MSC’s Meraviglia: cabins, dining, entertainment and prices explained

With a passionately Italian heritage, the Swiss-based company is the world’s largest privately-owned cruise line and its ships sail year-round in the Mediterranean and Caribbean offering seasonal itineraries around South America, southern Africa, China, the Middle East and Cuba.

Meraviglia is the result of a nine-billion euro investment programme announced in 2016, which includes another Meraviglia-class ship in 2019 and two Meraviglia-Plus ships in 2019 and 2020.

Next comes MSC Seaside, launching in late 2017, which will be the first in the fleet to be christened and based in Florida.

STATEROOMS

Meraviglia’s 10 different types of cabin range from luxury suites in the MSC Yacht Club to flexible modular cabins for inter-generation holidays and solo cabins for those who like their own space.

Of the 2,244 cabins 75 per cent have balconies, 23 are family cluster cabins and eight are duplex suites with their own whirlpool bath on their balcony.

There’s also the “ship within a ship” concept of MSC Yacht Club, which is available on the whole MSC fleet but is bigger and better on Meraviglia.

Its 95 suites fill three decks at the front of the ship and includes a private lounge, sundeck, pool, whirlpools and solarium plus 24-hour butler service.

DINING

Flexi Dining allows passengers to pre-select a time slot for their evening meal in the four complimentary main dining rooms, or they can stick with Classic Dining, with a choice of two sittings.

This early or late sitting system is traditional on cruise ships and passengers sit with the same people every night and have the same waiter.

Those who don’t like the formality of waiter service can use the free Marketplace Buffet, which has open-fronted kitchens and a fresh mozzarella production area so passengers can see dishes being freshly made.

Among the paid-for speciality offerings is the Jean-Philippe Chocolat & Café, in the Galleria Meraviglia Promenade, where passengers can watch a chocolate atelier at work, while at the Jean-Philippe Crepes & Gelato they can buy pancakes and ice cream.

Another paid-for dining highlight is the Cirque du Soleil show & dinner experience, where everything from the waiters’ costumes to the menu have been designed to complement the music and acrobatic show.

And there’s also a paid-for Kaito Teppanyaki & Sushi Bar, Butcher’s Cut American steakhouse and Eataly Ristorante Italiano with the emphasis on seafood.

Another stylish paid-for eating option is the Champagne Bar, where there’s a choice of seafood or caviar to complement the fizz.

MSC Yacht Club guests have their own private restaurant with free-time dining and the option to reserve a table.

ENTERTAINMENT

Meraviglia’s Cirque du Soleil show is unique to the ship and one of its main entertainments, so passengers who don’t want the show & dinner experience can choose the Cocktail & Show option.

There are also shows at the Broadway Theatre, ranging from opera and flamenco to dancing – but all designed for a multi-language audience.

In all there are 20 bars and lounges on the ship, including the traditional English Brass Anchor Pub, the Sports Bar – which has multiple TV screens – and Horizon Bar with wonderful sea views.

During the day the main pool area has games, the Bamboo Lounge has dance classes and there’s a TV Studio for creative types.

With three pools and a solarium (not including the Yacht Club’s private facilities) there is plenty of space for sun-bathing and there’s also a Himalayan Ropes Course for the adventurous and Polar Aqua Park for children.

The large gym is free with paid-for class options and there’s a jogging track and Sportplex for basketball and tennis plus the Aurea Spa with a paid-for thermal suite and a range of spa treatments.

Finally, there are free children’s clubs for all ages plus family-friendly activities including quizzes and supervised evening entertainment for children so that parents can eat alone or with friends.

FACT BOX

MSC Meraviglia will be based in Florida from 2019 but until then the ship will sail the Mediterranean, mostly seven-night cruises and from a selection of ports.

These include Marseille, in France, Barcelona, in Spain, and Naples or Genoa in Italy.

A typical roundtrip from Genoa, visiting Naples, Messina on the island of Sicily, Valletta in Malta, Barcelona and Marseille costs from £649 per person, cruise only, or £849 including flights, departing December 10 2017.

For more information go to msccruises.co.uk.