I decided to take this cruise, not knowing whether I would like, dislike, love or hate being on this ship. Seven days later, I still have ambivalent feelings about this cruise ship, cruise line, and destinations due to the circumstances of this trip.But first things first....
This was a solo trip for me, as my travel partner was visiting family this week. Luckily, I was able to snag a good price for this trip:
$400 fare (includes $100 solo supplement)
$149 tax/port fees
$101.50 gratuities
$290 (Specialty Dinner & Beverage Package upgrade)
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$940.50 Total.
This is not a bad price for a solo traveler taking a 7-day cruise out of New York at this time of year. But I made some compromises to take this trip:
- This ship sails out of Brooklyn, and I had no experience getting there via mass transit.
- My booking was for smallest of cabins, and this would prove to be a minor issue when on the ship.
- Mixed reviews of this cruise line available on YouTube made me apprehensive about taking this cruise long before I got on the ship.
Would the cruise be worth it? Would I regret taking 7 days out of my life to take this cruise? Would I feel trapped in my stateroom? There were so many questions I had before boarding the ship, that I was concerned that I made a big mistake taking this cruise. But as I found out, most of my questions would be answered, and I was left feeling just as ambivalent after the cruise as I felt before the cruise.
Transit to the Cruise Terminal:
I live in Northern Westchester County, NY. Since I can't park at the local MNRR train station, I called for a cab to reach the station in time for a 9:37 am train to Grand Central Terminal (GCT). Although the cab was reasonably prompt, I barely made it to the station in time to buy my ticket and board the train. To avoid this problem, I advise travelers is to try to take a train 30-60 minutes earlier than you will need to reach your destination on time.
My original plans were to take the NYC Subway from GCT to Lower Manhattan and walk to the Ferry at Pier 11. Unfortunately, the ferry schedule didn't mesh with my Embarkation schedule, and MSC noted that people should be at the terminal within a 30 minute window of one's embarkation schedule. To avoid the risk of not making the ferry on time, I took a cab to Pier 11, and just missed an earlier ferry. I could have made the 11:28 am ferry after all!
I take advantage of the Senior Citizen rates for all mass transit options when possible, and used it for my ferry fare. Boarding the ferry with my luggage was easy, and I was at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal by 12:00 noon. However, the luggage drop-off area was not immediately adjacent to the terminal, but where cars were dropping off their passengers. So I ended up crossing traffic to drop off my large suitcase, then walked across it again to get on line to enter the cruise terminal.
Others will have different transportation requirements. Parking at the cruise terminal costs $45/day. Unfortunately, the cruise terminal is in a section of the city (Red Hook in Brooklyn) that can be awkward to reach by car, as traffic on the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway is often very slow. Additionally, mass transit of all forms(buses, subway, ferries) near the cruise terminal leaves much to be desired in this isolated section of the city..
Embarkation:
Since the MSC Meraviglia is a large ship, the lines to both get into the cruise terminal, and inside the cruise terminal were long. Although one might have needed to dress warmly outside the terminal, one could dress for the tropics inside the terminal. This meant that I had to strip off my coat and wish I wore a T-Shirt and Khakis while making my way to board the ship. Unlike the first time I was at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal, I didn't have to spend time in the waiting area before being called to board the ship. The lines moved relatively quickly through security and cruise card collection, and I was on the ship before 1:00 pm.
Stateroom:
I chose an interior stateroom at the far aft of the ship. Any further back, and I'd be in the water. This wasn't a bad option for me, as I could use a good walk before visiting any dining or entertainment venue on the ship. On average I walked approximately 0.25 miles between my stateroom and any dining area (and back) for each meal. What might bother some people would be the zig-zag path one would need to use to reach the stateroom from the aft elevator bank, as the ship's design was laid out to maximize the number of inside cabins available on the ship.
My cabin, 10308, was the tiniest of cabins I ever have been in. Coming in at 129 sq. ft., one would think that this cabin would have been designed to be a solo cabin. It was not. It was designed to be an annex to either of the two balcony cabins to which it could be connected. As a result, when the sofa was turned into a bed, it blocked the closet doors, making it impossible to open these doors wide enough for practical use. However, I was able to lift the bed enough to get one side of the closet opened. That was just enough for me to store the clothes I needed for the week. But it wasn't enough for me to use the cabin safe. Another problem with my stateroom was a lack of space under the bed to store my luggage. Luckily, I was able to use floorspace in front of the door connecting my cabin to the cabin next door as a storage area.
Since the sofabed was always in bed mode, there wasn't much space for me to sit at the desk and use my computer. I always ended up sitting on the edge of the bed instead of the stool provided for that purpose, as it was heavy, awkward to move, and not designed for use at the side of the desk area. Unfortunately, the TV was directly in front of the desk area, meaning that the closet could block the view of the TV when lying down.
In regard to the bathroom, the best and worst thing I can say about it was that it was small, but adequate for my needs. I figure that there was not enough counter space for most people, and suspect that a solo woman traveler would find thie counter space a little too small for her toiletries and makeup.
Entertainment:
I attended 5 theater performances, all of which were only 45 minutes long. Of these performances, 2 were in the more intimate Carousel theater, and 4 were in the larger Broadway theater. On my first visit to the Broadway theater, I saw a show with 4 different magicians, each with their own specialties. The next visit had a good singer performing various Broadway show tunes. The third visit had a comedian, Dave Konig, performing a routine which took 20 minutes to get me to laugh. (It takes a lot to get me laughing.) And the final visit was for a crew talent show. In the Carousel theater I saw MSC's (forgettable) "Houdini" production. (I must acknowledge that they couldn't perform the show as originally envisioned due to rough seas.) And the next time I was in the Carousel theater, I saw Dave Konig again, doing a different comedy routine. For the most part, the entertainment in the theaters was good, but the performances were way too short. If one expects a stage show on this ship, the closest thing that comes to one will be found in the Carousel theater, where 2 different shows are performed. Strangely enough, the Broadway theater had acts which focused on individual performances, including the magic show.
Lounge entertainment was entertaining, and inobtrusive enough that one could have a conversation with people sitting across from you. There is not much to say about these performers, save that they were competent in their crafts. And this is enough when one wants to enjoy a quiet drink in the lounge.
Itinerary:
As most people who cruise often know, itineraries are plans that can change in a moment's notice. And that was the case on this cruise. We were originally scheduled to set sail for Port Canaveral, then head for Nassau. From there, we'd sail to the cruise line's private island, Ocean Cay Marine Reserve, before returning to New York. But this would not be the case, and it would result in a "fustercluck" when we returned to the USA.
Our trip started out well, having tolerably good weather until we reached Port Canaveral. And then things started to change. By the time we reached Nassau, it was raining and the weather started getting worse from there. Around 5 pm, we received our notice that we were not going to Ocean Cay as planned. Instead, we'd be heading for Miami.
Normally, I'd be looking forward to seeing a city that I had never been in before. But this day was very different. I'd have rather spent the day at sea than to deal with US Customs and Border Protection. We were told that shortly after arrival, everyone would have to disembark the ship and go through a US Customs checkpoint before reboarding the ship. This process would take 3+ hours, and no one would be let back on the ship until there were no passengers onboard. Since it was raining outside, I took a book with me and proceeded to the terminal where I expected to find a seat where I could quietly read a book. This would not be as easy as first thought. Going through the Customs checkpoint was easy. But there were no directions on how one could reenter the terminal to wait until we were allowed back onboard the ship. Luckily, I found a way back in and waited for the signal to get on line to reboard the ship. There weren't enough seats for the people waiting to get back onboard, nor was there any organization for getting the passengers back onto the ship. When the line moved, it made sense to get on it from wherever one was and hope that they'd let you on board before you lost bladder control. (Oh, did I mention that one woman told me that the women's room attendant was telling restroom users not to pee on the seats or on the floor? That's enough to make one want to struggle to get back on board the ship as quickly as possible.) For those who chose to leave the ship and take an excursion, they had 3 excursions available. None of these seemed interesting on a rainy day, considering one was a hop on/off bus, another was a 5-hour bus tour of Miami, and the last was a trip to the Everglades. It was easy to understand why the waiting room got overcrowded quickly.
Food/Dining Venues:
- Buffet.
- The design of the buffet area leaves a lot to be desired. Cruisers getting food from the buffet tables are being bumped into by people transiting the aisles through the buffet area. Crew members are also rolling their carts along the same aisles, causing traffic jams in the pathways going through the buffet area.
- The quality and variety of the food found in the buffet is not as good as I've found when sailing on several other lines., with the exception of the pizza. Excepting the pizza, most buffet dishes were lacking in flavor. It was hard to find food such as hamburgers at the buffet during lunch time, and I ended up choosing pizza way too often as my default choice.
- Several times during the cruise, serving plates, utensils, glasses and coffee cups were hard to find in the buffet area.
- There was often a lack of orange juice in some of the beverage stations.
- L'Olivo D'Oro Dining room (Dinner):
- The MSC Meraviglia uses fixed dining times and tables for its main dining rooms for non yacht club passengers. For couples and members of small groups, this is not much of an issue. But for solo travelers, it is impossible to request being seated at a shared table. For travelers like me when traveling alone, this is a big drawback, as I like the company of random strangers for dinner when cruising.
- On the first night, second service was delayed for almost an hour while people were being shown to their assigned tables. This delay, caused by delays from the first seating, is inexcusable. It would be better to switch to anytime dining with new table assignments each night, as this would prevent the first night delay, and provide for better table service - does MSC want the dining rooms to be that of catering halls instead of large restaurants?
- Except for gala night, the food quality was below that of the other lines I've sailed on. MSC's portion sizes may be that of a European clientele. When I asked for a Greek Salad on Gala night, I was charged $5 for a portion smaller than a side salad served at Greek restaurants in Astoria, Queens. The quality of this salad would be an insult to the Greek community living in the NYC area.
- The waiters and staff manning this dining room did their best to accommodate my wishes, and I applaud them for their efforts. They went beyond what was expected to make me happy, and I appreciate that very much.
- Waves Dining Room (Breakfast - At Sea):
- I arrived 15 minutes before the morning breakfast window ended. Although I reached a table quickly and was handed a breakfast menu, it took about a half hour before anyone brought me any water, juice or coffee. There were no utensils on the table, nor was there a place setting. I had to ask for this while waiting for service.
- When service was provided, it still took a long while before my breakfast was delivered to the table - and the waiter got the order wrong. It doesn't take much to get things right, but the lack of quality service made me prefer the disaster of the buffet to dealing with this restaurant for breakfast.
- Panorama Dining Room (Breakfast - Debarkation Day):
- Sadly, this was the breakfast venue that I visited on my last day on the ship. Although they got my order slightly wrong (in a forgivable way) it was a pleasure having breakfast here while I waited for my debarkation group number to be called. Not only was I able to get the breakfast beverages I ordered, but they didn't make me feel like I had to be in a rush to leave the table - debarkation took care of that.
- Hola Tacos! Specialty Restaurant (Dinner):
- This restaurant was a very pleasant surprise. I chose this place, as I had the dining package, and I was glad I did so. Both service and food were of high quality, equivalent to some of the best Mexican restaurants I have visited on my travels.
- Restaurant staff were very eager to serve, and they made suggestions that I wouldn't have thought of when trying out this place. Assuming I sail with MSC again, I'll be sure to have a meal here.
- Butcher's Cut Specialty Restaurant (Dinner):
- I ordered a Merlot wine that was available on my drink package. Unfortunately, the waiter assumed that I ordered a Malbec. I was not in a mood to correct him in regard to my Merlot order, as I was tired and hungry. Since the Malbec was not on my plan, he suggested a Zinfandel that went well with my steak.
- Although I enjoyed the strip steak I ordered, it was a little below the quality I've had at other cruise lines' specialty steakhouses. No, I am not looking for a Peter Luger quality steak. But I am looking for a steak that is equal to the quality I've eaten on other lines.
- Ocean Cay Seafood Specialty Restaurant (Dinner):
- This was a disappointment. There weren't enough main course choices available to someone on the dining plan without an effective upcharge.
- For my main course, I chose the pasta in clam sauce, and it was better than many versions of this dish that I've had on land.
- For dessert, I chose the Creme Brulee. It was done as well (or better) than many versions of this dish I have had elsewhere.
Debarkation:
- I'm glad that I didn't have to catch a flight. Arbitrarily assigning me a late debarkation group may have made it impossible for me to make a noon flight, as I would have needed to be off the ship by 9:00 am to be at JFK or LGA by 10:00 am. (EWR would have required an even earlier debarkation,) On other lines, I can choose my debarkation times (within limits) as many people prefer either early or late debarkation based on their needs.
- Unlike some of my cruises, it was easy to find my luggage in the Brooklyn cruise terminal. Having smaller debarkation groups is very helpful, as it is easier to batch a group's luggage in a smaller area making it easier to find.
Miscellaneous:
- Given that this cruise was diverted from Ocean Cay (MSC's private island) to Miami due to the weather, I am upset that CBP (customs and border protection), the Miami Cruise terminal, and MSC couldn't work out a better process for first landed USA port processing. On other cruise lines, CBP did not make us get off the ship when we reached our first US port after touching foreign soil. Instead, they had a process in place (such as I experienced in Portland, Maine) where everyone flows through one of the dining areas to have their papers inspected by CBP, then are free to go on their ways. When the weather is bad or uncomfortable, this would be very disruptive, as it took several hours before we could return to the ship. Additionally, no instructions were given to us on where we could reenter the terminal to reach the waiting rooms, nor were there enough seats for us to wait there. Even though we were given boarding group tickets, they meant nothing when people were being allowed to return to the ship - it was simply unorganized chaos and poor crowd control.
- Contrary to what I've been told, public areas on the ship were kept very clean, including the rest rooms.
- The use of highly reflective, silvery surfaces next to each other (such as the wine walls between the L'Olivo D'Oro dining room and the Panorama dining room) is stressful for people who have visual problems, as it can magnify any visual problems they may have. Future ship design should consider people with sensory disabilities in their design.
- There were a lot of people from one non-Western ethnic group whose behaviors (in places such as the buffet) are considered rude by most American cruise bloggers I watch. Although the behaviors of this group didn't bother me, having a disproportionate share of people from this group may be upsetting to many from the American market.
Conclusion:
On the whole, I consider MSC a good value for the price charged. I will consider it for future solo cruises, but not for ones with my partner. In a head to head "apples to apples" comparison on 7-day cruises to Bermuda and the Bahamas with lines such as NCL, I feel that NCL delivers a better product for just a little bit more money. (In the "apples to apples" comparison, NCL cost $300 more than MSC for an interior cabin with the "Free at Sea" package.) If MSC wants to gain market share in the US market, it might be wise NOT to consider being a low cost leader in cruising. Instead, it might be wiser to deliver a better, less glitzy experience that attracts the seasoned cruiser like me.
PS: I sent both an email and a snail mail to customer service at MSC shortly after my cruise, and did not received a reply after 3 weeks. If this is the kind of absent response someone can expect from this cruise line, I doubt that I will ever cruise with them again, as they have no interest in even acknowledging the concerns I put into my letter.
PPS: I received the email below from MSC, 4 weeks after my cruise. It's a perfect example of slow responses to customer complaints or criticisms.
From: Postcruisesupport@msccruisesusa.com
Good afternoon,
Thank you for contacting the MSC Post Cruise Support Department and for sharing your candid comments about your experience onboard the MSC Meraviglia.
As a guest, you are part of the MSC Cruises family, and we can assure you that your valuable feedback is not only taken seriously but is also shared with the relevant departments for their internal follow-up.
We also understand that the problems you pointed out with several departments could detract from that enjoyment and sincerely regret if your cruise did not meet your overall expectations.
We truly appreciate your patronage and hope to have the opportunity to regain your confidence when we have the pleasure of welcoming you back aboard MSC Cruises.
Sincerely,
GGallina
Post Cruise Support Specialist
MSC Cruises USA
