The ship initially operated in the western Mediterranean also cruised in Northern Europe as of summer 2019, but repositioned to the United States for the first time, to New York and Miami, in fall 2019, to sail to the Caribbean as part of a North American expansion program by MSC.

[6] The vessel's name was announced, and steel was cut, at a ceremony held at Chantiers de l'Atlantique on 20 April 2015.

[7] The ship was formally named on 3 June 2017 by her godmother, Italian actress Sophia Loren[8] at a ceremony in Le Havre, which also featured French actor Patrick Bruel, musical group Kids United, and comedian Gad Elmaleh.

[7] On 26 February 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico, Mexican authorities granted permission for MSC Meraviglia, registered in Malta, to dock in Cozumel, Quintana Roo, because she carried a passenger presumed to be infected with COVID-19.

The ship was previously denied access to ports in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands.