MSC Meraviglia Cruise Reviews - Reviews

Not as many activities as other cruise line but you can’t beat the price.

Had a fabulous time on this ship and can't wait to return.

Very nice. Staff made sure everything was sanitized. Very friendly staff.

This is an in-depth review of a 7 nt Carribean cruise I just took (Oct 2nd) with my wife for our 33rd Anniversary on the MSC Mereviglia. We decided to sail with MSC for the 5th time back in January 2021. Unfortunately, the CDC's COVID restrictions caused the booking to be canceled in April, so we rebooked for Nov 2nd and received a complimentary Balcony upgrade by using our cancellation credits. I'd first like to say that my wife and I are avid cruisers. We're loyalty club members with 5 cruise lines, and we've sailed across the globe on over 60 cruises to date. There are times we cruise to experience a new ship, and times we sail to experience new ports. This cruise was definitely selected for the ship and not the ports. My goal is to highlight various discrepancies and to unbiasedly share the good and bad aspects of our cruise. I must start with the bad because there is far more than the good. INTERNET SERVICE---- Buy the full week package online before departure or you will pay dearly for not doing so!!! To have full streaming service for both phones and my laptop, we forked out $330!! Ouch!! This was the 1st time I've seen a cruise ship offer full streaming internet service, but my gosh....that's expensive by anyone's standard!! The pre-boarding online price was a supposed $77/pp, but that was most likely for 1 phone. Anyhow, I decided to take the hit because the ship's itinerary had us on their private cay for 2 full days. The internet package included wifi hotspots on their cay so I figured that our usage would justify their absorbent cost. WRONG!! The wifi hotspots on Ocean Cay were sketchy at best. We sunbathed on several beaches around the large Cay, but no matter where we settled, the wifi signal was weak. I must admit that the signal onboard was always solid. That was great because there were several huge MLB and NFL games that the ship's bars and lounges didn't broadcast?? I had to watch them on my laptop (SMH). Why does every cruise line struggle with this issue? They refuse to carry any other sports programming in their bars and lounges besides ESPN and ESPN2? Hundreds of sports-crazed men gathering around a bar or lounge for a big sporting event usually causes a ton of drinking...$$$ ching ching??? I don't get it. They're loosing out because most patrons don't buy into the crazy drink packages that cost upward of $400 pp. Sit a bunch of men at a bar for 3 hrs and you'll undoubtedly make a HUGE profit!! FOOD PACKAGES ---- This was by far the most troubling issue we experienced. The passenger capacity on the Mereviglia is 4500. We sailed with a passenger load of 1400. It honestly felt as though MSC was attempting to use clever schemes to make 1400 passengers spend what 4500 passengers normally would. Unfortunately, schemes like the food package weren't very clever. Basically, for an additional $230, a party of two could eat for 3 nights at 3 different specialty restaurants. A $75 additional cost per night for what we assumed would be FULL/BETTER meals sounded pretty reasonable. It ended up being a complete ripoff, and an insult to not only us but several passengers we spoke with. There's a steak restaurant (Butchers Cut), a seafood restaurant, and a sushi restaurant included in the package. Here's the catch. Specialty restaurants have been around for a good 15 yrs now and every cruise line uses them to not only provide more onboard eating options but more importantly, more onboard revenue options. It's a good formula and most cruise lines do it well. Historically, we'd spend an extra $50-$70 for a meal, but the meal would include big portions, anything on the menu, and great food quality. MSC COMPLETELY blew it on all three fronts. The portions were tiny. So tiny in fact that we had to go to the buffet afterward, and we're not big people or big eaters. Additionally, if you had the package, you were restricted to a very limited menu. If you choose to upgrade from a filet mignon to a T-bone for example, be prepared to pay an additional $60 pp!!! I complained about this issue on the 3rd day to the ship's asst guest relations manager Sheila Diamond. 3 days in, no shore excursion, spa, casino, or drinking charges yet, and our tab was already over $800!! Her customer service response was quite extraordinary!! It may have been the best we've ever seen on a cruise ship! She provided Champagne, chocolate strawberries, a huge seafood platter, wine, bathrobes, and over $200 in onboard credit!! In our eyes, Mrs. DiamonO redeemed the entire company with her amazing customer service. She single-handedly salvaged our 33rd Anniversary Cruise and we could not be more grateful OVERALL---- There were other minor issues that are worth mentioning before concluding. The sand on their Ocean Cay beaches has a very pungent odor of sulfur dioxide (rotten eggs). The Buffet pavilion on the Cay is the only major eatery beside the food trucks that serve burgers and dogs. If the ship docks in at 9am and departs at 11pm, you would think that they'd have the Buffet Pavillion open for lunch and dinner. It closed at approx. 2pm and forced you to wait in long lines at a few scattered food trucks, or go back on board to eat. Minor, but I'm sure that will change as capacity increases. The ship is beautiful, and the sanitary protocols they've put in place are very thorough. Temp checks every day, hand washing before entering the buffet, etc. As of October 2021, masks are still required in public places when you weren't eating or drinking, but the staff never over-enforced the mask-wearing requirements. MSC usually outdoes all other cruise lines with their pizza (being an Italian cruise-line), but the Mereviglia didn't hit their usual mark on this stapled item. Lastly, our ports were Ocho Rios, and Nassau. Ocho Rios has always been a dangerous port and Nassau has always been a safe one. That hasn't changed. I would say this. With the desperation the pandemic has caused everywhere, don't go onshore in Jamaica unless you're booking an excursion provided by the cruise line itself. Nassau is totally safe. Can't go wrong with a pleasent 15 minute walk to Junkanoo Beach CONCLUSION------ We recognize the enormous financial challenges that all cruise lines are facing. They'll need to cut corners, adapt, and find new ways to operate if they're going to remain solvent. The problem is that they'll need to find ways to do this without appearing to operate in an underhanded or deceptive way. If someone's recovering from a devastating injury, you can't expect them to be in full form as soon as they come back. They have to work through some obvious kinks, but We'll continue to sail with MSC and we're confident that as they come back into full service, they'll find their sea legs.

We just got off the Meraviglia and couldn't be happier. Temperatures checked before entering the buffet then mandatory hand washing. Buffet was totally safe not like another cruise line we were on last month. Everyone wore masks everywhere except when eating or drinking. The remote was cleaned and in a envelope and masks were in our room. A great experience hope our next cruise on a different line is as safe.

very nice and relaxing (our choice). We only got off the ship at the private island (for Covid safety - and been to the ports many times).

It fell good to cruise again after the Imposition from the COVID, MSC did a fantastic job of safety and be concerned for the passenger as well as the crew. Hand sanitizer through the entrance of every rooms as well as taking the temperature of every passenger every morning.

Had a great time. It was a mellow cruise. It is definitely different than a carnival cruise.

MSC appeals to us since we cruise with children. We book the yacht club so I can have more intimate service while still enjoying the benefits of larger ships to keep our children entertained. The yacht club is simply amazing and the staff went above and beyond to exceed our expectations. The food was amazing, service top notch and the ship was clean.

Everyone’s expectations and experiences are viewed through their own filters. My group of 8 loved it!

Overall a great experience. Ship was stunning and the crew were 1st class. Embarkation process was quick and seamless. A 30 minute embarkation window was provided to us and getting from the curb to on board the ship took no more than 20 minutes...probably closer to 15. Overall cleanliness was remarkable and it felt as if they were taking great strides to keep all of the passengers safe. The ship was at 1/5th capacity, masks were required indoors, all adults were fully vaccinated, a negative Covid test result no older than 48 hours was required and there were daily temperature checks. They also required that everyone where a smart bracelet that monitored your movement on the ship for contact tracing if someone did test positive on board. Felt as if every safety precaution imaginable was being taken. Food was hit and miss...some days it was fantastic and other's just ok, but not nearly as bad as the reviews I've read. The buffet was great quality, but limited variety due to the amount of passengers (only 1200 on our cruise). Pizza was as good as advertised. We also paid for the teppanyaki bar one evening which was a lot of fun and the food was very good. The bartenders were great, but selection also somewhat limited due to the amount of passengers on board. We looked forward to the beer selection in the pub, but it only had a small selection available. If you are a beer drinker and don't enjoy Heineken, it may be a long week for you, haha. The champagne bar however had a marvelous selection and our bartender Yohan took amazing care of us throughout the cruise. They also had an extensive spirits and cocktail selection. Entertainment was the one thing I found lacking on the Meraviglia. Cirque du Soleil which is normally on board was not available on our cruise. The Broadway Theatre (free) had the same performers each night which were marginal at best and the shows were unimaginative and lackluster. The dancers were great, but the singers...especially the men left something to be desired. There was an illusionist one night, but we were seated to the side and could see how the uninspired tricks (e.g. sawing his assistant in half...yawn) were done. There was also another venue, the Carousel Lounge which was available for a nominal fee...($10 and it included a drink I believe) and we heard the entertainment was much better here, but we never made it over to a show. Debarkation was pretty typical, but no complaints at all. Once our group was called, we were off very quickly. They also have an option to get off when you would like if you choose to carry your own luggage off. This was our first MSC cruise and we didn't know what to expect based off of mixed reviews. Overall we had a great time and had very few complaints. The ship itself is my favorite one I've ever been on. Just absolutely stunning and easy to navigate for the size. Would absolutely cruise with MSC and on the Meraviglia in particular again in a heartbeat.

All in all it was a lovely cruise. Staff was great. Ship was beautiful. Covid safeties we’re outstanding!

A cruise is what you make if it . This cruise was magical for me as I wanted to decompress and leave the world behind for a week . I would have never thought that I would feel safer on a ship than I do on land during a pandemic! MSC is doing it right onboard . I could not have asked for a better vacation and look forward to my next cruise with them .

One big cabin problem was that our key cards and wristbands did not open our doors when we first got to the cabins, no-one was around to help and when I found a crew member he told me to go down to reception and ask them :-( Big line and later we had to go back again to get the bands paired! The ship is very sparkly and bright. Everyone loved the main staircases. Lots of room with little crowds as the ship had only 1530 passengers due to Covid. We liked the Brass Anchor Pub. Sadly there were no books or games in the Library (covid again). The theater entertainers were great with singers and dancers, 16 total with 4 singers, plus 2 more signers added later. The sets were very minimal. Loved Born To Rock. No Cirque du Soleil shows but are still charging $10 for music show in the Carousel theater, strangely the MSC For Me App still had Cirque du Soleil listed until we were on the ships wi-fi. The Sky Lounge bar was closed at sail-away. The Atmosphere Ice Cream Bar only had soft serve ice cream, covid they said. There was no 24 hour pizzeria :-( Main restaurant menu had very poor "everyday" selections, we ended up at the buffet most nights. OK now for some of the bad stuff. MSC's mask policy needs work and the officers and crew need to enforce the policy, many times people would walk into a event with no mask and walk right by ship officers without them saying a word. I even got into a discussion with one of the event leaders about people not wearing masks. The "Complimentary photo" for Gold Voyagers club members was a joke, Reception said it was any photo, the MSC website said "Fantastica - One complimentary picture for each guest, taken during the Mediterranean Night at the Main Restaurants", but there was no Mediterranean night. The photo department said it was Italian night but only in the main restaurant :-( Also the Daily Program said there was a 30% discount for Gold Voyagers Club members BUT the photo department said that it did not apply to digital photos WTF! Other Voyagers club perks GONE No Welcome back cocktail No On-board dedicated number No Special offers No Milestone reward  No Fresh fruit basket in room No Complimentary thermal spa session  No Complimentary gift

Fantastic vacation on a stunningly gorgeous ship. Can’t wait to sail again.

I have been on MSC before and the food and entertainment was the best. This trip, the choice of food was terrible every night was chicken, pork, pasta, and fish. One night the food was so bad we sent it back and left. No steak just the cheapest food they could get. If you wanted steak you could purchase it in dinning room The entertainment was terrible. The shows would not even make it to off off off off Broadway. I have seen better high school productions.

Had a fabulous time. They take many precautions due to pandemic.

The price of the cruise was so low, I couldn’t NOT go. Everyone was vaccinated, everyone wore masks. I usually cruise Celebrity and found MSC to be equally pleasing. The ship was only 40% full, I was told. I had an amazing cruise and want to go again, soon. Now is the time to book; you won’t see low prices and low capacity ships, I think.

MSC has beautiful ships. I would advise them to rethink their culinary choices for ships sailing from the USA. They need to think about who their paying customers are from these ports.

I had taken many cruises before this is the 1st time with MSC we took this cruise to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary I was ok I was expecting for some kind of celebration or acknowledgement on my 25th wedding Anniversary but nothing other cruise lines will do something special.