So, what’s next for the Quiet Cruiser? MSC Meraviglia! And I can’t wait!
MSC Meraviglia…new to the USA
MSC Meraviglia hasn’t been in the United States market for long. They came to New York City in October, and we’ll be on her first cruise out of the Port of Miami. Our ports of call for this cruise are Belize, Roatan, Costa Maya, and MSC’s brand new private island, Ocean Cay.
We’ve never sailed on MSC before, so I’m eager to see what awaits. MSC has recently ventured into the United States and the prices are pretty good right now to attract cruisers in the US market. The MSC Meraviglia was launched in June of 2017, so it’s a pretty new ship. And it looks gorgeous from the pictures that I’ve seen. It has a Swarovski Crystal staircase, and the longest LED screen at sea over the Promenade, reminiscent of the LED screen on Fremont Street in Las Vegas.
The Meraviglia is 1,034 feet long and 214 feet tall, with 19 decks and a capacity of 5,700 guests, so it is a huge ship. When we booked this cruise, our booking included an evening at Cirque Du Soleil at sea, and the rest of the entertainment sounds impressive also. I am so ready just to kick back and relax.
Ports of Call
We’ve been in Belize and Roatan before. Last time we were in Belize, we visited the Xunantunich Mayan pyramids, about 70 miles west of Belize City, and we were so impressed that we’re doing the same excursion this trip. You can actually climb to the top of this pyramid, and the view is gorgeous.
Roatan
When were in Roatan last, we just walked around the village of Coxen Hole. There is a nice area to shop, but the local teen boys seemed to be waiting just to follow the tourists around. One teen boy adopted us and was determined to try to get us to buy something. I assumed that he gets a commission. He was nice, but we really didn’t want to be followed around, so we gave him a couple of dollars to leave us alone. This time, we don’t want to deal with that so we’re taking a local tour to Daniel Johnson’s Sloth Hangout. I’m really looking forward to holding a sloth. One warning, don’t drink the mixed drinks in town. I got very sick afterwards last time. The Margaritas may be cheap, but the ice must be contaminated.
Costa Maya
In Costa Maya we’ll just stay in the port area. They’ve really fixed it up nicely, and there’s plenty to do. They even have the swim with the dolphins program right there at port. And there is plenty of shopping.
Ocean Cay
Ocean Cay is going to be the most interesting. It hasn’t even opened yet, but it opens on November 9th, and we’ll be there on November 16th. Now, I’m not much of a snorkeler, but we’re bringing our snorkel gear in hopes that they’ll have some shallow areas to see fish. Ocean Cay, which is in the Bahamas and only 65 miles from Miami, has eight sandy beaches, spanning over two miles. On top of that there will be shopping, food, drinks, a traditional Bahamian Junkanoo parade, a lighthouse light show, and even stargazing. Our ship doesn’t even depart till almost midnight.
Keep an eye out for my daily blogs from the MSC Meraviglia!
I’ll be blogging daily from the ship if we have internet, and if not, I’ll be blogging about each day when we get back home. I’ll also do an extensive review of the MSC Meraviglia, each port, and also Ocean Cay, and I’ll be sure to include plenty of pictures. Make sure that you follow me, either on my Facebook page, or on Bloglovin, so that you can find out lots more about the MSC Meraviglia and Ocean Cay!
The Quiet Cruiser 