Commissioned in 2017, the MSC Meraviglia was the first ship in the Meraviglia class and is MSC Cruises‘ second-biggest cruise ship class to date. On September 26, the ship will start its journey from Genoa to Port Canaveral (Orlando), while stopping at four Caribbean islands. You can get an inside cabin for £719 (~€837), an outside cabin for £911 (~€1,061) or a balcony cabin for £1,066 (~€1,241). You’d be paying between €50 and €75 per night, depending on the cabin type.
The price includes full board, most ship facilities, taxes and fees and tips.
It is best to read the current MSC Cruises regulations regarding Covid on the ship in advance. Among other things, you must wear mouth and nose protection in all public areas if you are not in your seat. You must have proof that you have been vaccinated or have recovered. MSC cruises, booked until the end of August, can be changed flexibly, but a fare difference may apply.
If you have free time you can depart six days earlier from Rome for only £48 (~€56) more. That cruise has one sea day, followed by stops in Mallorca, Barcelona and Marseille before arriving in Genoa. You’d spend an amazing 22 nights on MSC Meraviglia.
An inside cabin costs £767 (~€893), an outside cabin would be £1,016 (~€1,183) and a balcony cabin would only set you back £1,211 (~€1,410).
You get full board service with breakfast, lunch and dinner (some speciality restaurants are excluded) as well as cold and hot water, coffee, tea and milk with meals. All cabins have double beds, which can also be converted to single beds if required.
Routing
- September 21: Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy (19:00)
- September 22: At sea
- September 23: Palma de Mallorca, Spain (08:00-22:00)
- September 24: Barcelona, Spain (08:00-19:00)
- September 25: Marseille, France (08:00-17:00)
- September 26: Genoa, Italy (08:00-18:00)
- September 27: Ajaccio (Corsica), France (07:00-13:00)
- September 28: At sea
- September 29: Málaga, Spain (08:00-17:00)
- September 30: At sea
- October 1: Funchal (Madeira), Portugal (08:00-16:00)
- October 2-6: At sea
- October 7: Bridgetown, Barbados (09:00-19:00)
- October 8: Fort-de-France, Martinique (07:00-16:00)
- October 9: Philipsburg, St. Maarten (09:00-18:00)
- October 10-11:At sea
- October 12: Ocean Cay, Bahamas (07:00-18:00)
- October 13: Port Canaveral (Orlando), USA (07:00)
The MSC Meraviglia
The MSC Meraviglia was commissioned in June 2017 – back then it was the second-largest passenger ship worldwide. The ship is 315 meters long and 43 meters wide. A total of up to 4,500 passengers and 1,500 crew members fit on the ship. It features entertainment venues like a bowling alley, several swimming pools and a Cirque du Soleil show. There are also several restaurants (including speciality restaurants, for which you have to pay extra) and bars.
Here is the atrium:
There are many sporting possibilities. You can see the multifunctional sports hall on the first picture and the aquapark behind the climbing park on the second:
If you’re not that adventurous, there are many other exciting things to do onboard. You could watch a show in the theatre or have a cocktail in the pool bar. There are a few other pools (covered in bad weather) and jacuzzis:
The cabins are similar to the other ships:
Flights
When booking the flights, you should always make sure that you arrive early. If you are late, the ship will not wait for you. So it is better to plan a one-day (or even better, two or more days) buffer.
From Orlando, you can get to Europe with Norse Atlantic. On October 13, 17, 20, 22, 24 and 27 a flight from Orlando to Oslo costs only US$198 (~€185). Although, this fare only includes a personal item.
To get to Genova, you can fly into Genoa airport from a few European airports with both low-cost airlines like Ryanair and network carriers such as Lufthansa. You can also fly into Milan Malpensa or Bergamo, Turin, Pisa or Nice. Getting to Rome is easier with having connections to most of Europe on low-cost airlines.
Cover Picture: MSC