MSC Meraviglia In-depth honest review

[@PaulieLauraXombie1331]

Thanks for the honest review I'm not a fan of BS I just want straight information and a good personal review.. Going in April and still excited but mostly for the 3 day stay in Bermuda. We wont feel rushed to get back to the ship on time. Just enjoy the island on our time :)

[@twobearstrekking]

Pauline - Welcome from the Two Bears. Thank you for the nice and honest comment. It is and will continue to be our goal to give straight factual information without all the BS. We do our best to be fair and balanced with or “honest” reviews and a little humor along the way doesn’t hurt either. Enjoy your cruise to Bermuda and the “island time”. We would enjoy hearing how your experience turned out so when you get back let us know. Keep On Trekking Randy and Jonathan

[@Tugchef]

Good job guys!! Sailing Meraviglia for the first time this April. Aware it is a discount cruize so will keep that in mind. Thanks again. Really enjoyed your dry humor.

[@twobearstrekking]

Richard - Thanks and appreciate your comment. Randy can be both dry and spicy. Would enjoy hearing what your experience was like when you get back from your cruise. Keep on Trekking - Jonathan

[@PaulieLauraXombie1331]

Same! Wife and I will be on this ship in April. I'm excited haven't cruised since I was 14, Wife has never been on one at all so first time sailor!

[@twobearstrekking]

Make sure you pack seasickness pills for her to take ahead of time and daily if needed. Just finished my 5th cruise the have gotten used to the motion but still use them when it gets slightly choppy. Enjoy your cruise and Keep On Trekking - Jonathan

[@twobearstrekking]

A little dry humor doesn’t hurt (too often) KOT R & J

[@Tugchef]

So we sailed the Meraviglia April 18-28th. Inside cabin, no drink package, no specialty dining, yes basic internet. Well researched boards before and tried to go in with an open mind. It was not bad and will go again on a whim. A week at sea is always better than a week at home. Not the dream cruise, but for the price it was a fair deal. Food was ok , surprised the Indian food in the Buffet was the same potatoes and peas for 10 straight days. Main dining room was acceptable, but main coarse lacked sauces. They were dry. Unfortunately I had this revelation on the last evening. Pro-tip: ask for extra sauce. Ship was entertaining always, prime people watching venue. Sea days loungers are all spoken for from dawn’s early light. We did a work around, but we have a couple of cruises under our belts. All in all, yes. A mindless vacation, unpack once, pack up once. Will go again.

[@petermoy7934]

I was on this cruise (1/15-1/26/24) and you're right about the food. It seemed like they ran out of good ingredients within two days of any restocking port! I couldn't quite figure out why the food changed until you mentioned it here and the light bulb went off!

[@twobearstrekking]

Peter Thanks for your comment. We agree regarding the buffet. The dining room was more “consistent” but not sure if that a compliment or not. Keep On Trekking R and J

[@FraserAtSea]

I’m glad that we’ve found each other’s channels - really enjoyed this review. You guys are great are going into depth with your review here - very well done. Good to e-meet you!

[@twobearstrekking]

Fraser - Enjoyed your MSC series of videos and the honest information you provided. We are giving MSC another try in December, so stay tuned. Keep On Trekking R and J

[@sandraruss6110]

Wait…. How did I miss that dancing Peacock at the beginning?? Which celebration was that?

[@twobearstrekking]

Sandra Thanks for your question. Love a good dancing peacock. It was in one of the pop up show later on the cruise. Keep On Trekking R and J

[@sandraruss6110]

@@twobearstrekking I was on the Jan 15 sailing. Were you guys on same week?

[@twobearstrekking]

Yes Sandra we were on the cruise - there was full ship so we might not have crossed paths. KOT

[@eld4726]

Great review!! I was about to take a MSC cruise on Meraviglia next January. The has made me rethink things...so thank you!!

[@alanjames7877]

We keep vacillating about whether to sail on MSC or not. Looks like Meraviglia is an absolute no. Did you still have to enter your credit card on board for expenses? I don’t understand MSC not following what other cruise lines do. Especially the new way of mustering. If you ever sail out of Cape Liberty instead of Brooklyn or Manhattan, it’ll be a much better experience!

[@twobearstrekking]

Alan - Thank you for your comments. 1. Yes you had to go to a terminal and enter a credit card for you expenses. I ask simply, why, there isn’t a need to do that with the technology that is currently available. 2. Cape Liberty is newer and managed by Royal Caribbean so if we make our way to NY for another cruise it would be a major factor in our cruising decision. 3. The “drill” was archaic period. Hope to see you on a cruise in the future. Keep On Trekking - J

[@alanjames7877]

@@twobearstrekking I can tell you what we’re up to! NCL Gem to Bermuda in March. Jewel of the Seas to Greenland in September. Koningsdam to Hawaii April 2025. And an Arno bear river cruise for Amsterdam world pride in 2026. We’re looking at Cape Liberty or Baltimore for a Thanksgiving cruise in 2025.

[@twobearstrekking]

Our last cruise for the season is the Celebrity Ascent Feb 18. We are currently finalizing our 2025 fall cruise schedule. We are possibly doing two trans Atlantic cruises as well as one back to back and maybe 3 or 4 others. Send us an email and we will update you when we finalize our schedule. Keep On Trekking - Jonathan

[@Podgey25]

MSC have fares for all . Cheap basic fare = Basic Experience-Bella inside or balcony. No drinks package-very good for what you pay. very reasonable cruise for what you pay. But basic. I would not go Bella . The lower the category, I believe the lower the experience. Because you're limited to dining hours, etc. MSC isn't comparable to RCI or NCL shows or Food. Because you don't pay what you'd pay to go on them. You pay for what you get. (I just want a rest, to be pampered and visit white beaches ..I don't want a theme park at sea.) So MSC is great! Fantastica- good selection of booze n coffee , sodas, water. In a balcony Áurea- I would not bother. I prefer to pay a tad more n go Yacht Club. Im European but had NEVER done MSC until last year in May . 7 days on the Meraviligia. In Fantastica, and we LOVED IT! From NYC. We've sailed before with NCL, RCI & Cunard. For what you'd pay with them no drinks in a balcony, you can go in Yacht club in an inside! We've booked 4 MSC cruises after enjoying the Meraviligia..I felt it was extremely good value. Just do your home work about each Experience , ship and MSC beforehand. I never would go on a 3 or 4 day cruise with MSC. Too many people want to do everything cos such little time.Too chaotic. Go min 7 days. I eat very healthily, so I personally enjoyed the food . The Italian dishes are their best! No idea why these gentlemen had such bad opinions / experiences with the food? I live in Spain where food is incredible and I found MSC very acceptable. Maybe the Executive Chef is not as good. But that can change in future, as we know. Once he's finished his contract! Go special- Yacht Club!Weve booked 3 of our experiences on MSC in that category. Give them a try! 🎉 I believe MSC have thar card system because they're Swiss AND independently owned.It's to do with their banks in Switzerland. If you like gambling, know that MSC are NOT obliged to give tax forms.

[@randypoisson8823]

@@Podgey25Yacht Club is an entirely different product - one that many cannot afford. The only difference between Bella and Fantastica is that with the latter you can choose your cabin, get access to room service, have a free cruise change and get more Voyager points. Aurea gives you anytime dining in the nicest of the dining room (where we ended up anyway), access to the Thermal Suite and private lounge and sun deck with small plunge pool. Yacht Club gives you an all inclusive experience (drinks, WiFi, etc), lounge, restaurant, sun deck with pool, reserved area in theater and a full service butler. You also get elevator express service and use of Thermal Suite. With respect to food, we were extremely generous in our review, while being objective. MSC is cheap and you do get exactly what you pay for. If you pay for Yacht Club, you will have an entirely different experience. However, there are other less expensive experiences that you can enjoy, such as Celebrity Aqua Class. My final thought regarding the ship that we don’t talk about in the review is that Yacht Club takes up ALL forward facing views on the ship, with limited outdoor space for the remaining 5000 passengers.

[@ricky.3326]

Thanks for the honesty!! I'm going Yacht Club on Meraviglia at the end of June and I hear the food is light years better than main dining room/buffet. Hope that's true

[@brendalogan6281]

Now I'm bummed out. I decided to grab a quick cruise and haven't been on a cruise in 30 years...this will be my first. Never been on MSC. Two past cruises , long ago, were Royal Caribbean. I'm already disappointed and haven't gotten on the ship yet. I should have done my research before just calling an agent and saying I want a quick cruise to celebrate my birthday! Lessons learned. They did upgrade me to a premium balcony so worse case scenario, I'll be on the balcony looking over the water! I 've lived in Vegas before for many years so I'm not really looking for a "Vegas" cruise. Never been to the Bahamas or Nassau so maybe that alone will make up for anything lacking in the cruise itself.

[@twobearstrekking]

Brenda - 1st - welcome to two bears and happy so to be birthday! 2nd - make the most of the cruise especially since it’s your first in a while. 3rd - Arrive as early as you can to board, just ignore the boarding times. 4th - Enjoy your balcony! 5th - Randy suggested that in Nassau “just stay on the ship and enjoy the quiet”. We will keep you informed of great and honest suggestions on our channel so stay tune. Keep On Trekking Randy and Jonathan

[@pattyfraize455]

Please don't let people's personal critiques affect your upcoming trip. Their expectations could be very different from yours. We went on the Meraviglia last April after having read the reviews...some good, some bad...and had a wonderful experience. We have sailed on Carnival, NCL and Celebrity and found the experience with MSC comparable and are thinking of booking with them again next Spring. Go...have fun...be positive and you will have a great time 🎉 Oh, and we thought the pizza was amazing and also never had any food that tasted like canned dog food (not that we would know what that would taste like lol).

[@sandraruss6110]

I definitely agree with the entertainment being top notch. I saw every show, minus the magician, and I loved every minute of it! 😊

[@twobearstrekking]

It was the first 5 star review of a cruise ship main stage entertainment and 100% Deserved. Sad the rest of the live performances weren’t as high. KOT

[@natster_]

are you talking about the three magicians, or the variety entertainer one?

[@BxDiva825]

Thank you! Sailing this weekend. This helped lower my expectations substantially so hopefully I'll have a decent time. Two stars! My Lord :-(

[@twobearstrekking]

Bx Welcome to Two Bears 🐻 🐻 I’m sure you will enjoy the shows. If you see Scott tell him the Two Bears say hi! We just uploaded our deck by deck so that might help you out also. Enjoy and let us know your experience. Keep On Trekking - Jonathan

[@randypoisson8823]

Hopefully your sailing isn’t full. The ship is much more navigable when at half capacity. Looking forward to hearing how you enjoyed your cruise.

[@debraklein2649]

I just got back from my MSC Meraviglia cruise and I think you were Very Generous in your ratings. We were on a back to back (unfortunately) cruise and the ship was packed full both weeks. There were so many inconsistencies from one week to the next. Week 1 we got a full lobster tail and shrimp and week 2 it was half a tail and shrimp and dried out. They actually served me Raw Grouper which was supposed to be grilled. The ice cream was good as well as the gelato. I wish I had seen your review before I booked as I never would have, nor will I ever cruise this line again. I couldn't wait to get home. BTW, they have corrected the embarkation/disembarkation issues and those went very smoothly.

[@JNTravels]

Several questions. Can you book your times for the Main Dining Room in advance? How much is the Gelato? I heard they charge for a 2nd entree (ridiculous) in the "Complimentary Dining Room"? Not sure if Florida is one of your ports but do they offer an excursion to Disney? How were the lines in the buffet? 🐸

[@dhenry8744]

Thanks for the review guys! Very helpful since we’re currently planning a trip out of the NYC area this summer.

[@twobearstrekking]

Henry - Welcome to Two Bears! So glad that our honest review was helpful in your planning process. Biggest suggestion is no matter what your “boarding time/port arrival time” is arrive as early as you can to make the process as smooth as possible. Keep On Trekking Jonathan

[@CarlosCruz-ll5ez]

I went on a cruise to Canada on this same ship in May and I was surprised how good the food was on the main dining restaurant compared to the Sea side MSC ship, the buffet restaurant indeed was crowded but I noticed you could find plenty of seating at the end of the buffet restaurant, I have to admit MSC serves the best coffee as well the best pizza. The only complaint I have was the rudeness of many passengers at the buffet cutting in front of people to get food without even saying excuse me, I would definitely go on another cruise vacation on this ship!

[@aercires]

18:44 - That tiny scoop of guacamole with FIVE chips on a giant plate. LOLLLLL im dead. Thank you for the honest review. Was considering a cruise on this ship but will be going on a Celebrity instead.

[@twobearstrekking]

aercires - Welcome to two bears and thanks for the comment. I was hopeful that someone would notice that. When it can to the table I looked at Randy and started laughing. I am sure you will have a wonderful time on Celebrity. What ship will you be cruising on, would enjoy hearing more. Keep On Trekking - Jonathan

[@ninelkrepkina9594]

I just came back from Celebrity cruise in April, and was disappointed with the food, the crew attitude. Besides We had to wait to be seated for dinner about 40-60 minutes, since we chose anytime dining and there were 6 of us. I think all cruise lines got worse since pandemic...

[@johnclark5172]

My experience was awful, they had plumbing issues, changed my dining time as well as a few other groups, and we got food poisoning.

[@twobearstrekking]

John - Thanks for being involved in the conversation. We are sorry to hear that you had so many problems and got sick on top of it all. Thoughts going out to you that all are happy and well. Who are you considering cruising with if not MSC in the future? Keep On Trekking Randy & Jonathan

[@johnclark5172]

We are thinking about going on a Royal Caribbean Cruise in the future. My wife and I went on the Oasis of the Sea ship when it first debuted about 10yrs ago, and we had a great time! @@twobearstrekking

[@ICONICPARIS]

Wow you're commenting the same thing under every MSC review

[@johnclark5172]

@@ICONICPARIS Have to let people know.

[@andrewkaramouzis6211]

Your comments and experiences are valid, but one thing you did not talk about is price. It sounds like you did the absolute bare minimum and I'm sure you paid an absolute bottom dollar price. I can almost guarantee the price you paid was much less than any other cruiseline. So, you didn't talk about that. You get what you pay for. So, I really do think you need to amend your video to mention what you paid (or if it was comped) to what you got. Because those in YC obviously have a completely different experience. Same with the specialty restaurants, etc.

[@twobearstrekking]

Andrew, thank you for your comment. We actually state at the beginning that we kept telling ourselves that this was a cheap cruise. We also stated that this cruise was the result of our 120 day challenge and encourage viewers to watch that series where we fully explore options and give details regarding our cost target, alternative cruises we found along the way and the ultimate cost of the cruise we selected. At the end of our video, we also state that we received some free goodies, but that does not impact our review. So, I think we covered all of the bases you mentioned, but please let us know if that doesn’t fully answer your questions. We try to review a basic experience and we do say that in this case we chose Bella and an inside cabin. We get many more perks on other lines, including free drinks and other amenities that more than offset the difference in price, but again, we exclude that as part of those reviews as well, because it doesn’t reflect a basic experience available to everyone. We recognize that the more you pay, the more you get - that is true on MSC and every cruise line we sail. MSC does provide a value priced cruise, but we are skilled bargain hunters, so between that and our perks on other lines, MSC doesn’t necessarily provide the best value for us. Thank you again for your comment and Keep On Trekking R & J

[@cemnyc]

The Two Bears may not comment on passenger composition, but as a MSC Diamond Voyager and New Yorker...sailing out of Brooklyn, expect rude, obnoxious passengers. Expect the NY attitude when on board.

[@Juancarlo4342]

How do you know what dog food tastes like.

[@twobearstrekking]

🤣

[@pinkcurlysony19]

Thanks for this I may be going in Jan to this same cruise I’m worried tho cuz food is important lol 😂

[@natster_]

Its unfortunate you guys did not go to the juggler show. He was my favourite preformer!

[@mariannemcgee2724]

Who was the Comedian?

[@Podgey25]

I would love to see the Michael Jackson tribute / guy. Apparently he's amazing. Hope he's on when we go on MERAVILIGIA

[@kathywhitaker8354]

Everybody has their own opinions you have to remember that Terry crews liners perfect just want to be my first one so we'll see 20:07

[@ZiggyZ820]

I totally enjoyed the ship, didn’t experience what you exp, I went to back of buffet, alway not crowded at all,,, I give the ship 5 stars,,, U enjoy each ship for wha it has to offer Z….. hoot you guys had a nice Valentine’s Day

[@truthalways8071]

Amazing info 5 ⭐

[@ZiggyZ820]

Entertainment to me was fabulous, enjoyed each night,,,,,

[@gtjgtj8334]

Thanks for the nice video😊

[@twobearstrekking]

It is truly our pleasure in getting the information out. We are so glad you enjoyed it. Keep On Trekking - J

[@tewkewl]

so strange. the pasta is one of the best things. before i ask your opinion, tell me what you expect to see in carbonara? cream? peas? I'd have to hear what you have to say before I can judge. as far as salads. what is wrong? mesclun with some olive oil and vinegar? that's standard.

[@twobearstrekking]

Thank you for your comment. While Carbonara varies, depending upon its adherence to traditional preparation, I expect it to have a creamy base with pork based bits of meat and hard cheese incorporated into the sauce itself and as a top garnish. The first problem is that most of the food in the dining room is served just warm, which for a traditional carbonara made with just egg and cheese results in a clotted sauce. There was barely enough meat to provide flavor and little cheese. The pasta was also a bit soggy, not soft, but again due to the cooling of the dish before even leaving the kitchen. It lacked flavor. They would have been better off opening a jar and tossing on some cured bacon pieces from a bag. I’ve had this dish around the world and this was the worst, ever. Salad - unlike most cruise lines, they serve it in a bowl with the dressing already added. For a vinaigrette base, this means a place for it to pool at the bottom and soggy lettuce and ingredients. There is a reason high volume kitchens either serve salad on a plate or add it after delivering it to the table. There is a long list of food issues we didn’t talk about in the video. I’ll state again - we were being very generous when we gave it 3 stars. Thank you again for your comment. Keep on Trekking

[@Juancarlo4342]

Price vs what you get duh, I have been on this ship many times, you guts have no idea what your talking about.

[@twobearstrekking]

Chuck Our reviews are completely objective and price is not a factor in our reviews. If you would like to post a 35 min review with photos and video to back up your “facts” we are happy to watch it and give you our feedback. Keep On Trekking R & J

[@ZiggyZ820]

I gave my inside cabin five stars had enough room luggage under the bed. All my packing cubes went on the shelf more than enough room. I guess everyone has their own opinion.

[@randypoisson8823]

I think they are great for solo cruisers, two might be able to make it work if you have packing cubes or don’t unpack everything, but if you have more, storage is definitely an issue. We’re two guys, so we made it work. Lol

[@bigbenninvesting3681]

They made one of their worst ships the only option at the Brooklyn port …. Terrible

[@Juancarlo4342]

You guys need better mikes

[@twobearstrekking]

Thank you - we are accepting donations and look forward to receiving yours Keep On Trekking R & J

[@paullim686]

I had to stop watching. The amount of entitled sarcastic snark was a bit much.

[@twobearstrekking]

Paul - Thanks for your comment. Sorry you stopped watching because we get even more snarky later in the video. By the way The muppets called and are sad you stopped watching them too. Keep On Trekking R & J

[@Ben-yz4jh]

I lasted for the first 16 seconds. Get better microphones!

[@twobearstrekking]

Ben - Thank you for your contribution/comment we look forward to your donation for new microphones in the near future. By the way if you would have made it to the 25 second of the video and beyond you would have enjoyed the remainder of the video minus the microphones. Keep On Trekking R and J

[@WhoMeee]

@@twobearstrekkinghahahahahah you earned a sub for this reply

[@catmss24]

This is so unbelievably rude.

[@Ben-yz4jh]

get back to your makeup videos my dear.@@catmss24

[@Juancarlo4342]

Passenger space vs gross Tonage. You guys get 1 star. You guys picked the lowest class what you expect.

[@twobearstrekking]

Chuck - Thank you for your comment. We are in 100% agreement this was the lowest quality experience we have had. Keep On Trekking R & J

[@Juancarlo4342]

Nevermind there art work

[@brianandrews9224]

Prissy queens

[@twobearstrekking]

Brian - Thank you for your comment, but clarification is needed… “Prissy” Not so much “Bitchy” Sure Keep On Trekking R & J