Welcome to the Byte Size Cruises blog! If this is your first time here, we are happy you found us. We are a travel agency out of Philadelphia, PA and we specialize in ALL things cruise vacations! If you are interested in cruises or enjoy cruise vacations, you're in the right place. Our goal here is to share the best and most up to date information with you so you can plan and go on an amazing cruise! Recently our team was on the MSC Meraviglia and here is our top 10 MUST DO items if you cruise on this ship. If you would prefer to check out this post on our YouTube channel, click here.
The MSC Meraviglia is about six years old and it's a beautiful ship. Let's get into our list!
1. Go to one of the Dome Shows. Above the promenade, the Meraviglia has a giant dome that is made of LED screens. Twice a day, they do a dome show and these shows are SO much fun. There's music playing, and the screens go all the way down the promenade. When we were there they did shows themed around dinosaurs, famous landmarks around the world, technology and computers, etc. Be sure to catch one when you're there!
2. Coffee and Gelato! So, a little tip from us to you, this is an Italian ship and EVERYWHERE you look there is coffee and gelato! The gelato is delicious and there are beautiful espresso machines all over the ship. If you're a fan of gelato or any kind of espresso creation, we highly recommend taking the time to enjoy these treats while on the Meraviglia.
3. Go see the Cirque Shows! There are two Cirque du Soleil shows on board; one is called House of Houdini and one is Rock Circus. If you book the show pre-cruise it's $12 per ticket; once you're on the ship the price goes up to $18 per ticket. For a Cirque du Soleil show, that's an incredible steal and these shows are amazing.
4. Go to the Silent Disco! This is one of those things that our team looks forward to every cruise. On the Meraviglia this is held in the promenade. What makes it silent is that everyone wears a set of headphones and you get to choose from a few channels what type of music you want to listen to. It's a ton of fun so definitely check it out, you won't be disappointed!
5. Go to the XD Cinema. The XD Cinema looks like a movie theater and plays like something out of a theme park. When you go, you get a pair of 3D glasses and an interactive game gun. This does cost a bit extra on top of your cruise fare, but it is a lot of fun and definitely worth checking out.
6. Go to Master Chef. MSC has a partnership with Master Chef so they do Master Chef at Sea. Now, you won't be making any kind of fancy dinner and Gordon Ramsey won't be there, but it's still a ton of fun to either participate in or to watch. Normally the participants cook up some kind of dessert and they have to decorate the plate, etc. AJ from our team won this contest when we were on the cruise and it was definitely a highlight of our trip.
7. Go to the Cruise Staff Show! On our cruise, this was on day 6 and it was TONS of fun. This is the Cruise Director and their staff. They sing, dance, and do all sorts of different things to put on an incredibly entertaining and energetic show.
8: Order Pizza from Room Service. Here's the deal folks; the pizza on MSC Meraviglia is delicious. It is hands down the best pizza we have ever had on a cruise ship and absolutely worth enjoying. You can get full pizzas delivered to your state room with all kinds of different toppings.
9. Play Progressive Trivia! This was brand new to us on this cruise and was a lot of fun. Now, you do have to show up every night to play - so it is a bit of a commitment - and the concept is that your points stack up over the course of your cruise.
10. Get your Photo on the Swarovski Steps. These steps are located in the Atrium and ironically this is one of the best places to take photos on the cruise ship. We say ironically because steps are not for stopping and hovering and clogging traffic, but it is what it is. The stairs are beautiful and create a great memory piece for your photos.
Those are our TOP 10 MUST DO things from our cruise on the MSC Meraviglia! Have you cruise on one of these ships? Would you add anything to our list? We would love to hear from you! Comment below.