My First MSC Cruise On-Board Meraviglia

This week I got to experience MSC Cruises first hand on the new recently launched (June 2017) Meraviglia. I have booked many passengers on-board and spoken to a lot, all with great advise and feedback, but hear is my truth on MSC.

MSC largest ever ship at launch Meraviglia, holds over 4,000 passengers, boasting 20 bars and lounges, 12 different dining options and home to the iconic Cirque du Soleil.

I sailed from Barcelona to Genoa, and from the first moment you step on-board the wow factor takes over. The words, glamorous, sleek and classy, are just a few that come to mind. The elegant Swarovski staircases is a main attraction in the central Atrium, something I have never seen anything like before. Along with the awesome 96 meter LED curved ceiling.

Being on such a large ship my reservation before travelling was, would it be too big? Would you have to fight for a sunbed? Is the dining area so busy it takes an age to get your food? All questions that were answered emphatically once on-board. Yes their is a lot of passengers, but not once did you notice or struggle to get what you wanted. With so many bars, lounges, restaurants, everyone was spaced out evenly, so never did you feel over cramped or find yourself waiting in long ques for anything.

Boasting the largest outdoor pool ever built on a ship, the amazing water park at the rear along with another outdoor pool, to the indoor pool with a retractable roof, you always had enough space and felt comfortable throughout.

MSC offers a great All-Inclusive Restaurant and Bar drinks package, this is well worth it. The extra £27 per person per day includes soft drinks, beers, house wines and non branded spirits.

On each table at the buffet restaurant on deck 15 you have a buzzer and a bar menu. You press the buzzer and a waiter will come to your table for your drinks order immediately , I have not seen this on any other ship and thought it was a great idea. Of course I had to try it and the waiter came within 30 seconds, and your drinks followed just a couple of minutes later. The food in the buffet restaurant offers a wide selection for adults and children and is open for 20 hours a day.

Cabins are a modern, fresh and spacious. We had a balcony located on Deck 13 (13133) this was a great location and the ship was easy to navigate around with interactive maps and boards. I used the MSC app “MSC for me” this was easy to use and a quick way to see what was available and when. You can check shows times, dining options, whats on and where and much more.

Whilst on-board I got to experience a specialty restaurant Teppanyaki. This was a great experience, interactive, and amazing food served up in front of you. You had an option of 3 different servings, I chose the middle option at 27 Euros, and it was probably the best food I have ever had on any ship! Other specialty restaurants included Eataly (Italian) and Butchers Cut (American Steakhouse).

Entertainment was awesome, during the day it was fun, interactive and enjoyable. At night everything came alive from great music, dancing, karaoke , quizzes, live bands, and my best, thriller night. Staff were all dressed up in their best scary outfits and entertained the passengers into the early hours. If that’s not enough try your hand at F1 in this thrilling simulator, full size bowling lanes, flight simulator or the 4D Cinema. Children have plenty to do in the kids club area based on Deck 15.

We experienced the amazing Cirque du Soleil show, MSC are the only cruise line to have this, and it is definitely a must do. Only 45 minutes long and It is charged extra for, but well worth it.

MSC are an Italian cruise line and this is shown on-board. I would guess at 65-70% of the passengers are Italian. However English is the main spoken language. All the entertainment were spoken in English, and I certainly didn’t feel out of place. I guess if you were on a P&O cruise out of Southampton it would be very British, same goes for MSC sailing out of Italy. Personally this wouldn’t put me off at all and the overall experience was excellent, I would not hesitate in taking my family on-board in the near future.