MSC Meraviglia - August 6, 2021, 3 Nights to Ocean Cay

[twangster]

Elevator lobby at the end of the Galleria so you get an idea of the decor.

The Broadway Theater:

Another look down the Galleria from deck 6 with the blue sky theme.

[twangster]

Up to the Bamboo Pool on deck 15.

With the storms last night they closed the roof.

[twangster]

The main outdoor pool is closed but lit overnight.

That's the gym straight ahead with the Sky Lounge above it.

The Pool Bar:

Edited August 10, 2021 by twangster

[twangster]

Top 19 is an exclusive sun deck for Aurea booked guests on deck 19.

It was not fully set up at this early hour.

As I took this photo a large thundercloud that I had been keeping my eye on was passing in front of the ship's bow 20 or 30 miles off in the distance.  It was lighting up just as I snapped this photo.

Surprise!  Turns out we haven't left Ocean Cay yet.  I guess they stay overnight to save fuel.

The thunderstorm was still distant enough that I couldn't hear it.

While it looks like a bolt of lightning struck the ship in reality it wasn't even close.  It was still a long ways off but given the angles the optical illusion makes it appear the lightning struck the ship.  It did not.

Nonetheless it was getting closer, possibly within 20 miles so it was time to head inside.

[twangster]

The Sportsplex on deck 18.

Sports Bar.

MSC Racing Simulators:

Flight Simulator

Bowling Alley on a cruise ship?  Yep.

[twangster]

Made it to breakfast...

Upon entering the Marketplace Buffet in the mornings a temperature check is performed.  They scan your card and use a non-contact forehead scanner to check your temperature.

Meraviglia has handwashing stations in addition to hand sanitizer dispensers.

The breakfast items didn't change day to day which is common on some other cruise lines.

Everything is behind a divider and you must ask for everything.

Absent of people so going all in with pictures.

Seating areas.

Freshly cut fruit. 

Cereals and milk.

The bar isn't open this early but it has been during normal times.

Beverages are also served by crew.

Omelette station.

There is an outdoor seating area for the buffet aft.

Breakfast with a view.

Back indoors there are floor to ceiling windows.

The Marketplace Buffet has worked out fine for breakfast and other meals.  It doesn't have as much variety as other cruise line buffets but that could also be due to the pandemic and limited capacity for these initial sailings.

Edited August 10, 2021 by twangster

[twangster]

Looks like I forgot the gym... and forgot to go to the gym.

Edited August 10, 2021 by twangster

[twangster]

The Sky Lounge

[twangster]

In summary...  The Gym, Sky Lounge and the Top 19 Exclusive Sun Deck for Aurea on top.

Sunrise...

I was going to look at my account when I noticed we were moving.

Back to my cabin to watch the lighthouse sail past us.

We sailed away around 7:30am.  I was kind of hoping we'd stay but a sea day is good as well. 

I can't recall if I provided by credit card at check in so I dropped by one of these machines to settle my account.  Scan ship card then insert credit card.  Done.  Took 30 seconds.  

Another new look in the Galleria

[twangster]

A quick look into the main dining rooms.

First the L'Olivo d'oro on port which appears to be a mirror of L'Olive dorée on starboard.

If you continue past the twin restaurants above you will walk through the wine display and continue to the other main dining room.

The Panorama dining room is fully aft.

The sun was streaming directly into the aft windows this morning making photography a challenge.

Despite the strong sun I think you can see where they got the name for this dining room.

[twangster]

Staircase to show the decor and artwork.

Meraviglia is a modern ship with modern artwork of this era, including the girl versus boy selfie showdown.

[twangster]

Some balcony pictures now that we are at sea.

Deck 9 cabin 9188, starboard side.

Looking down into the deck 8 extended balconies.  I don't think deck 8 was occupied on this sailing.

Looking forward.

Looking aft.

[twangster]

I had stopped by Butcher's Cut on day two to inquire about my Diamond perk.  They offered my an evening dinner reservation that day but it would conflict with plans so they offered lunch on day three.  There is only one menu, lunch and dinner are the same so lunch it is.

A quick look inside Butcher's Cut.

Physical menus replaced by a QR code.

My table.

Bread was brought to the table.

Butcher's Cut menu:

Butchers Cut.pdf

My Diamond meal includes the Dining Experience. 

 As the instructions state I can pick one starter, one entree and a dessert.

I started with a Caesar salad.

Filet Mignon.

This came with four sauces.  From left to right - Peppercorn, Bearnaise, Mushroom and Mint sauces.

Steaks also include one side and I picked asparagus.

For dessert the NY Cheesecake.

This was a fantastic meal equivalent to a nice steakhouse chain restaurant on land. 

My "Easy" drink package does not work in specialty dining so I splurged and ordered a nicer glass of wine from the menu to pair with my complimentary Diamond experience.   A nice cut of steak deserves a better glass of wine and while I could have brought a house table wine with me from any bar I chose to elevate the meal by pairing it with a $15 glass of wine.

[twangster]

I couldn't find the PDF version of this menu so here is the menu for the HOLA! Tapas Bar.

Sea day main pool to give you an idea on the crowds on board (or lack of).

I went back to one of my favorite areas and bars, the Horizon.

With morning cabin service came the dreaded luggage tags.  So soon?

Another perk of Diamond are luggage tags right after Yacht Club if you are not using the Express Departure program where you carry all your luggage off by yourself.

[twangster]

Another look for the Galleria:

Kaito Sushi was open so I grabbed a few pictures to show it in operation.

Back to the pub for more live music.

I was still full from lunch and I was looking for something other than a full dinner.  The $5 Fish & Chips in the pub sounded perfect.

I ventured back into the casino for a bit (no pictures) and while back there I checked out another lounge that was scheduled to have a show tonight.

The Carousel Lounge:

Later that evening I grabbed another picture of the Galleria dome with the scene for the night.

Edited August 10, 2021 by twangster

[twangster]

Our progress on our return covering the short distance to Miami. 

 

Time for bed.

[twangster]

Mini bar is not included except for the most expensive beverage package.  Here is the price list for the rest of us.

A note about the internet on board.

Meraviglia uses the newer Medium Earth Orbit satellite platform from satellite provider SES/O3b.  A number of other cruise lines also use this platform, some only on their newer ships.  Each cruise line implements the technology slightly differently.

MSC offers internet plans that include one or more devices.  Their service records the unique address of each device (called a MAC address) when you first sign in and this becomes the device authorized for your plan. 

Unlike some other cruise lines you cannot switch devices by logging in and out.  The device you first sign in with becomes the one device that is allowed to sign in and access the internet for your plan.

Speedtest:

Results over several days:

Having purchased ship internet over many years I always appreciate when I find a ship that uses this newer technology.  The lower latency provides a much better user experience.  That being said satellite internet is still subject to weather related issues such as rain fade which I observed during the Lighthouse Spectacular show on Ocean Cay and the heavy downpour that occured that night.  During this downpour the internet was unavailable.  That happens with satellite services and there is nothing any cruise line can do about it with the technology available today.

As far as comparing this internet service to other lines, Princess arguably has the fastest internet at sea at the moment.  From the lines I have sailed Meraviglia is second to Princess with Royal Caribbean following behind MSC in terms of speed.  

[twangster]

Day Four - Time to get off!

Miami is a great city for sail away and sail home scenery and I was early to capture our arrival.

Panorama:

[twangster]

The departure letter indicated the Marketplace Buffet would be open at 6am.

Shortly after 6am they opened the doors.  No temperature check this morning.

The galley cook in charge of eggs must have slept in as the buffet was missing them for several minutes.  To manage the growing queue they offered to bring some to our tables which worked out quite well.

With something in my belly it was time to head back to my cabin to grab my things and join the Express Departure queue.   

I was around twenty in line at 6:20am when I joined the queue.  The letter listed 7am as the start time but the line grew quickly after I arrived.  Having done this on many lines I kind of figured it would work out this way.

Another look for the Galleria as we waited.

By 6:45am the line was going back into the dining room.  They eventually grabbed some folks from way back there somewhere and led them through the Galleria to the other gangway location forward.  On these short three night cruises express departure is pretty popular.

Shortly after 7am CBP allowed the process to begin.  

Throughout the day yesterday and this morning while in line they repeatedly reminded guests to settle their accounts if they had not registered a credit card.  Despite that there were folks getting the block sound when trying to debark.  They had not settled their accounts.  Did they really think they could skip out on their bill? 

Despite being pretty close to the front of the line there were a half dozen being sent back to close their accounts.  This slowed everyone down as we waited for the inevitable exchange "What?  Me?  I thought I paid that".  

CBP has the new facial recognition kiosks in terminal C so once downstairs a quick lowering of the mask and away I went.

This photo was taken at 7:20am.  (I always take a picture to capture the timestamp)

Not bad and typical for early birds like myself trying to get on the road before the peak of morning traffic.

Parking was $66 paid at the exit gate of the parking garage.

[twangster]

Cruise Summary

Since this was my first time sailing with MSC my approach for this cruise was to basically forget everything I knew about cruising.  It's too easy to fall into the trap of comparing everything to a cruise line you may have sailed last or more frequently.  

Walking onto a ship with a "I've never sailed before" mentality lets you relive that special first time you walked onto a cruise ship and it helps to remove any preconceived notions you may have about a different cruise line.

I thoroughly enjoyed this cruise and for the price it was outstanding value.  

Ocean Cay is beautiful.  While fairly young as a cruise line private destination it checks all the boxes for this type of "port of call".  With the drink package covering Ocean Cay it does perform better than some other cruise lines that don't allow their drink packages at their private destinations.

Meraviglia is a modern beautiful ship and it's a shame to see so many areas underutilized with reduced capacity at the moment.  Clearly she has space to handle more guests while keeping everyone happy.  

The Marketplace Buffet did lack some diversity at dinner but it's not fair to compare a ship on it's second voyage after restarting during a pandemic operating at dramatically reduced capacity to a cruise experience before the pandemic.  

The status match loyalty program is very much appreciated.  Every loyalty program is different and the perks were really nice.  The included dining experience was great.

I did bring a bunch of single bills and tipped every drink above the included service charges included in the drink package I bought.  These folks have been out of work for 16 months so a few extra bucks is well worth it.  I didn't see anyone else tipping above the included gratuity and I could tell the bar staff really appreciated the gesture.  

At the end of the day the most important question... would I sail them again?  Absolutely!  In a heartbeat.

In fact the MSC Divina is moving to Port Canaveral for a few months this fall and I am looking over her dates to see if I can make it work.   I am also eyeing some more Meraviglia itineraries that are a little longer.  I feel like there is so much left to explore on the ship including the main dining room for dinner.

I was worried that some cruise acquaintances declared that you only enjoy MSC is you sail in Yacht Club.   That may be the case for them but I was very pleasantly surprised I had no YC envy.  If you've got the money, sure why not YC but I'll have no problem sailing MSC with the Fantastica experience again.  

I also like the budget friendly "Easy" drink package.  While it only includes well drinks and not any top shelf liquor that was good enough for me on this cruise. 

Meraviglia is a great ship and I'll have no issues booking her again.  It may not be the same experience compared to my "regular" cruise line but that's a good thing as not everything that line does is perfect either.

I hope this helps you decide if Meraviglia is the right ship for you and I thank you for viewing.  

[twangster]

It looks like I forget to mention the seafood restaurant on board... Ocean Cay.

I stopped by but the tables were full of guests eating so I didn't take any pictures.

Here is the menu:

Ocean Cay.pdf

[twangster]

Room service menu:

Room Service.pdf

[twangster]

Pandemic protocols on board.

This post is to provide insight to the protocols on board.  I kindly ask you to avoid debating protocols or providing opinions about protocols here in this thread.  I am posting this so that people can decide if the protocols on board are acceptable based on their personal preferences.

MSC tested everyone that boarded.  That was a quick and easy nasal swab without going deep to "tickle the brain".  

Masks were required at all phases.  This includes everywhere on board except the cabin.  That included outdoors when you weren't actively drinking, eating or in a pool.  I knew that boarding the ship and the drink package helped to keep a drink nearby much of the time. 

Most bars block off the bar seating.  The Horizon bar did not, the Sky Lounge and the Pub did not block bar seating.  At these venues people had a drink in hand and were not masking between sips.  

Some venues like the pub are a designated vaccinated area but there were often children with their parents inside the pub.  This seemed to be allowed.  With reduced capacity it was never an issue keeping distant so it worked.  

The casino was also a designated vaccinated area.  I did spend time in there but didn't really focus on the protocols.  It just seemed to work.  Not sure if smoking is permitted because it wasn't smoky at all while I was there.

For the most part social distancing worked but at times such as when there was a queue people quickly forgot to distance.  

The daily temperature checks were also almost not worth mentioning.  

[twangster]

Daily Programs scanned along with the Welcome Aboard and Departure letters.

Meraviglia Daily Program 8-6-21 3 Nights OC.PDF

[CruiseHabit Bill]

2 hours ago, twangster said:

Cruise Summary

Since this was my first time sailing with MSC my approach for this cruise was to basically forget everything I knew about cruising.  It's too easy to fall into the trap of comparing everything to a cruise line you may have sailed last or more frequently.  

Walking onto a ship with a "I've never sailed before" mentality lets you relive that special first time you walked onto a cruise ship and it helps to remove any preconceived notions you may have about a different cruise line.

I thoroughly enjoyed this cruise and for the price it was outstanding value.  

Ocean Cay is beautiful.  While fairly young as a cruise line private destination it checks all the boxes for this type of "port of call".  With the drink package covering Ocean Cay it does perform better than some other cruise lines that don't allow their drink packages at their private destinations.

Meraviglia is a modern beautiful ship and it's a shame to see so many areas underutilized with reduced capacity at the moment.  Clearly she has space to handle more guests while keeping everyone happy.  

The Marketplace Buffet did lack some diversity at dinner but it's not fair to compare a ship on it's second voyage after restarting during a pandemic operating at dramatically reduced capacity to a cruise experience before the pandemic.  

The status match loyalty program is very much appreciated.  Every loyalty program is different and the perks were really nice.  The included dining experience was great.

I did bring a bunch of single bills and tipped every drink above the included service charges included in the drink package I bought.  These folks have been out of work for 16 months so a few extra bucks is well worth it.  I didn't see anyone else tipping above the included gratuity and I could tell the bar staff really appreciated the gesture.  

At the end of the day the most important question... would I sail them again?  Absolutely!  In a heartbeat.

In fact the MSC Divina is moving to Port Canaveral for a few months this fall and I am looking over her dates to see if I can make it work.   I am also eyeing some more Meraviglia itineraries that are a little longer.  I feel like there is so much left to explore on the ship including the main dining room for dinner.

I was worried that some cruise acquaintances declared that you only enjoy MSC is you sail in Yacht Club.   That may be the case for them but I was very pleasantly surprised I had no YC envy.  If you've got the money, sure why not YC but I'll have no problem sailing MSC with the Fantastica experience again.  

I also like the budget friendly "Easy" drink package.  While it only includes well drinks and not any top shelf liquor that was good enough for me on this cruise. 

Meraviglia is a great ship and I'll have no issues booking her again.  It may not be the same experience compared to my "regular" cruise line but that's a good thing as not everything that line does is perfect either.

I hope this helps you decide if Meraviglia is the right ship for you and I thank you for viewing.  

Fantastic summary and absolutely incredible posts, pics, and updates.  On one hand I feel I now know the ship, but I don't feel there will be any less wonder when we step onboard.  It'll be interesting to see what changes we notice a couple weeks in.  On one hand, MSC has been sailing during the pandemic earlier and more than any other line in the world, on the other hand, this is the first ship of their back in the US, with new crews, etc.