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Mix in a shore excursion desk; shops that sell high-end jewelry and purses; a counter serving for-fee gelato, crepes and smoothies; and Hola! Tacos & Cantina (one of the best Mexican restaurants at sea), and Galleria Meraviglia feels like the place to be. For last experience with MSC cruise Bellissima (Japan & South Korea), as usual we paid all excursions in advance.
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MSC's food consistently receives less-than-stellar reviews from passengers, particularly regarding the line's complimentary dining experiences. Much of the main dining room fare is indeed so-so — palatable but largely underseasoned and mass-produced, so that it often looks like it's been sitting under a heat lamp when it reaches you. Food in the buffet is varied and tasty, but it can also become repetitive after a week, and the space is frequently crowded and confusing to navigate. I recently sailed on MSC Meraviglia out of its Red Hook homeport in Brooklyn, and I have mixed feelings. Its specialty restaurants and nightly shows are some of the most consistently superb on any vessel, and it offers one heck of a luxury product in its Yacht Club suite enclave. As you can see from their non-answers, MSC clearly don't care about their customers.
Royal Caribbean
If you'd rather get your groove on, keep an eye out for dance lessons and themed parties hosted by the entertainment team. My favorite was the Snow Party, when the crew blasted fake snow (which appeared to be suds of some sort) as we danced on the blazing hot pool deck. One deck above it is the Champagne Bar, which sometimes also serves seafood. One deck below is the Infinity Bar, so named because it's found at the base of the Infinity Atrium. I also spent some time at the Casino Imperiale bar, which was open on my sailing longer than any of the other onboard watering holes. If you're a coffee lover who's heading ashore at MSC's private island, Ocean Cay Marine Reserve, you won't want to miss the extra-fee Coco-Nilla Latte, found at The Smiling Fish.
MSC Meraviglia cabins and suites
She did her job superbly, but I generally like to do things for myself. Having someone else handling the minutia felt frivolous and unnecessary; it took a few days for me to acclimate. The room was furnished with a king-size bed that converts into two twins on request, a couch and a desk/vanity area. It featured a closet and cabinet space for storage and an en suite bathroom. I must also mention some weird food-related practices I saw on board.
MSC Seashore Cruise Ship First-hand Expert Review - Cruise Critic
MSC Seashore Cruise Ship First-hand Expert Review.
Posted: Wed, 12 Jul 2023 15:50:58 GMT [source]
Overcrowded, overpriced excursions, travel to and from cities on the shuttle bus extortionately priced when p&o was free. Food average but very busy around the buffet area.Euribia only used EU plug sockets but didn't clearly make this aware to us before hand.Also charged us an authorised payment and when challenged they said it was for their charity?? Yet thisnwas not discussed or agreed with us, and was not clear if this was written down anywhere before being taken out. Canceled our port to Ocean Cay, their private island to let another unscheduled MSC ship take our spot on the dock.
Some days there was a Mexican station, though it was hard to find in the enormous venue. I ended up paying less for a balcony cabin on a seven-night cruise to the Caribbean on MSC's newest ship, MSC Seashore, than I would for a three-night Disney Wish cruise in a windowless inside cabin. As with most MSC ships, MSC Meraviglia's entertainment is stellar.
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Within the last five years, though, the line has made an effort to build and deploy ships with amenities and itineraries that are more targeted at American travelers. In search of cheap family cruises myself, I followed the deals to a major but more under-the-radar cruise line, MSC Cruises. On the final night on board, she held an intimate performance for Yacht Club passengers in the suite area's private lounge. Again, I shivered as she took on the likes of Adele, AC/DC and others. As part of a rotating selection of limited-time performers, English duo The Conjurors performed two shows during my sailing, featuring numbers games, mindreading and pre-show predictions that impressively came true by the end.
After 10 cruises, here's what I love and hated about sailing with Royal Caribbean and MSC Cruises - Cruise Blog
After 10 cruises, here's what I love and hated about sailing with Royal Caribbean and MSC Cruises.
Posted: Mon, 16 Oct 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Loved: Lower drink prices and specialty dining cover charges
The daytime schedule features plenty of options for those with a competitive spirit. They range from golf putting, foosball, Ping-Pong soccer and pickleball tournaments to giant darts and trivia (visual trivia like airline logos and "name that place," as well as "name that tune" and general knowledge trivia). The centrally located Meraviglia Bar & Lounge, found along Galleria Meraviglia (the ship's promenade) next to Jean-Philippe Chocolate & Cafe, is also home to trivia competitions, live music and dancing throughout the day. It's the bar often frequented by passengers before and after shows in the nearby Broadway Theatre.
With its 13 pools and water features, MSC Seascape strives to strike a balance between kid-friendly and adult-enticing settings. The centerpieces are the Marina Pool and the Jungle Room Pool, located on opposite sides of Deck 18. Both are somewhat small, and during our sailing, the Jungle Room Pool's indoor setting (it features a retractable roof) attracted the most attention from passengers. But on MSC Seascape's Caribbean sailings, it's entirely reasonable to see the outdoor Marina Pool take center stage. The adults-only Infinity Pool on Deck 8 is a little slice of paradise; a very 'Instagrammable' spot on the aft of the ship that also features a bar and a gelato station.
We sailed loads with RC, P&O princess and NCL and never had problems like this. So we basically loose £300 deposit unless my credit card disputes it now as a not what purchased. MSC will appeal to many different types of cruisers since it has lots of different types of activities onboard. If you’re traveling with kids, you’ll appreciate the pool, waterslides, and waterpark. In addition to cruise ship staples like pools, a casino, and Broadway-style shows, MSC offers plenty of other unique activities.
They’re getting most of the big things right, but the little details that make a company stand out from the others like getting things right first time?? The MSC Yacht Club is a private section on select MSC ships that offers cabins across several categories, including suites. An MSC Cruise includes the main dining rooms and an extensive buffet.
On my sailing, the ship also had "tropical" and "white" listed on the daily schedule as suggested attire. On "gala" evenings (usually one per weeklong sailing), the dress code is more refined. Passengers might choose to wear tuxedos, suits, khakis with button-downs and blazers, cocktail dresses or sparkly ball gowns. Through at least September 2024, MSC Meraviglia is sailing seven- and eight-night voyages to Nassau and Ocean Cay Marine Reserve in the Bahamas from Brooklyn. The for-fee performances levy a nominal charge for attendance and include a welcome drink for each showgoer. MSC Meraviglia hosts a variety of activities to keep you busy when you're not ashore.
Every day, and you get in line with scores of other hot and hungry cruisers to ask for one of two flavors (usually vanilla, chocolate or strawberry) being doled out by one extremely overworked server. In addition to feeling crowded, the vessel charges extra for many things that will make your overall cruise better. If you're on a strict budget, either resign yourself to doing only the free activities and eating in the main dining room and buffet, or plan to sail with a different cruise line. MSC bookings can be confusing for first-timers because, in addition to selecting a cabin type (inside, outside, balcony or suite), passengers must also choose from one of three experience packages.
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