Divina 11OCT mini review

ImperialCodeMonkey · October 20, 2014

Greetings, all.

I just returned home :( from a trip on the Divina from 11OCT to 18OCT. We visited Falmouth, Jamaica... Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands... Cozumel, Mexico... and Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas.

I know that everyone has different expectations, different likes, different dislikes, and likes their bacon cooked differently. That being said, your mileage may vary.... My wife (33) and I (42) are very laid back and don't like doing things on a real schedule... We just go where the mood suits us at that particular moment... hopefully that sets the tone for how we interpret things. Any questions I would be happy to answer to the best of my ability, with the disclaimer that your mileage clearly may vary.

Embarkation.

Our embarkation went smoothly. We arrived at the port via a shuttle that we picked up from FLL last minute, as our flight was delayed and we originally had intended to rent a car and drop it off at MIA and take rental car shuttle. We used MJS Transportation and got a ride for $13 per person. I found out about them while surfing the web in the middle of the night, stuck in some airport...

When we arrived at the port, we checked our bags at the curb and walked into the building. It was just after noon, as I recall ( I was very tired at that point after being up about 36 hours). Check in was smooth, and took about 30 minutes total, and we boarded the ship... Nothing notable to really mention here, other than the fact that we didn't sit and wait at all. Once we finished getting cruise cards, we headed up the ramp. :)

Dining:

Dining is one thing that I see mentioned a lot on the ship reviews. I went in with low expectations, and found myself enjoying it more that I had expected. There were GOOD things, and there were OK things. Nothing came across as GREAT (except the pizza... including that which is on the buffet). and nothing came across as terrible.

For the Main Dining Room, we were assigned a first seating (6pm) table in the Villa Rossa, which is far aft of the ship. Getting there is odd, because as many of you may have seen, you go aft on deck 7, then head down a floor to the entrance. The wife and I only ate there twice for the trip, as we often would not make it a priority to get there. Fortunately we were assigned a table with two very nice laid back couples that we could talk to, and the other 4 seats on the table were empty both times we went (the other couples reported they were never there). The service staff was very good, and seemed happy to work with our table. The food was GOOD. One thing we did notice is that the Maitre D' (or assistant or whatever his actual title was) was often a (pardon the expression) DICK to the staff, as well as sometimes the passengers. The service staff was trying to provide good service, and he was a hindrance both times that we were there.

Another note of management, we had gone straightaway on the first day to attempt to get a table for two, and the person taking those requests was quite rude... the quote of the moment was "Let me repeat myself... if you are reassigned, we will leave a note in your cabin"... all we were doing was patiently waiting to have our cruise card returned to us as the other person was logging the request.... NOW, that being said... neither of those instances tainted our fun in any way, but rather gave my wife and I something to joke about for the trip. "Let me repeat myself...."

A final mention of MDR food. We ate breakfast there once, and lunch there once. Both times were OK with no real standouts, but I will say that my opinion is that the Eggs Benedict was rubbish the one time that I had it. Had it been good, I would have eaten my weight in Eggs Benedict (which is a considerable weight, I must sadly admit).

The buffet:

We rather enjoyed the breakfast buffet, as well as the lunch buffet. There were a lot of quality choices for food. I fell into a routine of making a breakfast sandwich out of either a bagel or a croissant, topped with scrambled "eggs" and lunchmeat and cheese. It was my opinion that the lunchmeat and cheese was excellent. My wife managed to eat her cruise-fare's worth in mozzarella balls, which were quite good as well.

My NUMBER ONE HINT for the buffet.... GO AFT. Avoid the crowds at the front, as you will most often find that the choices are repeated on the way back for the more popular items. So, rather than waiting at the front for a scoop of eggs, go aft and try back there. The buffet can get quite chaotic. I found that to be the only place where I wanted to scream because of the meandering cutting rude shoving people.

At the far aft of the buffet, you will find the "Ethnic" Section. They had Indian, Caribbean, Chinese and other tasty foods back there at lunch time. (also you can sneak into the kids section and grab fried shrimp ;) )

Pizza is constantly refreshed during the posted pizza hours for the buffet, and it was the very best night time snack available on the ship. I will miss it greatly.

For dinner, not many of the stations seemed to be open, but I could find food when I wanted it. So, no complaints.

In regard to food quality on the buffet, I had nothing that was BAD, I thought that considering the scale of the operation, it rivaled any other buffet, short of a luxury buffet like the Bellagio casino. Good food, not great food, some better than others... I was pleased but not amazed.

Cantina Di Bacco:

The Cantina Di Bacco was pretty tasty. It is where you can order your own pizza made your way (menu isnt clear about ingredients and such for choose your own, so good luck)... But the pizza is larger than an individual size. I would estimate it to be 12" pizza, and it was great for the wife and I. Also, if you go to this area and order drinks, it is a nice quiet place to sit and enjoy your drinks AND you get small snacks to eat (anchovy stuffed peppers, tiny sandwiches, various other goodies... ).

Eataly:

We went to Eataly (no reservations needed, it was always a ghost town when I saw it. The wife has a tasty seafood pasta, and I had a steak. Both were pretty good, not amazing. We shared a baked potato and a caesar salad. They do not provide water there unless you buy a bottle of it, so be prepared for that. The total bill I believe was about $44. Not a bad meal, it just paled in comparison to a precious experience on the Carnival Breeze at the steakhouse.

Sports Bar:

Also always empty. We had a sampler platter one day, along with a bucket of beer. Good snack, nothing notable.

More later......

ImperialCodeMonkey · October 20, 2014

PART 2:

Entertainment Options:

Theatre Shows:

The theatre shows were variety shows that showcased a lot of talent. There were amazing singers, dancers, and acrobats. I enjoyed them quite a bit. As some people have mentioned, the shows do sometimes have similar content, and do not necessarily follow the them that gives them the title. If you expect them to be a story.... don't. Just go there and listen to the music and watch the choreography and stunts, etc. If you decide it isn't your cup of tea, then don't go back. That being said, the opera show (on our second sea day, your schedule may be different) was a shortened, simplified version of La Traviata. I enjoyed it quite a bit, and was very impressed by the singers and their abilities. I have never seen opera in person and after seeing this, think that I may be interested in giving it a shot... again, your mileage may vary.

Music in Bars:

The music in bars was a nice change after my previous Carnival cruise that had only DJ music. But, the choices on my particular cruise weren't really what I would have preferred. Personal choice... No complaints, just not my bag. If you walk the length of deck 7 you will hear on average maybe 3 different choices. If you like it, sit and watch. If you don't move to the next area and see if it is better. I would have really liked a sing-along piano bar like on Carnival, but saw no such thing.

Lobby Music:

The lobby usually had some music at the bottom of the staircase, be it a pianist, the opera singers, or a string-piano trio. Very nice, refined, relaxing music. You would often see the older couples here enjoying themselves (along with others as well).

More later.....

AVACTION · October 20, 2014

Thanks for posting your review. Looking forward to more.

maureencruiser · October 21, 2014

So much of what you say matches my experience exactly. The pizza, the Cantina, the **** in the dining room.......;);)

scorpio123456 · October 21, 2014

Thanks for your review. Glad you seem to have a good time

Can you tell me (if you can remember) what drinks packages are avalible on board.

Tell you why I ask I booked through the UK and the packages avalible to me through UK are very limited. No all inclusive and only 12 drinks for $72 and beer and wine packages.

Thank you in advance.

Edited October 21, 2014 by scorpio123456

Beamafar · October 21, 2014

Thanks for your review. Glad you seem to have a good time

Can you tell me (if you can remember) what drinks packages are avalible on board.

Tell you why I ask I booked through the UK and the packages avalible to me through UK are very limited. No all inclusive and only 12 drinks for $72 and beer and wine packages.

Thank you in advance.

Have you contacted MSC UK or your TA?

Allegrissimo Classic and Allegrissimo Premium are available on Divina while she's stateside. The Classic is the same as the basic Allegrissimo but is dearer in price. Check the MSC website for the information on what's included.

ImperialCodeMonkey · October 21, 2014

I can tell you that for the Divina sailing, there were 15-drink packages available for $72. BUT.... there MAY have been changes that took place on the 18OCT sailing, as that is when they were changing pricing structure and "packages"... so... your best bet (sorry I cannot be more help) would be to contact them and ask, because I would not want to give you bad info.

Thanks for your review. Glad you seem to have a good time

Can you tell me (if you can remember) what drinks packages are avalible on board.

Tell you why I ask I booked through the UK and the packages avalible to me through UK are very limited. No all inclusive and only 12 drinks for $72 and beer and wine packages.

Thank you in advance.

lennel · October 26, 2014

we just came off the Oct 18 sailing we had 3 drink voucher books that we bought ahead 15 drinks each for 72 dollars, the avg cocktail was 7.50 so we saved alot. total 45 drinks for 216 dollars enough for 2 people. then wea lso bought the 7 bottles of wine package for 85 dollars the wine on board would have cost 25 a bottle so we saved90 dollars by pre purchasing them:D

Divina 11OCT mini review

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