MSC Meraviglia – Ship Review

This MSC Meraviglia ship review contains all public spaces, my cabin, bars, restaurants, pools, theatre, casino and more! (Lots of lovely pictures if you’re not in the mood to read words.)

I have sailed on many MSC ships over the years – the larger new ships and smaller older ones. Meraviglia still has a special place in my heart!

My second MSC cruise

Back in 2012, I took my first MSC cruise onboard the Opera. We cruised ‘up and down the channel’ (Northern Europe itinerary from the UK), and for some reason, I have very few memories of this cruise.

I didn’t have my cruise blogger hat on back then!

The second MSC cruise was a Mediterranean cruise during Christmas 2017. We boarded the Meraviglia in Genoa on Christmas Eve and disembarked on New Year’s Eve.

Since then, I have taken a third trip when I took other family members along. This ship is certainly impressive and suitable for cruisers of all ages.

First impressions

We stayed the night in Genoa before boarding, so we had that amazing moment of waking up, pulling back the curtains and seeing the ship waiting for us.

The skies were blue, and the Meraviglia looked gorgeous! We struggled at first to find the way to the ship. Despite being huge and her being very close, we seemed to struggle with the streets of Genoa.

Inside cabin

I stayed with my brother in an inside cabin (no surprise there). I really loved the cabin, it felt huge!

It didn’t have a table or a sofa, which may explain why we had so much empty floor space. The cabin felt very minimalist which I liked, there wasn’t anything unnecessary in the room.

We both had super comfy beds, bedside tables, and touch-activated lights above our beds. Of course, there was also a table in the room, a mini-fridge, a hairdryer, and a wardrobe.

The TV was also in a fantastic position to watch TV when you are in bed, which is really the only time I watch TV when cruising.

Have a look in more detail at the inside cabin I stayed in here:

Plugs

There are five plug sockets in the cabin. 2 European plugs, 2 American plugs and a USB port.

The Bathroom

I also really loved the bathroom, it had clean lines and there again was nothing unnecessary.

I really didn’t bring many toiletries so that wasn’t a problem. You could also put things under the sink if you needed to.

The shower was also really good. The only criticism I have of this bathroom is that there wasn’t really much storage space – the only drawers you can see on the side there.

Balcony Cabin

My parents had a balcony cabin that was just as nice. I frequently borrowed their balcony (thanks, Mum and Dad!)

Main Street

The main street felt very similar to the promenade that you would find on a Royal Caribbean ship.

It was lined mostly with shops along the bottom and restaurants at the top. There were no ‘street parties’ though which I almost expected after cruising with Royal Caribbean.

LED Dome

The LED dome is absolutely incredible and it is impossible to take a photo of it that does it justice.

It is absolutely HUGE and I enjoyed each day seeing what the current display was.

I also watched a couple of the ‘shows’ that they put on on the dome, and they have a kiss cam on there, too. It was very strange to see lots of adults just waving at the sky, trying to get its attention.

Shops

I tend to avoid things which cost extra when I cruise, the only shop that I did venture into was the gift shop. There, I bought another inflatable ship and an MSC duck.

Chocolate shop

There is a chocolate shop on the lower level where you can watch chocolate ships being made.

We received a free ship because we have black Latitudes status. We matched our status with our status on Norwegian Cruise Lines. Find out more about that here:

MSC Status Match – What Is it And is it Worth Doing? A Step-by-Step Guide

There was also a huge chocolate clock which moved and really worked – how did they stop it from melting and falling apart? I have no idea.

Top decks

Have a look at my full ship tour here:

Main pool

I didn’t venture into the outside pool because it was pretty cold during our cruise.

As a result the top decks were always pretty quiet (apart from the occasional organised event). I can imagine though that it is a brilliant place to hang out in the sunshine, I did try to sunbathe in my jeans but it just wasn’t the same…

Horizon pool

There was also another pool at the back of the ship, behind the waterslides and ropes course.

It was tiny and we again didn’t try it out, I imagine it’s much nicer in summer. I do love this sculpture though!

Solarium

I did try out the solarium and inside pool. The pool is a fair size and there are a number of hot tubs around it.

Two on the lower level and two at the top. They also serve smoothies here but none of them were included in the unlimited beverage package which was annoying.

I always find it strange when I am allowed the included alcohol option- but not a cheaper, non alcoholic smoothie option!

We made friends with some French kids here and played a game of table football against them, they won…

Restaurants

Main Dining Room

The main dining room was nice enough, but nothing special. It was quite small and had nothing that made me go ‘Wow’.

No big staircase or big windows. It was functional, clean and nicely decorated. The picture below was taken on Christmas day, I loved the waiter’s hats!

Buffet

The buffet was nice! I liked the layout and we didn’t have too much trouble finding a seat.

There was a wide variety of food but most of it seemed to be pizza, pasta and bread. The pizza was made freshly in front of you every day.

I like how they have a ‘press for bar service’ button the tables. It was the first time I had ever seen that.

Butchers Cut Speciality Restaurant

We had two speciality meals for free during our cruise because of our black latitudes loyalty status.

We chose Butchers Cut both times and had amazing meals. The waiters were really lovely and the food was brilliant.

Bars/Clubs

Sky Lounge

The Sky Lounge was my favourite bar onboard. It has a brilliant view of the top of the ship and is a great place to sit down and watch a sail away.

We were lucky enough to catch a gorgeous sunset here one evening when we were having a drink and eating some of the nibbles.

Pub

We spent a lot of time in the pub. Most days, we visited at some point for a beertail or a coke.

My favourite was by far the ‘spiced apple pie’! The pub was surprisingly quiet.

We were often in there with only a couple of other people, which made it a nice place to relax after a busy day in port.

Other bars

There are a number of other bars around the ship but I didn’t really use them.

We occasionally had a drink from the bar in the buffet or solarium but didn’t really visit any of the others.

Carousel Lounge (Cirque de Soleil) 

This is the one lounge which I felt was a let down. The lounge has huge windows, it is what you see when you look at the back of the ship. It would have been an amazing location for a restaurant or a bar but it is only used for Cirque de Soleil (as far as I can tell!)

It was always empty during the day, and in the evenings, the blinds were closed for the Cirque de Soleil show. The lounge itself was nice enough, but it just seemed like a waste to me.

Theatre

The theatre wasn’t the biggest, or sparkliest that I have been in but I did really like it.

One of my favourite things about the theatre was the fact that there was an aisle around the outside as well as through the middle. I normally like to sit by the aisle and this layout meant I had a lot more options.

It’s worth noting that they don’t have a bar or any bar service in the theatre. American cruise lines always seem to have bar service in the theatres. MSC don’t.

This was one of the main differences that I noticed between MSC and NCL/Royal Caribbean. Check out the full list here:

10 differences between MSC and NCL/Royal Caribbean.

Casino

I liked the casino!

It was rather out of the way, I am used to the casinos being in the middle of the ship but this was towards the back and you wouldn’t really walk through it unless you were going to see Cirque de Soleil. It had a big bar in the middle.

Promenade Deck

There wasn’t one! This was my least favourite thing about the MSC Meraviglia.

I like to be able to go for a stroll around the promenade deck but that simply isn’t a feature on this ship. I think I’ve spent too much time hanging out on the oceanfront on NCL ships.

Find out more about promenaded decks on ships here:

Cruise Ship Promenade Decks – Photos, Uses, and History

Sparkles!

It would be impossible to end any MSC ship review without showing you some sparkles. MSC ships seem to be covered in diamonds and almost everything shines.

Overall Impressions Of the Ship

I loved the Meraviglia. She was so shiny and exciting. I adored my inside cabin, the LED dome and the main street. I would definitely recommend a cruise on the Meraviglia if you are considering it.

Meraviglia has sister ships that are very similar:

• MSC Bellissima
• MSC Grandiosa
• MSC Virtuosa
• MSC Euribia

MSC Virtuosa, along with her sister ships MSC Meraviglia, MSC Bellissima, MSC Grandiosa and MSC Euribia, belongs to the “Meraviglia Class”, where the impressive array of onboard experiences come together in perfect harmony with the space and the destinations, to deliver the ultimate cruise holiday experience.

MSC Cruises

I was lucky enough to be invited onboard a sister ship of Meraviglia, and I stayed in the exclusive “Yacht Club” area. I even had my own butler! Find out about that amazing cruise experience here:

Before You Go

Find out about some money-saving tips when you cruise with MSC here:

19 Essential MSC Cruise Tips That I Use Everytime (Freebies, Money Saving & More)

Find out about the free things you should try when onboard an MSC ship here:

12 Free Things You Have to Try on MSC Cruises (Tried and Tested!)

 

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