Cruising is my favorite type of vacation. It is the best bang for the buck. You can budget your expenses while you are traveling easier because most of your food expenses are taken care of on the ship.
We have primarily cruised Carnival for the last 24 years, because we felt loyal to them and earned Platinum status over the years. Our first cruise was in 2001 on the Carnival Celebration, the first one, out of Galveston.
This past year, we decided as travel agents that we should experience other cruise brands. We created a group cruise for June 15th, 2024 on the Royal Caribbean Mariner of the Seas and we purchased 2 cabins for ourselves. That cruise now has another group, a Swifties(Taylor Swift Fan Club) group that will be cruising with us. The Mariner of the Seas will be coming to Galveston in April of this year.
Just before Thanksgiving last year, we had the opportunity to experience another brand, which we knew was coming to Galveston in 2025, which has been announced and bookings opened up for sailing. That cruise line is MSC Cruise Line. MSC is the 3rd largest cruise line, with 23 ships, and one more about to set sail. MSC, Mediterranean Shipping Company, is a worldwide company, and their primary business is cargo shipping.
We flew to New York to cruise on the MSC Meraviglia which first set sail in 2017. The Meraviglia can carry 5655 passengers and sails full time from New York. We thought it would be awesome to see New York, and then sail to the Bahamas for 7 days, and then back to New York for a couple more days(see my previous story about our New York adventure).
The night before we were due to set sail, MSC announced that because of storms in the Atlantic and Caribbean, that we would instead go north, spending 3 days in Boston, 1 day in Portland Maine, and 1 day in Saint John, Canada or St Johns, Newfoundland. There was a little confusion for a few days about which port we were going to, but regardless, it was going to be a great cruise, and we were not going to let the itinerary change ruin the trip.
The MSC Meaviglia is one of the most beautiful ships I have ever been on and definitely the nicest ship we have ever sailed on. It was a very modern ship with an inside mall with shops, candy stores where you can create your own chocolate bars, restaurants, and a digital ceiling that was over 500 feet long and 40 feet wide that played all kinds of animations and light shows.
The staff was very friendly, and helped as much as they could with our questions and needs. The photo staff was amazing, we purchased an unlimited digital package and took lots of photos each night.
The kids area(big kids like myself also included) had an arcade, kids clubs, basketball courts, bowling alley and even 2 Formula 1 simulators that were actual Formula 1 cars with TV screens attached. The simulators were very entertaining and realistic with motion and very difficult to control like a real Formula 1 car.
The casino was located on Deck 7, towards the back of the ship. It was not near anything or in a place that you had to pass through very often, which made it like a ghost town. They had a full Las Vegas style casino with slots and tables. There were plenty of machines to choose from because there were not a lot of people in the casino. I am not sure if it was because of the location or because the ship attracted people from all over the world or because over half the ship had canceled due to the itinerary change. It was a diverse mix of people from Europe, Asia, Australia and the US.
We did not attend any of the shows but from what I was told, they were great shows. They had Broadway shows, magicians, comedy, and even musicals during the 7 day cruise. The ship had a reservation system so that you could reserve your show admission in advance and most of the shows were included in the cost of the cruise.
The food was amazing. The buffet was on Deck 15 and had multiple locations to get Burgers and hot dogs, pizza, and a multitude of other meats, vegetables, cheeses, breads, and desserts. The drink stations had coffee, iced tea, water, and a wide variety of hot teas. There was even an ice cream station by the pool.
The Meraviglia had plenty of outside space, including a heated pool with a large TV screen playing movies and sporting events outside. There were 2 additional pools, one inside next to the outdoor pool and one on the back of the ship which was reserved for adults only. There is even a water park with slides for kids of all ages, including the grown up kids at heart. Most of these areas were not used because of the cold temperatures on this voyage, but I could see it being more utilized during a summer cruise, or winter Bahamas cruise.
The ship also had an area called the Yacht Club, and there were restaurants, pools, and lounging areas that only those who paid for the upgraded Yacht Club rooms and suites were able to enter. The yacht club offers more amenities and even butler service.
Overall, the ship is beautiful, and the staff, food, and entertainment was top notch. BUT, here are my issues with the cruise, not in any specific order. We were notified of the change at 8pm the night before, so there was no time to add a shopping trip to purchase clothing more adequate for the climate difference from our original itinerary.
I expected that MSC would be like other cruise line and try to accommodate guests with on board credit, free drinks, upgraded rooms(since over 2500 people canceled) or even future cruise discounts. I would have been happy if they would have did my laundry from New York for free so that I could wear my warmer clothes while in the colder ports. Instead, I paid $60 for 20 pieces of laundry to be cleaned and we didn’t receive the laundry back until after our last port.
They do have a great app system(when it works) which is free of charge and lets you text and communicate with your family, except for the important ones who are under the age of 18. The company policy is that no one under 18 should be using the messaging feature on the app which really does not make the cruise line very kid friendly in my book.
The rooms were very comfortable, as I booked a large aft balcony in their Fantastica class, which was an upgrade from the Bella class. The mattresses were not as comfortable as you would expect for the class of ship, and the closet space was very minimal. Less than half of what we get with Carnival. And only having 2 elevator banks made it quite a walk just to get to and from our rooms. The layout of the ship showed another elevator bank closer, but that was for the crew only.
During our 3 day stop in Boston, the severe weather kept us on the ship for the most part of the first 2 days. The storms were so bad that it pushed the ship into the dock, apparently damaging the gangway. While in port, the casino and all the shops were closed due to government regulations. We did get to go do a trolly tour on the second night after the storming was over. We did go into town the first day to try and find warmer clothes but there was not a huge selection since about 3000 other cruise guests beat us too it and there were not many shopping options near the port.
Overall, the cruise was great. I hope by the time they come to Galveston, they fix the few customer service issues and policies. These issues 99% of guests will never see, as it is a matter of how they handle the customers when issues like changing the itinerary happen, which does not happen very often. Little something from the cruise line like a drink or on board credit or a room upgrade would have been a nice gesture, but refusing to give any compensation for those that chose to continue to cruise on the new itinerary seemed a little on the greedy side.
As a travel agent, I want to make sure my guests are informed with the best information I can give. I will give you the good, the bad, and the ugly and let you decide if this is what you want. As for me, I am excited that MSC will be bringing a ship full time to Galveston. More options means more competition which also means competitive pricing. I am always looking for the best deals for my customers. If you want us to find you the a great deal on cruises or any other type of travel, call us at 281-541-1301. Also like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/lucky777travel. We are constantly posting deals and destinations that you may have never thought about traveling to. No vacation is perfect, this trip was an example that travel plans changes can happen to anyone at any time.