October 8, 2019
Just the Facts:
Ship: MSC Meraviglia
Captain: Stefano Battinelli
Hotel Director: Guiseppe Pane - Cruise Director: Gene Young
Ports: New York City, USA - Sydney, Cape Breton Island - Cornerbrook, Newfoundland Canada - Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island Canada - Québec City, Québec Canada - New York City, USA.
I’m cruising as a solo. This is my final of four consecutive cruises on the MSC Meraviglia, my 13th MSC cruise and my 150th cruise overall. I do have several clients and very good cruise and personal friends sailing. I am sailing 40 consecutive nights on board the Meraviglia.
Tuesday October 8 / Embarkation / New York City, USA / Day 1
NY Skyline at Sailaway |
Wednesday October 9 / Day at Sea / Day 2
Brass Anchor Pub |
Thursday October 10 /
Meraviglia Galleria |
Friday October 11 / Corner Brook, Newfoundland Canada / Day 4
Colors of Corner Brook Festival |
Saturday October 12 / Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island Canada / Day 5
Green Gables |
Sunday October 13 / Sea Day / Day 6
My cabin - 13250 |
Monday October 14 / Quebec Canada / Day 7
Calm water overnight and I slept very well. I ordered room service breakfast and it was delivered on time. The three Danish and two Fruit Plates were perfect. Our meet time for out tour was 8:45 am and we have eleven on the excursion: Grand Exploration of Quebec. We were off just after 9:00 am and basically jus drove 3/4 blocks across the boulevard to Old Town Quebec, totally amazed with the original building and restorations to the 17th century. Beautiful original square with the Palace Royal and the old Church Notre-Dame-des-Victoires surrounded by Shoppes, Boutiques, Bistros, and much more. Just a block away is the La Fresque des Québécois or Quebec City Mural. What a wonderful way to show the history of Quebec but through this huge mural incorporating the past with the modern day. We re-boarded our bus to go up to the Place d’Armes and scenic overview of the old city…very nice. We then walked over to the Le Château Frontenac for our rest stop, first class rest stop at that. The Château Frontenac is the huge hotel dominating the skyline of Quebec City and is a very nice hotel. Then the bus drove by the Parliament House and fountain on the way to the Plains of Abraham were the famous battle between the French and British took place in 1759. We had couple of photo stops here. We then off to some of the outlying areas to visit. We drove to Beaupre Quebec to visit the Shrine of Sainte Anne du Beaupre. The Basilica here is the third largest church in North America as well as the oldest pilgrimage site. I have to admit that I was unaware of this and found it both interesting and educational. Our bus drew the short straw on lunch break but we were now on our way to the Île d'Orléans for our 2:00 pm lunch at Ralais des Pins what was originally an old sugar shack used to collect Maple Syrup. It was a very nice lunch of Vegetable Soup, choice of Chicken Breast with Maple sauce or a nice Salmon plate, and simple dessert. I would have eaten anything by this time. The island is home to many farms and busy this Monday holiday selling Pumpkins and Apples to locals from Quebec City and area. Some beautiful fall foliage here. Our final stop was Montmorency Falls. A recreational Park featuring large waterfalls and activities. We arrived back at the pier about 4:30 pm along with dozens of other tour buses. Most on the buses returned to the ship and long lines, some of my group had other evening tours, myself a few others chose to go the few blocks to Old Town. We revisited the Old Square and the Mural and found a great spot at Bistro Sous le Fort to enjoy drinks while others shopped. The guys drank the local Belle Gueule beer, we even ordered the local Poutine as well as plain petit frites. The Poutine was different, but I will stay with the plain version of fries myself. We did begin to get a shower so headed back to the ship. We found a direct entry and gangway and there was no one in line…we walked directly into the deck 5 lobby, my old ‘living room’. We were in time for 8:00 pm dinner but I had a beer in the Brass Anchor then switched to Coca-Cola to finish off the day. I took some cokes to the cabin and made some brief notes of the day but retired early…I was long-day tired. It was a fantastic day in Quebec, I hope to return.
(Photo: I had great photos today, but went with the La Fresque des Québécois' composite photo -click it to enlarge- as it shows all three major sites in old town…I’ll post my photos on FB)
Tuesday October 14 /Quebec Canada / at Sea / Day 8
This was originally a Quebec day, but changed due to needed earlier arrival back in NYC so we sailed about 1:00 a.m. this morning. (Guests received a $50 OBC for this before we even left NYC) I slept very well but was up at 7:30 so went up to the Sky Lounge to whale watch as we were in the prime area for whales…the ship has slowed to under 10 knots as required in this area. I had a light breakfast but sat on port side with a watchful eye out. Best weather of cruise on the sunny side of the ship, so I had balcony time most of the day. I did get my refund on my cancelled Cirque show then went to the casino and lost $9.34, but I cashed out with $250 from my ship account. Then I went up to the MarketPlace for a custom Turkey Sandwich (turkey from carving station, bun & mayo from burger station) and ate it on aft deck, it was cooler there than my balcony. I had an ice creme from ice creme bar on pool deck and took it back to my balcony. The wind is blocked so still very nice all afternoon. Nice to have a day to enjoy it. I used my iPhone for internet and made some phone calls since were sailing the St. Lawrence River and so close to land all day…fine connections and saving time on my ship WiFi plan. I met friends in the Brass Anchor about 5:30 and ten of us went to the Butchers Cut steakhouse at 6:00 pm for dinner. It was again very good and I had the same waiter for all four cruises. Tonight I ordered: Hearts of Palm, NY Strip Steak, Baked Potato, and Ice Creme for dessert. I ended up with half a Filet Mignon too (try to sit next to friend who only eats half of anything brought to her). Everyone seemed to really enjoy the food and service. Everyone did their thing after dinner: casino, music, or show. I even had time for some light music tonight, running out of days to see all the venues. Jazz and Torch music are my favorites. I retired soon though still comfortable from my nice meal. It was a very nice day on the MSC Meraviglia.
Wednesday October 16 / at Sea / Day 9
Smooth seas overnight. I woke about 4:00 am and began updating my blog as internet is faster at this time. I spent an hour+ updating, and getting news & weather then back to sleep. I was up and around by 8:30 am decided I needed a light breakfast so had two Danish and hot milk from the Casino actually. I had gone there to get some small bills to use for tips on the ship. I also went to Guest Services to purchase a airport shuttle voucher to LGA when we get to NYC. The Black Card guest reception was held in the Promenade on deck 6, about half the number as on the Transatlantic, maybe 250 guests. Following the reception our group went up to the Brass Anchor for lunch. I had a hamburger ($5+) and a coke, later a beer. Dessert was a double dip ice creme cone: Rum Raisin & Banana. Nice sitting on deck 6…we saw lots of people walk by heading to the 3:00 pm opera. It’s La Boheme and I saw it last cruise…and we all know she dies in the end…so I had cabin time. Unlike yesterday, no sun today so no real balcony time…too cool outside. I did have the door open a bit for some sea air. Friends met at the Brass Anchor this evening, we ended up winning a Trivia Contest while we were waiting for our 7:30 pm dining reservations. We won 6 nylon MSC travel bags...same as the Black card gifts...so gave most away to othrs. Tonight we ate at the Kaito Teppanyaki Restaurant as our group tends to do on cruises of late. You have a choice of three menus and I went the Samurai Menu ($39+) that includes: Sushi & Sashimi, Samurai Tempura, Seasonal Greens, Vegetables, Goma Dressing, White Meso Soup, Silk Tofu, Wakame, Scottish Salmon, Tiger Prawns, Egg Fried Rice, Beef Sirloin, Japanese Pumpkin Custard, Caramelized Ananas, Ginger Ice Creme, Mint Pesto. I also enjoyed a nice Kirin beer. I'm not sure what every items was on the menu, but I ate it all. It was quite a meal and show by the Teppanyaki Chef. It was a fun experience I’m very glad we did it. Lots of activity on board this final elegant night. It’s a really special ship. Several of the crew thought I was going all the way to Miami, so some good byes already, the crew has been nothing but great to me. I retired to cabin and read up on debarkation material and updated this blog. It was a nice and easy sea day on the MSC Meriviglia.
Thursday October 17 / at Sea / Day 10
Really rolling seas overnight and all morning with very high winds. I slept pretty well and was up by 7:30 am and soon off to the Panorama Restaurant for a very nice
breakfast. My final hot milk, three eggs sunny side up, ham, bacon,
potato, toast, and fruit plate of the cruise. Good table mates and good
service at the center table aft. So I had a first hand view of the high
seas from deck six aft. It was quite a ride with everything coming to a
standstill at one particular drop of the ship and subsequent wave. All
good though. After breakfast it was cabin time…then I went up to the
Sky Lounge for some Ginger Ale and ice. I have internet time left so
using it. I met the boys at Brass Anchor at 1:30 and stayed through the
4:00 pm Trivia. Didn’t come close to a win this time, but I had
lunch…the burgers there are good, the hot dogs just so-so but a fun
afternoon. Almost forgot about my traditional Hugo Spritz but managed
two of those before leaving. My luggage tags were delivered so time to
get serious about packing. Even though is was windy all day I think we
will be close to arrival time. I went to the Theater production show
this evening: Meraviglioso Amor a show featuring romantic Italian love songs. Of course Con te Partiro brings down the house as a finale. It was a fun happy show. It was also Italian night in the dining room. I ordered: Arancini Sicilian-Style, Tricolor Salad (red-white-green for Italian flag), Lasagna Bolognese, and Chicken Breast Parmigiana, a hearty meal with Lemon Delight for dessert. It was hard to say good-bye to our wait team Julius and Christopher were great for four cruises. Julius is among the best waiters I have ever had…wait for it…in 150 cruises. Great waiter and great guy, we were very lucky. Unfortunately I HAVE to go straight back to the cabin to pack. Bags out by midnight. It was a great final sea day on the MSC Meraviglia. An end to my B2B2B2B, Forty Day, Four cruise adventure.
Friday October 18 / New York City / Debarkation
I was up late after putting bags out, but finally slept for 5+ hours. I was up by 6:30 am and packed my backpack and went to my designated wait area by 7:30 am. Using my experience and ‘keys to the ship’ I went off in a lesser used short line on deck 5 while the self-debark guests were leaving. My checked bags were in a VIP area so I had access to them. I was through U.S. Customs by 8:15 and on the airport shuttle about 8:30. I had to wait a while on shuttle as I was actually first on board, but we were off by 9:30 and at the airport by 10:10. I had TSA pre, upgraded my seats, check my bag, and was at my gate by 10:40 am. Couldn’t have been any easier. Not uneventful flights, but made it to Waco as scheduled with bags. Stopped for Tex-Mex in Valley Mills and home at the ranch by 8:30 pm.
Ship
Maiden Voyage: 2012 I Gross Tonnage: 139,400 tons
Passenger Capacity: 3959 | Crew: 1325 I Length: 333 meters
Max Cruising Speed: 27 knots I Avg Speed 23 knots
Installed power: Diesel (40,000kW) I Propulsion: Twin propellers
Godmother: Sophia Loren
Cabin
I have cabin 13250 a starboard side Balcony with extended balcony located on deck 13. It is a spacious cabin for todays newer ships. It has a push button safe, twin/queen beds, couch, two night stands, wall lighting at bed, a small refrigerator, seat at longer dresser/desk, and TV with interactive features. There is a large wardrobe with two drawers upper shelves and large hanging area with two doors. Bathroom is much larger with tub/shower, I think in a cruise cabin I prefer just a large shower.
Crew
The GS (Guest Services) staff is very friendly and nice. They had a lot of work this cruise too. Our MDR waiter Julius is very efficient. My cabin steward was wonderful. Overall the crew is more friendly than the old MSC. Officers very friendly and helpful. Most cocktail servers and bartenders provided very good service, but there need to be more training with all the various drink packages that are available to guests. Lots of errors and confusion initially. It’s been a tough transition to the new American plans.
Dining / Food / Bars / Entertainment
Entertainment is the strong suit of MSC with very nice production shows and live music in most all venues. Cirque Du Soleil is a unique special show and you do pay a premium for that venue. Mixed reviews. In addition to the production shows they have ‘fun’ events scheduled every night in the various lounges. Also the Dome shows in the Galleria each night. The MDR dinners are good to very good, Buffet food is good to excellent depending on selections. The Marketplace pizza station, bread station, and salad bar are excellent. I tried two specialty restaurants…both good. The MSC Meraviglia has some very beautiful lounges and bars with live entertainment, I tried to visit most. My favorites were the Sky Bar and the Brass Anchor this cruise. This cruise we became a Coca-Cola ship…thank goodness.
New York City Problem
MSC is currently my cruise line of choice and MSC will have some growing pains along the way, but it will become one of the premier cruise companies very soon. But the problems with embarkation in NYC needs to be addressed. IMHO I think the problems had more to do with: the local port workers/union/politicians/mob/bad planning…than MSC itself although they probably contributed. There was a slow down, intentional or not, that caused so many guests to have to wait for hours to board. The local cruise port agent or someone in MSC planning needs to anticipate potential problems with local authorities and port facilities. I know it will go well in Miami especially when the new terminal is completed, but ports such as NYC and time requirements need to be reviewed.
Black Card — I received a dinner in a specialty restaurant, a Chocolate ship, two Cocktail Receptions, Champagne & Chocolate strawberries, a logo gift of a travel bag, a photograph, and more. Good program. About half the number of Black Cards (maybe 250) than on the transatlantic.
Highlights of the Cruise
Sailing with Friends
Quebec Day - Great Port - Good Weather
Green Gables Heritage Place
Lunch at Prince Edward Island Preserve Company
Butcher’s Cut & Kaito Teppanyaki Restaurants
Brass Anchor beers and fun
Corner Brook Newfoundland Day
Meraviglioso Amor Show
Calm water overnight and I slept very well. I ordered room service breakfast and it was delivered on time. The three Danish and two Fruit Plates were perfect. Our meet time for out tour was 8:45 am and we have eleven on the excursion: Grand Exploration of Quebec. We were off just after 9:00 am and basically jus drove 3/4 blocks across the boulevard to Old Town Quebec, totally amazed with the original building and restorations to the 17th century. Beautiful original square with the Palace Royal and the old Church Notre-Dame-des-Victoires surrounded by Shoppes, Boutiques, Bistros, and much more. Just a block away is the La Fresque des Québécois or Quebec City Mural. What a wonderful way to show the history of Quebec but through this huge mural incorporating the past with the modern day. We re-boarded our bus to go up to the Place d’Armes and scenic overview of the old city…very nice. We then walked over to the Le Château Frontenac for our rest stop, first class rest stop at that. The Château Frontenac is the huge hotel dominating the skyline of Quebec City and is a very nice hotel. Then the bus drove by the Parliament House and fountain on the way to the Plains of Abraham were the famous battle between the French and British took place in 1759. We had couple of photo stops here. We then off to some of the outlying areas to visit. We drove to Beaupre Quebec to visit the Shrine of Sainte Anne du Beaupre. The Basilica here is the third largest church in North America as well as the oldest pilgrimage site. I have to admit that I was unaware of this and found it both interesting and educational. Our bus drew the short straw on lunch break but we were now on our way to the Île d'Orléans for our 2:00 pm lunch at Ralais des Pins what was originally an old sugar shack used to collect Maple Syrup. It was a very nice lunch of Vegetable Soup, choice of Chicken Breast with Maple sauce or a nice Salmon plate, and simple dessert. I would have eaten anything by this time. The island is home to many farms and busy this Monday holiday selling Pumpkins and Apples to locals from Quebec City and area. Some beautiful fall foliage here. Our final stop was Montmorency Falls. A recreational Park featuring large waterfalls and activities. We arrived back at the pier about 4:30 pm along with dozens of other tour buses. Most on the buses returned to the ship and long lines, some of my group had other evening tours, myself a few others chose to go the few blocks to Old Town. We revisited the Old Square and the Mural and found a great spot at Bistro Sous le Fort to enjoy drinks while others shopped. The guys drank the local Belle Gueule beer, we even ordered the local Poutine as well as plain petit frites. The Poutine was different, but I will stay with the plain version of fries myself. We did begin to get a shower so headed back to the ship. We found a direct entry and gangway and there was no one in line…we walked directly into the deck 5 lobby, my old ‘living room’. We were in time for 8:00 pm dinner but I had a beer in the Brass Anchor then switched to Coca-Cola to finish off the day. I took some cokes to the cabin and made some brief notes of the day but retired early…I was long-day tired. It was a fantastic day in Quebec, I hope to return.
(Photo: I had great photos today, but went with the La Fresque des Québécois' composite photo -click it to enlarge- as it shows all three major sites in old town…I’ll post my photos on FB)
Tuesday October 14 /
My private balcony view - Cabin 13250 |
Wednesday October 16 / at Sea / Day 9
Teppanyaki Night |
Thursday October 17 / at Sea / Day 10
Best Wait Team...ever |
Friday October 18 / New York City / Debarkation
I was up late after putting bags out, but finally slept for 5+ hours. I was up by 6:30 am and packed my backpack and went to my designated wait area by 7:30 am. Using my experience and ‘keys to the ship’ I went off in a lesser used short line on deck 5 while the self-debark guests were leaving. My checked bags were in a VIP area so I had access to them. I was through U.S. Customs by 8:15 and on the airport shuttle about 8:30. I had to wait a while on shuttle as I was actually first on board, but we were off by 9:30 and at the airport by 10:10. I had TSA pre, upgraded my seats, check my bag, and was at my gate by 10:40 am. Couldn’t have been any easier. Not uneventful flights, but made it to Waco as scheduled with bags. Stopped for Tex-Mex in Valley Mills and home at the ranch by 8:30 pm.
Ship
Maiden Voyage: 2012 I Gross Tonnage: 139,400 tons
Passenger Capacity: 3959 | Crew: 1325 I Length: 333 meters
Max Cruising Speed: 27 knots I Avg Speed 23 knots
Installed power: Diesel (40,000kW) I Propulsion: Twin propellers
Godmother: Sophia Loren
Cabin
I have cabin 13250 a starboard side Balcony with extended balcony located on deck 13. It is a spacious cabin for todays newer ships. It has a push button safe, twin/queen beds, couch, two night stands, wall lighting at bed, a small refrigerator, seat at longer dresser/desk, and TV with interactive features. There is a large wardrobe with two drawers upper shelves and large hanging area with two doors. Bathroom is much larger with tub/shower, I think in a cruise cabin I prefer just a large shower.
Crew
The GS (Guest Services) staff is very friendly and nice. They had a lot of work this cruise too. Our MDR waiter Julius is very efficient. My cabin steward was wonderful. Overall the crew is more friendly than the old MSC. Officers very friendly and helpful. Most cocktail servers and bartenders provided very good service, but there need to be more training with all the various drink packages that are available to guests. Lots of errors and confusion initially. It’s been a tough transition to the new American plans.
Dining / Food / Bars / Entertainment
Entertainment is the strong suit of MSC with very nice production shows and live music in most all venues. Cirque Du Soleil is a unique special show and you do pay a premium for that venue. Mixed reviews. In addition to the production shows they have ‘fun’ events scheduled every night in the various lounges. Also the Dome shows in the Galleria each night. The MDR dinners are good to very good, Buffet food is good to excellent depending on selections. The Marketplace pizza station, bread station, and salad bar are excellent. I tried two specialty restaurants…both good. The MSC Meraviglia has some very beautiful lounges and bars with live entertainment, I tried to visit most. My favorites were the Sky Bar and the Brass Anchor this cruise. This cruise we became a Coca-Cola ship…thank goodness.
New York City Problem
MSC is currently my cruise line of choice and MSC will have some growing pains along the way, but it will become one of the premier cruise companies very soon. But the problems with embarkation in NYC needs to be addressed. IMHO I think the problems had more to do with: the local port workers/union/politicians/mob/bad planning…than MSC itself although they probably contributed. There was a slow down, intentional or not, that caused so many guests to have to wait for hours to board. The local cruise port agent or someone in MSC planning needs to anticipate potential problems with local authorities and port facilities. I know it will go well in Miami especially when the new terminal is completed, but ports such as NYC and time requirements need to be reviewed.
Black Card — I received a dinner in a specialty restaurant, a Chocolate ship, two Cocktail Receptions, Champagne & Chocolate strawberries, a logo gift of a travel bag, a photograph, and more. Good program. About half the number of Black Cards (maybe 250) than on the transatlantic.
Highlights of the Cruise
Sailing with Friends
Quebec Day - Great Port - Good Weather
Green Gables Heritage Place
Lunch at Prince Edward Island Preserve Company
Butcher’s Cut & Kaito Teppanyaki Restaurants
Brass Anchor beers and fun
Corner Brook Newfoundland Day
Meraviglioso Amor Show