I loved that a free cruise on MSC was really free - didn't even have to pay port charges. The ship was stunning and incredibly clean. The interior cabin was very roomy but lacked storage and only has one US plug. We had a great room steward but they sure work the staff very long hours. Be prepared, this is an European based cruise line and their food, activites, and entertainment are set to cater to that clientele. English is not the main language so it was a little bizarre at first to be surrounded by so many people and have no clue what was being said. Every announcement and evening show was introduced in 5 different languages which is very time consuming. I was disappointed in the main dining room food choices but heard good things about several of their specialty restaurants. Every night They have shows with the same singers and dancers. The male singers were very poor and almost made the songs unrecognizable. They have 3 great polos that were completely packed during the day. There are very few daytime activities unless you want stretching or dancing classes. The casino had a nice selection of slots. I was pleased with the payouts throughout the cruise except for the last day, they made them noticeably tighter. If you want to earn the 9,999 pts for a free cruise, be sure to take advantage of their double points sessions in the morning and super late at night and skip the last day. I did leave the cruise with the same amount of money that I started with which is great after playing heavy all week. I don't think I would pay out my pocket to go on another MSC cruise but would consider if it was comped. They just need to revamp their activities and menus to appeal more to the US market. They did hire an amazing cruise director away from Holland America which was a step in the right direction.

There were some good and some bad. Beautiful ship, service and staff need some work. Food didn't hold up to expectations you have from other lines. Not awful but just not ~wow~ nothing memorable about it. Casino hosts were really nice. Seemed like activities for kids were great and some special facilities for them. I would go on another comp or take my family if kids sail free. But dollar for dollar would pick Carnival or RC for the money unless MCS was a much better price for same accommodations.

Service everywhere, including the dining room, was EXTREMELY slow. I felt bad for the people who had the drink package, it was hard to find a bartender and when you did, the bar was 3 people deep waiting to be served. Our balcony cabin was much smaller than Carnival or RCCL. Not enough storage space in cabin. Linens in our room were threadbare, the cover at the end of the bed was stained with what I hope was blood and not poop. The slots were extremely tight and if you wanted to play 3 card poker, it was $40 a hand. Blackjack was more reasonable at $10 a hand but good luck finding a seat in the evening. Slots were so tight, I did not see anyone get a handpay. Totally disorganized staff, you would get two different answers to the same question. Not enough staff to service so many people on board. Lines were long for everything you wanted to do. If you were 15 mins early for a show, all the seats were full. It didn't matter if you had a reservation or not. Complimentary dining options limited to either the buffet (always crowded) or sit down. The times were rigid, if you missed breakfast (we like to sleep until 10) there was no place to get any food until lunch. If you missed the window for lunch, the next opportunity to eat would be your pre-assigned dinner time. I heard a lot of people say they requested early dining but were assigned late dining. So short staffed in the dining room that every meal was a 2 to 3 hour event. I paid for two Cirque du Soleil shows. When you get on the boat, you have to stand in line to be assigned a date/time for your shows. They messed up and assigned me to the same show 2 times, we never did get to see Houdini. The food choices were limited and many times served cold. Towards the end of the cruise they ran out of basic things like champagne, lettuce and bottled water. On the positive side (there isnt much).... The bread was wonderful and fresh, the ship is beautiful, our room steward was great the private island was very nice the water was crystal clear but when lunchtime came, the line was 200+ people long. We were there until 9pm but if you walked away from the line and came back later, the food was gone and everything cleaned up. Even though the room was comped, don't bother. Find another cruise ship.

This ship was gorgeous! We really enjoyed out 3 night cruise on MSC cruise line and the Meraviglia was gorgeous. The shows and entertainment were great. Island has the prettiest water we have seen on our travels/cruises. Our wait staff was wonderful and went above and beyond for us each night. The food was great! Our room stewards were MIA. Typically you get to interact and meet them but that was not the case on this sailing. Not good or bad just different. The only negatives I would have is that bar service on the island and the ship are rather slow. We had some issues getting beach towels for the island day but other than that no complaints. Looking forward to going back.

The ship was beautiful; however, other than the shows that were all booked in advance, there was nothing else to do during the day. No music poolside or activities. The food and service was horrible. If you weren't from Europe you were treated poorly. Unfortunately, we felt the same way on the Seaside but decided to give them another try. We will not be doing another cruise with MSC.