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All three vessels are among the most venue-filled in their respective fleets, with dozens of restaurants, bars, showrooms and over-the-top attractions on the decks. Fast-growing MSC Cruises on Thursday officially announced its North America schedule for the summer of 2025, including a Miami deployment that will set the stage for an epic matchup between three of the world's biggest cruise vessels. I had never sailed on a cruise ship with destination elevators before my MSC cruise, and boy was I missing out. I came into my MSC World Europa cruise with low expectations on entertainment, so I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed the ship’s entertainment offerings. One band would even walk around the ship as they played tunes in the hallways, restaurants, and bars.
MSC Cruises’ latest network shift features 9 new routes launching summer 2025
Some are geared towards families, while others are more focused on luxury or adventure. Do you need a wide range of activities to keep the kiddos happy while the adults live it up or relax? The onboard activities and amenities can really make or break your vacation, so be sure you know what you're getting. MSC Cruises offers multiple drink packages that range in price from $17 per person per day for a kid’s drink package to $79 per person per day for a package that includes all drinks by the glass (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic). Like most other cruise lines, MSC offers both complimentary dining as well as specialty restaurants that come with additional charges.
The MSC Meraviglia Deck Plan Cleverly Keeps Most Cabins Separate from Public Areas
The toilet also often smelled like sewage, even when not in use. On a separate occasion, when my travel companion and I showed up for scheduled volleyball time, the attendant cut the game off at 45 minutes because he said he had to leave. When we asked if we could keep the ball to continue playing, he refused.
Bars
When MSC first announced that MSC Meraviglia would be sailing from New York, the ship's homeport was Manhattan. I groaned when I heard its docking spot had changed to the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal in Brooklyn's Red Hook neighborhood. While most experiences on this sailing fell in the latter category, it wouldn't be a fair review without calling attention to the things that I think the line needs to address. MSC Cruises' Meraviglia was the first in the line's Meraviglia Class of ships. When it debuted in 2017, it became the line's largest vessel, with space for up to 5,655 people at capacity (4,475 at double occupancy).
On my voyage, the ship was only sailing at about half capacity (about 3,000 passengers out of a possible 5,655, or 53%). However, a perfect storm of events converged to create a situation that was less than pleasant for anyone not booked in a Yacht Club cabin. Your cruise itinerary might also influence your choice of accommodation. For scenic cruises, such as those in Alaska or the Norwegian fjords, a balcony might be worth the splurge to enjoy the magnificent views in relative peace.
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Generally, if you're planning to eat at more than two or three specialty restaurants, booking a package will save you money. Speaking of amenities, make sure you understand what you'll get as part of your fare and which extras will come with an additional cost. For example, most cruises offer drink packages for alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, but a few have drink stations where you can get complimentary lemonade, coffee and tea.
My favorite is anytime, so I don't have to commit to a set time and can show up at the dining room when I'm hungry. On MSC, anytime dining is only an option for those who book the most expensive fare classes. And every family-friendly line I've ever been on has this option. On Royal Caribbean's Wonder of the Seas, the center of the pool deck is a multimachine soft-serve ice cream station where you can help yourself to as much free ice cream as you'd like. Heck, even my very grown-up cruise on Windstar's Star Pride had free soft-serve by the pool and alfresco grill restaurant. MSC Seashore was indeed a beautiful ship with plenty to entertain the whole family.
Hotel Reward Programs
Although the weather certainly isn't the cruise line's fault, it seems that the ship should be better equipped to deal with situations where passengers are stuck inside. I also thought that, perhaps, the large group booking was a one-off and that it wouldn't be the norm on other sailings. However, I spoke with one of the officers on board who told me that the cruise line is actively recruiting similar large group bookings. Cabins are outfitted with higher-quality materials and furnishings, and each comes with the services of a butler. She was able to make dining and spa reservations for me, escort me to priority seating in the theater for nightly shows and have crackers and green apples delivered to my cabin when the second night's rough seas made me feel seasick.
Cobranded Cards
Keep an eye out for plenty of new MSC ships over the next decade. There are 5 levels of membership that offer perks based on points earned. You’ll earn points each time you cruise, book an onboard service, and make onboard purchases. Complimentary dining onboard an MSC ship consists of main restaurants and an extensive buffet. The ships are also at this time (summer 2021) sailing with reduced capacity, in line with U.K.
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A 15% service charge is also added to items in minibars, salons and spas. MSC Meraviglia offers some of the lowest prices in the industry. There's a Sports Bar in the ship's Sportplex, but I never saw it open, even when the area was crowded. Three bars (Atmosphere Bar North, Atmosphere Bar South and Bamboo Bar) by the main Atmosphere Pool serve up classic umbrella drinks, as well as beer and other libations.
If you’re a frequent cruiser, you’ll love the MSC Voyager Club perks like cruise discounts and priority boarding. MSC Cruises has partnered with Martha Stewart to bring passengers special excursions and experiences. Whether you want to send a gift or try a new shore excursion, you can do with Martha Stewart style.
Plus, if you’re sailing on MSC during a holiday, you’ll get to experience a special Martha Stewart 3-course holiday meal. These are available during Easter, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve. If it has been more than 3 years since your enrollment date or the day of disembarkation on your last cruise, your membership will expire and you’ll lose all Voyagers Club privileges.
Specialty coffee from the onboard chocolate shop also isn't included with the packages, nor are coffees on private island Ocean Cay, which leads me to my next head-scratcher. I had the single best coffee drink of my life when we called on Ocean Cay. The Coco-Nilla Latte is espresso, vanilla flavoring and coconut milk, and I loved it so much that I tried to have it replicated on board. When cruises first returned following the 18-month COVID-19 pandemic shutdown, many lines decided to go digital with their muster drills. Passengers watched videos on their mobile apps or on their cabin TVs before reporting, at their leisure (to maintain social distancing), to their muster stations for verification. MSC has chosen to institute a bizarre version where all passengers watch a video and then report to their muster stations at the same time.
On past cruises, she's made little buddies on board and played together with them at the kids club, but that didn't happen this time. My daughter's report was that, unlike on Royal Caribbean, the youth staff didn't set time limits on video game use, so certain kids would "hog" the Nintendo Switches and she could never play the games. (One of these video game hogs was likely her older brother ....) MSC Cruises' promotional material boasts about its partnership with Lego, and she reported that there were always Legos available for free play and she enjoyed that.
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