We booked this trip one year ago on the MSC Seaside. When we booked there were various “packages” available. We choose Aurea experience which included the deluxe package which became the Premium drink package. During the year MSC changed their packaging but we didn’t change our booking. I give you this background so you can fully appreciate the misadventures we have had. The first issue was embarkation- over 3 hours to get on from curb to the ship. An hour an a half of it outside in the cold schlepping our bags the whole way . Now I am not lazy but we had our 80 year old mother with us who walks with a cane. There was no where for her to sit and we had to deal with our bags and hers - making for a lot of maneuvering. Once finally in we went to get wheel chair assistance only to find out there were people who had been waiting over two hours already . Mom was so tired she just wanted to get on board so we proceeded to the priority embarkation (black card status privilege) to line up for another hour and a half. Again no seats or refreshments. Then for the first time ever we waited another 1/2 hour to get up the boarding causeway . There was a number of travel agents in for the day for a cruise ship tour and so we couldn’t go on if they were coming off . We made sure each agent was aware of the issues - probably offsetting any goodwill gained in the tour. Eventually a MSC staff said there was another walkway at the back of the ship but by then we were actually almost on the gangway. Our next issue was that the alcohol package we booked wasn’t on our card at all. We tried to discuss this with guest relations but they said nothing they could do. The bar and catering manager finally quasi fixed it but only gave us a classic package rather than the premium we had under our original booking . I am so We are now on day three of the trip and have had the port cancelled due to a delayed sailing on account of weather . So I don’t blame MSC for the onboarding - that sounds like a port authority and port agent issue. I don’t blame them for the weather - we all know that no one controls that. But........when a company of this size refused to honour the contents of their contract there are bigger issues at play. I have also now found that they have charged items to my account that were not signed for - with again the horrendous guest relations comment of - well I guess they forgot to get you to sign . With absolutely no remorse they said they would put a note on the file. At this point I am ready to remove the daily gratuity charge to offset the additional charges I am getting hit with (those known and those unknown) however I know that hurts those staff that have no ability to change this sucky situation. So instead I feel a review to warn people about this situation is better . By the way we are seasoned travellers and my husband is a cruise agent so it is not like we don’t know what we are doing . My advice at this point is to avoid this cruise line until they get their act together . Read Less

This was my first and probably last MSC cruise. It's a pity because the ship itself has some good points and the ports of call were fantastic. We picked the ship up in Southampton along with what it turns out a lot of new crew who took a couple of days to come to terms with things. Staff were very polite and willing to assist if possible. We had a balcony cabin which was kept spotless by our cabin steward. However there is a lot of wasted space where extra drawers etc could be added. The wardrobe was worse than useless and the siting of the safe was ridiculous. Entertainment was very hit and miss and seems to be about 10 years behind other cruise lines. I will however say that having the Cirque du Soleil onboard is a masterstroke. Food - the biggest negative for me was abysmal some of my salads were hotter than most of the hot food they served up at both lunch and dinner. The meat was just about as tough as you could get. Choice of food was very very poor but they did make great pizzas. This was the first cruise that I have been on that I have actually lost weight on. I can see a new joke coming on to replace the old cargo joke. Embarkation was ok but we dropped lucky, other people had a nightmare. Disembarkation both at ports of call and final day was totally disorganised. We waited for over three hours to get through the US border control - others waited much longer. There seemed to be no control measures in place. At one of the ports of call we waited a while to allow the usual I want to get off first queuers off but still ended up in a queue. Excursions were very overpriced. How this ship has not had multiple cases of Norovirus is incredible. The ship has sinks to wash hands and sanitizer stations, however there is no policing of this and people just walk past them. So it's a big NO from me. Read Less

Kiel to New York Embarkation at Kiel: Complete chaos took us 3 hours to get on the ship. There were no real lines for USA Citizens EU citizens after 2 hours they tried to rearange after thet it was more chaos. Food : Common this was sad the waves restaurant we eat 10 of the 17 nights i had one good meal that was the ribeye. I had a curry which was no curry. Spinach with some Meat no flavor. Lasagna was cold on the inside, frozen ????? Staff was very polite and was ashamed of the food. Buffet: every night the same and poor quality and very strange organised, i like yoghurt wit food and cerials you have to do 3 dif stations to complete ( breakfast was ok ) Hola Tapas restaurant, You pay a €30 for a standard menu which was very simple, if you do tapas like that in Sevilla you are out of bussiness in a month. The Butchers Cut steakhouse, simple menu for a extra €39,- A big sirlion steak which was very poor quality. My wife had Filet Mignon which was good. For €80 for 2 i have a perfect steak everywere. Dinner at Cirque do soleil was chaos but the fish and the lamb was good. Internet, i understand it can be slow on ships but this had nothing to do with slow it did not work or was very very very slow. Television after Iceland it was gone until New York Our toilet smells terribly, our great room steward masked the odor with coffee smell, thanx he was great. Embarcation after a port was dramatic only one entrance one control 20 30 mins to get back to the ship was no exception. Pasportcontrol New York took 6 hours. Disembarkation New York walk off at 8 was easy. My verdict, msc has nothing with giving people a great time, the greed is everywere money money money. This was our first and last msc cruise. We do Celebrity or RC next time. If you think it will be ok, everybody we spoke on the ship was negative. Read Less

Quick caveat that while this was my 25th sailing, this was my first (and will be my only) sailing on an MSC ship. It didn't take long for my group and I to notice that MSC caters to the European market, not the American market. This is blatantly apparent when it comes to customer service. MSC has a "it is what is is" mentality when it comes to delivering poor customer experience, which they did quite often during the 18-day transatlantic sailing. FIRST: MSC doesn't keep time well. Disembarkation was later than scheduled on most ports which caused tours to either start hours late or be rushed missing key sights. MSC's response, "you're the first one to complain so..." A refund was denied and I was told that someone will contact me. Nobody did. SECOND: MSC decided it was a good idea to drain all pools in the thermal spa area for several days during their transatlantic tour. I invested $300+ on access specifically for their hot tubs so when I found out that they will be out-of-service for a long period of time I asked for a refund. MSC's response? "take it up with the spa since they are a third-party company." Spa company's response? "take it up with MSC since you bought it online." THIRD: Most employees will not know the answer to your questions and if they don't, they'll guess. If you ask 5 employees the same question you'll get 5 different answers. I was asked to put a card on file when my on-board balance exceeded $300 euros. When I proceeded to put my debit card on file the lowest pre-paid denomination was much higher than I expected to pay. When I asked what will happen with the remaining unused funds I was told that it would get credited back to my debit card. On the last day, as I was disembarking with luggage in hand in NYC the machine made a loud noise and I was told that I owe a balance. When I visited the reception desk I was told that they owed me several hundred dollars and that I'll get it in euros. A refund on my debit card was not feasible despite the information that was provided previously. Now I have hundreds in euros that I'll have to spend 1/3 of it to convert to dollars. I will never sail with MSC again. Read Less

We chose this 14 night cruise because of the itinerary and the experience of a new ship. The ship is beautiful but probably a bit too big for us as there was some very noisy areas due to the number of passengers onboard.The ports were fantastic especially the fjords. The dining room we were assigned to (The Panorama restaurant ) was fantastic as were the staff. So Attentive and friendly and our glass of wine was always filled without having to get anyone's attention.. Food in the dining room was probably some of the best cruise food we have had actually. We enjoyed everything. The buffett was far too noisy and crowded but the food seemed to be good with plenty of variety. We don't do buffets but a couple of early excursion days we had too. A TIP. Take some zip lock bags and make up some rolls and some pastries from the buffett to take on your port days it saved a lot of money off the ship. If you eat always in the buffets and dont try the complimentary dining rooms and you complain about food and service then that is your own fault as it is an entirely different experience and our dining room experience was fantastic. I'm not usually a fan of set tables, set dining times and set dining rooms but it actually worked out really good for us as during our 2 weeks we had some really great company and looked forward to seeing them each night at the same table. We also had the option of breakfast and lunch at the panorama restaurant. which was fantastic also. Why anyone prefers walking around buffets with a plate in their hand as opposed to being waited on with a nice table setting , cutlery, glasses (not plastic cups) and a menu is beyond me. Kids I understand. Our inside cabin was very very roomy and always clean. Except for 2 days I had to ask for it too be made up. We had been forgotten. We actually found very little storage space in the very very large inside cabin. I actually had to work out of my suitcase a bit during the 2 weeks. Maybe a 2 seater sofa with draws at the bottom would be a good addition to the very large empty floor space or even another cupboard. 2 people could actually lay down and do yoga on the floor. I did actually have a lot of trouble sleeping at night but that was really down to rude passengers slamming cabin doors, yelling and laughing as they passed through the corridors. Why aren't people more thoughtful we were always very mindful that others could possibly be sleeping. Lack of manners I guess. Some were even very rude and wouldn't let you out of the lift before getting in themselves. Service at the bars was good but a lot of passengers so what can you expect if you have to wait. ANOTHER TIP. the indoor pools and jacuzzis are always empty on port days so best time for a dip in peace. As for the shows they were ok, but we gave up after the 2nd time as people seemed to keep coming in through out the whole performance and walk in front of you or get you to stand up so they can get past you. Try being on time so everyone can enjoy the shows without disruption. We do. We had an easy drink package with drinks valued up to 6 euro. dont go over as you are charged for the whole drink not just the differance. We were actually quite happy with our package as there were 6 different kinds of wine to choose from mostly Italian house wines (nothing wrong with italian house wine, great in fact) 2 sparkling, 2 whites a rose and a red.. only 1 beer type though. 4 spirit types which you could mix with tonic, sodas etc. bottled water. juices, coffee, tea, hot chocolate and even cappuccino. ANOTHER GOOD TIP order the non alcoholic cocktails and a spirit on the side and mix them together. My Coco loco zero with a side of rum added turned out to be a nice coco loco cocktail. Alcoholic cocktails were not included in our package. but i still managed to get my fix without paying extra. I do have a few of complaints though. 1.I had to fight to get a box of tissues for the cabin they apparently don't provide these any more. 2.And you could not order an iron and ironing board for an hour or so and a lot of my clothes were wrinkly after such long flights so i didn't get to wear everything and had to recycle and there is only a small clothes line in the shower. I take a mini clothes circle with pegs attached. Laundry prices were outrageous even for just a garment pressed. 3. The speciality dining package is very inflexible as you can't pick the restaurants you want to attend only the ones they pick for you. 4. The easy drink package could not be used in the speciality dining you would of had to upgrade your drink package by 10 euros per person per night. So because of these 2 things we did not eat speciality dining. But I don't think we missed anything as the food in the dining room was great and our easy package was adequate. 5. I also think as on other ships someone on the food areas monitoring hand sanitation would be a good idea. Not everybody is hygenic. Overall we enjoyed our cruise, food was great, staff friendly and the ports were good. A cruise is what you make of it. So don't sweat the little things too much and focus on the great. And there is plenty of that on the ship if you look for it. Read Less

This was a winter break away. The check in was straight forward. No major problems. Inside the ship, you scan your sea pass card at a machine and authorize €250 to b taken as on board credit. The first night, the food was abhorrent. Our waiter James from India was quite quick with service. The dining room is all on one level. The headliner show was a magician who made animal shapes with his hands, he was quite good. The casino is a rip off, it seemed to be a smoking casino as non smoking signs were ignored. The activities were abysmal, €35 for a F1 simulation car for 30 minutes, €25 for 4 people for 10 pin bowling for 30 minutes, €9 for flight simulation. Not a whole lot else. The staff looked uninterested in their work and the cruisers. Cirque du soleil was also on the ship, tickets varied from €15-€45. It was cancelled 3 nights in a row, due to rocky seas. Our cabin was at the opposite end to the market place. The market place was a complete nightmare for finding tables. I had to share with strangers as no table was available for me. I walked round 3 times to find a table. The food doesn’t stay warm very long once it’s on your plate. Restaurant waiters very slow in clearing plates, cups, glasses off tables. The cabin was on the small side for 3 people, no storage space, the wardrobe was fairly small only 2 shelves and 2 drawers. We only saw our room attendant twice during the whole week. Room was left in excellent condition. The solarium was lovely, 2 jacuzzis and 2 cantilevered jacuzzis. No cushions on any of the chairs. Very uncomfortable. The shopping offers were reasonable enough. The price of the excursions were obscene. Read Less

This is our fifth cruise. In general we are very satisfied with the cruising experience. We’ve done NCL, Princess Cruise and Celebrity before. MSC is definitely different from the “American” lines. The check in was straight forward. No major problems. To get in and out of the ship, the staff scans your sea pass card at a machine and authorize. Quite simple. They say kind people are the best kind of people. And we couldn’t agree more. The staff on Meraviglia was one of the best we’ve ever come across. Always smiling, always warm, always happy (and eager) to help. From the moment we got down at Kiel station, to the moment we got back there – every member of the staff went out of the way to help us. What we found unique on this ship was the main staffs spoke 6 major languages – French, Italian, English, Dutch, Spanish and Portuguese. The first night, the food was acceptable to very good comparing to other cruises that we have taken before. The staffs were warm, quite quick with service. The dining room is all on one level 5 and the cafeteria Market Place is located on 14 th floor. The first show as the world of hand was a magician who made animal shapes with his hands, he was very good. Since this is a European ship and the smoke is allowed in some places dedicated in the ship as the bar and casino. The activities were quite expensive as €35 for a F1 simulation car for 30 minutes, €25 for 4 people for 10 pin bowling for 30 minutes, €9 for flight simulation. Cirque du soleil was also on the ship, tickets varied from €15 with a drink and €45 with a dinner. Our cabin had the balcony. We therefore were so enjoyed watching the sea as the ship was moving. The Market Place/cafeteria was a mesh for finding tables. We had to share with strangers as no table available for us sometime. Our cruise plan also included dinner at the Olivo D’Oro restaurant every night, table 733 near the veranda, where we could peacefully sit around a table, and enjoy a dining experience while having conversations with friends and watching the wave as the ship moving. However we found unreasonable as the soft drink including water were charged to the room when we were in the restaurants. It was free in the Market Place/cafeteria. We saw our room attendant twice every day. Room was left in excellent condition. The shopping offers were reasonable enough with cocktail offerings. The price of the excursions were quite high due the high cost of living in Norway comparing to the North American one. As mentioned before this is our fifth cruise and we came back with a fond memory and grateful. Thank MSC Meraviglia for providing us with memories of a lifetime! Two families Nguyen from Montreal and Toronto September 2019 Read Less

Just returned from cruise through Scandanavia. This cruise only caters for people who are prepared to pay for their overpriced boutiques, restaurants and alcohol. Food, service and entertainment average at best. Groups of people left mid show on more than 1 occasion Drink package mostly useless as they price their drinks outside the cap they allow on the packagre. Instead of you paying the difference they make you pay the cost of the whole drink despite having paid extra for the package Internet is obscenely expensive but you need it to work their app to manage your accounts. They charge credit card despite being paid and you are expected to wait for them to refund it. Shore excursions terrible quality not worth the cost. Limited staff, wait forever for service at bars Pester you to eat at their expensive private restaurants when you walk past, even waiting outside the dining room to hand you pamphlets despite having just eaten. Felt like you were in Asia with Hawkers. Main lounges have limited seating for 3500 passengers to enjoy onboard entertainment It is unfortunate that cruise experiences like this turn people away from ever cruising again MSC Maraviglia. Too big, impersonal, poor service and onboard experiences. Spend your money elsewhere Read Less

a one week Baltic cruise fit our schedule and we wanted to sail on a newer ship.They did an excellent job handling 4500 guests We are regular cruisers on several US lines. after reading reviews of this ship I was somewhat cautious. It turns out that the experience was great. MSC is extremely organized, both getting on and off the ships as well as their excursions, theater reservations, and meal times. While not our favorite dining experience you can find plenty to satisfy. They have some excellant Gelato, chocolate, and British pub locations we tried, all good. The overall entertainment was the best we have encountered. The Cirque du soleil and theater presentaions were great. Also a very friendly crew. Beautiful newer ship. We met people from all over the world, but they did not overwelm you with foreign language announcements. Would not hesitate to sail with MSC again. This ship is heading to Miami. Read Less

MSC was by far most reasonable price point. Meraviglia was a best value. Beautiful, Swarovski Crystal-laden vessel. Less than 2 years old with the latest technology on board-MSC For Me, and access to Cirque Show, sailing the MSC Meraviglia to the Fjords was the right move. Ship large enough to handle all on board without problem. However, as with any large vessel, guests must be smart about how to get from point a to b. Also, when getting on and off the ship, advanced planning is required. Service on ship could not have been better. From guest services to restaurant staff, to disabled assistance, all areas were well handled by crew. In particular, wait staff was so friendly and well coordinated. Also, ship was spotless with all workers doing utmost to keep the vessel sparkly and shiny. Specifically, theatre shows and food could not have been of better quality or variety. Overall, IF guests watch their alcohol consumption and ship specific excursion purchases, one can really gain tremendous value without giving up anything in choosing MSC and the Meraviglia to sail on their next journey. Bon voyage!( Read Less

We have never cruised before, and chose the specific cruise we went on, due to the availability of kid’s activities for our 10 year old daughter, the destinations throughout the Baltics and a decent price. Getting on board as newbies was a bit stressful, as we did not know the process and there was little information about what to expect. We also was more stressed than was required as we roamed around trying to find out how to register a credit card to our cruise card (which wasn’t obvious on the machines) and find out how the kids club works and how/where to go. As it turned out our daughter never gelled with the kids club, as she was hitting the top end of her age group and felt they were being treated childishly and there were few kids of her age. I did get the feeling a lot of other kids truly enjoyed it, just not ours. The boat was generally fairly busy and the common areas (particularly the buffet and the pool areas) could be very crammed and chaotic. At times the central inside area was blocked by other activities. The dining area was great, with a new menu every day, so there was always lots of choice. We did ultimately enjoy our cruise and had some nice on land days, both self served and on excursion, though it will probably be better if we do another cruise now we know what to expect. The staff was generally attentive, smiley and professional, and the fact that all gratuities were paid centrally was more comfortable, as we come from a culture where wages are fair and tipping is only applicable if the service is exceptional. Disembarkation was brilliant, taking us 10 minutes from we were called till we were in a taxi. Read Less

Before I start with my review, I would like to take a moment to rebuke all the paid trolls who have been mercilessly shaming MSC for their poor hospitality! Please find another brand to shame! Because in reality, the MSC experience was flawless!!! Also, for those looking to read my review, please beware - this is going to be a very long review - so grab a cup of coffee if you please! Background info: This was the first ever cruise of our life – I traveled with my parents, my sister and her family of 3, and my own family of 3 – we were a group of 8 people. And let me tell you, it was the best trip ever! I have no words to express how impeccable the entire experience was. We took a 7-night Norwegian Fjord cruise on the MSC Meraviglia, from Kiel, Germany. Being our first cruise, we had absolutely NO clue of how a cruise works, what we’re supposed to pack, how we’re supposed to reach the ship, how the whole experience would be – absolutely nothing! So, imagine our state of mind as we got down at Kiel station. Embarkation: As we come out of the station, wondering how to reach the ship, we see an MSC Counter set up right at the entrance. A handful of MSC employees, waiting to take our luggage (and placing it right outside our cabin rooms), arranging for our shuttle, and happily answering all questions we had with respect to reaching the ship! We took the shuttle an hour later, and reached the port in less than 20 minutes. A hundred more employees were stationed there, each guiding and directing us on the right path. 20 counters were set up for the embarkation formalities; we were done with all of it in 10 minutes flat. As we left the embarkation area, we were struck by the grandeur and the sheer size of Meraviglia – WHAT A BEAUTY she was!! Spotless! I had read online that the rooms take forever to get ready, and that luggage reaches the room only by night. Lies. Lies. Lies. We were aboard the ship at 4 – our rooms were ready – decorated with such warmth and love, and with our luggage neatly placed outside. Ship information: A 19 floor mammoth, Meraviglia was everything a cruise ship should be. While the first 4 four floors were reserved for the staff, the fun began from the 5th. Rooms spread over 10 floors, a hundred lifts to take you to your destination, entertainment, food, drinks, swimming pools – it had everything you could ever ask for! Room details: Because we made our bookings very late (only 6 months in advance), we couldn’t get the cheapest inner cabin rooms because they were all sold out, and thank god we didn’t! The Bella Balcony Stateroom was a dream! Anyone who says MSC rooms are too small – I don’t know what they expect!! Our rooms were the perfect size – a warm and cozy double-bed, with the sofa converted into a bed for our toddler. A tv and mini-bar attached, and a reasonably sized balcony with a stunning sea view! The bathroom was also very smartly designed with unlimited hand wash, shampoo, and body wash. Yes, the shower area was a little small, but frankly, it was inconsequential! Dining: A 20-hour market place buffet, a handful of other fine-dine and every day restaurants, ice cream parlors, cafes, bars and lounges. We found ourselves spending most of our free time at the marketplace buffet – what a variety of food – my god! Since all of us are vegetarians, our options were limited. But we, in no way, went hungry ever! The restaurant was always crowded, but we always managed to find a table – without having to push or shove. Every item was beautifully created, and served with equal amount of love! The views from the corner tables were spectacular! Our cruise plan also included dinner at the Olivo D Oro restaurant every night, where we could peacefully sit around a table, and enjoy a dining experience while having fulfilling conversations with the family. And the best part? Being Indians, we asked the host if the chef could prepare Indian food for us, and to our surprise, he did: not once, not twice – but every night for the entire duration of our stay! And not just Indian food, but also all the things that come with Indian food – including salad, pickle, pappadums, and yoghurt – no Indian meal is complete without these. I have to say, we have never been taken care of, so wonderfully, by any staff, anywhere in the world! It was our luck, that the host was an Indian himself; he took care of us like his family! Jamal Khan – I cannot thank you enough for your hospitality! Equal appreciation for Aryo, our server who smilingly took care of our needs – every night, night after night! Games: Shops, an interactive LED dome, gym, kids clubs, flight and car simulation zones, air hockey, mini-football field, bowling alley and more. We didn’t make use of the gaming zone was much as we would have liked to, but we still enjoyed whatever little we could! Activities: Outdoor swimming pool, indoor heated pool, a dozen 38 degree plus whirlpools – some with panoramic sea views, a waterpark on the 19th floor along with a Himalayan rope walk. The whirlpools were our favorite. After a tiring day at shore, spending sometime in the whirlpool was the best way to unwind! Entertainment: Innumerable entertainment options including Cirque de Soleil at sea, broadway shows, casino, spa, tv studio and the many everyday programs organized by the entertainment staff – including quiz, master chef at sea, bingo, karaoke, Zumba, dance, and more. I was, (and still am) SO amazed by the professionalism and perfection shown by every artist of the Broadway shows. 3 shows, every day, each day – probably by the same people. But what a variety. What performance. What entertainment. I particularly loved the Flamenco show, while my metal hubby enjoyed the rock and 80s song and dance shows. Getting to experience Cirque de Soleil at sea was an experience in itself – our kids enjoyed it to the core! Everyday excursions: I had read so many negative reviews of how uncomfortable getting in and out of ship is, and how long one has to wait while passing through security checking. When we got down for our first shore excursion, I realized what a mockery people had made of the ship. Everyday alighting was immaculate. Sign boards were put everywhere which made it easy for us to find our way out. Staff at exit points were absolutely professional, and precise. They scanned our cards and allowed us to get down – without any hassle. Some of them even greeted us Namaste, the minute they realized we came from India. No where did we have to stand in queues (except at one port where we had just a few hours on shore, and even there it took less than 20 minutes to get in) – I found myself frequently discussing with my family, how flawless the process was every day. Staff, or probably STAFF: They say kind people are the best kind of people. And we couldn’t agree more. The staff on Meraviglia was one of the best we’ve ever come across. Always smiling, always warm, always happy (and eager) to help. From the moment we got down at Kiel station, to the moment we got back there – every member of the staff went out of the way to help us. Never was a member rude to us; never did anyone frown upon us. It felt as if they were there just so they could make us happy, make our stay memorable, and they did! Let’s begin with the housekeeping staff. I hate to admit I never asked for his name, but our housekeeping boy was the reason for our happy mornings. The minute we got out of our room each morning, he was there, standing with a million-dollar smile on his face, wishing us and genuinely wanting us to have a good day ahead. He tidied up our room twice a day, and even folded our clothes every evening. Frankly, who does that? :) I’ve already said a lot about our dining staff. They were probably the main reason for our happy MSC experience. The staff at the Marketplace buffet were also were helpful. Any questions we had, any doubts we had, they were more than happy to respond and answer. The entertainment staff were the most fun! For sea days, and even for evenings on board, they had planned and executed activities meticulously. While all the games etc. were fun, the staff itself, was so much fun – we always found them pulling each other’s’ legs, cracking jokes – just having a good time. They always approached us with a smiling face, seeking participation for events, and applauding us for our efforts. On the last night, they put up a small program for everyone at the Broadway theatre, and I must tell you – I haven’t felt so choked up in a long time. Not only did they thank us for being a part of the experience, they even introduced themselves by name and by country of origin – stating how all of us, are in fact, just like one big family – without the division of color, religion, or caste. As the program got over, each member of the staff stood at the exit, thanking us personally. I will never forget the tears they had in their eyes! How touched we all were, to realize, they were going to miss us, just as much as we were going to miss them!!! Disembarkation: We were given a disembarkation time of 10:45, but because some of us had an international flight to catch at 16:30 from Hamburg, we requested for an earlier time and were accommodated, without hassle. We were asked to leave our luggage outside our rooms the previous night, so we only had our hand baggage with us. Since we had already cleared all our bills, we could just walk out of the ship – after having our cards scanned. As we got down the ship, our luggage was already there – waiting for us. There were a dozen shuttle buses also waiting; we were directed to one, which brought us to Kiel station – back to reality after a week-long dream! Fact check: After having read SO MANY negative reviews for MSC, I was petrified before I got onto the ship. More so because my husband and I had done all the planning and booking and I was scared how my family would react if MSC turned out to be just as bad as I had been reading online! But after I got on, I realized all those negative reviews were LIES! • The ship is noisy? Wow! When you put 5000 people together on a small piece of floating land, there is going to be noise. How is the cruise company to be blamed for this??? • It takes ages for a waiter to come to take your order? It’s called having patience: when there are 2000+ people sitting across tables in a restaurant that is spread across half the ship, waiting 10 minutes (or even more) for an order is normal. • Horrible food quality? Wow! I don’t know what people expect – there was nothing, absolutely nothing we found bad or inedible in the food. And, mind you, we are vegetarians! :) • Limited food options? If people think this is limited, I am not sure they understand the meaning of the word! • No entertainment? Low quality theatre shows? After having returned from my most unforgettable experience, I can only smirk, when I read such statements! There is soooooooooo much Meraviglia offers – as part of your plan, and at an added cost. There is no limit, really! And I’ve already mentioned how every artist performed – with perfection and professionalism. • Service is mediocre? In my entire life (I’m 33 already), I’ve never been taken care of this well by ANY staff, anywhere. From the dining staff to housekeeping, security to reception, entertainment to cleaning – every member of the Meraviglia family attended to us with such warmth and hospitality. I was moved beyond words. Points to note: Like any other business in the world, cruise companies will try everything to make money, and there is nothing wrong in it. The good part is – they tell you they are trying to make money, nothing is HIDDEN. The onus on being careful with your money is entirely on you! So, here are some things to note: • Onshore excursions – Yes, they charge a bomb for all their onshore excursions, and that’s exactly why we didn’t take even one of them! Do your research and plan your trips on your own. We did that, and we came back a happy lot – without a hole in our pockets. • Drinks package – For people who drink a lot, this might seem like a good option – paying a set amount for drinks every day, for the entire duration of your stay so you can have unlimited drinks while on the ship. But everyone in my family (barring me and my husband) are teetotalers. The drinks package didn’t make sense to us – so we didn’t opt for it. • Professional photos – You will find photographers taking your photos everywhere; apart from the photo that was taken on embarkation day, a bill for which reached our room (with an option to return the pics and choose not to pay for it), no one were we forced to pay for something we didn’t ask for. • Service charge – I had read so much about how unfair it is for MSC to add a 70 Euro service charge on every bill. But after my 7-day trip, I willingly and happily paid those 70 Euros. For a 7-day trip, it comes out to 10 Euro/person/day. And for how well they took care of me – I was more than happy to pay! Conclusion: I’ve never been on any other cruise ship, I do not know if and when I’ll be making another trip. But as a first-time experience, MSC completely bowled me (and my family) over. We boarded the ship with so much apprehension, but we came back with such gratitude and appreciation in our hearts – for all the people on board – who took such great care of us, and ensured that every moment we spent on the ship was enjoyable and memorable! Thank you MSC Meraviglia for providing us with memories of a lifetime! P.S. No, I’m not a PR person for MSC, nor do I have any vested interests in the company. I’m a normal IT professional, trying to get through life, and trying to make memories along the way! ~The more you are thankful, the more you attract things to be thankful for~ Read Less

We chose this cruise for the remarkable deal we found to cruise Northern Europe. Embarkation was very smooth, we waited about 30 min or so, but we arrived before our check-in time. The ship is very modern and has a real wow factor! This was out 13th cruise. We’ve done Disney, Princess, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian and Carnival. MSC is definitely different from the “American” lines. Pool decks are much quieter, no music/games/contests like on the other ships. No sail away party. There was a giant screen; however, it never played any movies or shows, only beach scenery. The pools are salt water and we’re not terribly crowded except on sea days when it was nearly impossible to find a lounger even on the deck above. The thermal suite is lovely and a great place to relax. The kids club was good. Our boys enjoyed their time there. They do close at various points throughout the day in seas days, which was a bit of a pain. The food in the buffet was really just ok as was the main dining room. The speciality restaurants have much better food. The status match program is nice. I have a gold card so there were some perks, but not like ones On other lines. We got a bowl of fruit in our cabin and a string back pack. We were offered a free photo but it had to be from a particular party which was at 11 on the last sea day. Overall, any cruise it what you make of it. We chose MSC for the great itinerary. It can feel like you’re being nickeled and dimed, but we were prepared for that from other reviews. Read Less

Theis ship is horrible, the service is so bad there is no excuse for it. It takes ages for a waiter to come to you for drinks in the main buffet even tho you have a bell for colling them, one time the waiter came to the table canceled the call and just walked away without takeing our order, when we asked him why he did that he came with such a dumb excuse, and thats is all the staff have for you is excuses. When you want to go to shore there are harbors with only steps as gang walks so disabled people cant disimbark, on the ports that disabled people can disimbark you will go thru hell when you imbark, first of all they will make sure that you know that they doing the disable people a big favor if they let 1 person to acompany the disable thru security, we had 1 person with an oxigen mask on her and security made her stand in line for 10 mins for security, they made me choose betwin my disabled father and my child ( who didnt speak english) so i had no choice but to wait for my child, so my father had to wait for me and my child and they put him near a trashcan so god forbid he will interfere the other guests, when we whent to complain about it, the costomer service made me feel like I was the one to blame, he didnt wrote my complain right and ofcourse the complaint was nulled with the excuse that you cant expect them to let 3 people cut the securety line (and I remind you 1 person is disabled and one is a child) and leting the other guest wait. The dishes in the buffet was dirty we got glasses with lipstick marks on them, plates with pasta still on it. On other ships at the evenibg of your first imbarkation the person in charge of cleaning your room comes and introduce him/her self to you and tells you that every thing you needs room wise to come to him/her, on this ship we saw him only on the last night of the cruise. The one bright light on the ship is the food, it was tasty and good and you had a large choice of dishes to choose from in the buffet, and every day was diffrent dishes, too bad you couldn't had plates to put those delicious dishes. We took an excurtion in kiel and asked the woman who booked us the excurtion if it takes us to see the city itself including the city center because they had 1 tour only for the harbor and the tour we took, at the end both of the excurtions was only for the harbor and we didnt saw the city at all. Pass these ship there are other ship lines that are much better with the same prices as this one. Read Less

For clarity, I was traveling in the Yacht Club area on the MSC Meraviglia, so the review concerns rather this part of the ship. Ship: The ship is beautiful and impressive. It has a modern but elegant interior. Unfortunately the ship is too big and more importantly extremely overcrowded. In the evening it is difficult to find a free table in a bar. There is noise and bustle in public areas. There is also a huge queue to get out and back on the ship in every port. Itinerary: The itinerary to Norway is very interesting and offers amazing views. In my opinion, a cruise is the best way to see the Norwegian Fjords. Embarkation: The terminal in Kiel, which MSC has been using since this year, is tragic. The port crew knows nothing and chaos. Fortunately, thanks to the escort and help of YC butlers, the embarkation went quite smoothly. However, if someone has a choice, it's better to avoid the port of Kiel and embark somewhere else, for example, in Copenhagen. Yacht Club: For many years there has been one reason why we keep coming back on MSC: Msc Yacht Club. Once you have been in the Yacht Club, you don't want to cruise differently anymore. The YC area on Meraviglia is very nice, and the new concept of panoramic restaurant at the front of the ship was a great idea. Unfortunately you can see a significant difference to Fantasia-class. The number of cabins in the YC is much bigger and it is no longer the same family atmosphere. The crew was very kind and wonderful, but their work was not well organized, especially in the Top Sail Lounge. Despite this, the quality of services is still not comparable to the rest of the ship. As a fan of the MSC Yacht Club, I really hope that at least in this sector the cruise line will maintain a high level, but I'm worried about the idea of the huge ​​YC on the MSC Seashore with over 130 cabins. Restaurants: YC Restaurant offers a really high level of service and dishes. I can also recommend the speciality restaurant Butcher’s Cut. Conclusion: Generally, I have quite mixed feelings. I would never go on this ship outside the Yacht Club and this is not due to snobbery If someone was on the Meraviglia-class in an ordinary cabin understands why. After all, I am happy with the cruise, but as a loyal customer of Msc Cruises I am sad that the line follows the general trend in the industry for building huge ships and service on quantity and not on quality. If someone does not like noise and crowd I would recommend choosing another ship. Read Less

I'm a frequent cruiser, as I've been on other cruise lines including Norwegian, Royal Caribbean, Holland America, and Carnival, and I have never been on a cruise ship where I was treated with such a low regard in my entire life. Now, this is not my first time with MSC. I have sailed on the MSC Divina and the Seaside out of Miami each twice. However, on the Seaside we booked the Yacht Club, the inclusive ship-within-a-ship service on MSC (similar to Norwegian's Haven), and found the service just as equal to service found on smaller ships of other cruise lines. This trip we decided to book the two-story duplex suite instead of the Yacht Club under the Aurea Experience, thinking that with all the money we were spending, we would get good service and quality. Boy, were we wrong. FOOD: First of all, the main dining room waiters are unfriendly and unaccomodating. They refused to serve us any food that was not listed on the menu. And although we had a beverage package, the waiters refused to fetch us a pina colada from a nearby bar when my father ordered one. One night, my sister wanted an apple juice and the waiters in the dining room claimed there wasn't any juice available, yet when we walked to buffet a few moments later, juice was readily available. It seemed to be that the waiters didn't want to go out of the way to get us anything. Additionally, every time we asked for something in the dining room, like ice for our drinks, it seemed to be almost a bother to them. Also, the selection of food on the menu was awful. There were only like four or five main entrees to choose from, and most of them looked pretty nasty to me. It didn't even look like a cruise ship menu. They had grilled chicken every night, but as soon as it touched my lips, I immediately spit it out as the taste was disgusting and it was incredibly chewy. The buffet is a whole other story. The buffet is huge, with a relatively nice selection of foods, yet that didn't mean the food looked good and tasted good for that matter. I do have to say, the pizza was excellent, with different varieties everyday, and fresh-made mozzarella nearby. But other than that, the food went downhill. I literally ate pizza every single day of the cruise because everything else looked and tasted so bad. Breakfast, I have to say was decent and honestly had a nice variety, but lunch and dinner was worse than college cafeteria food. The ship itself was incredibly overcrowded- you could barely keep yourself from tripping over someone at buffet. And since the ship left out of Copenhagen, the ship was full of Europeans who were rude and would shove right into you. The staff on the ship had such thick accents, it was hard to understand them. So did the tour guides on the excursions. What I found quite annoying was MSC often put English speaking people on the same bus as a non-English group such as German or Italian. So we would hear it in two languages, even though it was still difficult to hear it in English. CABIN: The cabin itself was beautiful, however, upon embarkation our stateroom wasn't cleaned thoroughly enough as there was bugs in our jacuzzi tub and the carpets didn't seem vacuumed. After we got that sorted out, the room honestly saved the trip. From my experience, MSC staterooms are not to small or crowded, and since it's a new ship, your stateroom size shouldn't be much of a problem. ENTERTAINMENT: I do have to say out of all the cruise lines I've been on, the nightly theater shows on MSC Cruises are the best! Their singers are amazing on all the ships I've been on and the dancing is great. Be warned though: there are no comedy shows or shipped entertainment people like on other cruise lines. We also barely saw the cruise director and only realized halfway through the cruise that the lady who came into the theater and spoke in Italian for five minutes was actually the cruise director. She only muttered a few words in English, so I felt that we were being left out with information. Overall, I don't think I will ever travel MSC again without booking Yacht Club. Read Less

Everything was excellent. The crew was very kind and helpful. The ship was very clean. The prices were normal. The only bad was that there was not free Wi-Fi. It was very expensive, if you were interested in it. There were gorgeous performances every night. The animation team was fantastic. There were five swimming pools, restaurants, bars, events every time each day, markets, shops, coffee shops. It is like a village. Everybody is friendly. Although there are a lot of people you feel comfortable. The food is delicious and there is plenty of it all the day. Gyms, TV, activities for the kids, bowling, basketball court, soccer, cinema,spa etc. The cabins are lovely. If you are a disabled person you can have all you need in order to feel OK. It was a nice experience and definitely I will travel again with them. Don't hesitate to choose this company to have an unforgettable cruise. Read Less

The ship is terrible - despite its enormous size, has very few things to do, no entertainment program on the main pool deck, only a few games to share among 5000 passengers, very low quality theater shows. Food is quite bad quality. Shore excursions are over priced, with mediocre guides with thick accents you cannot understand. Premium drinks are low quality (particularly wine). Kids programs are super boring - this is the first time my kids refused to go to the kids center and kept repeating how boring everything is. There are only 2 pools on the main deck!! - one indoor and one outdoor, and both are tiny so they are incredibly crowded at all times. Service across the ship is below mediocre. Casino manager is the least professional and disregarding you will ever encounter - don’t bother spending big money, you will get zero attention. Overall, a cheap look and feel and not worth any price you pay. STAY AWAY. Read Less

We boarded in Copenhagen for a 7-night Baltic itinerary that visited Helsinki, St. Petersburg, Tallinn, and Kiel. All four cities were wonderful. The ship was great. It was always clean, didn’t seem overly crowded. I did find that Europeans were pushy and rude and also had little to no manners at the buffet area and at the elevators. Our room steward Putra was excellent, He always kept the room clean, ice bucket filled, etc. The food was mediocre at best. Dining room food was hit or miss and the Buffett selections were plentiful. Some selections I didn’t care for, and some were bland. Entertainment - The cruise director was non-existent. We saw her one time in he very last night of the cruise at the closing show. The shows were boring, but the Cirque du Soliel show with the French art theme was really good. The Sonor show wasn’t that good. As far as entertainment goes, if people resort to playing board games and cards, it shows that the programming is non-existent. On the sea days, there was no programming, no live music, no fun games on the main deck. The large screen on the deck also had no programming, just looped video of tropical scenes and underwater scenes. Overall, I’d give this cruise a 2.5. This was our 2nd cruise on MSC and I can’t say I would recommend MSC to others. Read Less

Have cruised carnival, royal, princess and others mostly larger boats like meraviglia. Cost was higher than most but we expected a matching experience. We booked this boat specifically because of the ports of call in the Baltic (vs typical Caribbean destinations we have done 7 times). Bad service from the beginning. Employees look and act mostly clueless. You have to get irate to get a manager. Cabin is ridiculously small. We had 2 cabins for 3 people, the room was basically big enough for 2 with a wardrobe for 1 (on royal everybody gets their own wardrobe). There was NO space for luggage so it had to be left in the middle of the floor and you had to crawl over. I happen to look into a 4 person cabin and it was identical to the 3 but the couch has a bunk attached to it (royals and carnivals cabins are actually built for the number of passengers). No outlets near bed, you, cabin service was sporadic and steward was not friendly (our kids have literally taken pics with stewards on some boats they were so friendly). Also, dont expect wash cloths. Buffet, to put it mildly was a non stop chaotic mess. Food quality was poor and food choices were abysmal. I could go on for paragraphs, but buffet was indescribably bad. Dinner was okay, our table staff was the best experience we had. We got lucky there, many reviews talk about how bad it was. It was a shock that no dinner night offered a steak or lobster option (it was an upgrade), every other cruise we've been on always had one night with steak and lobster. Drink packages were ridiculously complicated and hard to use ( yes, they were also costly so we made sure to use them :-) so cost per drink wasnt bad). But, be aware, if you want a drink package, you are requires to buy a comparable package for everybody in your cabin. Wait, what if one is a child and one doesn't drink. Well, deal with it cause you're buying package for all. But dont worry about it, if your kids want ice cream, the only way to get it is a drink package (or you pay per scoop)- again royal and carnival have unlimited ice cream for kids. Btw, we found out after day 3 we weren't supposed to be able to use the drink package in the british pub, its considered a specialty restaurant and thus doesn't accept the drink package. Luckily the wait staff in the pub was enjoyable and never registered the drinks. Amenities: on the oasis of the seas (royal), which is comparable in size, you never felt crowded. On msc, you felt absolutely crowded everywhere you went. Elevators were claustrophobic, tiny pools and pool decks, sports area is cramped, gym incredibly small for this many people. Also, soooooo much of the amenities are add ons. Dont expect to bowl, f1 race, vr expeirence, there are 3 board games that are actually composites of like 6 different versions of each game across multiple languages...good luck. Also, dont expect towel service on the pool deck, only blankets. You have to bring pool towels from your cabin. There are at least 20 other situations like this involving stupid or uncommuncated policies, long lines, poor service personnel and bad food. I did send a detailed letter to MSC and have received no feedback. Funny thing, we spoke to several other families (who we didn't know) and they had similar experiences. But I will say the ports of call were amazing. Read Less

With 4 cruises behind us and having visited many countries we decided we would like to visit Northern Europe. MSC was the cheapest option as Royal Caribbean and Norweigan were a lot more expensive so we decided to try this option, we were not very pleased with a few things, the ship is very new so this itself was fabulous however as the saying goes "you get what you pay for".. We spoke with many others on board from various parts of the world and we all felt that once on board the ship it seemed to be like "we have your money so entertain yourself".. from past experience on RCC and Thompson (TUI) ships there was always music or entertainment by the poolside and especially on the days at sea, on this very large ship there was no music to be heard and no cruise director to be found to participate in games etc. the only time we saw this lady was at the beginning and end of each show in the evening times. The marketplace in particular is a dangerous zone and needs a "huge restructure" as there is no queueing system in place and easily knocked off your feet in a heartbeat. some nationalities in particular have no manners in this area or at the lifts around this area and we saw elderly people almost run-down.... :-( this includes some workers in the marketplace as well as customers. we spoke with some waiters in the Panorama dining area and they agreed about the Buffet area and said that many people had mentioned it but nothing was done.. very sad to see this ongoing problem is not being rectified considering this is an expensive holiday for each family and MSC don't seem to be happy to take on board people's comments. Read Less

We did a Baltic Capitals Cruise on the MSC Meraviglia with our 24 months old. The experience was amazing for the three of us. The ship is decorated with taste - in fact it was the most beautiful ship we’ve been on. The buffet food is amazing: lots of tasty options all day long and the best pizza at sea! The evening seated dinner is also great - although there is a limited option to choose from. Nice staff, clean spaces, enough things to do on board. There’s a baby care program for under 3s but we didn’t use it, although we made use of the baby room which had plenty of toys and was really clean. The only thing we didn’t like was that they had the TV on all the time - and even when we were in the baby room alone they couldn’t turn it off - we went to the baby room to play, if I wanted my son to watch TV I would stay in our room. Read Less

This cruise was part of a package we’d signed up for. 7 nights departing from Copenhagen to see the fjords and return to Copenhagen via Germany. We should still be on board with three nights remaining but we disembarked early. Some people obviously love cruises. We didn’t. We found the number of people onboard very overwhelming especially when eating in the Buffett section of the ship. The noise and the feeling of claustrophobia was at times distressing. It was difficult to find quiet spots on the ship to read or reflect. Considering it’s such a huge vessel, this was disappointing. The range, preparation and delivery of food was magnificent in Waves Restaurant, the Buffett and we ate our evening meal in the Panorama Restaurant. Roman our waiter was very charming and super attentive. We could not fault the staff or the food. We purchased a drinks package prior to boarding which we thought to be great value for money. We also bought an internet package for two devices which ran out the night before we disembarked. I think the ‘selling’ side of cruising becomes quite frustrating. On embarkation in Copenhagen we were approached by several staff trying to sell us meal upgrades, excursions or drink packages. We didn’t appreciate this and found it happened throughout the four days on board. Cruising, it’s just not for us. Read Less

We sailed the Nordic fjords from Kiel with our adult children. The cabins are quite OK, not a lot of space for storage, bit dark colors. Still cleaning twice a day, not really necessary for us. Very large ship, very crowded, specially because we had bad weather and everybody was searching inside convenient seating. There are many lifts, maneuvering through the ship is easy and quick. Going ashore quick every time, how ever long waiting times at the security check getting back on board. Food overall pretty good. The easy drinking package gives you cheap drinks of low quality for 30 euros/ day, overpriced!! Staff not more than average, some very rude (you have whole day, one European in a bar told us). Very disappointing, our cabin was again (!!) changed by MSC without informing us. We booked 3 cabins together, they ended up scattered over the ship. We won't book MSC again, they just change your cabin as they like to do.... Read Less

We chose this cruise for the ports and to try a new line. MSC has the status match program which also helped. This cruise was from Genoa, Italy to Kiel, Germany with stops at Marseille, Barcelona, Cadiz, Lisbon, Vigo, and Southampton. Embarkation: This was a disaster. I am not sure if Genoa was not equipped to handle this many passengers, or if they were just not prepared to turn over the whole ship as MSC frequently interports in Europe. Whatever the reason, we arrived at the port at noon and eventually made it onboard around 4pm. Ship: The Meraviglia is a beautiful ship. Every area has something unique and stylish about it. That being said, many areas seemed choppy and without a good flow to them which created bottlenecks at certain areas. Cabin: We had a Fantastica Ocean View (O2) and while the cabin was spacious enough and well appointed, the storage space was nearly non-existent. Especially for a twelve day cruise. We were on Deck 5, just down from guest services and the Atrium bar and I thought the location was good. easy to get everywhere. Dining: This started out poorly, but eventually ended up fine. We had no dining time assigned, we just kept being told that we would get our time once on board...that never really worked out, mainly because we boarded so late, the dining table had closed. Finally we were assigned a table/time and that is where we sat the rest of the cruise. Food in the MDR was fair to good; In the buffet was mostly fair with some good, and at our one specialty dining experience, The Chef's Table, was spectacular. Entertainment: MSC really shines in this area. Shows were good to great and Cirque at Sea was amazing. Service: Across the board service was friendly and professional. Never had an issue there. Ports & Shore Excursions: All were booked through MSC and all were either good or great. Arles and Vigo were the standouts. We did not do an excursion in Barcelona. Disembarkation: Another disaster. I had priority debarkation and while I was off the ship in a reasonable amount of time, I then stood around for over an hour waiting for my luggage to make it off. Overall, the ship was beautiful, but I don't think I would use MSC in Europe again. I haven't written them off completely so I may sail them again in the US, but I will choose other lines when sailing in Europe. Read Less