I went on MSC Cruises' Meraviglia now sailing year-round from NYC — see what it's like aboard the 5,700-guest vessel

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Fri, 04/28/2023 - 05:00

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Tech Insider

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• MSC Cruises' Meraviglia is now sailing year-round out of New York's Brooklyn Cruise Terminal.
• It's MSC Cruises' third US home port after Florida's PortMiami and Port Canaveral.
• See what it's like aboard the six-year-old ship with a F1 racing simulator, six pools, and a chocolaterie.

MSC Cruises is continuing to make a big splash in the US cruise market with its latest stateside home port.

And this time, it's not in cruise magnets like Florida, Texas, or California.

Instead, the MSC Meraviglia has homeported in New York City.

In late April, the cruise giant launched year-round itineraries on the Meraviglia from New York's Brooklyn Cruise Terminal.

The 1,033-foot-long vessel began service in 2017.

Source: MSC Cruises

Since then, it has homeported in destinations like Barcelona and Marseille, France.

Source: MSC Cruises

And now it's temporarily calling New York home, bringing its up to 5,714 guests on six to 11-night sailings to the Bahamas, Florida, Bermuda, Canada, and New England.

This is the first MSC ship to home port year-round out of New York and one of five vessels currently based in the US.

Source: Insider

Besides New York, MSC also has a presence in Florida's PortMiami and Port Canaveral.

"Our success here in the US is important to our continued growth," a spokesperson told Insider in March.

Source: Insider

When I first boarded the Meraviglia just days after it docked in New York, I was immediately greeted with live music and sparkling crystal-embedded staircases.

These striking stairs are a trademark of the cruise brand, a spokesperson said during the tour of the ship.

But besides these unique stairs, the 19-deck vessel has many amenities that overlap with other large family friendly cruise ships.

Up the crystal stairs, visitors will find an indoor promenade topped with a 262-foot-long LCD ceiling, shown below.

This 315-foot-long walking strip is similar to Royal Caribbean's Wonder of the Seas' promenade.

Here, stores, restaurants, bars, and live music stem from the main walkway.

It's the place to grab gelato, tartare at the Ocean Cay restaurant, and some sweet treats from pastry chef Jean-Philippe Maury's chocolaterie.

Overall, the ship has 20 bars and 12 dining venues, a mix of complimentary and specialty restaurants.

The latter includes a steakhouse and a joint sushi and teppanyaki restaurant, all of which have been popular additions on several new cruise vessels.

For traveling families, there's also children's and teens' clubs and an outdoor water park with amenities like three water slides.

Source: MSC Cruises

This area doesn't include the other activities that will likely be a hit with children, such as the indoor sports court, bowling alley …

… and a virtual reality ride, flight simulator, and Formula 1 race car game.

The Meraviglia also has the typical cruise amenities like pools, a gym, a spa, and a theater.

The theater — which puts on least six shows per itinerary — seats 985 people.

Source: MSC Cruises

But it's not the only show venue aboard the vessel.

There's also the 400-guest Carousel Lounge where you can see performances like MSC's acrobatic House of Houdini. However, entry is not included in the base fare.

As for the pools, travelers have their pick: There are six public swimming holes.

This includes a traditional pool deck lined with lounge chairs and a separate outdoor pool space that has a club-like atmosphere at night.

Source: MSC Cruises

As for the staterooms, the vessel has 2,244 cabins and 10 cabin styles ranging from 129-square-foot staterooms …

… to 635-square-foot suites with an outdoor hot tub.

Many new cruise ships have spaces reserved for travelers staying in suites and the Meraviglia is no different.

Here, there's the MSC Yacht Club, which gives these higher spending travelers access to amenities like butler service …

… and a private restaurant and outdoor lounge.

The ship is now sailing out of New York through September 2024.

Source: MSC Cruises

Itineraries include 7 to 11-night sailings to Florida and the Bahamas, including a stop at MSC's private island …

… five to six-night sailings to Bermuda …

… and 10 to 11-night cruises to Canada and New England cities.

Read the original article on Business Insider

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Travel

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Tags

Travel, Transportation, MSC Cruises, New York, Business Visual Features, Cruise

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I went on MSC Cruises' Meraviglia now sailing year-round from NYC — see what it…