MSC Divina - Balcony Category Size?!

Hi Everyone,

I'm finally going on my first cruise on November 30th (MSC Divina - Western Carribean - Departing Miami)! I will be creating a post in the coming days with all my questions as I'm extremely confused/concerned about certain things. Before I get to that, I wanted to just quickly ask a question regarding balcony sizes.

I googled this and came up with a bunch of different posts all over this site, which only made me even more confused.

I booked my cruise at http://jaunt.ca/?_page=cruises&w=6268

I chose: Balcony Category (10/11/12):

Now, when booking there was a section asking if I had any requests. I didn't really put much in. After doing a bit of reading, I read that Balcony sizes vary quite heavily and could be a bit of an issue. I've seen pictures with no room to even sit :00.

I'd appreciate if you guys could help me out here. Do I have anything to worry about with the room category I've chosen (Cabin# will be giving much later). Is it necessary for me to make a specific request? Is there anything else other than Balcony sizes that would be concerning with the category i've chosen?

Thanks in advance. Like I mentioned, I will be posting something else in the coming days, for the time being I just wanted to get this concern out of the way.

Hi there .... those Balconies you mention are not actually Balconies on Deck 13! they are Juliet Balconies and the rooms are classed as Outsides! hope this helps, the Balconies on Deck 10 of the Aft are the biggest it seems.

Hi Everyone,

 

I'm finally going on my first cruise on November 30th (MSC Divina - Western Carribean - Departing Miami)! I will be creating a post in the coming days with all my questions as I'm extremely confused/concerned about certain things. Before I get to that, I wanted to just quickly ask a question regarding balcony sizes.

 

I googled this and came up with a bunch of different posts all over this site, which only made me even more confused.

 

I booked my cruise at http://jaunt.ca/?_page=cruises&w=6268

I chose: Balcony Category (10/11/12):

 

Now, when booking there was a section asking if I had any requests. I didn't really put much in. After doing a bit of reading, I read that Balcony sizes vary quite heavily and could be a bit of an issue. I've seen pictures with no room to even sit :00.

 

I'd appreciate if you guys could help me out here. Do I have anything to worry about with the room category I've chosen (Cabin# will be giving much later). Is it necessary for me to make a specific request? Is there anything else other than Balcony sizes that would be concerning with the category i've chosen?

 

Thanks in advance. Like I mentioned, I will be posting something else in the coming days, for the time being I just wanted to get this concern out of the way.

The balconies on Divina are pretty standard in size (cat. 7 - 12) except for stern cabins on decks 10 ,11 (which are larger) and deck 13 Cat 5

(juliette balconies on ocean view cabins ; 9 cabins in total ) and cat 6 cabins on the middle hump (smaller balconies)

There are approximately 30 cabins of grade 6 on each deck whilst the remaining balconies number approx 160 per deck

Here are two images from either end of typical balcony on Divina

And here is a picture of the infamous Deck 13 stern "ocean view" cat 5 cabins

Here are the deck plans which show the ( cabins on deck 13 with Juliette balconies) and the deck 11 balconies which are larger (the same as deck 10)

Balconies on the hump (cat.6)and corner balconies

I'll post an image of the corner balconies in the next post as i've reached the limit of 5 for this post

Pete

Here's the image of the corner balconies , which though larger are overhung and have limited ( 90 degree) fields of view.

Pete

Thanks for the great information bud!:D

Forgive me for my ignorance, but the smaller balconies that you mentioned (deck 13 category 5, category 6 cabins on the middle hump) seem to be outside of the category I booked. I booked Category 10/11/12.

As I mentioned, I'm extremely new to cruises, so please let me know if I have the wrong train of thought. Based on the fact that I have a completely different Category than the smaller balconies you mentioned, I should have nothing to worry about right? Or do I? The purpose of asking these questions is to ensure that if there is a special request that needs to be made, I can make it to the company booking the cruise for us (Jaunt.ca). I don't want to be stuck with a mini balcony when I've paid quite a bit of money for a regular balcony (the first picture you posted).

Please let me know..

Thanks!

Here's the image of the corner balconies , which though larger are overhung and have limited ( 90 degree) fields of view.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pete

Dear Pete,

Thanks for posting this photo of thw oversized corner balcony. I am booked in cabin 13052 o the MSC DIVINA and am really looking forward to the very large balcony. I think the overhang will be OK for me as I have been on similiar decks on the Disney DREAM and Holland America EURODAM and did not mind it at all. The shade is kind of nice and it is great if it rains.

Thanks again for posting this and the other photos, I appreciate it.

doccer

Thanks for the great information bud!:D

 

Forgive me for my ignorance, but the smaller balconies that you mentioned (deck 13 category 5, category 6 cabins on the middle hump) seem to be outside of the category I booked. I booked Category 10/11/12.

 

As I mentioned, I'm extremely new to cruises, so please let me know if I have the wrong train of thought. Based on the fact that I have a completely different Category than the smaller balconies you mentioned, I should have nothing to worry about right? Or do I? The purpose of asking these questions is to ensure that if there is a special request that needs to be made, I can make it to the company booking the cruise for us (Jaunt.ca). I don't want to be stuck with a mini balcony when I've paid quite a bit of money for a regular balcony (the first picture you posted).

 

Please let me know..

 

Thanks!

You have nothing to worry about with regard to having a small(er) balcony. The catagories you have chosen are Cat 12 (deck 13, the dark green coloured cabins in the deck plan image above) similarly Cat 11 (deck 12 , light green) and cat 10 ( deck 11, pink).

There is a concern with the catagories you mention, particularly cat .12) as some, not all, are badly affected by an overhanging deck 14.

See this thread

http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1892316

As a general rule, on MSC, the balcony cabins are a standard size on any given ship. The price of the cabins increases as you go up the decks. In addition cabins towards the middle of any given deck can be more expensive (higher cat) than cabins near the bow and stern of that deck.

Hope this is the answer to your question

Pete

Hi Skier52

We have cabins 12214, 12216 and 12218 which you have shown on your picture, I need a 3 berth and 2 x 2 berth are we going to be in the shade of the over hang all the time should I try and get them to move our cabins.

Thanks Judith

Hi Skier52

 

We have cabins 12214, 12216 and 12218 which you have shown on your picture, I need a 3 berth and 2 x 2 berth are we going to be in the shade of the over hang all the time should I try and get them to move our cabins.

 

Thanks Judith

Yes your cabins will affected by the overhang of deck 14 but to a lesser extent than deck 13

You can clearly see on the image below that decks 11,12 and 13 (which is almost completely obscured in the photo by the overhang) are all affected. But before you start trying to get your requirements for cabins change here are a few considerations

1) On average which ever side of the side of the ship you are on will be in the shade for more than 50% of the time assumimg you are on a "circular" cruise or a there and back cruise. This is not true of one way repositionng cruises. And the problem will only occur if the sun is high in the sky

2) cabin 12218 has a much biggger balcony which may be of advantage for family/ friends gatherings, especially if you have the partitions opened; you'd have an awsome sized "super balcony"

3) it may be difficult to get the 1 x 3 and 2 x 2 berhs next to each other now

In this image the darker band near the top of the ship and running the entire length is deck 14.

Count the decks at the back where there is no overhang and work along to the stepback area and you'll be pushed to see deck 13 in the recess It will help if you zoom the page with Crtl and + pressed simultaneously as many times as you like ( un zooom with Crtl and - )

Hope this helps

Pete

*Just copy pasting my last post in case you missed it* If theres anything I need to request based on my category, I'm looking to call MSC/Jaunt today to get it settled.

Thanks for the great information bud!

Forgive me for my ignorance, but the smaller balconies that you mentioned (deck 13 category 5, category 6 cabins on the middle hump) seem to be outside of the category I booked. I booked Category 10/11/12.

As I mentioned, I'm extremely new to cruises, so please let me know if I have the wrong train of thought. Based on the fact that I have a completely different Category than the smaller balconies you mentioned, I should have nothing to worry about right? Or do I? The purpose of asking these questions is to ensure that if there is a special request that needs to be made, I can make it to the company booking the cruise for us (Jaunt.ca). I don't want to be stuck with a mini balcony when I've paid quite a bit of money for a regular balcony (the first picture you posted).

Please let me know..

Thanks!

*Just copy pasting my last post in case you missed it* If theres anything I need to request based on my category, I'm looking to call MSC/Jaunt today to get it settled.

 

Thanks for the great information bud!

 

Forgive me for my ignorance, but the smaller balconies that you mentioned (deck 13 category 5, category 6 cabins on the middle hump) seem to be outside of the category I booked. I booked Category 10/11/12.

 

As I mentioned, I'm extremely new to cruises, so please let me know if I have the wrong train of thought. Based on the fact that I have a completely different Category than the smaller balconies you mentioned, I should have nothing to worry about right? Or do I? The purpose of asking these questions is to ensure that if there is a special request that needs to be made, I can make it to the company booking the cruise for us (Jaunt.ca). I don't want to be stuck with a mini balcony when I've paid quite a bit of money for a regular balcony (the first picture you posted).

 

Please let me know..

 

Thanks!

I would be inclined to book a specific cabin number and to that end you need to have the deck plan available when you book , for reference. I would look carefully at the itinerary and see which side the sun would be on when there are sea days.

if the ship is sailing west to east on a sea day i'd ask for a starboard cabin, east to west a port cabin, so as to get the sun on the balcony

if it is sailing north south or south north then you decide if you want sun in the evening or morning and choose as you prefer.

N to S gets sun on the port side morning and starboard evening, and vis versa. This info is for cruises in the northern hemsphere.

Have a look at the deck plan and ask the TA to find out cabins available as you book , you can then look for the proximity of lifts, they can be the source of noise, but equally you may not want to walk to far to get to one. don't get one of the very forwardmost cabins on the decks you've chosen as they have nasty metal balconies (about the front 8 cabins on ether side of deck 11 and front 6 on either side of deck 12 and front 4 or 6 of deck 13)

beware of cabins that are next to , or opposite "white " areas on the deck plan as they could also be the source of noise.

If you are worried about the motion then lower decks have less and the centre of the ship has less, so on your choices the middle of deck 11 would have the least problems of motion and shadow from the deck 14 overhang.

But if it were me I'd try to get on the forward or sternmost hump and get the best field of view, or if there was a stern cabin on deck 10 or 11 available I get one of those , but you might find the noise of the wash disturbing and they are prone to more motion than other cabins

The other choice to be made is 1st or 2nd sitting dinner,.

Some find the first sitting too early and others find the 2nd sitting a bit late, 1st sitting starts usally between 18:00 and 18:30 and second sitting between 20:00 and 20:30.

Hope this is the sort of info you were expecting

Have a great cruise

Pete

I would be inclined to book a specific cabin number and to that end you need to have the deck plan available when you book , for reference. I would look carefully at the itinerary and see which side the sun would be on when there are sea days.

 

if the ship is sailing west to east on a sea day i'd ask for a starboard cabin, east to west a port cabin, so as to get the sun on the balcony

 

if it is sailing north south or south north then you decide if you want sun in the evening or morning and choose as you prefer.

N to S gets sun on the port side morning and starboard evening, and vis versa. This info is for cruises in the northern hemsphere.

 

Have a look at the deck plan and ask the TA to find out cabins available as you book , you can then look for the proximity of lifts, they can be the source of noise, but equally you may not want to walk to far to get to one.

 

beware of cabins that are next to , or opposite "white " areas on the deck plan as they could also be the source of noise.

 

If you are worried about the motion then lower decks have less and the centre of the ship has less, so on your choices the middle of deck 10 would have the least problems of motion and shadow from the deck 14 overhang.

 

But if it were me I'd try to get on the forward or sternmost hump and get the best field of view, or if there was a stern cabin on deck 10 or 11 available I get one of those , but you might find the noise of the wash disturbing and they are prone to more motion than other cabins

 

The other choice to be made is 1st or 2nd sitting dinner,.

 

Some find the first sitting too early and others find the 2nd sitting a bit late, 1st sitting starts usally between 18:00 and 18:30 and second sitting between 20:00 and 20:30.

 

Hope this is the sort of info you were expecting

 

Have a great cruise

 

 

Pete

That's some great info Pete!

I'm going to give them a call today.

With regards to balcony size, do I have anything to worry about considering I have a category 10/11/12 booked and all the concerns you mentioned previously were for Category 5/6. If I should be concerned, then it'd be great if you could let me know what to ask for when calling MSC/Jaunt. If all 10/11/12 category have the same balcony sizes and there's no concerns then that's great!

Thanks for all your help.

That's some great info Pete!

 

I'm going to give them a call today.

 

With regards to balcony size, do I have anything to worry about considering I have a category 10/11/12 booked and all the concerns you mentioned previously were for Category 5/6. If I should be concerned, then it'd be great if you could let me know what to ask for when calling MSC/Jaunt. If all 10/11/12 category have the same balcony sizes and there's no concerns then that's great!

 

Thanks for all your help.

AS I said in post #7 you should have nothing to worry about with regard the balcony size with the cabin grades you have chosen. They should all be the same size except the bigger ones on the stern

Pete

Pete

That's some great info Pete!

 

I'm going to give them a call today.

 

With regards to balcony size, do I have anything to worry about considering I have a category 10/11/12 booked and all the concerns you mentioned previously were for Category 5/6. If I should be concerned, then it'd be great if you could let me know what to ask for when calling MSC/Jaunt. If all 10/11/12 category have the same balcony sizes and there's no concerns then that's great!

 

Thanks for all your help.

I think you should worry about your cabin location , get cabin # ASAP ,balcony will be good size but location is important .make sure its not close to elevator or not over some bar .

Pete, my bad. I totally missed post#7.

Thanks for the great info.

GOLDENBONNY - I think you're right. This would be much easier if I had a cabin#.

My original thought was that I would call MSC before they gave the assigned cabin# to Jaunt.ca and see if they can help me out with a good cabin and send it off to Jaunt.ca.

I'm starting to think it might be better to just wait till they give me a cabin# and then call and see what can be done based on what's given.

Would you guys suggest otherwise?

Thanks,

I think you should worry about your cabin location , get cabin # ASAP ,balcony will be good size but location is important .make sure its not close to elevator or not over some bar .

Or directly beneath the pool deck. They start putting sun loungers out early in the morning and it can be a tad noisy. Look at the deck plans to see what is above, below and along side you. You just want it to be other cabins. Also avoid a connecting cabin as you can sometimes xperience more noise from neighbours with those.

Yes your cabins will affected by the overhang of deck 14 but to a lesser extent than deck 13

You can clearly see on the image below that decks 11,12 and 13 (which is almost completely obscured in the photo by the overhang) are all affected. But before you start trying to get your requirements for cabins change here are a few considerations

 

1) On average which ever side of the side of the ship you are on will be in the shade for more than 50% of the time assumimg you are on a "circular" cruise or a there and back cruise. This is not true of one way repositionng cruises. And the problem will only occur if the sun is high in the sky

 

2) cabin 12218 has a much biggger balcony which may be of advantage for family/ friends gatherings, especially if you have the partitions opened; you'd have an awsome sized "super balcony"

 

 

3) it may be difficult to get the 1 x 3 and 2 x 2 berhs next to each other now

 

 

 

 

In this image the darker band near the top of the ship and running the entire length is deck 14.

Count the decks at the back where there is no overhang and work along to the stepback area and you'll be pushed to see deck 13 in the recess It will help if you zoom the page with Crtl and + pressed simultaneously as many times as you like ( un zooom with Crtl and - )

 

Hope this helps

 

 

Pete

Hi Pete

Thanks again for your advice there are not many 3 berth cabins and they are all in the inset of the ship. We were going to get a 4 berth but were told there would be more chance of getting moved if we did this if someone else wanted a 4 berth. I may still call and ask about changing cabins are we better to be on the Port side or starboard

We are doing the 14 night from Miami cruise the eastern caribbean then the western not sure how this will be with the sun.

Can we ask for both the partitions to be taken down.

Thanks Judith

Hi Pete

 

Thanks again for your advice there are not many 3 berth cabins and they are all in the inset of the ship. We were going to get a 4 berth but were told there would be more chance of getting moved if we did this if someone else wanted a 4 berth. I may still call and ask about changing cabins are we better to be on the Port side or starboard

We are doing the 14 night from Miami cruise the eastern caribbean then the western not sure how this will be with the sun.

Can we ask for both the partitions to be taken down.

 

Thanks Judith

Looking at the itinerary which has sea days on days 2,3,6,9,13, it is a fairly even split for sunny days.

Day 2,3 and 6 willl likely have sun on both sides of the ship as it is a NW to SE run on day 1 and 2 and back again on day 6.

Day 9 is going to favour the port side al day because of the semi circular track that day

Day 13 will favour the starboard side virtually all day.

So overall there will be little difference between the two sides of the ship

As for the partitions , they fold in half, and you can ask for both of the outer halves to be folded back for all of the cruise or just on days you want , say just days at sea. Your cabin steward can do it or if not he can sort it out for you.

you can see where they fold on he image below

Pete

Correction to the above post it should say Days 2 and 3 have a nW to SE track , not days 1 and 2

NB:- there will be more sun in the afternoon on the starboard side on days 2 and 3

This might make a difference to your choice if you enjoy lies-in on sea days

Also, do you want the sun on the last sea day on the run home? if so Starboard it is

Pete

Thanks everyone for the pics of outside decks. I am going on the Dec 10 2013 Divinia and got an aft room. But I am now prepared for a smaller outside deck and again appreciate the pictures so I am not disappointed in my room.

Correction to the above post it should say Days 2 and 3 have a nW to SE track , not days 1 and 2

 

NB:- there will be more sun in the afternoon on the starboard side on days 2 and 3

 

This might make a difference to your choice if you enjoy lies-in on sea days

 

Also, do you want the sun on the last sea day on the run home? if so Starboard it is

 

 

Pete

Thanks for your help think I'm going to stick with starboard side I might try and see if I can get cabins in the mid ship but if not we'll be fine here. The past cruises we have been on we have not spent much time on the balcony but do enjoy our morning coffee out there and a drink before dinner.

Thanks Again

Judith

Just out of curiosity could someone tell me if balcony of cabin 12264 aboard the divina is of average size, not expecting to lay down lol, but hoping can sit on chairs comfortably

Just out of curiosity could someone tell me if balcony of cabin 12264 aboard the divina is of average size, not expecting to lay down lol, but hoping can sit on chairs comfortably

I should say it is bigger than the standard size but not as big as the balconies on decks 10 and 11 on the stern , as you are.

I think you've got a lovely position on the ship

Pete

I should say it is bigger than the standard size but not as big as the balconies on decks 10 and 11 on the stern , as you are.

 

I think you've got a lovely position on the ship

 

Pete

Having read threads/posts about decks 10 & 11 being bigger, then reading about deck 13 having virtually no balcony, got me thinking of our balcony as the curve on the stern affected each one

But your comment has been very reassuring, so thank you

Geoff .... If you can get in touch on the mail add below i have a photo that shows the balcony you have.

Those on Deck 13 are classed as Outside cabins and not Balconies.

Dave.