We opted to stay on the ship when we arrived in Port Canaveral. There wasn’t a ton of stuff that interested me in the port and Disney was too far to make it worth the cost and the hassle. We hunkered down on a gorgeous day and enjoyed the pool. We were up early and hit the buffet for breakfast and then went out to the main pool area and snagged a day bed right near the pool! You do have to be up early to get a good spot. We DO NOT save chairs/beds for an entire day. We use them while we are there and then take all of our stuff with us if we don’t plan to return within 15-20 minutes. I hate chair hogs!

Gracie spent some quality time in the pool in the morning perfecting her freestyle stroke (see video above) and Charlie splashed around in the shallow area while I watched the AM stretch class (no I did not participate). Early mornings on the Meraviglia were a delight when we could get out of the room by 8am. Quiet exploring and the crowds were focused on their excursions which was great for us!

One of the things on the Meraviglia which you should be aware of is that even if you have one the coveted sun beds by the pool you cannot eat or drink on them (other than water). You cannot bring any alcoholic/non-alcoholic beverages (like smoothies or daiquiris) or food near the pool and if you want to consume something you need to stay behind the pool deck area. There are wooden benches behind all the sun beds so not a huge issue but just wanted to flag for everyone.

One final thought about the main pool deck area. There is ample seating at tables on the starboard and port sides, however on our sailing those tables were snagged before 8am and saved ALL DAY. Additionally, there was a ton of smoking at those tables even though they are not in the designated smoking area (one deck above). I know some folks were really irritated by this and apparently the MSC staff didn’t do much to stop the smoking. We never sat near anyone smoking but you could smell it in the air when passing by those areas. Just something to keep in mind when you’re choosing where to hang your hat for the day.