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MSC Yacht Club Menu: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner & Drinks (2024)

• June 21, 2024

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MSC Yacht Club Menu: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner & Drinks (2024)

Introduction.

• Click here to download the MSC Yacht Club Breakfast menu.
• Click here to download MSC Yacht Club Lunch menus.
• Click here to download the MSC Yacht Club Dinner menus.

MSC Yacht Club provides a private paradise at sea. This all-inclusive hideaway, which includes an exclusive Butler service, reflects the elegance of cruising on a private yacht with all the facilities of the largest ships right outside your door.

MSC is well aware that, among other things, the stomach is the gateway to a guest’s heart. Therefore, MSC strive to serve the yacht club menu with exclusivity. There are four components to the MSC Yacht Club menu:

• MSC Yacht Club Breakfast menu
• MSC Yacht Club Lunch menus
• MSC Yacht Club Dinner menus
• MSC Yacht Club Drinks menu

 In this post, I’ll go over each of these individually. So let’s get going.

MSC Yacht Club Breakfast Menu

The breakfast menu at the MSC Yacht Club is the same every morning, so guests may start their days with their go-to favorites. The breakfast menu includes light continental meal along with hot and freshly made dishes.

Enjoy traditional eggs benedict, indulge in a custom omelet, or choose from a range of other breakfast favorites. You can always find a satisfying breakfast to fuel your day’s activities because the MSC Yacht Club menu is consistent.

MSC Yacht Club Lunch Menus

The lunch menu of the MSC Yach Club has a dynamic array of choices in 5 different sections namely,

• Bakery items and
• a section called “Always Available” having Caeser Sald, Pennette Pasta and & Angus Beef Burger

Among these 5 sections, Starters and Entrée sections’ dishes change daily for surprising and delighting your palate. Food items coming under “Always Available”, Desserts and Bakery remain same. 

This allows guests to relish in their favorite dishes.  The daily variations in Starters and Entrée section ensure there’s always something new to try. If you want a light salad or a hearty entrée, the MSC Yatch Club lunch options cater to your tastes and preferences.

MSC Yacht Club Dinner Menus

Yacht Club Dinner Menus served in 7-night of your MSC trip have 3 different types,

• Regular Dinner Menu

Gala Dinner Menu

• Special Themed Night Menu

Regular Dinner Menus in MSC Yacht Club

These dinner options are provided five out of seven evenings during your MSC Yacht Club tour. The MSC Yacht Club’s Dinner menus reflect MSC’s dedication to culinary excellence, with a rotating variety that guarantees a different experience with each meal.

Classic culinary items that have captured the hearts of many people are a standard in these menus, bringing a sense of comfort with new flavors. Each of the 5 regular dinner menus served in MSC Yacht Club has 5 sections,

• a section named as “Delicious Healthy”
• a section called “Always Available” having Grilled Salmon, Broiled Beef Fillet, Chicken Breast & Sauces
• Bakery items

MSC Yacht Club’s Gala Dinner has 5 different sections. Let’s get into them.

Start your meal with our delightful selection of appetizers.

• Burgundy Snails: Tender snails served with garlic herb butter and a crunchy baguette crouton.
• Twice-Baked Blue Cheese Soufflé: Fluffy soufflé with toasted walnuts and sweet fig chutney.
• Williams Salad: Fresh mixed greens with pears, celery, caramelized walnuts, and a tangy carrot orange dressing.
• Shellfish Bisque: Rich and creamy soup topped with brandy foam and chives.

Gala dinner’s main courses offer a variety of delicious and hearty options.

• Fresh Pasta Made on Board: Egg fettuccini in a creamy porcini mushroom sauce, made fresh on the ship.
• Champagne Risotto: Luxurious Carnaroli rice with a creamy Pecorino Romano sabayon.
• Grilled Lobster Tail: Succulent lobster served with steamed asparagus, new potatoes, and aromatic butter.
• Beef Tenderloin Rossini: Tender beef with foie gras, truffle shavings, red wine reduction, new potatoes, and green asparagus.
• Imam Bayildi: Flavorful baked eggplant with onion, tomatoes, and confit bell peppers.

Deliciously Healthy

Every night, the “Deliciously Healthy” section offers a tailored experience that focuses on fish and vegetables. This part is offered in all three types of dinner menus: regular, Gala, and Special Themed Dinner on MSC Yatch Club.

It’s a celebration of flavor and nutrition, designed to satisfy without sacrificing quality. Discover the unique flavors and traditions of the Greek islands in this section of the Gala dinner menu.

• Steamed Octopus Carpaccio: Thinly sliced octopus with potato caper salad and basil oil.
• Monkfish Medallion au Gratin: Monkfish with a bouillabaisse reduction, potatoes, and sautéed mussels.
• Mint-Flavored Pineapple Salad: Refreshing pineapple salad topped with coconut flakes.

Baked Just for You

Enjoy daily selection of freshly made breads.

• Assorted Bread: Spelt rolls with seeds, country white rolls, and black olive focaccia.

Finish your dinner with our delectable sweets.

• International Cheese Selection: A selection of cheeses paired with fruit and vegetable preserves, honey, jellies, fresh and dry fruit.
• Chocolate Royal Cake: Dark chocolate mousse with crunchy praline and vanilla anglaise.
• Crêpe Suzette: Caramelized crêpe with vanilla ice cream and toasted almonds.
• Tiramisù: Mascarpone cream with ladyfinger biscuits dipped in coffee and topped with bitter cocoa powder.
• New York Cheesecake: Classic cheesecake includes chocolate, caramel, peach, strawberry or passion fruit toppings.
• Grandma’s Chocolate Cake: Rich cake with layers of dulce de leche and chocolate fudge.
• Selection of Ice Cream and Fruit Sorbets: Ask your waiter for today’s flavors.
• Petits Fours: Bite-sized sweet treats.
• Fresh Fruit Plate: Several types of fresh fruits.

Special Themed Dinner Night

Keeping ties with its Italian roots, MSC ensures to make your gastronomic trip more magical by the Serata Italiana, which offers a deep dive into Italian-themed foods that raise your dinner experience to a joyful celebration.

Premium Extra Package included

The Yacht Club’s all-inclusive package includes the Premium Extra Package , which offers a variety of beers, cocktails, wines, top shelf spirits, and non alcoholic beverages to complement their meals.

MSC Yacht Club Drink Menu

In MSC Yacht Club, talented mixologists compose the perfect drink for you, anytime of day. Begin your day with a cup of bio-organic Lavazza Tierra coffee, indulge with a crisp craft Gin & Tonic or Elixir Spritz during aperitivo, or sip an old-school martini.

MSC Yacht Club drink menu has something for everyone. So let check out what is available in the MSC Yacht Club drink menu.

Coffee by Lavazza Tierra!

• Caffe latte
• Caramel Macchiato Latte
• Mocca Latte
• Nutella Latte Deluxe
• Vanilla Caramel Latte

Hot Chocolate by Arthemia

• Orange & Cinnamon

Tea from the East India Tea Company

The East India Company’s Tea Master is exceedingly meticulous, going to great lengths to find and purchase the best teas from all around the world. Each tea has a distinct tale to tell, and the blends are carefully chosen to ensure that every cup of tea is excellent.

• Royal Breakfast
• The Staunton Earl Grey
• Lemongrass & Ginger
• Nile Chamomile
• The Campbell Darjeeling Princess
• The Forbidden City Jasmine Blossom
• The Prince Sultan’s Green with Mint
• Tropical Punch

Morning Star

• Bloody Mary by Elixir (Tito’s vodka, Elixir’s Mary mix, tomato juice)
• Mimosa Blossom (Absolut Mango vodka, Galliano, orange juice, simple syrup, prosecco)
• Bloody Mary Zero (Elixir’s Mary mix, tomato juice)
• Mocha Breakfast Shake (400 cal.)(Chocolate whey protein powder, coconut milk, coffee, banana, unsweetened cocoa, walnuts)
• Very Berry Protein Shake (150 cal.) (Strawberry whey protein powder, raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, low-fat milk)

Mineral Water

• Premium still water 75 cl
• Premium sparkling water 75 cl

Fruit Juices

• Bottle 20 cl (Peach, apple, mango, tomato)
• By the glass 20 cl (Orange, pineapple, cranberry)

Energy Drinks

• Red Bull 25 cl can
• Red Bull Sugar-free 25 cl can
• Dolce Vita (Baileys Irish Cream, Captain Morgan Spiced rum, banana liqueur, cream, drizzle chocolate)
• Ocean Cay (Malibu voconut rum, blue curaçao, coconut syrup, diced lime, fresh mint leaves, club soda)
• Piña Colada (Myers rum, pineapple juice, coconut cream)
• Strawberry Daiquiri (Bacardi Black rum, strawberry syrup, lime juice, simple syrup)
• Classic Margarita on the rocks or frozen (Patron Silver tequila, Cointreau, sweet & sour mix, kosher salt)
• Mangorita (Mezcal, Cointreau, mango purée, lime juice)

Zero Alcohol

• Passion Fruit G&T (BUSS N°509 Passion Fruit 0.0% gin, passion fruit puree, lemon juice, Fever -Tree Refreshingly Light tonic, dehydrated lemon and passion fruit, coriander seeds)
• Vibrante Martini Spritz (Martini Vibrante Zero, deydrated orange wheel, non-alcoholic sparkling wine)
• Mojito Zero (Mojito mix, mint leaves, simple syrup, club soda, mint sprig)
• Piña Colada Zero (Pineapple, coconut cream, pineapple juice, milk)
• Strawberry Daiquiri Zero (Strawberry puree, sweet & sour mix, sugar sysrup,lime juice)

Draught Beer

Lager 20 cl / 40 cl (Heineken, Netherlands; Tegernseer, Germany)

Bottled Beer

• Heineken, Netherlands
• Stella Artois, Belgium
• Budweiser, USA
• San Miguel, Spain
• Dos Equis, México
• Beck’s, Germany
• Nastro Azzurro, Italy
• Newcastle Brown Ale, England
• Guinness, Ireland
• Paulaner, Germany
• Baladin Wayan, Italy
• Strongbow, England
• Heineken 0.0, Netherlands
• Coca-Cola 33 cl can
• Coca-Cola Zero 33 cl can
• Fanta 33 cl can
• Sprite 33 cl can
• Lipton Ice Tea Peach 33 cl can
• Lipton Ice Tea Lemon 33 cl can
• Fever Tree Royal Tonic 33 cl can
• Fever Tree Mediterranean 33 cl can
• Fever Tree Elderflower 33 cl can
• Fever Tree Pink Grapefruit 33 cl can Fever Tree Refreshingly Light 33 cl can
• Red Bull Organic Ginger 20 cl bottle
• Red Bull Organic Cola 20 cl bottle

G&T Club by Gin Project

• Elderflower Floral (BUSS Nº509 Elderflower gin, Fever-Tree Mediterranean tonic, dehydrated orange peel, cinnamon stick, clove)
• Engine Herbal (Engine gin, Fever-Tree Mediterranean tonic, sage, dehydrated lemon)
• Mango & Lime Fruity (Whitley Neill Mango & Lime gin, Fever-Tree Elderflower tonic, dehydrated passionfruit slice, rosemary sprig)
• Aloe & Cucumber Herbal (Whitley Neill Aloe & Cucumber gin, Fever-Tree Elderflower tonic, dehydrated cucumber, rosemary sprig)

Spritz & Beyond

• Aperol, The Original (Aperol, prosecco, splash of soda, dehydrated grapefruit)
• Hugo (St-Germain elderflower liqueur, prosecco, soda, mint)
• Tunisian by Elixir (Vermouth Blanc infused with carraway, corriander and cumin, prosecco, dehydrated chili pepper, cinnamon stick)
• The Italian by Elixir (Rouge infused with olives, basil and sundried tomatoes, prosecco, sundried tomatoes, basil)
• Queens Spritz (Whitley Neill Rhubarb & Ginger gin, prosecco, ginger ale, dehydrated lemon, mint)
• Negronic Sbagliato (Campari Bitter, sweet vermouth, procecco)
• Mojito (Bacardi Superior White rum, mint, sugar syrup, lime juice, club soda)

Old School, Throwback

• Classic Old Fashioned (Woodford Reserve, simple syrup, Angostura bitters
• Godfather (Makers Mark bourbon, Disaronno)
• Negroni (Engine gin, Campari Bitter, red vermouth)
• French 75 (Bombay Sapphire gin, lemon juice, simple syrup, Ferrari Brut)
• The Real Long Island (Vodka, tequila, gin, rum, triple sec, simple syrup, lemon juice, cola)
• Cucumber & Basil Martini (BUSS Nº509 Elderflower gin, St Germain elderflower liqueur, cucumber, basil, simple)
• Passion fruit Martini (Whitley Neill Mango & Lime gin, passion fruit purée, vanilla syrup, lemon juice)
• The Cosmopolitan (Absolut citron, cranberry juice, Cointreau, sweet & sour mix, strawberry syrup)
• Dirty Martini (Aviation gin, dry vermouth, olive brine, olives)
• Salted Caramel Espresso Martini (Caramel, dark rum, chilled espresso, caramel syrup, Himalayan salt and caramel rim)

Wines & Other Spirit

You may explore selection of wines and spirits by scanning the QR code provided.

In Summary: MSC Yacht Club Menu

Dining at the MSC Yacht Club is more than just the food; it’s about the experience. With no bookings required in your any of the restaurant, you may enjoy these exquisite delights anytime you choose. MSC Cruises offers an unparalleled, all-inclusive dining experience.

As you sail across the oceans, remember that at the MSC Yacht Club, every meal is an occasion, every mouthful is a celebration, and every moment is to be cherished. This is more than simply a voyage; it’s a culinary adventure at sea.

Sweets & Ice creams

Lovers of chocolate will be in their element at the Chocolate Bar, where a delectable range of the finest creations as masterminded by Jean-Philippe Maury – French master-pâtissier – awaits you. Watch as these sweet treats are finessed in an open kitchen right in front of your eyes.

Available on: MSC Bellissima , MSC Grandiosa , MSC Meraviglia  and MSC Virtuosa

Type of service: Charges apply

Wrap your palate around a generous portion of authentic Italian gelato made by Venchi, a company founded in 1878. Made only with natural ingredients, the full-bodied flavours include extra dark chocolate, mellow gianduja hazelnut and fruit sorbets. La dolce vita indeed!                                                  

Available on: MSC Divina , MSC Fantasia , MSC Splendida , MSC Preziosa , MSC Musica , MSC Magnifica , MSC Orchestra , MSC Poesia ,  MSC Seaside ,  MSC Seaview  and MSC Seashore

Chocoholics will feel like they’ve died and gone to heaven when they'll visit Venchi Chocolate. Drawing on experience gained since 1878, the Venchi company lets its master chocolatiers create mouth-watering treats in an open kitchen for you to enjoy in elegant surroundings. Irresistible.

Available on: MSC Seaside ,  MSC Seaview  and MSC Seashore

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MSC Cruises

Mon - Fri 9 - 19 | Sat 9 - 18 | Sun 10 - 16

Sweets & Ice creams

Lovers of chocolate will be in their element at the Chocolate Bar, where a delectable range of the finest creations as masterminded by Jean-Philippe Maury – French master-pâtissier – awaits you. Watch as these sweet treats are finessed in an open kitchen right in front of your eyes.

Available on:  MSC Bellissima ,  MSC Grandiosa ,  MSC Meraviglia  and MSC Virtuosa .

Type of service: Charges apply

Wrap your palate around a generous portion of authentic Italian gelato made by Venchi, a company founded in 1878. Made only with natural ingredients, the full-bodied flavours include extra dark chocolate, mellow gianduja hazelnut and fruit sorbets. La dolce vita indeed!                                                   Available on: MSC Seaside  and MSC Seaview

Chocoholics will feel like they’ve died and gone to heaven when they'll visit Venchi Chocolate. Drawing on experience gained since 1878, the Venchi company lets its master chocolatiers create mouth-watering treats in an open kitchen for you to enjoy in elegant surroundings. Irresistible.

Available on: MSC Seaside  and MSC Seaview   

Thank you for visiting MSC Cruises

Your browser may be out of date or not compatible with our new site and may not be secure.

For a better experience and to continue your booking with MSC, please update your browser by downloading the latest version below.

Thank you for visiting our site and we look forward to seeing you on board soon!

MSC Cruises

The MSC Meraviglia Yacht Club Experience Review

Doug Parker

• February 3, 2024

Doug talks with Mark and Rocky of TheCruiseLife this week about their nine-night cruise aboard MSC Meraviglia.

They dive into their bougie MSC Meraviglia Yacht Club experience, from exclusive embarkation to dedicated amenities like a butler, private lounge, dining room, and sun deck. They discuss the superior dining options, including specialty dishes and a unique cheese trolley, and the benefits of their status-matching loyalty program status.

One of MSC Cruises’ larger vessels , Mark and Rocky also touch on the onboard entertainment, the ship’s atmosphere, and ports of call, including a visit to MSC’s private island, Ocean Cay.

Find Rock and Mark’s coverage of MSC Meraviglia :

• ThisCruiseLife YouTube channel features their cruises across all lines.
• The MSC Meraviglia playlist has several videos from their sailing.
• Read the MSC Yacht Club experiences on ThisCruiseLife website .

MSC Meraviglia Review Transcript

Doug (00:01:01) – Mark and Rocky had just returned from a nine-night cruise aboard MSC Maravilla. It was out of New York City, in the Bahamas, Florida area, and staying in the yacht club. They join us on the line right now. Hey, guys, how are you?

Guest (00:01:16) – Good, Doug.

Doug (00:01:17) – I’m excited to talk about this because we haven’t had an MSC Yacht Club experience in a long time. We’ve had the ones that were like three-nighters and were fast, but I’m excited to hear what it’s like spending extended time beyond seven nights in that yacht club. So what we’ll do here before we get started, we’ll get some pre-cruise thoughts. You’re in the Phoenix area. What made you want to take this nine-niner out of New York City.

Guest (00:01:40) – Honestly, it was just the idea of getting to check out a new cruise line. We’ve been looking at MSC for a long time, and the idea that sailing out of New York in the heart of January, when it is very cold outside, uh, the pricing was very lucrative to get ourselves onto that ship, as well as to fly across the country to New York.

Guest (00:02:01) – So all the stars aligned and just made it worthwhile for us.

Doug (00:02:04) – Now, there were some, uh, a little bit of weather going through the country about the time when you all boarded. It might have missed you by a day or two. Did that impact your flights going into Manhattan?

Guest (00:02:14) – It did not impact the flights at all. It did impact sail away a bit. Um, as you can imagine, uh, the storms, uh, it was pretty rocky on the seas. Uh, it was really cool because it was the first time ever.

So we’ve been to Alaska several times, but it was the first time ever we’ve actually seen snow on a cruise ship. And so to see the crew, it was the first time many had seen snow on a cruise ship. And they were out running out, uh, TikTok ING and taking selfies. It was a really special experience, uh, being able to see that snowstorm.

Doug (00:02:48) – That is so cool.

Doug (00:02:49) – So did you any pre cruise time in the city before boarding in Brooklyn?

Guest (00:02:57) – You know, we always suggest that the best way to do it is to fly a day ahead of time. Uh, this time we flew in two days in advance to take some time and explore Brooklyn, because that’s where the cruise terminal is for MSC. And then we also took the subway into Manhattan and just kind of hung around Times Square, went to a couple of bars, a couple of restaurants, and, uh, just kind of got ourselves situated in New York before we set sail. We met up with we met up with one of, uh, the solo’s that I met on board, uh, Norwegian Cruise Line. So I did a Norwegian cruise line earlier in 2023. Uh, we met a bunch of solos in our solo cabins, and we actually met up with them to hang out, and they showed us New York, which was a ton of fun.

Guest (00:03:36) – You see.

Doug (00:03:36) – You never know what connections you’ll make on a ship, right? Right.

Guest (00:03:39) – Exactly.

Doug (00:03:40) – Yeah. It’s it’s so awesome. So you make your way to Brooklyn the following day and you go to embark MSC Maravilla. How was that embarkation process? And, did you get any kind of special treatment embarking since you were in the Yacht Club?

Guest (00:03:54) – Goodness gracious. It was an embark like none that I’ve ever experienced. We’ve all been through embark. We know the lines, we know the queues. We know all of the seating areas. Um, the moment that we got there, immediately there was signage for yacht club. And so the, the, the porter, the luggage porter whisked us over and tagged our bags with yacht club tags and pointed us to his colleague standing at the door with a yacht club sign. They literally escorted us through the terminal to our own dedicated security line for yacht club. Um, they didn’t have a they didn’t have us waiting in the general queue.

Guest (00:04:28) – And so we went through that security queue, uh, very quickly. And another, yet another Yacht Club representative whisked us to our private lounge, where they did one on one check ins with us, um, and then handed us glasses of champagne and canapés and sparkling water. Um, and it was a private area, very quiet, very secluded from the rest of the terminal. And we enjoyed mimosas and, uh, sparkling water, uh, that as we waited to board the ship.

Doug (00:04:57) – How long did it take you from curb to ship, then?

Guest (00:05:00) – It took us about an hour and a half. So unfortunately the the sailing before ours was the New Year’s cruise. And so they had a lot of passengers to disembark from that ship. So they were slightly delayed on clearing the ship down to zero counts for us to start the embark process. So yeah, about an hour and a half from when we arrived. Fortunately, the lounge was great. We had butlers in there waiting on us, so it was a really pleasant experience getting to stand around and wait until the ship was ready.

Guest (00:05:28) – Literally. Butlers, butlers, refilling our champagne glasses, walking around with bottles of champagne, saying, oh, would you like a refill on your champagne? Well, okay. Yes, we would love that.

Doug (00:05:38) – It’s like being stuck in an airport and being able to be in an airline lounge instead of in the regular common area, right? Just kind of, uh. Yeah, yeah, living it up in there. So you make your way on board the ship. You’re mentioning this was your first time on the ship. So what were your first impressions of MSC Meraviglia?

Guest (00:05:54) – So it’s kind of funny you ask that we didn’t actually get to see the whole ship for the first four hours that we were on board when they when the yacht club boards, we get priority boarding service. So they bring us into the main atrium, and that’s about the most of the ship we get to see. From there, we walk down a corridor of rooms to the very forward of the ship, where they have elevators that they can badge in, giving you priority access to the elevator.

Guest (00:06:21) – They loaded us into these elevators and took us up to the 16th deck where the topsail lounges, which is the exclusive lounge space for the top or the yacht club. Uh, and they put us in there with, again, more champagne and more canapés and live music that was being performed for us. So we spent most of the first four hours on board in that topsail lounge. Well, they took us from the Topsail Lounge. Then they opened up the Topsail Restaurant, the exclusive restaurant for yacht clubbers. And so we literally went from canapés and champagne up to the lunch in the Topsail restaurant.

Normally we run around taking pictures and exploring the ship. We literally were just kind of in the lap of luxury those first several hours onboard. Oh, we met our butler as well during that time. And so we didn’t actually leave the yacht club as Rocky mentioned, until about four hours after boarding.

Doug (00:07:12) – So a lot to unpack here. So I want to actually take a step back.

Doug (00:07:15) – And I want to ask, um, we were chatting before we started recording here, and you mentioned you had an upgrade offer. So how much of a premium, um, once you accept that upgrade, is it for the yacht club against just staying in a regular balcony cabin?

Guest (00:07:29) – So that’s exactly what we had booked. We booked a balcony cabin and received an offer to bid on an upgrade. Now, because we had already booked that balcony and paid for a balcony, the upgrade amount was not wildly expensive. I think it was. We we could have started the upgrade process offer at $300 per person. Wow. And Rocky was like, okay, should we just start there? And I was like, how often will we get to stay in the yacht club? We are maxing that bit out. And so I think we each maxed our bid out at about $600. So for another $1,200 or so plus tax and all of that stuff, um, we could move from the balcony we had into.

Guest (00:08:09) – We actually dug and bid for an interior yacht club cabin because we were like, okay, we’re just gonna make sure we get into this thing. Well, they were they must have been sold out because our dreams were answered. We got the upgrade and they put us into a deluxe suite.

Doug (00:08:24) – I love it. Let’s discuss that deluxe suite in the yacht club and give us all the details.

Guest (00:08:30) – As you walk in, the first thing that meets your eye is the size of this cabin. I would say that this cabin is the same depth as your standard balcony cabin that you find on any cruise ship. However, the width is probably equivalent to one and a half to anywhere up to two times the width of a standard balcony cabin. Huge space, um, between the foot of the bed and the credenza and wall units that they had where all of the minibar was located. There was probably a good 4 to 5ft of space between those two areas. Um, inside the bathroom, it was upgraded amenities.

Guest (00:09:05) – You had marble tile throughout, a very large, spacious walk in shower with a rainfall head, uh, or the rain shower head. Um, the balcony was the same width as the room, so it was a pretty sizable balcony. They only put two chairs and one side table out there, but you could have easily had another two. Uh, very large and spacious room.

Doug (00:09:29) – So the question is, how do you use the butler on your cruise? Well.

Guest (00:09:33) – You know, because we often have butlers on our cruises. Uh, I kid, um, it was the first experience. And so literally the butler introduced himself. We were in the room. He he knocked and came in and he said, what questions do you have for me? And we said, well, we don’t even know what questions to ask. And so he’s like, well, let’s start with your pillow selections. Are your pillows up to your liking? And Rocky joked, he’s like, well, we’ll sleep on him tonight and let you know.

Guest (00:09:59) – Um, but but the. Butler took care of our minibar, so he asked us specifically for our preferences in terms of sodas, juices and beers.

He asked for our liquor selection because the yacht club comes with a bottle, comes with bottle service, a single bottle. And so we, uh, we shared our, uh, bottle selection with him, and then he just let us know that he would be the person that would escort us to dinners if we wanted. He would escort us to the theater for shows.

He would arrange our bookings if we wanted to go to any specialty restaurant. And so it was, you know, Rocky and I asked as we were getting ready, we’re like, is this just going to be an upgraded room steward, like a room steward that wears a suit? Um, and no, it was it was significantly more than just a room steward. In fact, we had a junior butler as well and, and a third person who helped service the room.

Guest (00:10:50) – So there were three people servicing the room. But that Butler experience was really unique and new to us. Yes, I love it.

Doug (00:10:58) – So you were on there for nine nights. Was there enough space in your room to put everything?

Guest (00:11:01) – Yeah, there was um, I think one of the challenges that we discovered when we were unpacking our room was the closet space was a little bit smaller than what we’re used to on some of the other balcony rooms that we’ve had in the past. Um, the way it’s set up, you walk in and the, the closet space is your entrance to the bathroom.

And so it’s kind of a strange layout. We discovered that there were some challenges with that. However, there was a three-drawer storage space in the main room area that was part of the main. I don’t know what you call it. Credenza. Yeah. And so that actually made up for some of that lost space. And fortunately, these beds were designed to hold luggage under or suitcases under them.

Guest (00:11:41) – It was easy to unpack our room and get moved in for those nine days. Oh, and don’t forget both of the nightstands next to the bed. So there were additional storage tables next to the bed as well. And so there was plenty of storage. But to Rocky’s point that the closet seemed to be a little bit smaller than than other rooms.

Doug (00:11:59) – ThYacht Club is like Norwegian’s Haven, a ship within a ship concept. So outside of your room, what amenities did you have within your ship?

Guest (00:12:07) – I’m telling you, they design it so you don’t have to leave the yacht club. They tell you when you’re going through the booking process. They say it’s exclusive and it’s private. And that is very true. And so the entrance to the yacht club on each of the floors are glass doors. Truly. They look out into the elevator bank. I think MSC has designed it so that people can see in and you can see out, but you have to badge in and out to get in.

Guest (00:12:33) – And so the spaces are beautiful. They’ve got those crystal staircases. What are those crystals? The Swarovski, Swarovski, uh, staircases, the spiral staircases. So we would leave our room and take the staircase up to the next deck. Uh, the 16th deck, which is where the concierge was at the Topsail lounge. Topsail lounge was windows all at the front of the ship.

The view of of New York, we commented that was probably the best view of New York we’ve ever had in that topsail lounge. Oh yeah, the canopy. Like, there’s just so much to unpack in that, um, the full bar.

And then again, you take up another spiral staircase and you are there at the exclusive restaurant, and then one more spiral staircase up, and you are at deck 19, which is your dedicated, uh, lounging space, pool, and hot tub. There’s a daily buffet that they put up there for, for just yacht club guests, along with a bar.

Doug (00:13:23) – Let’s talk about some of the food on MSC Maravilla.

Doug (00:13:26) – Once you get out of your haven complex and go to the buffet with the common folk, how was the buffet and the food throughout the nine days?

Guest (00:13:34) – So we didn’t discover the buffet area until that first night. It was the second day that we discovered it. Yeah. Uh, now that I think back on the experience, um, we like to refer to those areas as Jen and Pop. And, uh, as we walked in to the buffet, we were we kind of felt like we were in someone else’s place. We didn’t feel like we knew that our way around, because we had spent so much time on the ship before we found the buffet. But once we did find it, I’ll tell you, Doug, we spent a good amount of time there, especially for late-night buffets. Uh, this was the first time that we’d really seen a cruise line dedicate a late-night buffet to its passengers consistently. Every night from midnight until 2 a.m..

Guest (00:14:14) – They served food. And we’re not just talking about just, you know, a quick little grab here and there. They have their pizzas available. They have little small sandwiches that you could grab. They had burgers and hot dogs. They sometimes had nachos. Sometimes, they would do a breakfast with some scrambled eggs and bacon every night. I think I got scrambled eggs and bacon every single night of the cruise.

They had the healthy corner like they had salads. And so it wasn’t even just that fried stuff that you sometimes find on the late night buffet. They had salads in a healthy corner. I mean, it was the largest. So we’ve seen late night buffets right on Carnival. We’ve seen it on, uh, we’ve seen it on the other lines. This was the I mean, it was the size of a regular buffet at from 12 a.m. to 2 a.m.. It brought me back to old days of cruising.

Doug (00:14:57) – Yeah, yeah, yeah. Sounds like it. So for your main. You were mentioning.

Doug (00:15:01) – You had your dining room in the topsail area. So how was the dining in the yacht club, and was there much of a selection like, do they rotate the menus? How does that play out?

Guest (00:15:12) – Very much a dedicated menu for the, uh, those that were in the yacht club. Um, the options that they, they had on the menu, there was some mirroring that happened to the main dining rooms on the ship, but they were elevated to a different level with the offerings and the types of food. Uh, there was a selection of classics that were served every night.

For example, you could get your classic filet mignon, or a salmon would be available. And I think they also had a lobster on that classics menu. On the classics menu, you had lobster and filet mignon. I mean, this is this is next level here. Right. And then uh, for the regular offerings every day they had a rotation of several different items. Usually there was a daily result of that was available.

Guest (00:15:53) – There was also a different daily lamb that was on the menu. Uh, so definitely a higher caliber of food offerings on the menu. And the way that they were prepared and plated were very beautiful. Uh, you had, of course, your main waiter and then you had your, your waiters’ assistants and they would all work in harmony together to deliver your breads, appetizers, entrees, and desserts.

Speaking of desserts, don’t forget that the maitre d would flambé the dessert. So we had cherries jubilee one night where he flambé and served that, um, they, they did the cheese trolley where they would literally, they literally had a cheese trolley where you could choose the cheeses and, and jams and jellies that you wanted as part of your dessert option. It was it was definitely. Where do you find a risotto on a cruise on the difficulty to actually prepare that correctly for the masses. Um, you can’t do that. But you can in a private small restaurant that’s dedicated to a subset of your passengers.

Doug (00:16:53) – And how were the lines up there?

Guest (00:16:57) – We don’t know what you mean by lines.

Doug (00:17:00) – Fair enough.

Guest (00:17:02) – Yeah, because there was such a small capacity within the yacht club itself on the ship. Right. And because you only have those people that have access to it, our dining times for dinner was available from 6 p.m. until 830.

That was when you could get seated, and it was open to your time. Whenever you wanted to go in, you would show up. There was one knife that I can think of, and I believe it was the second gala night. We had to wait maybe three minutes, maybe get seated. Yeah. Um, overall, the amount of seating that they have both in the lounge and the restaurant are ample for the number of people that are in there, and they know that they’re going to turn over tables throughout the evening from guests that are doing early versus later dining.

Doug (00:17:42) – Did you enjoy any specialty dining on board this one?

Guest (00:17:45) – So this sailing specifically, we chose to stick to the yacht club so that we could capture each of the menus and actually record some reviews each dinner. We actually are right now looking at booking, uh, another MSC cruise, we committed to ourselves that we would do a yacht club and we would do non-Yacht Club. And so that is where that’s sailing, where we plan to actually explore some of those additional, um, upstairs upcharge specialty restaurants. But for this sailing we literally stuck to the Yacht Club restaurant. That exclusive restaurant.

Doug (00:18:16) – I meant to ask you, before you sailed, did you do the status match with them?

Guest (00:18:20) – Yeah, both of us actually ended up doing status match. Um, with Mark having diamond status with Carnival and I have platinum status, we were both able to match into their gold status or gold level with the Voyagers club.

Doug (00:18:33) – So you stepped right into gold. So do you know, like what that gets you compared to just being a first-time MSC cruiser?

Guest (00:18:39) – Great question.

Guest (00:18:40) – Because, uh, MSC is not known for their loyalty program having the strongest perks, but what it did get us is it it got us a welcome back reception where they had cocktails, which when you’re in the yacht club, it doesn’t really have a huge impact. Uh, because we had champagne up and up in our private lounge.

We also got a little gift. It was a little backpack or drawstring backpack that we got. There’s also when you’re part of the when you’re part of the loyalty program, you get a discount on sailings with MSC, and on future sailings with MSC. And so I think it’s a 5% discount that you get as, as a member of that level. And so there are some perks.

They don’t actually do priority. Like many lines have priority boarding and don’t do that until you hit their very top level, which is diamond. And that’s the only group with priority boarding and demarcation. So that’s our goal. My goal is to hit Diamond on Carnival and MSC.

Guest (00:19:36) – We’ll see how long it takes.

Doug (00:19:37) – Double diamond. There you go.

Guest (00:19:39) – I like it I like.

Doug (00:19:40) – That. How about around the ship like you mentioned Carnival. So we’ll stick with that. Uh, they have the guys burger joint, which is complimentary dining. Does MSC have anything like that around the ship? Kind of a grab and go type place. Yeah.

Guest (00:19:52) – So, uh, it was kind of surprised. And that was one of the conversations that we had at Post Cruise is the fact that there really aren’t those. Types of grab and go quick serve restaurants on board. You do have the buffet, which is very well divided. They have their ethnic corner and they have their pastas, and they have a pizza spot and some burgers, but it’s really only confined to that area as well as the main dining restaurant restaurants. Aside from that, everything is upcharge. They have a Mexican place that’s an upcharge. They have, uh, I can’t remember all of them. There’s a there’s a couple other ones.

Guest (00:20:27) – One thing that I would call out that was unique, that I’ve never seen before on any of our sailings, is they had a kid’s buffet, a dedicated buffet for the kids so that they didn’t have to be in the main area of the buffet. And then the only other kind of separate areas that they had were out on the lido deck.

They had that kind of they had like side buffets. It was the same buffet food on the inside of the buffet, but it was just right outside on Lido, so you didn’t have to go in. But there was no you know, I think about even Celebrity Apex had the burger and fries station and Carnival and all of their side restaurants that they have that are included. None of that. It is focused on the buffet and their and their main dining room for the included options.

Doug (00:21:10) – Let’s discuss the entertainment on board Maravilla. I know that MSC gave up the Cirque partnership located at the back of the ship. What’s going on back there now?

Guest (00:21:22) – So I will say that we were pleasantly surprised with the show performances that were put on in the main Broadway theater, which is their main theater in the forward of the ship. We actually attended one of the Meet the cast type of, uh, presentations, if you will, and we had a really great interaction with them.

We found out that all of the shows in that forward lounge were designed specifically for that cast and this ship. So in all, we were very impressed and enjoyed all of the shows we saw in that forward lounge. Now, going to your question about Cirque du Soleil partnership, you can see that there still is some residual, um, design with the shows that they have in that back lounge that does still exist, they still do aerial acts, and we very much enjoyed those performances. But one thing to be aware of is MSC still continues to consider that an upcharge and add-on type of experience.

Guest (00:22:20) – So if you buy it on the ship, it’s $18 a person to get into one of those shows. The nice thing is they sweeten the deal because they throw a drink at you that you can enjoy during the show, but it’s definitely a bit different of an experience than what we’ve seen on most of the other cruise lines.

Doug (00:22:37) – Gotcha. And did you guys, uh, like, what kind of show was you mentioned? It was like an acrobatics thing, but it was just an MSC-branded show.

Guest (00:22:47) – Yeah. So they put on a magic show. Houdini is the name of the show. And so there’s a lot of singing, dancing, acrobats flying through the air, and a little juggling and jumping out into the audience. And so definitely had, I would say Cirque vibes, but just not with the branding. But to Rocky’s point, they’re still charging that upcharge for the Cirque like show.

Doug (00:23:10) – Gotcha. Okay. Historically, MSC Cruise Entertainment is more visual and less like comedians because of the international audience. Is it like this on MSC Meraviglia?

Guest (00:23:22) – Actually, no. I feel like there was a lot, a lot of the presentations that we saw were done primarily in English, surprisingly. Okay. Uh, the one thing that caught us off guard was the overhead announcements.

Anytime the captain would make his announcements, it would always be done by the captain. Again in Italian. Uh, during the safety briefings when we were on the embark day, they were doing announcements in both English and Mandarin. For safety reasons, there were so many Mandarin-speaking passengers on board. But overall, most of the shows were done and performed in English leading up to the show’s start.

They would do a couple of announcements in Mandarin and Italian and English and German. So they did do several pre-calls for those shows. But overall the actual shows themselves were primarily in English, if there was any speaking at all. Yeah, it turns out it turns out those songs are universal. You know, the journey is universal across all languages.

Doug (00:24:19) – Let’s talk about the sea days. As far as crowds and congestion, I know that you were up there in the yacht club for probably most of it, but as you made your way further south, you mentioned the snow on the sail out, but that it eventually warm up once you got around the Carolinas or Florida.

Guest (00:24:36) – Warmed up is relative. Uh, it was warmer than than the snow, but we there weren’t a lot of folks spending time out on deck or making use of of the water slides. Um, it was still pretty chilly until, honestly, the nicest day we had was in Nassau. And so it took us, uh, five days into the cruise before the weather was, was to a point where you would want to actually be out on deck or layout, you know, you could be out. I mean, we were like, jackets and jeans, uh, throughout the sailing. Uh, but but it wasn’t it didn’t get really warm until we got down into the Bahamas.

Doug (00:25:07) – As far as the crowds and congestion around the ship, was there any of that since everyone was inside?

Guest (00:25:16) – Really? Honestly, the only crowds we experienced were in the Meraviglia Galleria Meraviglia, which is a domed area. If you deck six and deck seven, it’s a two-story area. They’ve got a beautiful dome, similar to the Fremont Experience in Las Vegas, where they’ve got that led that runs almost the entirety of the ship. That’s where they would do many of their dance parties and events, because it was too cold up on deck to do it.

We didn’t feel that space was designed to host those parties. And so it’s a throughput for traffic on the ship. And so you’ve got people trying to make their way throughout the ship and people dancing and singing. And that was really the only time we felt like we were crowded, or that we were kind of annoyed a little bit by the traffic flow of the ship. Otherwise I would I would tell you, we didn’t feel crowds, even the buffet, the buffets, were sometimes a little bit busy, but but not to the point where we’ve seen it wear on other lines.

Guest (00:26:12) – What did you think of that promenade area with the ceiling that lights up?

Guest (00:26:15) – Beautiful. Uh, we were stunned by the design and how gorgeous that space was, and they really maximize the usage of those LED screens throughout the sailing, including on Embark day, when they’re showing you where all of the different muster stations are located. But overall, that space was beautiful.

It was definitely wide enough to walk through it when there wasn’t an event happening, you could easily take yourself up onto the next deck up and look down from the mezzanine and really enjoy the sights and the and sounds and even the smells coming from the chocolate factory. As you were sailing along, so it was very enjoyable.

Speaking of speaking of those multi-use screens, remember, even on the welcome back party, they played the Welcome Back video that that that MSC sizzle reel. They played the video thing. Welcome back. I appreciate your loyalty. They played that up on those screens. And so literally everyone at the Welcome Back party headed to the sky watching them talk about what a great experience MSC is.

Doug (00:27:11) – The casino. How was that as far as the smoking situation in and around it?

Guest (00:27:17) – They had a smoke-free casino. It appears that it was an afterthought based on our conversations with the other passengers on board. The smoke-free casino was nice. However, they didn’t have any gaming tables for the smoke-free gamblers.

Now, the exciting thing was the placement of the Cirque theater. You have to walk through the smoking casino to get to the theater, which was kind of a strange setup, but the way the casino was set up. They put the main bar in the center of it. So you’re not diving into the main casino itself. Overall, the casino seemed like a pretty ample size, comparable to what we’re familiar with on some of Carnival’s Vista ships .

Doug (00:27:59) – Okay. Very cool. So, let’s talk about the ports of call you hit on this nine-night cruise. And what we’ll do here is hit the first one, give us a highlight, then we’ll go to the next one and so on.

Guest (00:28:10) – The first cruise port we visited was the exotic location, Port Canaveral in Florida. We had something else arranged. We have some really good friends that we’ve also met through going on cruises who live in the Orlando area, they ended up picking us up, and we had a fun day at SeaWorld for the day. So, it’s definitely a little bit different. We didn’t book anything through MSC because we’ve been to Port Canaveral before, so we wanted to check it out through the locals.

Doug (00:29:01) – So what was after Port Canaveral?

Guest (00:29:04) – Next was Miami and the day was unexpected. Icon of the Seas was scheduled to arrive in Miami the day before.

However, due to the weather, they kept her out for an extra day. And so we literally got to see icon of the seas sail. And we did a live, uh, we did a YouTube live where we streamed her sailing into Port Miami for the first time. We watched her turn around in the basin, return, and dock at the Royal Caribbean Terminal. There.

We got off the ship, and we hiked our excursion that day. We hiked about a mile up to the Royal Caribbean Terminal, climbed up to the very top of the parking garage, Royal Caribbean parking garage, and we just took pictures and filmed a bunch of stuff up there because it was like such a wow moment for for a couple of cruise nerds.

Doug (00:29:53) – Yeah. No, definitely. So after Nassau, you headed over to the Bahamas. Uh, what was the first Bahamas port?

Guest (00:29:59) – We first stopped at MSC’s Private Island, MSC’s Ocean Cay Marine Reserve. It’s a beautiful private island destination.

You can tell that MSC put a lot of thought and consideration when they were designing this port. It’s huge. It is massive, huge. And it’s nice because the ship can dock directly onto the port there, instead of you having to do a water shuttle taxi service to get in.

It is a very large and sprawling island, with tons of places for people to go out and lounge and layout, grab food, and have a nice relaxing day. Now. Now they don’t have, you know, big water parks and they don’t have hot air balloons that go up in the air like some, you know, private islands do. But but I mean, it had everything that you could want.

Guest (00:30:48) – It had many different beaches. Uh, to Rocky Point food trucks, uh, included food trucks throughout the island, as well as some upcharge food trucks where you could get, you know, seafood, you could get your lobster rolls and some of that fresh seafood.

Doug (00:31:00) – You were in the yacht club, right? So I know they have that yacht club area on the other side of the island, like on the other side from where the ship docks. How was that space, or I guess, did you utilize that space? And would you think of it if you did?

Guest (00:31:12) – Yeah, we actually, uh, as soon as we got off of the ship via escort from our butler. It’s just fun to say that. I’m sorry. Uh, we were escorted over to the yacht club’s meeting point, where they picked us up by golf cart and drove us to that exclusive area. It just made it a little bit easier to get there so we can maximize our time. Uh, the area is referred to as the Ocean House.

And so that’s actually where they serve lunch. And it’s a lovely, large colonial-style building. Uh, the lunch there included amazing bites from a lobster roll to crab ceviche. The ceviche was so good. The beach was delicious. Uh, they also had your standard fare of burgers on the menu, and then a couple of salads and other options.

Overall, it was a great area. As you approached it, there was signage, so you knew it was reserved for the yacht club guests. Uh, there was a private beach. And that’s the one downside that I would say about the exclusive area is the Yacht Club’s Ocean House. The beach is probably the least nice of the beaches that are found on the island.

It’s a little bit rough. Uh, there’s some larger sand bits, if you want to call them that. Uh, so getting in the water makes it a bit tough. And due to the weather that we encountered, we really didn’t even touch the water because we touched the water.

We just didn’t get into the water. It’s it’s rocky, says sand. But I would say sharp rock. So the folks that had been there before had water shoes and were in the water. That was a that’s a great tip. If you’re going to Ocean Cay and in the yacht club, make sure to bring water shoes because. It will make your day better.

Doug: .That’s a good tip. There are a lot of beaches around the island so you get to explore most of them?

We did. We met people on the cruise, as we always do on cruises. And so we went out and we got to explore a little bit with them. In hindsight, I wish we had done the exploration first because it started to pour. Uh, it started to downpour and it was a cold downpour in the Bahamas. And so we we didn’t get to explore as much as we’d like, but we got to see several of the lagoons.

Guest (00:33:15) – We got to see the lighthouse. We got to enjoy one of the food trucks. We did eat at one of the food trucks just so we could say we, you know, ate with our friends. Um, Rocky. Rocky always says we ate with the common people. Um, and so we enjoyed the food on the mainland. And then there’s shops, there’s shops, there’s you can buy ice cream cones and various things on land as well. Before we headed back to the ship. And, and unfortunately, that was the only we were this point spoiled us, Doug. Um, we were looking for our butler escort back onto the ship, but but there was not one on to the ship. And so we had to wait in the rain with the rest of the ship that had all run back to get onto the ship as well.

Doug (00:33:55) – Oh, no. Horrible. Did you get to stay at night to see the lighthouse lit up? Yeah.

Guest (00:34:01) – Back on board wasn’t scheduled until 8:00 that evening. Uh, most of the passengers had embarked on the ship by about 330 or 4 due to the weather, but we stayed docked there, and we were wondering about that lighthouse show because we’d heard about it. And so we went to the concierge, who gave us a great recommendation on where to go to view it, so we could also hear the music playing through the show.

Uh, and so we had the opportunity to watch it and it was impressive. We enjoyed it. And hopefully, we’ll be able to return to Ocean Cay again in the future, where we won’t encounter poor weather. We can be on the beach and see the light show from the ground.

And because of the concierge tip, we know the crew smoking area on MSC Meraviglia. And so it was a great tip and we got to hang out with crew as they watched the light show.

Doug (00:34:54) – He probably know this, but if you’re ever feeling energetic or you want to work out, you can climb that lighthouse. It’s like $15 or 20 maybe, but you got some great views up there and there’s quite a few steps, so, uh, yeah, pack your energy. Yeah.

Guest (00:35:06) – No. And that’s another reason why we want to go back. You know, I don’t think, uh, the weather was really in our favor to be able to do that type of an excursion, but definitely in the books for us to do it again.

Doug (00:35:16) – So your final port of call was Nassau. How was your day there?

Guest (00:35:19) – Nassau was great. Uh, as Mark had mentioned, it was the best weather that we saw on the entire cruise, and we were a little bummed that it was our final port day, but we made the most of it. We were docked in Nassau with four other ships. So a standard busy Nassau day. Uh, nothing unusual there.

Guest (00:35:36) – Uh, we have a tradition whenever we’re in Nassau, where we go visit a rum distillery in a little bit deeper into town. And so we decided to do that at this time. We took the trek and walked around and checked out the updates that they made to the port of Nassau, because that was our first time there since they did all the construction since they finished the construction.

Yeah, we’ve been several times during. Yeah. And then from there we walked up to the distillery and enjoyed a little tasting up there before returning to the port and getting on the ship. It was a pretty quiet day, but we’re looking forward to the opportunity to get to lay out on deck on the cruise ship before sail away took place.

Doug (00:36:12) – Yeah, perfect day for it. So you leave Nassau for a couple of days and you head back to Brooklyn. How were your sea days going up?

Guest (00:36:19) – The weather, I will say, was more cooperative on the way back, but. So it wasn’t as bumpy and rocky, but there were times when you would sleep at night and roll on or you would.

Guest (00:36:31) – You knew you were on a ship. You know, when Rocky and I first boarded, one of the things we commented as we were sitting in, I think it was the topsail restaurant. After spending time in the lounge, we said, we don’t feel like we’re on a cruise ship, but you just felt like you were almost at an all-inclusive resort.

We knew we were on a cruise ship on the sea days out and on the sea days back. The weather was left, the ocean a bit rocky. We had some. You saw some gale-force winds. There were some swells, but they had the magnetic, uh, bags out, the thick bags out in the elevator banks. They had those out for, for all of the passengers. We did talk to several folks who said they might not sail again in January, but but we liked it. But I know the sign us up.

Doug (00:37:18) – So it’s time to get off the ship in Brooklyn.

Doug (00:37:20) – Was the process as smooth and bougie as that embark?

Guest (00:37:25) – I love that you say the bougie because it continued through. Uh, we always go for a very relaxed, dark morning. We try to stay on the ship as long as possible.

We book later flights knowing that there’s always the possibility that a ship could be delayed returning to port. Uh, and fortunately for us, the ship did arrive on time, however. We didn’t end up disembarking from the ship until much later.

We we decided to go down and have breakfast down in the main restaurant, the topsail restaurant, in the yacht club area. And once we were done eating there, we went down to the lounge and enjoyed a quick beverage and a couple of little canapés. You know, just trying to get our last bits in and chatted with the bartenders.

The bartenders were tremendously friendly the entire sailing, and we just hung out with them and enjoyed some coffee and drinks. Yep. And then once we were ready to get off of the ship, we went to the concierge and actually, we ended up seeing our butler at the concierge desk, and he offered to help us get off the ship.

Guest (00:38:26) – And so he took Marc’s two suitcases that he was carrying from his hands and wheeled them to the elevator, took us down to the lower deck, and wheeled us over to where they take you off the ship. Or they scan your card to say you are officially disembarked from the ship. So we continued that experience as long as we could.

And the cool thing about the luggage program, if you decide to put your luggage out the night before the cruise ends, all of the yacht club luggage gets delivered to one specific spot, so you’re not rushing to get off.

You’re not rushing to go find where your luggage was placed. When it’s in that terminal building, it’s very easy to locate and get to pick up your suitcases and you’re on your way. Once again, those yacht club signs. Right this way. Um, a dedicated area, even for your luggage.

Doug (00:39:16) – Awesome. Very cool. Does Brooklyn have facial recognition for the dark?

Guest (00:39:21) – Yes they did. We were very excited when we saw that we’re getting off the ship.

Doug (00:39:25) – Yeah. It sure makes a difference. Looking back here as first-time MSC cruisers and in the yacht Club, do you have any first-time tips to offer anyone sailing MSC or sailing out of Manhattan?

Guest (00:39:39) – Uh, goodness gracious. If you get that upgrade offer and it’s within your means, you bid that upgrade offer up. Suppose you can get into the yacht club from a balcony. That would be my biggest tip because not only does it include all of those amenities that we’ve talked about. They grant you into the premium drinks package as well.

So the premium drinks package on this sailing would have been 790 a person, a person. We paid less for the entire yacht club experience, including those premium drinks. It included Wi-Fi on each of our devices, and it included all of those exclusive amenities that we’ve talked about.

And so that would be my number one tip is if you get that offer to upgrade to the yacht club, really look at what it would cost you to have that experience and just individually and take that for serious take.

Guest (00:40:29) – Be serious about that. And if you can get that upgrade and it’s in your means, do it. Yeah, absolutely. And then I would also say the other thing is that this cruise ship departs out of the Brooklyn terminal.

So instead of paying the 60 plus dollars that it would cost to get an Uber or a lift, you could take the subway, and the train system, all of which will be super easy to get over there. And there’s a water taxi or ferry. Ferry, I guess it is, uh, that takes you from Wall Street.

If you were to go into Manhattan and stay the night out there, you can quickly get onto the ferry from Wall Street over to the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal. Easy. And it’s quite cost-effective.

Doug (00:41:09) – Yeah, that’s one thing I’ve heard over the years is that a lot of people who are doing cruises out of either Brooklyn or Manhattan, they kind of get taken by surprise how much it actually cost to get from the airport to the cruise port.

Doug (00:41:20) – But a little extra research can save you quite a few bucks, and it’s not that bad. I think it’s.

Guest (00:41:25) – Scarier being in New York traffic. Quite honestly. When we the Uber, we took an Uber from the hotel to the cruise terminal. I think that was scarier than the subway was, you know, the night before when we had flown in. And so, yes, I think it’s great.

Doug (00:41:41) – Well, looking back, what was your biggest highlight of this cruise?

Guest (00:41:56) – I would say the biggest highlight was probably being in the yacht club. What a treat it was for us to be able to experience that. Um, it was so exciting walking into the Topsail Lounge in that exclusive yacht Club area, no matter how many times a day we walked in there, we always discovered new canopies that were waiting for us to try.

Guest (00:42:17) – The bartenders and servers in the topsail lounge were all very friendly. They started to get to know us, what drinks we enjoyed the most, and they would start making recommendations based on the spirits we were drinking to make our journey that much more enjoyable. I think for me, um, one of the best bites of food I’ve had on a cruise ship was, uh, in the Eden restaurant onboard Celebrity Apex.

And I would say fast forward. That was a couple of years back now for Thanksgiving. But fast forward to this. To have that daily rotating risotto to me was a surprise and delight that menu in Topsail restaurant. You just don’t see food like that on a cruise ship. And it was fantastic.

And it was included in that experience. It wasn’t we weren’t, you know, dropping 150 for the meal. It was included in that yacht club experience. That, to me was a surprise and delight.

Guest (00:43:10) – I did not expect how good and high-quality that food would be.

Doug (00:43:22) – Well, uh, in closing here, your final thoughts of MSC Maravilla.

Guest (00:43:27) – the MSC Meraviglia is a gorgeous ship. MSC did a great job in designing and developing this class of ship. The size of it was great. We did have a lower capacity on the ship during our sailing, but we still managed to have a great time. We met a lot of great friends.

We found places to call our own that maybe we’re not in the yacht club specifically. Still, we discovered the Sky lounge as a great place to meet people and to be able to enjoy the company of others that were not a part of the yacht club, and really just kind of put ourselves with the rest of the population that was sailing. Very good. The Champagne Bar was another one of my favorites. That the Edge bar.

Guest (00:44:09) – The champagne bar, you know, that looked out over the water as the ship was sailing. That was great. Those champagne cocktails were excellent. And that’s the beauty, right? When you have. We would flash our yacht club bracelets and I will tell you, I joke. I’ve made this joke now lines would disappear and people would just randomly appear.

Servers would appear, you flash that yacht club bracelet and it didn’t matter what bar we were at, if we were at the horizon bar, after the champagne bar, or at the Sky lounge, they just showed up and took such great care of us. You can tell that even the rest of the ship is trained to pay attention to yacht club guests, because it was just such a fantastic experience.

I’m excited to go back on MSC Meraviglia in in the in the standard amenities in the non-yacht club amenities to be able to experience it truly and compare and contrast to be able to talk about what does that value look like and how it feels to sit down in the main dining room each night for dinner versus in your dedicated restaurant? And so I am excited to get back on the ship.

Guest (00:45:10) – We’ve looked we’ve booked on the inaugural on MSC World America, World America. And so it was it was a great experience and great sailing. And so MSC gets a lot of bad rap out there. There’s a lot of negativity about people who love or hate it. And I will tell you from our experience where we’re looking at booking two more already. So it was it was in it was in a really good category for us.

Doug (00:46:34) – Awesome. We’ll link to it also in the show notes at Cruise Radio dot net. Mark Rocky, thank you all so much.

Guest (00:46:40) – Thank you so much, Doug.

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• MSC Cruises

Yacht Club Drink Package Explanation from MSC (after the recent package changes)

By kevinrobedm , January 31, 2019 in MSC Cruises

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kevinrobedm

I asked MSC to clarify what the drink package is for Yacht Club passengers with all the changes to the packages after the last few months.  I got an official response and thought I would share with everyone as the more information we all have, the better.  We are in a YC suite on the Splendida in March and wanted to be clear on what we could expect.

Some of the wording I am not 100% sure of and have asked for some clarifications.  I will post them when I get it but at least this is a start and is from MSC directly since there has been a lot of third party discussions.

Yacht Club Bars

COMPLIMENTARY:

Full selection of spirits, liquers and cordials including Premium brands 

Full cocktail selection including Premium cocktails

Wide Range of wines; 1 sparkling, 1 white, 1 rosé and 1 red Wide range of wines (1 champagne, at least 7 whites, 1 rosé, at least 7 reds) Draft beer + full selection of bottled beers Draft beer + full selection of bottled beers Full selection of fruit juice and soft drink including Premium brands Full selection of fruit juice and soft drink including Premium brands Premium mineral water in glass bottles Premium mineral water in glass bottles Full selection of hot drinks Full selection of hot drinks

ON PAYMENT: Champagne and superior wine selection Champagne and superior wine selection Super premium spirits Super premium spirits Cigars

Yacht Club Restaurant

COMPLIMENTARY: REMAINS UNCHANGED Complimentary wines in daily rotation Premium mineral water Bottled beers Soft drink Selection of after-dinner drinks All other drinks from YC Complimentary Bar List on request ON PAYMENT: Champagne and superior wine selection Super premium spirits COMPLIMENTARY: Same selection as regular cabins except the water, which is Premium brand Pillow chocolates Welcome bottle of sparkling wine Free pizza delivery Free room service menu ON PAYMENT: Romantic moments selection COMPLIMENTARY: Full selection of spirits,  ligueurs and cordials, including Premium brands Full cocktail selection, including Premium cocktails Wide range of wines (1 champagne, at least 7 whites, 1 rosé, at least 7 reds) Draft beer + full selection of bottled beers Full selection of fruit juice and soft drink including Premium brands Mineral water Full selection of hot drinks REMAINS UNCHNAGED REMAINS UNCHANGED YACHT CLUB BARS BEFORE NOW OUT OF YACHT CLUB AREA ALL DRINKS ARE ON PAYMENT MINI BARS / CABINS YACHT CLUB RESTAURANT

PACKAGE RECOGNITION / SERVICE MODALITIES WITHIN YACHT CLUB AREA

 • Drink menus have been updated and all drinks included in the upgraded beverage package are specified on the menu

 • For the drinks included in complimentary treatment, the guests are not being asked to present their cruise card and they are not signing for the consumptions; the card and signature is being requested only for the drinks on payment

PACKAGE RECOGNITION / SERVICE MODALITIES OUT OF YACHT CLUB AREA

 • Yacht Club guests are entitled to consume, at zero charge, all drinks from the above specification. 

 • Out of Yacht Club area, the guests have to be identified and they will be asked to present their cruise card for every beverage orders. 

 • Printing of package code on Yacht Club cruise cards is not foreseen; the cards themselves are easily recognizable because they have different layout and YC logo

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Thanks so much.  I am more confident we will have the same experience as our last cruise. Just wish a small daily selection of gelato would be added to Top Sail or pool grill.

We are pretty typical American drinkers so a not so wide selection of champagnes is not a deal breaker. Martinis. an excellent  blended Canadian whiskey sour prepared to taste, an occasional Jameson,  and Hendrick's and tonic and we are good to go.  As long as we continue to get a better quality house pour (not the red or white the servers are pushing that night) red blend and a nice Sauvignon Blanc for dinner.

if the YC Director wants to throw in a special Whisky tasting we wouldn't pass it up. 😁

"Thanks so much.  I am more confident we will have the same experience as our last cruise. Just wish a small daily selection of gelato would be added to Top Sail or pool grill."

FYI - - Although not mentioned on the menus, gelato is available for dessert in the YC. They usually have three flavors in my experience; vanilla, chocolate, and a third flavor that seemed to vary.

Sounds like Venchi is excluded in its entirety. It's also interesting that they don't equate the YC package to any of the other offered packages.

24 minutes ago, mnocket said: Sounds like Venchi is excluded in its entirety. It's also interesting that they don't equate the YC package to any of the other offered packages.

It was included in the old deluxe package, and continues to be honoured if you booked that package pre the package changes oct/nov 2018 which means that the new premium package excludes such.

1 hour ago, sptrout said: "Thanks so much.  I am more confident we will have the same experience as our last cruise. Just wish a small daily selection of gelato would be added to Top Sail or pool grill."   FYI - - Although not mentioned on the menus, gelato is available for dessert in the YC. They usually have three flavors in my experience; vanilla, chocolate, and a third flavor that seemed to vary.

I forgot about this.  Yes it is.  If you order ice cream, it's definitely gelato.  I often ordered vanilla "ice cream" topped with fresh strawberries.  🙂   

The did tell me that the YC package outside of the YC area is not a specific package but somewhere between Premium and Premium Plus.  Not sure how they can't know for sure.

stateroom mini bar still included??

I was told that the mini-bar was still included althought it does not say that on the list.

14 minutes ago, jules815 said:     I forgot about this.  Yes it is.  If you order ice cream, it's definitely gelato.  I often ordered vanilla "ice cream" topped with fresh strawberries.  🙂   

Sorry I did know about gelato on the restaurant menu, but I was just thinking about the anytime availability. My bad on possible confusion.

Is the gelato the same as in Venchi or is it different?

When we had it on the Seaview, Venchi was much better than the YC so I would say no but it could have been just us.

13 minutes ago, kevinrobedm said: When we had it on the Seaview, Venchi was much better than the YC so I would say no but it could have been just us.

Thanks...and that makes sense because the Venchi gelato was removed from the YC inclusive stuff. If it was the same, why remove it? :)

1 hour ago, kevinrobedm said: The did tell me that the YC package outside of the YC area is not a specific package but somewhere between Premium and Premium Plus.  Not sure how they can't know for sure.

That is absolutely the case, and it also includes minibar.....all of it, drinks/snacks.

6 hours ago, kelleherdl said:   We are pretty typical American drinkers ... Hendrick's and tonic and we are good to go.  Dennis

Hendricks is now in the "Connoisseurs Selection" so may not be available without charge in YC as it's now only included in PremiumPlus.  I'll be checking that out in August!  (Not happy that yet another favourite has been removed from the old Deluxe package, which we have for our next 2 cruises).

Sounds to me that the included package in YC is Premium, which is very similar to the old Deluxe package, except for the loss of gelato, room service items and mini-bar (the latter 2 referring to non-YC cabins).

The gelato that's served in the MDRs isn't the same quality as what's served at the gelato bar - hence the charge for "the good stuff".

3 hours ago, kevinrobedm said: When we had it on the Seaview, Venchi was much better than the YC so I would say no but it could have been just us.

I am not convinced that the YC Resturant offers gelato without a passenger asking for gelato specifically. The dinner menus only list "ice cream" (also sorbet if I remember correctly) not gelato. Seems to me that if they were offering gelato then the menus would say so and not ice cream. I would guess that you had ice cream in the YC and gelato at Venchi which is why you noticed the difference.

On the other hand, I am not sure why they (MSC) would make both ice cream and gelato. The difference (ingredients, etc.) between the two is minimal and it would seem to me to be more difficult to make both and distribute each throughout the ship than just make one or the other. On other lines, such as Celebrity, gelato is only available at one location and ice cream at all other places on the ship.

Linda the Book Lover

Thanks for sharing.

1 hour ago, Beamafar said:   Hendricks is now in the "Connoisseurs Selection" so may not be available without charge in YC as it's now only included in PremiumPlus.  I'll be checking that out in August!  (Not happy that yet another favourite has been removed from the old Deluxe package

No, Joe, say it ain't so..... 😁    sorry for a very American sports allusion.  I found nothing more over the top than the pool deck bar keeping the Hendrick's in the fridge so as not to melt the ice in my gin and tonic too quickly.

Host Jazzbeau

2 hours ago, kelleherdl said:   No, Joe, say it ain't so..... 😁    sorry for a very American sports allusion.  I found nothing more over the top than the pool deck bar keeping the Hendrick's in the fridge so as not to melt the ice in my gin and tonic too quickly.   Dennis

6 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:   What tonic do they use?  [Please say 'Fevertree'  ]

Dream on ... you'll have to settle for Canada Dry (which was very acceptable, I must say!)   🙂

citizenfrank

At least there seems to be some clarity finally for YC passengers, I think it is significant that there is now no confirmed link of the YC offering to any regular package, least not an exact match.

With all this now becoming clearer, slooooowly I will add! ....The now old Deluxe is the diamond in the Crown. 

I have it on my next sailing next month, but I wish I'd booked more sailings before the amnestis!!

That Deluxe platform is worth black market trading!! lol

Bea... After beer, cider, wine and cocktails I enjoy gin too (though not always with tonic!) ...just remind me what I'll get under Deluxe with regards to the GIN as I thought Hendricks was in?

sverigecruiser

It will be interesting to see if they will give me any Champagne!

3 hours ago, citizenfrank said: Bea... After beer, cider, wine and cocktails I enjoy gin too (though not always with tonic!) ...just remind me what I'll get under Deluxe with regards to the GIN as I thought Hendricks was in?  

Frank ... in 2017 we did 2 cruises where we only had the basic drinks package due to the constant removal of top brands from the old Premium/Deluxe and upgrading drinks from the basic package into the Deluxe one.  To us, it wasn't worth the increased prices for lower-end products.  I went from being able to get Remy Martin XO, to then only getting Janneau XO, 'til that, too, was put into the 2 asterisk range.

Now MSC has done the same with Hendricks.  The gins included under the "Premium" heading on the bar menu were Bombay Sapphire East, Tanqueray Nº TEN and Plymouth.  Aviation and Hendricks are the 2 being offered in the "Connoisseurs Selection" which would be included in the PremiumPlus package (for now, anyway.  Who knows how long Aviation will last, 'til it's removed and Bombay Sapphire East replaces it!  I guess it may depend on how many people actually upgrade to Prem+.  I never looked into upgrading our Deluxe on Armonia, so don't know what the cost would be).

SC ... I posted elsewhere about my experience re Champagne on Armonia.  I had no problems with ordering NF other than it wasn't available in one of the bars and they substituted it with Cordon Rouge.

I am just confirming with MSC but what we were told is that we get whatever package was in place when you booked the cruise.  Others on Cruise Critic have said the same thing. We booked this cruise in September of 2017.  The package that was in place for YC guests wash the All Inclusive Deluxe Drink Package. Since MSC has now re-done their packages it is hard to know what was in one vs the other unless you have the comparison guide.  I am posting comparison guide that was in place prior to the drink package changes.  For those of you that booked prior to the package change (roughly in September/October 2018), if you are in the YC, you should be receiving the All Inclusive Deluxe Package.  The attached .pdf shows what was in the packages prior to the changes.  Hopefully I will get official confirmation from MSC today and I will let everyone know what they tell me.

The same should apply to anyone that is not YC, it should be the package that was in place when you made the booking.

Again the more everyone knows, the better off we all are.

For us the point of all this is that we work hard for the money we get paid. When we book an experience like the YC it is a hefty amount of money that you spend based on a certain experience MSC presents. We understand times change and packages change (and this is totally within MSC's choice to do this) but as a customer you are entitled to get what you paid for, not a substitution.  That is our belief anyway.

MSC 2018 Drink Package Comparison Guide.pdf

Not sure what you're trying to say in that post.  If MSC removes items from the included list for a particular drinks package, it's irrelevant what was included when you booked.  I've booked many cruises where MSC changed what was included in the packages before we sailed.  They never 'grandfathered' the inclusions (it would be impossible to do this).  Same thing happened with the reduction in benefit for a couple who were both Black Card members from each getting a complimentary meal for 2 in the speciality restaurants to only one person of the 2 getting the benefit ... despite the fact that people had booked before the change, they still experienced the loss of benefit.

The change in the drinks packages is a different matter, altogether!

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MSC Yacht Club - Gelato ice cream

By salvat55 , February 21, 2013 in MSC Cruises

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I will be on the MSC Davina for Caribbean Cruise January 25,2014.

I have booked a Yacht Club stateroom and wanted to know if

gelato ice cream was available in the Top sail lounge and the one pool area.

If it is available, is it free or what is the cost ?

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I will be on the MSC Davina for Caribbean Cruise January 25,2014. I have booked a Yacht Club stateroom and wanted to know if gelato ice cream was available in the Top sail lounge and the one pool area. If it is available, is it free or what is the cost ?

I didn't see anybody eating gelato in the YC. I eventually went and asked at the gelato "shop" if it was free for YC, and was told No, then they said "You could always send your butler down". I didn't try that i just paid up , definitely worth the small amount of money which just happend to tip my onboard spend over a threshold which got another MSC club point.

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MSC Meraviglia Bars and Restaurants Guide

We spent a week onboard MSC Meraviglia in October 2018. In case you missed it, you can read our entire live-blog here .

Since our return, we’ve written some detailed guides for anyone who is considering sailing on MSC Meraviglia . We’ll cover everything from where to get a drink, see a show, the services onboard to even what your cabin includes!

Our second guide covers all the bars and restaurants that are available on MSC Meraviglia . There are over 30 bars and restaurants in total, so there is something for everyone!

Restaurant and Bar Full Guide

Waves restaurant, panorama restaurant, carousel lounge, marketplace buffet, horizon bar, infinity bar.

Typical opening times: 07:00-00:30

The Infinity Bar offers soft drinks, alcoholic drinks, some cocktails and speciality coffees. It has seating around the bar and seating by the large porthole windows looking out to sea. Table service is generally not offered here, but you can order directly from the bar.

Approximate seating capacity: 28

Typical opening times: Breakfast 07:30-09:30, Lunch 12:00-13:30, Dinner 17:45 1st sitting, 19:45 2nd sitting, 21:45 3rd sitting.

The Waves Restaurant is located at the very rear of the ship and is accessed via the lower level of the Infinity Atrium . The restaurant is open every day for breakfast and lunch and does not require a reservation.

In the evening, the restaurant becomes one of the main dining rooms that passengers are preallocated. Seating available is from 2-8 people a table and there are large porthole windows at many of the tables. All food is ordered from daily menus, a la carte.

Approximate seating capacity: 600

The following venues are all located within the lower level of Galleria Meraviglia .

Eataly Food Market & Restaurant

Typical opening times: Lunch 12:00-14:00, Dinner 18:00-22:30

The Eataly Food Market is one of the speciality restaurants from the well-known Eataly brand. It is open for lunch and dinner every day and more details will be in our speciality venues guide. Reservations are preferred, but you can also check availability for a walk-in at any time. Eataly merchandise and food goods are also for sale in this venue.

Approximate seating capacity: 58

Meraviglia Bar & Lounge

Typical opening times: 09:00-01:30

This bar and lounge is host to a large seating area, stage shows and is used for a meeting point for various activities. There is often live music here each evening and events during sea days. The bar offers soft drinks, alcoholic drinks and a choice of cocktails. Speciality coffees are also available here. Table service is offered here.

Approximate seating capacity: 64

Jean-Philippe Chocolat & Café

Typical opening times: 07:00-01:00

Jean-Philippe Maury extends his partnership with MSC Cruises on MSC Meraviglia . The Chocolat & Cafe venue offers a large shop with chocolates for sale in many forms, live chocolate demonstrations, create your own chocolate designs (via touchscreen), speciality drinks and hot chocolates and speciality desserts. The venue offers multiple seating options with booths by the large porthole windows.

Approximate seating capacity: 106

Jean-Philippe Crêpes & Gelato Bar

Typical opening times: 12:00-00:00

Fresh crepes, ice-cream sundaes, gelato and other speciality desserts are available made to order for you at this venue. There are several stand-up tables for you to eat at or, of course, you can take your dessert away with you!

Eataly Ristorante Italiano & Chef’s Table

The Eataly Ristorante is a speciality restaurant from the well-known Eataly brand. This venue offers reservations, but walk-in availability is sometimes possible. There are dining options from 2-8 people or more and the exclusive Chef’s Table option too. Furthers details will be found in our speciality restaurants guide.

Approximate seating capacity: 56

The following venues are located on the same deck, but not within Galleria Meraviglia .

Edge Cocktail Bar

Typical opening times: 08:00-01:00

Immediately after exiting the Galleria Meraviglia is the Edge Cocktail Bar which is based on the left-hand side, with seating on the right-hand side. Drinks available include soft drinks, alcoholic drinks, cocktails and speciality coffees. You can order at the bar or there is table service. Pastries are available from this venue until 12:00 daily.

Approximate seating capacity: 60

L’Olive Doree & L’Olivo d’Oro Restaurants

Typical opening times: Dinner 19:00 1st sitting, 21:15 2nd sitting

These restaurants are located as you walk to the rear of the ship on this deck. They are both identical to each other with matching styles and seating layouts. The restaurants are only open in the evenings for preallocated dining times (as referenced on your cruise card). Seating is tables of 2-8.

Approximate seating capacity: 912 combined

Typical opening times: Dinner 18:30 1st sitting, 21:00 2nd sitting, 18:30-21:30 myChoice dining

Located at the very rear of the ship, this restaurant is open for evening dining only. It offers two preallocated dining times and is also the restaurant for passengers that have the MSC Aurea or Wellness experience levels that benefit from myChoice Dining.

The restaurant has floor to ceiling glass windows around 180-degrees, offering stunning views out to sea. Tables are from 2-10.

Approximate seating capacity: 666

The following venues are all located within the upper level of Galleria Meraviglia .

TV Studio & Bar

Typical opening times: 17:00-00:30

This venue offers live music, karaoke (which is broadcast to in-cabin TVs!) and various other games and events (such as quizzes, etc). It has a bar that serves soft drinks, alcoholic drinks, some cocktails and speciality coffees. There is table service or you can order directly from the bar.

Approximate seating capacity: 98

Brass Anchor Pub

Typical opening times: 12:00-01:30

The Brass Anchor Pub is a British-styled pub based on the upper level of Galleria Meraviglia . It has plenty of indoor seating (tables and booths, plus seating at the bar) and outdoor (promenade) table seating. Additionally, large casks with bar stools are available to sit at outside on the promenade too. Live music is often performed in here most evenings.

Drinks served here include soft drinks, alcoholic drinks, cocktails, draught beers and ciders, speciality coffees and beertails (MSC’s beer-mixed cocktails!). Food is also available to order here, but costs per item and example items include cheeseburgers and hotdogs, complete with sides. There are sometimes food specials listed on blackboards outside the venue.

Approximate seating capacity: 81

Kaito Sushi Bar

The Kaito Sushi Bar is a speciality restaurant that is next door to the Brass Anchor Pub and offers reservations for lunch and dinner, walk-in appointments are also available too. The venue offers a la carte and fixed menu options. Seating is available at a bar area where they make the sushi fresh or at tables with views along the Galleria Meraviglia promenade.

Approximate seating capacity: 26

Kaito Teppanyaki

The Kaito Teppanyaki Restaurant is a speciality restaurant and is situated next door to the Kaito Sushi Bar . All seating is inside the venue around four large bars. Booking is generally essential for this experience as you must arrive at the start of your timed cooking session. A meal can last up to 90 minutes.

Approximate seating capacity: 30

Butcher’s Cut

Located on the opposite side of Galleria Meraviglia (still on the upper level) is the American Steakhouse speciality restaurant, Butcher’s Cut . This venue offers seating inside (from 2-8 per table) and some outside seating (with views down the Galleria Meraviglia ) too. Reservations are generally required here, but walk-in appointments may be available.

Approximate seating capacity: 68

As you exit the upper level of Galleria Meraviglia you now enter several more venues that each span the full width of the ship.

Champagne Bar

Typical opening times: 17:00-01:00 (or earlier if a sea day / departing port earlier)

The Champagne Bar is located on the left-hand side with additional seating on the right-hand side. There are stools at the bar and by the floor to ceiling windows at either side of the ship and also table seating too. Generally, it is table service but you may request drinks directly from the bar if you wish.

This bar serves approximately 35 different types of champagne, champagne cocktails, soft drinks, alcoholic drinks, some other cocktails and also offers a range of seafood which includes caviar, oysters, crab and shrimp.

Approximate seating capacity: 155

Casino Imperiale

Typical opening times: From 17:30 (Or earlier on sea days / departing port earlier. Closing time depends on how busy the venue is, generally not before 00:00 though)

Spanning the entire width of the ship, the casino offers a wide selection of gaming facilities and a large circular bar in the middle. This bar has televisions all the way around it and shows live sports. Drinks available here include soft drinks, alcoholic drinks, some cocktails and speciality coffees. Seating is available throughout the casino and around the bar area.

Approximate seating capacity: 23

Typical opening times: Only showtimes – which are generally 18:00 and 21:00

The Carousel Lounge is located at the back of the ship and during the day offers panoramic windows looking out to sea. It is used for meetings and talks (see Daily Program). In the evening it is exclusively used for the Cirque du Soleil at Sea performances. Booking is required for the performances and late-entry is not permitted. There are generally two types of bookings – show & meal or show & cocktail. Two shows are offered throughout the cruise with one night a week dark (no shows).

Approximate seating capacity: 120 (restaurant) and 293 (bar)

Typical opening times: 07:00-00:30 daily

Situated in midships, this bar is part of the Bamboo Solarium and offers two levels. Table service is available here and so is bar service if required. Drinks available include soft drinks, alcoholic drinks, many cocktails, speciality cocktails and whipped ice-cream.

Approximate seating capacity: 150

Atmosphere Pool Bar North

Typical opening times: 08:00-22:00 (weather permitting)

This bar is covered but is also based outside. It leads directly to the main Atmosphere Pool . Table (sunbed) service is available from this bar or you can request directly from the bar. There is also a number of seats directly at the bar. Drinks available from here include soft drinks, alcoholic drinks, cocktails and speciality coffees.

Approximate seating capacity: 258

Atmosphere Pool Bar South & Ice Cream Bar

Typical opening times: 06:00-00:00

Although based outside, it is sheltered and covered and therefore usually open in all weathers. This bar is at the opposite end of the Atmosphere Pool (as if you were walking to the rear of the ship) and is on the left-hand side. It offers table (sunbed) service and direct bar service too. Drinks available here include soft drinks, alcoholic drinks, cocktails and speciality coffees. There is also whipped ice-cream available from here.

Approximate seating capacity combined: 84

Typical opening times: Grab and Go area : 10:00-11:30 Continental Breakfast, 12:00-18:00 Grill, 12:00-18:00 Pizzeria. Main buffet area : 24/7 Beverage Station, 06:00-06:30 Early Breakfast, 06:30-10:30 Breakfast, 12:00-16:00 Lunch, 18:30-21:30 Dinner.  Buffet extra areas : 12:00-01:00 Pizzeria, 12:00-15:00 Family & Kids Corner, 16:30-17:30 Afternoon Snacks, 16:30-17:30 Make your own sandwich, 22:00-00:00 Midnight Snacks.

The expansive Marketplace Buffet is the full width of the ship offering a huge selection of foods throughout the day. There is a bar located here too, which offers soft drinks, alcoholic drinks and cocktails. Speciality coffees are also available. You can order directly at the bar or press a button on a table for waiter service during the majority of the day. Like most buffets on cruise ships, peak times can be busy. We suggest sitting on the rear terrace if the weather is nice as we found it very quiet (most people miss it!) – just keep heading to the back of the buffet to exit the doors and find it.

The buffet has fresh pizza made for over thirteen hours a day and offers four different pizzas all day long (rotated from a menu of twelve) – there is always a cheese free and a standard Margherita pizza available.

Within the buffet are many stations from ethnic foods to your usual burgers, fries and hotdogs. Food selections may change depending on where the ship is located, but commonly include fresh fruit, salads, cooked meats, carvery, various different pasta dishes and a wide range of small desserts. Trays and cutlery are kept in small vertical lit compartments at the end of each section throughout the buffet.

Seating available includes tables, booths and buffet-style bars with stools. Children’s seating is also available. Plates, cutlery and empty glasses are collected by staff 24/7.

Approximate seating capacity: 1,345

Top Sail Lounge (MSC Yacht Club passengers only)

Typical opening times: 07:00-late. Depending on when the last passenger wishes to leave!

This venue is located at the very front of the ship and is keycard access only. Passengers travelling in MSC Yacht Club benefit from a small fresh buffet (located on the right-hand side on entry). It is changed throughout the day depending on breakfast, lunch or dinner, items here are not generally found in the rest of the ship. This bar offers table and windows seating with a 180-degree view out to sea. Table service is available here and drinks on offer include soft drinks, alcoholic drinks, cocktails, speciality coffees, a large wine selection and anything else the ship offers (but can be brought to you by the MSC Yacht Club staff)

Approximate seating capacity: 167

Typical opening hours: 10:00-00:00

The Sports Bar is located in the Sportplex . Surrounded by simulators and the bowling alley, the bar offers soft drinks, alcoholic drinks and speciality coffees. Snacks (including gluten-free and vegan) are available to purchase here too.

There are several tables of four and some benches to sit on in this area. Drinks are available directly at the bar and during the day table service is available too.

Approximate seating capacity: 24

MSC Yacht Club Restaurant (MSC Yacht Club passengers only)

Typical opening hours: 06:00-22:00 or longer

This luxurious restaurant with 180-degree panoramic views out to sea is available for passengers travelling in MSC Yacht Club only. The restaurant is located at the front of the ship and serves breakfast, lunch and dinner with tables ranging from 2-4 or 6 people maximum. Waiters and sommeliers know all passengers by name in this restaurant and the menus offer more exquisite foods than anywhere else on the ship. No reservations are needed in this venue.

Approximate seating capacity: 142

Typical opening hours: 16:00-01:00 (or earlier on sea days)

Located midships and spanning the entire width of the ship, the Sky Lounge offers incredible 180-degree views from floor to ceiling windows looking forward and to the side of the ship. Live music, by pianist and vocalist, is often located in here most evenings. Drinks served here include soft drinks, alcoholic drinks, speciality MSC Molecular cocktails, MSC Smoked Cocktails and others and speciality coffees. Snacks (warm and cold) are available for free from the bar (or ask your server) when the venue is open. Seating includes comfy two to four-seat tables and large sofas. It is the ideal place for a sea day!

Towards the rear of the venue on the left-hand side is a small door and entrance to the Cigar/Smoking Room. In here speciality whiskeys and cigars are available for purchase.

Approximate seating capacity: 180

Typical opening hours: From 22:00 (or earlier on sea days)

This venue is located at the rear of kid’s clubs. It is aimed at teenagers or slightly younger and is a soft drinks bar, surrounded by TVs and game consoles.

Approximate seating capacity: 55

Typical opening hours: 10:00-00:00 (weather permitting)

Located at the rear of Deck 18, the Horizon Bar is a covered bar but looks out over the Horizon Amphitheatre . It offers soft drinks, alcoholic drinks, cocktails and speciality coffees. Pina Colada and other cocktails are sometimes available on tap here too! Table (deck) service is available to sunbeds (or the tables located nearby here) or you can take a seat at the bar with several stools available.

Approximate seating capacity: 45

MSC Yacht Club Sundeck Bar & Grill (MSC Yacht Club passengers only)

Typical opening hours: 06:00-22:00 (with breakfast, lunch and dinner changing throughout the day)

This exclusive venue is at the very front of the ship and spans the entire width. There is a part-covered outside grill which serves breakfast, lunch and dinner food to go and a bar serving soft drinks, alcoholic drinks and cocktails. This area is for MSC Yacht Club passengers only and is only accessible via keycard. The venue has many different types of seating from sunbeds, stools and bar tables to 2-4 person tables. Table service is available here or you can just ask at the bar.

Typical opening hours: 12:00-17:00 – earlier on sea days (weather permitting)

This bar is located with the Polar Aquapark and offers soft drinks and some alcoholic drinks. Soft/whipped Ice-cream is also available here. Seating is available around the bar area and in the aquapark.

Approximate seating capacity: 12

We hope you enjoyed our MSC Meraviglia restaurant and bar guide! Next up will be the detailed Speciality venues available on the ship!

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One comment.

Hi Chris, I really appreciate your reports.

We live in Brisbane Australia and are travelling on the Meraviglia from Sept 8 till Nov 10, Copenhagen to Miami.

I have concerns about the smoking areas. We are non smokers. In Australia, smoking is mostly only allowed in designated areas and away from the general population. On other cruise lines, smoking has been allowed on decks near the swimming pool and on the walking deck. Why they would have smoking near fitness areas I don’t know. I am hoping this is not the case with this ship. I am hoping that our holiday won’t be spoiled by cigarette smoke.

On our last cruise, we found we couldn’t access the back bar on the back deck because the smoking area was right next to it and the smokers just lit up one after the other. We avoided the walking track because of the smoke. I am a swimmer and avoided the pool after 7am because the smokers were up having their morning smokes right beside the pool.

So 2 things. Can you add a report on where smoking is allowed so we can avoid the areas and tell me if there is a pool I can do laps in. The last cruise ship’s pool that we were on was 15 metres. I did 100 laps every morning at first light as I had to be there at that time to avoid the smokers.

Thank you in advance.

Kind regards

Comments are closed.

I got what I paid for: My cheap family cruise on MSC Seashore

Disney Cruise Line's new ship Disney Wish is getting a lot of attention this summer. But with fares that start at $1,000 per day for a family of four, even a three- or four-night sailing might not be in most families' budgets.

In search of cheap family cruises myself, I followed the deals to a major but more under-the-radar cruise line, MSC Cruises .

MSC offers affordable Caribbean cruises thanks to free kids fares and onboard credits that passengers can put toward things like activities and non-included meals.

I ended up paying less for a balcony cabin on a seven-night cruise to the Caribbean on MSC's newest ship, MSC Seashore, than I would for a three-night Disney Wish cruise in a windowless inside cabin.

Itinerary in hand, I thought I had found the secret to affordable family cruising and that I'd come home bragging to my friends that I had scored an amazing vacation for a fraction of the price folks would pay for other cruises.

The truth is, I got what I paid for and encountered more logistical hassles and nickel-and-diming than I've experienced on most of the 50-plus cruises I've been on.

Can you have a wonderful family vacation on a budget on an MSC Cruises ship? Of course. But for smoother sailing and fewer hassles, you will either need to shell out more money on your MSC voyage — or consider a different cruise line.

About MSC Cruises

MSC Cruises is a Europe-based cruise line, with a large presence in Europe, South America, the Middle East and Africa. Within the last five years, though, the line has made an effort to build and deploy ships with amenities and itineraries that are more targeted at American travelers.

Although it has been offering Caribbean cruises for about a decade now, MSC Cruises recently deployed more of its ships on itineraries out of Florida, many with stops at the line's new private island, Ocean Cay, for a relaxing beach day. The line is known to attract a diverse crowd, including a high percentage of international guests plus a mix of English and Spanish speakers from Florida. The combination of cultures and languages makes the line's onboard vibe a bit different than on other cruise lines that sail from mainland U.S. ports.

Because the line is not as well known among U.S. cruisers as Europeans, MSC Cruises' Florida fares have always been competitively priced and it routinely offers kids-sail-free deals. I paid $2,658 total for four people to share a balcony cabin on a weeklong Western Caribbean cruise in July on the line's newest cruise ship, MSC Seashore.

Contrast that with Disney Wish: The cheapest cruise you can currently book is $2,975 for a three-night cruise in a windowless inside cabin for four people. A seven-night Western Caribbean cruise on Royal Caribbean's new Wonder of the Seas next July is close to $6,000 for four people; the cheapest balcony cabin I could find on that ship for a weeklong Caribbean cruise was $3,300 in February 2023. (Of course, older ships on these lines will be priced lower.)

In my mind, MSC Cruises' lower fares and mass appeal make it a direct competitor with Carnival Cruise Line. The cheapest balcony cabin I could find for that line's newest ship, Mardi Gras, was $2,475 for four people on a weeklong Western Caribbean cruise in November 2023.

Going into this trip, I knew I wasn't going to find all the bells and whistles of a Royal Caribbean megaship or the service levels and entertainment expertise of a Disney ship. I was simply hoping that getting to experience a brand-new ship at a low price would give a line like Carnival or perhaps the older ships of Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line a serious run for their money. Unfortunately, that wasn't quite the case.

MSC Seashore was indeed a beautiful ship with plenty to entertain the whole family. But the logistical operations, dining options and family-friendly amenities were simply not up to par with those offered on other lines. Here's what I took away from my experience.

MSC offers limited free or affordable dining choices

Let's start with my biggest gripe about MSC Seashore as an affordable family vacation — the dearth of complimentary dining options. If you want to stick to the food venues where meals are included in your fare and not pay extra for fancy seafood or steak dinners, you have only two options on MSC: the buffet and the main dining room.

Technically, based on the fare class we purchased, we were entitled to free continental breakfast via room service. But since there was no table on our balcony, and only a cluttered desk surface where you could put down dishes, we'd likely be eating in our beds, so we ended up skipping in-cabin food service.

The dining room was my favorite place to eat on board

The main onboard dining room was very good for a mass-market ship. My mom eats gluten-free and I gravitate mostly toward vegetarian options, and the restaurant was able to accommodate our diets well. The kids menu had a lot of great choices for younger sailors (pasta, grilled chicken, hot dogs, etc.) and both my kids ordered from both the junior and regular menus.

The servers worked quickly and were pleasant though not overly friendly. That said, the dining room manager assisted my mother with her food allergies and was amazingly helpful. He would periodically stop by our table to chat or ask if he could help us whenever he saw us around the ship.

As most parents know, formal sit-down dining is not always your best option for three meals a day with kids — especially when dinner lasts 1 1/2 to 2 hours after a long day out in the sun, and breakfast and lunch aren't as quick as the grab-and-go buffet. My kids (and I) needed alternatives, as they would on any line. That left the buffet.

The buffet was crowded and uninspiring

Unlike on most big-ship cruise lines I've sailed — including Carnival, Norwegian and Royal Caribbean — the buffet menu aboard MSC Seashore rarely changed and the venue in which the buffet was set out was both crowded and confusing to navigate.

While having a standard list of menu items for breakfast was fine, every lunch service simply included pizza, a pasta station, grab-and-go burgers and hot dogs, a meat-carving station, a small salad bar and a display of deli meat. Some days there was a Mexican station, though it was hard to find in the enormous venue.

Related: The ultimate guide to cruise ship food and dining

One buffet counter somewhere had a rotating selection of hot lunch dishes, but when I finally found my way there, none of the dishes were labeled. In fact, nothing was labeled anywhere on the buffet, so you just had to guess what you were serving yourself. Hopefully, it's something MSC will rectify, especially for passengers who might have even more stringent dietary requirements than my family.

Only one area of the entire buffet had all the options laid out. That section was, quite frankly, a nightmare. The few times I dared navigate my way there, I found people pushing each other out of the way and cutting in line, which did not result in much friendly feeling among the would-be diners.

Your kids might love having pizza, french fries and burgers every day for lunch (mine certainly did), but after my third lunch of salad and cheese pizza, I was desperate for an alternative. They exist on other lines. Carnival Cruise Line, in addition to a buffet menu that changes daily, offers complimentary Guy Fieri burgers, a deli counter with a variety of options, a Mexican station serving tacos and burritos, 24/7 pizza (that gives the Italian MSC a run for its money) and a sea-day brunch with innovative options. You can even find additional free dining venues on select ships, including Guy Fieri's barbecue restaurant, Shaquille O'Neal's fried chicken restaurant, Mongolian Wok and other Asian or Indian eateries.

TPG tip: If you need an alternative lunch option on MSC Seashore, you can pay extra for a meal in one of the ship's five specialty restaurants, though they're only occasionally open midday. Head to Hola Tacos (a la carte or all you can eat for $17.99 per person), Kaito Sushi Bar (conveyor belt sushi and other Japanese dishes priced a la carte) or Butcher's Cut for its sea day brunch ($12 per person). The prices aren't terrible, but they can quickly add up for family of four — plus, you're looking at another sit-down, waiter-served meal with possibly squirmy kids.

There was no free soft-serve ice cream on MSC

One last food gripe: A highlight of every family cruise I've been on is the free soft-serve ice cream on the pool deck. Your kids should be able to get themselves cones when it's hot outside. It's the quintessential vacation experience.

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.

That is, every family-friendly line except MSC.

MSC Cruises does have exceptional gelato at nearly every poolside bar as well as at the Venchi chocolate store/bar/gelateria. However, it costs $4 for a baby size and $6 for a regular size. The same pool deck bars also have a soft-serve machine, which is located behind the bar. The chocolate and vanilla are complimentary, but only if you purchase a pricy beverage package . If you're on a budget, as we were, and don't upgrade to the package, that soft-serve will cost the same as the gelato. No freebies for the kiddos, either.

There are only two ways to get free ice cream on MSC Seashore. Either you order it for dessert in the main dining room and get whatever flavor they're serving that day (there's no choice), or you head to the one buffet counter that offers snacks for one hour from 4 to 5 p.m. every day, and you get in line with scores of other hot and hungry cruisers to ask for one of two flavors (usually vanilla, chocolate or strawberry) being doled out by one extremely overworked server.

It may seem like a small thing, and I probably thought it was before this particular sailing, but having free ice cream in the afternoon each day has made other cruises feel like truly special vacations, and my kids and I missed that feeling aboard MSC Seashore.

TPG tip: Only the Alcohol-Free and Minors drinks packages include soft-serve ice cream. Book your drinks package online in advance to save 15% off package prices. Or, book a cabin in the Yacht Club or Aurea fare class and a drinks package is included.

Our cabin was great — with 1 exception

Our standard balcony cabin was nice, and my family of four survived remarkably well in one room for a week , which is reason enough to thank MSC Cruises for a successful vacation.

The 172-square-foot cabin was not large, but it had more usable storage space than I anticipated. The sofa that converted into bunk beds meant that my kids weren't sleeping right above my head, and being able to separate the king-size bed into two twins was handy since I was traveling with my mother instead of my husband. Our balcony was a reasonable size and had two chairs and an ottoman, so you could put your feet up.

I had a few minor quibbles (as you do in compact cruise ship cabins) about the shower size and the lack of a balcony table, but one design element did bother me — especially with four people in the room.

It was the closet. In our cabin, the closet was located by my mom's side of the bed, with only minimal space between it and the mattress, which meant that it was difficult for me to get stuff out of the closet, especially if she was actually sitting or lying on the bed. My kids are still small, so I was able to store most of their stuff in the drawers across from their bunks. But if you have older kids who require more closet space, it might be a pain to have to squeeze by the bed to get anything from the closet.

Many other cruise lines solve this problem by putting the closets in the cabin hallway across from the bathroom. That makes them a lot easier to get at — even if your cabinmates might not be able to walk down the hallway while you're debating the day's fashion choices.

TPG tip: Some MSC Seashore cabins swap the position of the bed and the seating area, so the closet is next to the couch. This would be preferable for a couple or a family with one child, but not for a family where you'll have to squeeze by the bunk bed to access the closet. To avoid this layout entirely, you'll either want to upgrade to a suite or downgrade to an inside cabin, where the closet is next to an easy chair. (Though think twice before squeezing four people into a 150-square-foot room where the kids will be in bunks above the adults' twin beds.)

Related: Which cruise ship cabin should your family book?

The kids club had video games and Legos, but 1 kid still wouldn't go

As an adult, I'm not allowed into any kids club activities. Personally, I was intrigued by MSC's MasterChef at Sea event and the Fire and Ice live video game, but my kids weren't interested in those activities, so I can't report back on how fun they are.

What I can tell you is that my daughter, who loved the kids clubs on Royal Caribbean and Princess Cruises , was not a fan of MSC Seashore's club and refused to go most of the time. It's hard to say how much this was a fault of the kids club versus my daughter's capricious personality.

On paper, MSC Seashore's kids club looks pretty good. It offers free babysitting for 3-and-unders, which is rare in the industry. The rest of the kids club is divided into groups for ages 3 to 6 and 7 to 11 (both my kids fell into that latter group), and tweens and teens are technically separate but shared a hangout space. When I toured the Junior Club where my kids would be on the first day, I saw a bright play space with large windows, two foosball tables and cool electronics like a virtual piano.

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.

She also gave a thumbs-down to the arts and crafts projects, compared to other lines, because it was just "lame coloring" versus an actual craft, such as beading necklaces or making origami. She didn't like any of the organized games as much as on other cruises, especially as they were often mandatory for everyone in the club instead of one of several activity choices.

One interesting takeaway from our experience was that, because MSC attracts a diverse, international crowd, many of the kids my daughter's age at the Junior Club didn't speak English. This made making friends difficult. 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 son, on the other hand, only was interested in the video games and not in making friends or participating in group games, so he liked the club just fine.

TPG tip: After eight cruises with kids, I can say that, despite cruise line advertising, your child may not love the kids club for any number of reasons and choose not to go. Be prepared to be flexible with your onboard plans.

Related: 5 best cruise lines for families

The water park was awesome, but I would have liked additional family-friendly activities

MSC Seashore has a super-fun, pirate-themed water park with waterslides and a splash area . It's got one slide that you ride in an inner tube while wearing a virtual reality headset, and you feel like you're swinging around a pirate ship dodging a giant sea monster, as well as a fast tube slide that's cantilevered off the side of the ship. The kiddie pool has spray guns, a dump bucket and baby slides, with some rope bridges above for the adventurous.

That gives the ship major points in my book.

However, on every other cruise ship I've been on with a water park, you just walk up and get in line for a slide. On MSC, I had to stand in line for 20 minutes just to sign a waiver and get bracelets for the whole family showing we were allowed to slide and that we had to wear for the rest of the cruise.

TPG tip: If you want to ride the slides (and you definitely do, kids and grown-ups both), aim to show up at the beginning of the session before the waiver line gets too long.

As for other family-friendly activities, MSC Seashore's pingpong and foosball tables were always in high demand. The ship has two regular pools welcoming kids, a sports court for basketball and other athletic competitions and an arcade with extra-fee attractions, such as virtual sports, video games and an XD cinema (where the seats move and shake, to simulate a theme park ride).

There was no miniature golf, which is a fun, free family activity found on a lot of other big ships. If there was shuffleboard on Seashore, I never found it; my kids are oddly fond of that game.

For evening entertainment, MSC had a nightly show that was a mix of singing, dancing and acrobatics that were entertaining but also unremarkable. My kids' favorite was a comedy magician who performed one afternoon.

But there were no family-friendly movies on the pool deck LED screen (just one 10:30 p.m. screening of "Wonder Woman"), no obvious activities meant for families to play together (like Carnival's "Family Feud Live") and certainly nothing like Royal Caribbean's kid-wowing high-diving or ice skating shows.

We did find and attend one event meant for the entire family — a cupcake-decorating deck party. It ended up being chaotic, with long lines for the frosting bags (which were more for decoration than for taste, as we discovered), plus a raffle for which we had no idea how to get tickets. I'd take a little more organization over poor-tasting fanciful confections any day.

If my kids didn't want to go to the kids club or get wet, it was difficult to figure out what to do with them on board. They spent a lot of time watching TV in the room, which was not my first choice for a cruise vacation.

Related: Which cruise ship activities should you book ahead of time?

MSC Seashore does not have cruise logistics down yet

I have never said, "No other cruise line does it like this," as much as I did on our first day on board MSC Seashore. And it wasn't a good thing.

For instance, every other line I've ever sailed asks you to attach a credit card to your cruise account before you set sail. Once you get on board, you're already set up to make purchases with your cruise card.

MSC Cruises does not have an option to add your credit card online or in the terminal before embarkation. Instead, you must stand in line to use a kiosk to fund your cruise account after you board. I didn't want to give my kids permission to spend my money on soda and arcade games, and it wasn't clear how I should set limitations at the kiosk, so I had to ask guest services to help me with the confusing credit situation. The front desk queue was so long it snaked beyond the roped-off lanes, nearly out of the atrium lobby.

The cruise industry has mostly moved to virtual muster drills; most other lines ask passengers to watch the safety instructions in their cabin or on the cruise line's app and then check in at your muster station at your leisure.

But on MSC Seashore, we had to watch a video on our TV at an appointed time, then call a specific number from our cabin phone and then proceed in groups to our muster station to get our cards scanned. At which time the entire guest capacity of the ship was in the stairwells, either going down to their muster stations or returning to their cabins. Aside from the inconvenience, it also made social distancing impossible.

When it comes to dining, most cruise lines give you the option of early, late or anytime dining. Some, like Norwegian, skip assigned dining altogether. 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.

Instead, I selected early dining for my family, but it turns out there were three early dining times: 5:15, 6:15 and 7:15 p.m. You couldn't choose among those options, and we were assigned the 5:15 slot, which is unreasonably early. We managed to switch to the 6:15 time, but only after waiting in two additional lines. It would have been nice to be able to designate our specific choice during the initial booking process rather than spending even more time in a line.

And all that was just on embarkation day.

On our first port day, the shore excursions team had no idea how to handle all the people reporting to the theater at their assigned times to get group numbers for their tours. To make matters worse, rain prevented the first tours from departing on time. That led to total chaos in the theater as dozens of people were going down the aisles to present their tickets and collect their group number stickers while dozens more were pushing past to get out the bottom door to head to the gangway.

It took us half an hour to get from inside the theater to outside the ship, including a long stretch squished into a narrow, windowless hallway, barely moving.

Am I complaining too much? I know from personal experience that you'll wait in queues on all big-ship cruise lines, especially on embarkation day if you haven't pre-booked shore excursions or you want to change your dining time. I definitely experienced a terrible muster drill on one of the first sailings of Carnival Sunrise, when the crew was new and working out the passenger flow of the upgraded ship.

But on MSC Seashore — a brand-new cruise ship from a longstanding line that's been sailing from the U.S. since 2013 — the logistical snafus and numerous lines for everything from payment plans to waterslides were more frequent than I expect on your average cruise.

TPG tip: Forget spontaneity: If you want to avoid lines, book your shore excursions, beverage and dining packages and Wi-Fi plans online before your cruise. Not only can you skip lines, but you'll get a discounted rate. Or, upgrade to a room in the exclusive Yacht Club section of the ship, so you can get access to a personal concierge, who can make arrangements for you.

Bottom line

Money can't buy happiness, but it can solve many of your problems on MSC.

Book a suite in the line's ship-within-a-ship Yacht Club, and you have access to more cabin space, exclusive no-fee restaurants and designated sun decks to avoid the crowds, and a butler and concierge to take care of logistics for you. Pay for a drinks package or a fare class that includes one, and your kids get all the free ice cream they desire. Enjoy brunch or lunch at the extra-fee specialty restaurants, and you'll get variety in your lunch menu.

But doing so means your vacation is no longer a budget one, which was my main reason for choosing MSC Cruises. Once you're spending that kind of money, you could look into a costlier cruise line, such as Royal Caribbean or even Disney Cruise Line. With a larger vacation budget comes more choice, too, including a larger variety of ships, U.S. embarkation ports and cruise destinations to consider.

To me, the ship seemed better suited to couples and groups of adult friends traveling together, who are content to spend time in the pools and hot tubs, who will enjoy the onboard nightlife, who will get more value out of a drinks package and the extra-fee restaurants, and who are cruising just two to a cabin.

If you are looking for a cheap family cruise, you can certainly have a great time on MSC Cruises, but it won't be paradise. My kids had a blast; my son will tell you that he loved the video games and the waterslides, and my daughter will say she liked eating french fries and chocolate croissants in the main dining room. We all loved our time in port, river tubing in Jamaica and swimming with turtles in Grand Cayman, but we paid extra for those tours.

At the end of the day, cruising on a budget on this specific cruise line came with more logistical hassles and a lack of dining and activity choices that added stress to my vacation as the adult in charge. I put up with more queues, hassles and TV time than I prefer to on a family cruise. Had I known, perhaps I could have thrown money at the problem, but at that point, I could have a better experience for a similar price on another line.

I'd consider another cruise with MSC with my husband or a girlfriend, now that I'm savvy on how to better work the system. But I'm still on the hunt for that cheap family cruise that offers outsize value for the price. I'll let you know when I find it.

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Mon-Fri 9am - 7pm EST Sat-Sun 9am - 6pm EST

Drink Packages

We’ve created an array of great-value drink packages and cabin treatments to offer you the choice of refreshment that most appeals to you, from soft drinks to fine wines, premium beers and much more! Our all-inclusive cruise options and rich drink packages give you carte blanche to quench your thirst whenever you like and can be combined with a huge selection of cruise holidays. Book now online your drink package at the lowest price compared to the onboard price! Please be advised that in respect to the Saudi Law, alcohol will not be served during the Calls in Saudi Arabian ports. Alcohol will be available to our guests when the ship sails in International Waters. To find out which All-Inclusive Beverage packages apply to your cruise, please login your  personal area . All-Inclusive Beverage packages for Winter 2023-24 up to Summer 2025

Indulge in Unbeatable Value - Reserve Your Beverage Package Online and Enjoy the Lowest Price Compared to Onboard. This Exclusive Offer Covers:

• Selected classic or international cocktails • Non-alcoholic cocktails and mixed drinks • Spirits (whisky, vodka, gin, rum, tequila, brandy - one brand per type) • House wines (red, white, sparkling, rosè) • Draft beer Heineken and bottled beer Heineken* • Soft drinks from the fountain, c anned soft drinks, fruit juices by the glass and bottled • Bottled Mineral Water • Classic hot drinks (espresso, cappuccino, caffèlatte, hot tea, hot chocolate) 

*The brand of beer may vary overtime.  The Easy Package covers all the above served in our bars, buffet and main restaurant. What’s more, it also includes private islands, but does not cover the specialty restaurants and signature venues. 

Indulge in Unbeatable Value - Reserve Your Beverage Package Online and Enjoy the Lowest Price Compared to Onboard. This Exclusive Offer Covers All Beverages Up to €9/ $10*

• Variety of frozen and classic cocktails
• Fresh fruit cocktails and protein shakes
• Well spirits, liqueurs and cordials
• Variety of draught and bottled beers
• Non-alcoholic cocktails and all non alcoholic drinks 
• Bottled Mineral Water
• Wide range of hot drinks
• 10% discount on bottles of wine purchased on board
• Selection of wines by the glass
• Beverage gratuities included

Indulge in Unbeatable Value - Reserve Your Beverage Package Online and Enjoy the Lowest Price Compared to Onboard. This Exclusive Offer Covers All Beverages Up to €14 / $16*.

• Wide Selection of Premium and International cocktails
• Non-alcoholic cocktails and all non-alcoholic drinks
• Fresh fruit and protein cocktails
• Premium brand spirits, liqueurs and cordials
• Wide selection of fine wine by glass
• Champagne by glass
• Wide variety of draft and bottled beer
• Wide selection of classic and specialty hot drinks
• 25% discount on purchased of bottled wine and champagne

*The Premium Extra Package can be enjoyed in our bars, buffet, main restaurant and specialty restaurants as well as on private islands, but does not cover our signature venues.

• Non-alcoholic cocktails
• Energy drinks
• Flavored water
• Soft serve ice cream

*The Alcoholic Free Package can be used in our bars, self-service buffet, main restaurant and on private islands, but not in the specialty restaurants and signature venues. 

• Soda by glass and bottle

*The Minors Package can be used in our bars, self-service buffet, main restaurant and on private islands, but not in the specialty restaurants and signature venues.

MORE WAYS TO PERSONALIZE YOUR CRUISE

Personalize your cruise experience with tasty Drink Packages, delicious Specialty Restaurants, exciting Excursions, pampering Spa Treatments and Internet Packages to share your adventures. 

Book online and take advantage of pre-boarding prices.

Are beverage packages available on all sailings, fleetwide?

Which beverage packages are available on ships sailing south africa.

The following packages are available:

• Cocktails & Spirits Package
• Beer, Ciders, Coolers, Wine & Soft Drinks Package
• Soft Drinks & Ice Cream Package
• Water & Hot Drinks Package

Do the drinks included in drinks packages vary depending on the ships, destinations or seasons? 

Which packages are available for my cruise , are gratuities included in the drinks package cost, can drinks packages be used on ocean cay msc marine reserve, will you serve alcohol on cruises calling on saudi arabian ports, which packages can be used in specialty restaurants, if an adult purchases a drinks package, are underage guests required to do the same thing as well, if guests wish to dine together at the same table, whether traveling in separate cabins as individuals or as part of a group, is it necessary for them to reserve the same drinks package, can i upgrade my drink package.

Yes, this option is available to all our guests. In pre-cruise sales, the upgrades are available only for the guests with the package included in their cruise promotion, furthermore at discounted price. On board, all upgrade options are open for all guests at full price.

I booked a Grand Voyages cruise or an MSC World Cruise. Is there any drinks package included?

- msc grand voyages, - msc world cruise, what drink package is included in the msc yacht club, can i purchase a drink package before my cruise, if i choose a drink not included in the package, do i pay a full price, terms & conditions, thank you for visiting msc cruises.

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MSC Cruises

Cold Stone Creamery

• Restaurant #23587
• (408) 753-9052
• 2855 Stevens Creek Blvd, STE A165
• Santa Clara, CA 95050
• Mon 12:00PM - 9:30PM
• Tue 12:00PM - 9:30PM
• Wed 12:00PM - 9:30PM
• Thu 12:00PM - 9:30PM
• Fri 12:00PM - 10:30PM
• Sat 12:00PM - 10:30PM
• Sun 12:00PM - 9:30PM

About Cold Stone ®

For more than 30 years Cold Stone Creamery® Santa Clara, CA has been serving up the finest, freshest Ice Cream Creations™, Cakes, Shakes and Smoothies. We use only the highest quality ingredients and mix your custom Ice Cream Creation on our frozen granite stone.

Did you know our Ice Cream is hand-crafted and made fresh in every store? It’s true! We are proud to serve you our super-premium Ice Cream, churned from the finest ingredients and mixed to order on our frozen granite stone with your choice of Candy, Cakes, Fruits or Nuts.

Skip the line and order your favorite ice cream Creation, ice cream cookie sandwiches or ice cream cupcakes online for pick-up or delivery. Cold Stone Creamery also has specialty cakes for every occasion. There is always something to celebrate, so stop in at Cold Stone Creamery Santa Clara, CA .

Order Cold Stone Creamery Online in Santa Clara, CA for pick-up or delivery.

Your Local Cold Stone ®

Online Ordering, take-out, and delivery services still available. *Available at select locations

Reviews by Google

08/09/23 - Yum!

05/08/23 - Melissa does a great job and is super friendly and helpful and makes coming here a pleasure when she is working. That being said there are a couple other employees who work there and behave like they hate their job and hate everyone who shops there for making them have to do work. I have also witnessed one of these girls LIE and say that she was Melissa when a customer got mad, I’m guessing so that they would use the wrong name when reporting her or leaving a review. I told the other customer that her name was not Melissa, because we knew Melissa, and that she was just lying to avoid getting in trouble. But it makes me wonder how many times has this trouble maker lied and given the wrong name? She was a short girl with black hair and looked like she was probably in her teens. Of course she wouldn’t give her real name… The staff should wear name tags to avoid this issue!

03/31/23 - You can't beat the convenience of this location. Would like to give a shout out to Melissa at this Cold Stone who made my day and helped me out. I was experiencing a lot of trouble redeeming my Cold Stone rewards offer and Melissa was not only patient but proactive in helping to resolve the issue, in addition to making an ice cream masterpiece (apparently you can pick out waffle cones and specify how you like the ice cream mixed). Without her help, I would have been at a loss. Thank you very much Melissa!

03/08/23 - Melissa was very helpful and enthusiastic about helping us out with our orders and navigating the mall :) Turns out cheesecake ice cream is pretty good 👍

02/28/23 - Great taste as always!

• Accepts Gift Cards
• Loyalty Club
• Online Ordering

Peek Inside

Store information for franchised locations is provided and verified by the independent owner of each location.