Trip Savvier

It was unseasonably warm in NYC when we departed, and the weather was fairly incredible during most of our trip. However, it’s important to note that the week before we travelled, all cruises out of NYC were re-rerouted to the Eastern United States and Canada, and the day we arrived back in port all the cruise ships stayed in port an additional 2 days because of storms along the Eastern seaboard. So the fact that we squeaked in and out in between those 2 unfortunate weeks is lucky to say the least!! There were 3 ports and 3 sea days on the itinerary: Port Canaveral in Florida, and Nassau and Ocean Cay in the Bahamas.

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Brooklyn Cruise Port

Cruising out of NYC was honestly so cool! We took the train into the city because it was inexpensive and we didn’t have to worry about parking. Once the train arrived at Penn Station, we transferred over to the local subway (in the same building) and paid our $3 USD fare, for a total of $17 CAD roundtrip for the 2 of us. We hopped off at the wall street/pier 11 station and walked the 2 blocks to the waterfront, where we then caught a ferry across to the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal in Red Hook. Sounds like a lot, but it was honestly really easy and stress free.

As far as departure ports go, there’s something to be said about having that first drink on deck on embarkation day with the Statue of Liberty in sight and the iconic NY skyline behind you. One thing I didn’t expect: how cool it is to sail right under the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge on the way out. Get yourself up on deck for that moment — it feels like the bridge is practically skimming the ship. Honestly one of the highlights of the whole departure.

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The Ship — MSC Meraviglia

This was our first time cruising on MSC, and we definitely weren’t disappointed. The ship was huge and absolutely beautiful, maybe one of the nicest ships I’ve ever been on, and I’ve been on about 8 cruises before this sailing. The main promenade had a LED domed ceiling that displays changing digital scenery and lights shows throughout the day. It was also lined with boutiques and restaurants, which was so cool! We had an inside cabin which was fairly spacious. There was an adults-only section on the back of the ship, and your typical main pool and waterslides, and also a covered pool area, which I think is essential for potentially cold weather cruises.

Other than the main buffet, there wasn’t much variety where complimentary restaurants were concerned, but you could go to the dining room for lunch every day for a sit down option which was nice. We had heard mixed reviews on food for MSC, and while I would have liked more variety since I don’t really love buffets, the food itself was nothing to complain about. I was just disappointed in breakfast/lunch for the lack of options. Desserts were always just ok, never wowing neither my husband nor I.

We also had a set dining time and table for dinner, and all of the tables were really close together (less than 6 inches I’d say). Good thing we liked our dinner neighbours because we were together all week long! On this cruise, we had also purchased the drink package (which also came with wifi), which was expensive, but I needed wifi for the week because of work and my hubby decided to treat us. 

The area I was most disappointed in was the entertainment department. The complimentary entertainment was sorely lacking. No piano bar. No comedy club. Only a few production-type shows that you had to book ahead of time in the app, and repeated over the course of the week. Plus you couldn’t drink at all in the theatre, which was a bummer if you’d had some drinks at dinner and wanted to keep the fun going. They did offer two exclusive shows in a purpose-built lounge, but you had to pay for these and we opted not to since it was kind of expensive and I hate feeling nickel and dimed while on vacation ($18 USD/pp per show/~$50 CAD total per show).

They did have really great themed parties though, like a neon party and a white party, which started much earlier than most cruise lines and were in more central locations that everyone could participate in, which I really appreciated. I particularly enjoyed the 70s and 80s night which was held in the main promenade with the dome projecting some great visuals and the entertainment staff doing their very best to make it a fun time for everyone. We partied it up and were in bed by 11pm, which suits me just fine.

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Cruise Port — Port Canaveral, Florida

We’ve cruised out of Port Canaveral numerous times in the past, and since we’re from Canada and always fly in at least one day ahead of our sail date, we’ve spent a lot of time in this area in the past. We’ve been to Cocoa Beach, Disney and the Ron Jon Surf Shop plenty, so we decided to stay on board and simply enjoy the sunshine and ship’s amenities. The port area is quite industrial in nature, so there wasn’t really the option to simply walk off and go explore. Here you needed to either have an excursion booked or be willing to pay a taxi somewhere.

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Cruise Port — Ocean Cay, Bahamas

We absolutely loved MSC’s private island, maybe more than any other cruise port we’ve ever been to, which is saying a lot! First of all, it was easy. We simply walked off and we had a choice of 7 beaches and numerous food and drink venues to enjoy. Our favourite part might have been the lagoon that intersected the island and had beaches along both sides, to which you could easily swim across. The waters in October were so warm (about 85 degrees), and I really enjoyed snorkeling the crystal blue waters (I never travel without my mask and snorkel!).

Our booze package worked at all the bars on the island, and there were some free food trucks and a buffet area for us to enjoy. We swam and ate and drank and lounged all day long, and it was marvelous. For those with mobility concerns, there were little shuttle buses to bring you around, but the whole island is easily walkable. I wish we could have spent more time here since I’ve read that they sometimes do beach parties by the lighthouse which lights up. By far my favourite day of the cruise, and I would probably do another MSC cruise in the future just to go back to this island.

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Cruise stop — Nassau, Bahamas

I have to be honest. I wasn’t looking forward to going to Nassau at all. I’ve been there on 2 separate occasions on previous cruises and never really enjoyed my time there. The first time I was there years ago, my kids were little and the weather was cool, so we just got their hair braided and visited the market to get souvenirs. The second time I was there about 3 years ago, we had a catamaran excursion booked, but it ended up getting cancelled because of the rough seas and bad weather, so we just ended up walking around the port area and visiting the shops. The vendors were very pushy, and I’m not a big shopper, so that day was kind of a bust too.

This time, I’m happy to say that I finally had a great time in Nassau. My husband and I disembarked and made our way to the water taxis that would take us to Paradise Island. It was a bonus that this was still inside the cruise port area, so we didn’t have to deal with all the pushy vendors at all. The water taxi was quick and easy, and cost us $7 USD/pp each way, which was about $20 CAD each for a round trip.

It dropped us near the base of the bridge on the other side, at which point we walked about 15 minutes to the public access point of Cabbage Beach. And what an incredible beach this was! It was practically empty, so we spent our time floating around its crystal blue, warm waters and relaxing in the beautiful sunshine. While there were a few vendors on site, they didn’t hassle you at all. It’s important to note that there were no bathroom facilities or restaurants available.

After a while, we packed up our stuff and made our way on foot to the Atlantis Marina Village about 10 minutes away, which is free to explore. It consists of a colourful outdoor marketplace with shops and restaurants centered around a stunning marina filled with large yachts. You can also enter the Atlantis casino here free of charge and look around or use the restroom. A short 5-10 minute walk later, we were back at the water taxi stand which returned us to the Nassau port area and we reboarded our cruise, satisfied with our cheap port day.

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On our final sea day returning to NYC, the weather was quite cool and the covered solarium pool was drained and unavailable for some reason, so we opted to try out the thermal spa on board since they were offering a 2-for-1 deal. It was really well done, with heated loungers, hot tubs, saunas, steam rooms and a variety of cold and relaxation options. It was the perfect way to spend a cool day at sea. This is an unusual splurge for me, but they were running a 2-for-1 special and we used it all day long, so I felt like it was definitely good value for money (especially since the weather was bad).

The only other thing I didn’t enjoy on the ship was that there was nowhere comfortable to sit. The ship seemed to prioritize edgy/visually interesting seating options over comfortable ones in all of the indoor spaces and the outdoor spaces only had typical pool loungers. No conversation sets or padded chairs anywhere. Only the onboard pub had ‘normal’ seating, which we went to almost every day. Not a deal breaker by any means, but unfortunate. 

I’d like to note that this cruise had a large number of international guests on board (many from China), which I’m unsure if was the result of where we were sailing out of (NYC) or the cruise line itself simply appealing to more international visitors, or maybe some special time period we knew nothing about? With passengers from all over the world, social norms around volume and personal space varied, and the common areas often felt busy and at times overwhelming.

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How we kept this trip affordable

• First and foremost, the cruise itself only cost $520 CAD each (not including the booze and wifi package, which we don’t usually purchase). How, you ask? I’m constantly looking for good deals, and often find cheap itineraries within 90 days of departure. You just have to be flexible on timing and destinations. This is where the biggest savings are possible. 
• We didn’t have to fly. I was purposely looking at options out of NYC because I knew I could get there and back economically. We’ve also driven to Florida with our family of 5 in the past to save on airfare, which can add up fast.
• We took the train from Albany, NY into NYC, which only cost $164 USD (~$230 CAD total) for the 2 of us round-trip. Albany is about 3 hours from our hometown, and the 4-hour train ride into NYC is so pleasant. The views are great, and it takes you right into Penn Station where you can easily grab a metro to go anywhere in the city. Plus you don’t have to worry about driving around or parking, which is super limited at the cruise port.
• We took public transportation to the cruise port. One quick and cheap metro ride ($3 UDS/pp/way ~ $9 CAD total/pp) will get you from the train station to downtown, at which point you can board a FREE ferry right to the cruise ship. Easy peasy and cheap! 
• Excursions, or lack thereof! We didn’t get off the boat in Port Canaveral, and spent $0 dollars in Ocean Cay. Our only cost was $14 USD (~$20 CAD) in Nassau. That’s awesome for a full week of vacation.

Things we splurged on that we could have went without

• The booze package (nice to have but not necessary) and wifi package (which I needed this time around because of some work I needed to do throughout the cruise). I usually take full advantage of the cruise lines rules about brining wine onboard, and canned soft drink as well.
• Thermal experience on our last sea day, which was well worth it in my opinion. Check on the last days of the cruise for deals. Ours was 2-for-1.
• A pre-cruise night in an Albany hotel to avoid an early morning drive and fuuuuuull day. 

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