Karaoke_Nadine

Thanks for your response. We have been going back and forth on what to do.Your raving recommendation of the Yacht Club now has given us the confidence to book this ship. Thanks again.

I am also tempted to try a Yacht Club experience. I am not totally giving up on MSC. I would love to book Seaside in 2018 but just haven't clicked the tab. I will also try and avoid heavy kid traffic times. I have sailed many times on Carnival, a few on Princess and once on Royal. I have yet to try Celebrity but have heard great things. Again, my 1st sailing last year on MSC was amazing which made me book again this year. We're still cruising right!?!

Disembarkations procedure in the daily quite clearly states to vacate your room by 7am. If you were then being woken at 8am buy the cabin attendant i fully understand why he was close to kicking you out. Afraid thats a case of your problem.... not his or MSC's

 

Stuart, I read that! Being that I have a handicapped son in a handicapped room, I don't need him to be sitting in a lounge for 3.5 hours because they are not ready to release us. Furthermore, I disagree with Parallax not expecting smiles while being serviced. Smiles are contagious!!! :D They go a long way to start your day, and end your day.

Michelle, we had a 2 yr and 5 yr old. I didn't inquire about laundry service as I brought my own soap powder and did their laundry in the sink. Then laid it on the balcony chairs to dry. There is also a drying line in the shower. Each time they napped, I try and get a few things laundered. They smelled fresh when they dry in the sun too.

I must say, "You get what you pay for"....MSC offers great pricing. They must cut somewhere. I had a Fantasica experience and my cabin steward was not that fantastic.

Just got back from my Easter cruise 2016. My 1st sailing was last Easter on Divina. She is just as beautiful as last year, and well taken care of.

Here is my 2 CENT$........

WOW! What a difference a year made. The service and friendliness on board is lacking. Our cabin steward never called us by name, smiled, or did anything above average to warrant an extra tip. He did not keep our ice bucket filled with ice even after asking. He was actually angry at us for taking things out of the mini bar and putting away so we could fill it with our own goodies. Gerwin/Derwin (our cabin steward) made sure he woke us up at 7am on disembarking day, then again at 7:30, then by 8:00am he damn near kicked us out. Was angry that we were still there and he reminded us that it was 8:00am and late.

I asked at the service desk for a doorbell and vibrating alarm for my deaf adult son and I never got one....(had one last year).

The food at the buffet is still pretty good and my only complaints here is that they seemed to put out less of a variety than last year. I also noticed they reduced their water/iced tea cups to a very small 8oz size. I guess they want you to get up often to refill so ya don't waste. The pizza....is still the BEST pizza I've eaten. Their crust is superb. The main dining food is always great too. However, our waiter there was very very slow. I anticipated long dining times from my previous experience but when the table next to you arrives the same time as you, and is done when you haven't even received your meal yet....there's a problem. We chose to eat at MDR only twice. Pools were crowded as usual and struggled finding places to sit.

Our luggage was confiscated because we brought a power strip. We received it late in the evening our first day and we did get to keep the power strip. The shows were as fabulous as before. Do NOT miss the Michael Jackson tribute. All of the ports were amazing too.

I think I will try MSC one more time before I decide to go back to Carnival.

MSC really needs to improve staff demeanor. I didn't feel important as I did last year. Not many smiles. Staffed seemed unhappy.

If you're interested in a handicapped cabin, you can see my cabin video on YouTube if you search for MSC Divina Handicapped Cabin #10206

This is my 2 cents and feel free to ask me any questions.

Thank you! I'm a lil nervous about the 4 and 2 yr old wandering off. I'm having dreams they will get lost. I'm checking threads regarding children and learning whatever I can.

Awesome! Thanks for sharing. Any tips for us? Anything crucial I should pack? Did you use the kid room at all and hang out there? Do they put bracelets on the kids? Any info you can give me would be appreciated. I've been on Divina before but not with children. We sail on March 19th.

I am traveling with 2 toddlers on Divina in about 2 weeks. They don't have passports. We do not need one for US closed loop travel.

However, I am unable to do online check in for them without putting something in the box where it asks for passport numbers.

Can anyone help? What should I put there?

Yes you can! Orange juice and cranberry are only available during the breakfast buffet so I fill up a water bottle and take to my room for later.

Thanks for the reminder that I should've posted the outcome.

Here is how we/I planned the day.

The eve, before the actual day, we were at sea. There was a full moon and we sat on the top deck and told "Daniel" stories. We laughed, then cried, and then laughed some more. We wrote notes in small bottles and were tempted to throw overboard, but we decided to dig them in the sand at our next port.

Day of, was a sea day. After dinner, ( I did not do the empty chair as we were a group of 7 and there wasn't any room at our dining table) we went to our balconies and put on music (with my blue tooth speaker), our battery candles, and his picture on a table.

I purchased an Origami Owl necklace with memorial charms and presented it to her.. She actually held up very well. She loovved the necklace. It had charms of; angel wings, his initials, music notes, his birthstones, and a heart that said "son" and "in memory of."

We were actually not on a Carnival ship. We were on MSC's Divina. There was a Michael Jackson tribute on Daniel's day and it was sooo emotional. MJ was Daniel's idol when he was growing up.

Thanks for all the great blessings here and all the advice. I sure hope this post will help others with ideas, and healing. Being on a cruise helped in the healing process.....being in the open water, and open skies at night makes you feel as close to heaven as you're going to get.

Mom, did have quiet time at the very end of the evening all by herself and told me she got some good tears out.

We have planned and booked next years cruise already. Hopefully, an annual event.

OK....we are locked in. We have 5 cabins booked for the March 19th sailing. Still waiting on approval for my voucher. I have an email that I need to send to. I will work on a roll call for the March 19th sail date.

One more question if anyone can answer, I am sharing a cabin with my sister. I purchased the voucher. Will the $200 OBC from the voucher I purchased, be split for the both of us, or can I have all the OBC on my sail card??? I think it should all come to me since I bought it. Right?

Nadine,,,we had to forgo the $50.00 OBC in order for us to use our voucher. We did receive our 5% discount however which took a little of the sting away but our 11 night Fantastica aft balcony in January is costing us $1300.00 pp. Like Christmas,,New Years,,etc. Easter falls into one of those high demand weeks so the price will tend to be a little higher. Have you tried comparing a different week to see how much of a price difference there might be if you sail on an off-peak week??

Well, we went ahead and booked. I may call back and check if we forgo the OBC, and see if we will be able to use the voucher. Thanks for the heads up.

I'm not flexible with my dates, except for the week after Easter. However booking on March 26th Divina, will be exactly the same ports as the one we just got off of. The March 19th cruise is Jamaica.

I have a question for ya Mike, we only put $100 deposits per person. Are deposits transferable or refundable if we choose a different date?

The sail date is March 19th 2016 on Divina. I do have a voucher, and I want a balcony Fantastica cabin. We paid $699 pp and $299 for the 3rd person for Easter 2015. We also received Fantastica balcony and $75 pp OBC...(not including the 3rd person). It was our first time sailing.

I purchased a $10 voucher while on board, to sail again Easter 2016. The rates are now $1024. pp and $549 for 3rd person. It includes $50 OBC and 12 drink voucher package.

I am now rethinking this but I really want to sail with MSC again. We loved Divina.

Nadine,,,the $10.00 future cruise credit gives you onboard credit depending on the stateroom type you book,,,up to $400.00,,,and can be used anytime. Do you have a travel agent who is an MSC partner??

Mike, I am booking a balcony "Fantastica" cabin. They said we are already getting $50 OBC from the current promotion, "The Greatest Cruise Sale Ever" and the voucher cannot be combined. We are currently on hold with our bookings and waiting to see if we get MSC Club discount. I did enroll in that.

I am working with a TA but he is not a MSC partner.

Why do you say the $10 voucher is worthless?

They said we couldn't use the voucher on a sale? It has to be a regular priced deal. Not during a sale or promotion. I purchased the $10 voucher, and joined the msc club. I do have a TA that is working on it.

I'm ready to book again for next years Easter cruise. However, the prices are waaaaay more expensive next Easter, than we paid this Easter. The current prices include some on board credit, and a 12 voucher drink package.

I also purchased a $10 voucher while on board, which I think is worthless to use if MSC is having a sale. When do they NOT have a sale?

Anyhoo, I think I'm bummed because I'm ready to book, and it doesn't seem like a good deal. :(

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 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.

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

These are all wonderful ideas to help with the healing. Isn't it amazing how the ocean can soothe a broken heart. Nothing will take away all the anguish but sharing with this group might bring a little peace.

We lost my DIL and we did a balloon release with notes attached. She left small children and it seemed to help us all. I know you couldn't do the balloons but even writing the notes helped us and the boys talked about the notes going to heaven.

 

I hope the calming breeze and blue waves carry away some of the sadness.

 

 

 

PS The 4 boys are my sons and after years of being a single father he remarried someone with two sons. 6 boys.

Oh my goodness..... Your story is sad yet beautiful. I agree that sharing is all part of the healing process. I did discuss with my sister and she was happy to hear that we would not let his one year pass without a "quiet memorial." She also agreed that the calming seas would help the day pass without being at home alone grieving. I have his pictures packed, battery candles, and notes.

"Time is not measured by the minutes we are here on earth, but by the moments."

Thanks everyone! One of the old ladies is my MIL and the other old lady is my sisters MIL. The two old ladies (age 79 & 75) don't really know each other but we hooked them up in the same cabin. Heee Heee they are going to have a blast. They are ready to get their drink on. I requested them both to take a picture of their passports and text me so that I can have their info to do the web check in. I got it! So I will be taking care of it.

7 more days until we sail away on Divina!!!

Two old ladies are sailing together....is it required to do the web check in? Neither of them have computer knowledge. Can they just check in at the port?

****Passport Update**** My son Aaron will NOT be getting a passport for our cruise in 8 days. We went to the passport agency for our oral interview, and we were told that someone else has stolen his identity, We brought so much information to prove he is who he is, and they are continuing the investigation. They also showed us a picture of who applied under his name, his social security number, and his birthday. They said they are confident he will get one, just not any time soon. Sigh! Good thing we picked up another birth certificate and only need that. We are getting excited!!! Tomorrow is my last day of work for 2 weeks. I will be working on Aaron's background and checking his credit., and see if they are using his social for work. I'm thinking NOT, what crooks want to steal someones number to work right?

Just returned from MSC Divina. The ship was beautiful. The embarkment process was the fastest I have ever experienced and so was Dis-embarkment (15 min. tops). I only have one complaint... the language barrier in the Black Crab was terrible for Americans. We were almost at the point of drawing pictures. I work with many people with different languages and never had that much problem with communication but this was painful. I was part of the Vegan group so I did not get to choose what cruiseline and I do not plan on booking this cruise line again.

Other cruises have many different languages on board but this one was the most difficult to understand what they were saying. Some crewmembers were nice and helpful and others seemed rude.

What language should I be most brushed up on? Perhaps bring a dictionary? I am an American sign language interpreter. Will that help me? LOL! I can pantomime a lot.

Go to T.J.Max for a great bathing suit.

Bought one in Palm Dessert for 19.95.

With skirt had great comments on my last cruise.

Palm Desert??? Do you live in California? We do. We actually have a time share at the Marriott Shadow Ridge in Palm Desert.

Just bought a nice bathing suit at Sam's Club. Really good price. TJMaxx is one of my favorite stores too.