quality was better too. The stage shows on Seaside, many performed by the crew, were much more lively and entertaining than those on Meraviglia. Our party of four were in total agreement that the stage shows all fell flat on this cruise.
Service and Staff
Most of the staff on both My MSC cruises have been fantastic. On the whole they showed a heartfelt concern that our trip be memorable and go smoothly. They are eager to please and always willing to go the extra mile. Unfortunately on this cruise the Casino service let us down. So now I'm going to gripe about an unpleasant encounter: I have one major complaint about this boat. It is the casino manager. They have a system whereby if you cash out and are owed coin as part of the balance, they will not cash out the coin until the last day. Fine; except then on the last day we had to make 4 trips to get the 65 cents we were owed and wait in line over 10 minutes each trip. They kept telling us come back at noon, come back at 2, come back at 4. Each time...no coin. The 65 cents is no big deal, it's the repeated misinformation, and total disregard for our time that irks. Before the attempt to get coin we went to the front Desk and complained, they said they messaged the casino manager, and we were assured they would be ready for us, so we went straight there. Nope nada. I felt like I was part of a Charlie Brown script. If you value you your time, and have any desire not to let them keep your change, then don't use the casino.
Ship Quality
Other than the previously mention noise issue and lack of some wash stations in the buffet area, everything about this ship was great. Always sparkling clean, and I saw an attendant cleaning the common bathrooms most times I visited one. Also our room was attended to twice a day.
Cabin / Stateroom
The cabin location was quiet, the room was spacious with a couch, large desk, good sized closet and a working safe. The shower was a bit tight, but no more so than the Quantum of the Seas
Ship tip
If you value you your time, and have any desire not to let them keep your change, then don't use the casino.
Thumbs up
0
Ports of call
Wow, Fanueil and Quincey Market were a let down. Otherwise it was a nice place to spend 8 hours.
Old Port area is a brief walk and is a quaint seaside shopping area with lots of craft, local food and souvenir shops. Be sure to stop in at the Liquid Riot brewery/distillery. I have some fantastic local gin and and the best Mocha Stout I ever had there.
This is a fairly average port. The City Market is easily walkable and has great local crafts and food. Be sure to stop in at the info counter, they are super helpful and informative. Also if you are there just before high tide be sure to see the reversing falls. Any other time and the falls are fairly average rapids, not really falls.
I loved the Peggy's Cove visit. The views were spectacular and the Souwester souvenir shop had a huge selection and left us amazed at the low low prices. Staff was super friendly. Other than that the cruise terminal and waterfront are about all that is worth seeing in the area.
Disembarkation
Disembarkation for both my MSC cruises were great; organized and quick. When they call your group you walk to your luggage, there was no line that stood still. The longest wait was 2 minutes to check your ID at the customs/immigration checkpoint.