MSC Meraviglia- Wow what a ship!

I was lucky enough to go on a ship visit the other day on the MSC Meraviglia.  I could talk about MSC all day but here’s a brief overview of my day and what MSC and this ship offer.   The MSC Meraviglia really is a majestic ship!  I walked from about a mile away in Southampton to the cruise terminal and could see her from there as she is so large.  Don’t let this put you off though as it would do some people, from stepping foot on-board there were two words which sprung to mind to describe her and those are ‘truly elegant’.  There is a beautiful Mediterranean feel to the décor which runs throughout most of the ship.

We started by walking through the inside promenade area which is set over 2 levels with restaurants, bars and shops (including an amazing chocolate shop!) and has an amazing LED screen overhead which can change the image on it depending on the occasion.  I can imagine this is great, especially in the evening to create a good atmosphere.  We visited the main Theatre where there are different shows nightly and then went to another entertaining area where the Cirque de Soleil shows.  This, we were told is on about 2 times a week and is exclusive to the Meraviglia class of ships.  Entrance to this amazing show is 15 Euros per person but this includes a cocktail.  There are also options to add on a meal there as well, so you really can make an evening of it!

There were some lovely places to have a relaxing drink including a large traditional pub, a champagne bar which also offers servings of fish with your champagne and a lovely bar on the top deck with amazing panoramic views!  Speciality dining options include Teppanyaki, a steak restaurant and Eataly, their Italian restaurant.  Top tip! Speciality dining packages are offered to customers for purchase on their cruise personaliser before sailing and we were advised these are much more reasonable to pre-purchase than to buy on-board!

We sampled some of the Pizza from the buffet restaurant which was very tasty and the food in the buffet restaurant looked very appealing and varied.  There is also a special area for children, so their tastes are catered for too.  MSC really does have so much to offer for families!  I was really surprised with the amount of space the children had in their special club area.  These are split into rooms depending on age group.  We particularly loved the Lego pit and I could imagine this being like heaven for my children!  There is a large indoor multi-sports area (which we were told turns into an amazing nightclub some evenings!)  Nearby there are also Formula one simulators, a 4d cinema, a simulator and bowling on offer (all for an extra charge).

We walked outside and were met by an amazing water-park.  This had 2 flumes and a smaller slide for the little ones, lots of splash play and a pool as well.  A wonderful place for kids and big kids alike!  The pool areas covering the rest of the deck were very elegant and surprisingly large.  There were plenty of hot tubs as well for a cooler day and the pools were surrounded by plenty of sun loungers and more comfortable looking beds too!  This ship has some great outside spaces but has been made well to offer lots of open feeling inside spaces too including a covered pool area.  This is due to it doing a lot of the cruises in areas where the weather may not be so warm all year round.

We enjoyed a fantastic 3 course lunch before disembarking where I enjoyed my soup, curry and chocolate dessert!

I was very impressed by this grand ship and with MSC.  They now offer a status match programme which allows customers who haven’t sailed with MSC before to enjoy loyalty benefits on-board at the same membership level as with their most sailed with cruise-line.  MSC have so many amazing itineraries and offer excellent value for money so I am sure I will be back on one of their ships sailing soon!