MSC Meraviglia Review
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While I hope to eventually cruise on all of the cruise lines, it was their enticing loyalty "status match" that enticed us to try MSC next. They placed us in their highest, "Diamond Level", based on our status in other cruise lines.
We chose the Meraviglia for our first cruise from Miami. We were very satisfied with their health and safety protocols, and found the boarding and on board compliance very good. Our cruise only had about 750 passengers...less than 15% of maximum capacity. This was a surreal experience for us. No lines waiting for anything. No problem finding an ideal spot to sit or lounge around pool. While we only had paid for the "Bella Experience", we had open seating in the main dining room. We could arrive anytime between 6 and 9 PM, and get a table for two, or join others...our choice. And the level of service was unbelievable...better than we experienced on luxury lines, with staff two to one per passenger. So this is not a good 'real world' comparison with a 'normal' cruise. The food was about on par with the other mainstream lines, with several daily specials, plus some 'always available' items. The latter did not include a steak, but there were some available for extra charge.
The entertainment was not quite up to what we enjoyed on NCL and RCI...no full Broadway shows, but the usual ship cast production type shows. The singing and dancing was enjoyable, but to recorded, not live, music. There was a very nice magical show one evening. There were some musical entertainers in bars and lounges around the ship that were enjoyable. They also had a very good guest rock band doing three different shows in the secondary theater. The central atrium was very reminiscent of RCI's Royal Promenade, with lounges and shops on two levels, but no interior window cabins above them. The LED ceiling reminded me of the 'Fremont Experience' in Las Vegas, with several different light shows.
Cabin Review
We were in a "Bella Balcony", located one away from the last starboard cabin. The cabin was relatively roomy, with the bed near the balcony, and a sofabed near the bathroom. The bathroom was small, but well laid out. There was sufficient storage for our 7 day cruise, but might be a bit tight for a longer one. Our balcony was on a 'bump out', and so it had a little bit of extra space on its aft end, however, due to a design on the exterior of the ship, the railing at that end was steel, partially obscuring the view. The forward half was glass. Being on the 'bump out' gave us full view fore and aft, if standing at the rail. There were two chairs and a table.
The bed was very comfortable, and there were a couple of 110v outlets, plus a USB charge port. The lighting was good, ,and the climate control as well. Unfortunately, there were a couple of young women in the cabin aft of ours that could be heard all too well screaming obscenities at each other almost every day. I had to crank up the volume on our tv to cover it, when it occurred.
The television offered a "virtual porthole" view out the opposite side of our ship...a handy feature, but no forward bridge view like most other lines offered. They had NFL football games, and TCM classic movies, CNN and a few other networks. Also had a selection of movies on demand. There was no coffee maker, which I missed, since our location meant a long walk to the central elevator/stairwell to reach the buffet for a cup. By the way, they had a notice that you were not permitted to bring food from there back to your cabin, but not sure how strict that was enforced. I did not try room service.
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