MSC Meraviglia Review
Rating by category
Additional details
Background Information
This was our 2nd MSC cruise (21st overall) and our first since the pandemic started. We wanted to retain our Gold level loyalty status, and we wanted to try this class of ship (previously sailed on MSC Seaside). We also had not yet been to MSC's private island Ocean Cay. We booked this cruise in Aug 2020 when the original itinerary had port stops in San Juan, St. Thomas, Puerto Plata and one stop at Ocean Cay. Due to pandemic schedule changes, our actual itinerary was completely changed to port stops in Nassau and Ocho Rios and two stops at Ocean Cay. It was changed again once we boarded to swap around days and times but same ports of call.
Travel to Embarkation Port
Cabin Review
Yacht Club Deluxe Suite
Cabin
-Cabin décor & size - Modern design with a rust orange & gray color scheme. Very large cabin (301 sq feet) with narrow but long balcony with two chairs and a footstool. One of the better sized cabins we've ever had. Feels comparable to a mini-suite on Princess. And as we noted on Seaside, MSC is very diligent about keeping balcony glass clean and we really appreciated this!
-Cabin location & proximity to ship features - Our cabin was on port side of deck 14 forward. Yacht Club cabins are all located forward decks 14-16.
-Cabin features:
Comfortable king bed with plush linens and a selection of three pillow types
Sitting area with sofa and coffee table
Desk/storage unit that ran nearly the length of the cabin. Under desk stool that slid under the desk drawer where the hair dryer was attached (hold down the button type). Had three central drawers for clothes, a couple other open small drawers, bar supplies, and the minibar. Minibar is included for YC - Butlers would keep it stocked with your drinks of choice.
Desk has two US power outlets, two European power outlets, and 2 USB ports.
Suitcases fit under the bed. Each side of the bed has a nightstand with two drawers. Each side has a light and a mini reading light, but no USB ports or outlets.
Hanging closet and 6 shelf closet with safe. Closet area is in a vestibule outside bathroom door and is very tight on space - worst designed part of the cabin by far.
No hooks on any walls outside the bath.
Two thick blackout and decorative curtains
Interactive large flat screen TV but similar to what we experienced on MSC Seaside, TV offers only pay movies & very limited selection of US live channels
Upon embarkation, our cabin had a bottle of champagne and fruit plate
-Cabin butlers were lead butler Abhinav and junior butlers Vijay and Alexia.
Port Reviews
Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve
We got to have 2 port stops at Ocean Cay on this cruise. This was our first time visiting the island. On the 1st stop, we spent nearly all our time in the Yacht Club area of the island - Ocean House Beach is very rocky at the shoreline so water shoes are a must. Plush towels are provided for the beach loungers so you do not bring pool towels from the ship if you’re YC. Golf carts are run to shuttle you from the ship to the YC section at the north end of the island. Service is excellent as it is on the ship. As with much of the still developing island, there is not much shade. YC beach chairs have an umbrella provided. Note that smoking is allowed on the beach. Lunch is served in the Ocean House which features both indoor and outdoor seating from 12-2. On the 2nd stop, we walked around more of the island, visiting the Ocean Cay Village shops, exterior of the Lighthouse, and the walking paths back to Ocean House for our YC lunch. But due to weather, we had to leave mid-afternoon and so we didn’t get to enjoy the lighthouse LCD show at night. Maybe on our 3rd MSC cruise we'll finally get to enjoy the island at night!