Mini Review with Special Needs *Deaf/Hard of Hearing*

Just got off Divina from our Easter cruise. :D

Our first time on MSC. We were absolutely impressed with most things on board, but mostly with their assistance with "special needs." The Divina staff went over and above with making sure we were well taken care of.

On our first day, we received a letter with the name of the direct person to contact if we needed or had any special requests.

Our room was a handicapped cabin (9211) and was impressively large. Staff was available to assist for the muster drill and was available at any time if needed. Guest services, set up a doorbell for us with a strobe light which flashed each time we had someone knock at the door. They also set us up with a TTY to make phone calls, and an alarm clock which vibrated the bed for wake up (which we never used). A vibrating beeper was given to us to use free of charge so we could make contact with our son. We picked this up from the kids club. They also have cell phones we could've used, but the vibrating pager was just fine.

Guest services called us a few times during the week to make sure everything was fine, and if we needed anything. We were given "priority" tendering tickets for Great Stirrup Cay, as well as "anytime" disembarking on the last day.

I can't express enough how much we appreciated the extra service we received.

I just wished that the staff in the MDR was just as accommodating. We truly enjoyed the food on Divina but the the service was just adequate. Nothing spectacular. After reading many reviews about poor food, I wasn't expecting much either, but I feel the food on Divina, is much better than the food on Carnival. I wish I had taken a small bottle of Tajin chili/lime salt for the fresh fruits.

Our table in the MDR was EXTREMELY small for 7 of us. We had a very hard time getting in and out of our table. We were completely squished...(and we aren't small peeps). So we only went to the MDR 3 times during the 7 days. The days we were there, the bar staff was very very slow.

We thoroughly enjoyed the evening shows in the Pantheon theater. However, there were no drink cup holders, or tables to put our drinks. BOO! Where are you supposed to put your drinks when it's time to clap??? However, it was really beautiful in there.

As an older couple, we did like the fact that there were less youngin's on board than say a Carnival ship. We did go to the "adult" Serenity deck, located on deck 18 to enjoy the jacuzzi and very peaceful atmosphere. There is a cost, and it is $10/day each person and only $5 if you arrive after 3pm. This was soooo worth the money.

We did purchase (2) 18 pack drink vouchers. They were not able to be used for premium drinks such as Crown Royal. We are not heavy drinkers so we did use some for the premium coffees which were really yummy.

Divina is a well maintained, and absolutely gorgeous ship. We would definitely sail again with MSC. As a matter of fact, we did purchase the $10 voucher to get up to $400 OBC for the future.

Happy Sailing!!!

I think this link is to the video of the cabin 9211

Glad you had a good trip! Thanks for sharing your experiences, especially the details on customer support for special needs. Good to hear that MSC was accommodating.

I know how much you were looking forward to this trip Nadine and it's good to know you all had a great time minus a couple of hiccups. So,,,I guess the big question left to ask is,,,,,were you able to sing on Karaoke night??

Nadine - I was in cabin 9219 the week prior to you! Glad you enjoyed your cruise as well as we did! I rarely saw my cabin stewart - he was outstanding! Had to track him down at the end of the week to slip him extra money! Something I always so for the staff! I agree with you - I thought the lunch and dinner food was really good! The pizza and pasta dishes really stood out too! Breakfast in was just OK in my opinion but trust me - I never went hungry! Wish there was an "adult" only pool. We had over 800 kids on board the week we cruised and the staff said Easter week they had over 1000 kids sailing! Sorry, one too many kids for me. They took over the infinity pool. All in all I would cruise on the Divina again!

I know how much you were looking forward to this trip Nadine and it's good to know you all had a great time minus a couple of hiccups. So,,,I guess the big question left to ask is,,,,,were you able to sing on Karaoke night??

Haaaa! I forgot to mention karaoke. Yes! Both nights I participated in karaoke. The first karaoke night was held on deck 14 at the main pool with the big screen. I sang a Madonna song. Their song selection was really really weak. I sang again on Thursday night, in the Black and White lounge. Again I sang a Madonna song "Hanky Panky" to my man. I was a lil inebriated and that has been the absolute last time I have picked up a drank. I am currently giving my liver a break.

All in all, we had soooo much fun. Still no passport for my son.

In fact, let the record stand, we boarded my son with ONLY a photocopy (from our printer at home) of his original birth certificate.

Nadine - I was in cabin 9219 the week prior to you! Glad you enjoyed your cruise as well as we did! I rarely saw my cabin stewart - he was outstanding! Had to track him down at the end of the week to slip him extra money! Something I always so for the staff! I agree with you - I thought the lunch and dinner food was really good! The pizza and pasta dishes really stood out too! Breakfast in was just OK in my opinion but trust me - I never went hungry! Wish there was an "adult" only pool. We had over 800 kids on board the week we cruised and the staff said Easter week they had over 1000 kids sailing! Sorry, one too many kids for me. They took over the infinity pool. All in all I would cruise on the Divina again!

Was his name Romei? He was the sweetest guy. I happened to be in guest services and asked for an envelope for extra tipping, and the rep says they didn't offer envelopes, and that tipping was discouraged and not recommended. I did it anyway. He was so cute. LOL!

I always travel with a few thank you note cards! My friends asked for envelopes too and got the same answer you did! They just handed them the money in a hand shake!

Was his name Romei?

No, she said his name was Stewart. ;) LOL