mnpurple

@FamilyCruiserUK I'm glad we had a lounge pass at our hotel. They did try to charge us for breakfast the first morning and it would have been around $40 for one person and I also noticed a service fee would have been added. One of the things I enjoyed before about European travel was not worrying about gratuities. I think we'll need to pay close attention wherever we go though. Don't get me started, but the US has gotten a bit out of control regarding tipping culture, but I don't want this to be a tipping conversation.

NOTE- Sorry I am wordy! We made it to check in around 10 AM and were on board in the lounge in less than an hour. Super easy, we used our app for boarding passes and there was no health questionnaire. While in the waiting area to board we met the YC Director. This was the first time I have experienced this and he personally put on my wrist band and we had a nice conversation as he is from Germany and we plan to travel there in a few weeks. We have had more attention and information on this ship than any other. We explored quite a lot and it is beautiful! We stopped at the Sky Club (I think) lounge for a drink and it was a bit longer wait than I hoped, but a surprise dessert plate was served with our drinks. I was shocked at how many hot tubs we found. Four in the jungle pool area, two on the deck above the mid-ship pool and at least one in the stern area. At least five of them were on the outer deck area with a sea/ocean view. The ship was relatively quiet because many people were probably on excursions, so it would have been a great time to use pools and spas. The YC pool/deck area was pretty desolate as it is cool and rainy. We sat there for a bit and I had a delicious cappuccino with Bailey's. The poor staff who are not used to colder weather are bundled up! I rather like it being from a cold weather state. We had lunch in the YC restaurant and it was quite busy as many people also embarked this AM. The parma ham with mozzarella was so good and I also had the pasta with a veal sauce that is one of the better dishes I've had on MSC. Dessert was fair. Disclaimer - I drink boxed wine at home. I am not a wine snob, but hope for a little better quality here. We met the Sommelier and he had me try 3 different wines. The one I went with is probably $10/bottle. I believe he felt restricted by limitations put on him, but was happy to try to work with what he was able to. I don't believe I mentioned that we are in an inside room. It is cozy! It would be great if the bathroom were just a bit roomier and maybe another closet. The AC also does not seem to be working and for a middle-aged heavy-set woman, I'm hoping that can be resolved. It's almost 3 and we haven't gotten luggage, which is a surprise. Great start overall though!

@alserrod We were on the Seaview in 2022 in the Med, also in YC. It was a beautiful ship. We were so busy with all of the ports, we didn't explore the ship too much outside YC. That was our first MSC cruise and we loved it! The view from our window. Euribia is waiting!

We checked into the Leonardo Royal Southampton which is across the the port. It is a very nice room. We could probably walk to the port from here, but will grab an Uber because, bags. We found a fun pub, The Titanic and enjoyed a Guiness before dinner at The Red Lion pub on the main street. We tried fish and chips and a steak pie and it was all pretty good, but HUGE portions. Clientele was interesting and a bit drunk. I feel the same way about the conversation one gentleman wanted to have about politics as I am feeling about another happening on this board. Avoidance is a good thing sometimes! We will head to the port around 10 AM. I am looking forward to a week of pampering and being not having to change hotels for awhile. I'm trying to recall who on this board mentioned a "special" cruise coffee they like to order? Something with Baileys and amaretto? I'll have to search, but let me know if that sounds familiar.

I’m not sure if there will be much interest in this trip as most travel is via US ports, I can continue if anyone wants to know what a Northern Europe itinerary is like and info associated with it. we managed to board our train to Southampton.

Little did we know just over a year ago while on board Divina in the Caribbean, this week we would be embarking on one of our biggest adventures! We are a 50-something married couple (over 31 years), somewhat recently empty-nesters. Who knew this would evolve into a six-week journey starting with the cruise and traveling Europe? I guess me, because after another MSC in the Med in 2022, I hoped to return to Europe for a longer period of time, just maybe not intending six weeks! Our adventure began in Minneapolis with two connections and a final destination in London. We'd fire our travel agent, but because "she" aka ME, used credit card points to book business class and chose comfort over flight duration, there will be no one fired. If it matters, we booked through Air France and flew the first long leg to Amsterdam on KLM, which was very pleasant and their flight crew lovely. Despite a lot of nerves, we made it to London tired, but without much drama. We chose to Uber ($106) to our hotel in central London, Hyatt Regency Blackfriar. It is a lovely hotel and I booked it using points, which was even better! We also had a Hyatt award for club access, which includes breakfast and an afternoon canape and beverages. Breakfast has been higher quality than most standard American Hyatt’s we’ve been at and the social hour was better than expected. The canapes were presented on a butcher block and nicer than anticipated. Plus they had a self-service bar, which was a bonus because I should have expected it, but London prices are – wow! The hotel also offers as much bottled water as we’d like. It’s the little things! With only one full day in London and dealing with jet-lag, we toured the area on the hop-on-hop-off bus. I found this quite enjoyable because I could see the sights in relative comfort, but avoid the masses of people. If I need to see something up close, we’ll just have to return! We planned to have dinner in a pub across from our hotel, but didn’t make reservations and that was a no-go. The next plan was an Indian restaurant down the street, but I never made it. We started walking and thankfully on a “quieter” street I caught a cobblestone and took a tumble. Fortunately, this out of shape and not so thin 50-something woman has taken her vitamins and must have pretty good bone health, just sore and bruised body/ego. A lovely Londoner helped and I headed for the safety of my room. In our normal life, I don’t go out in the evenings much, so considering it was dark at this point and I was still out, I should have known better, haha! My lovely husband saved the day and brought back the food and a few cans of Gin and tonic from the local convenience store. Today we will travel via train to Southampton at 3PM. We have a late check out, compliments of the hotel status, so while I have a desire to get out and conquer more of London, we are moving slowly.

I'm not sure about the wristbands, but I doubt it unless it's changed since we were on last year. I wouldn't get your hopes up too much for the spa. Divina spa is small with steam rooms and saunas that are gender specific. There is a lounge area with only a few chairs and no thermal pool. We only went once on an 11-day cruise. I was with my husband, so we wanted to be in the same areas, which may not be an issue for everyone.

In May 2021, we were on our first MSC cruise on Seaview out of Naples and in YC. It was wonderful and we thoroughly enjoyed it. We were on Divina Jan 2023 and also thoroughly enjoyed that. We had a port-heavy cruise in the Med and didn't utilize the YC as much as we'd like. Getting on and off the ship with YC priority was a breeze and usually separate lines. There was always someone waiting with a YC paddle to help you re-board the ship. In the Caribbean, we felt the priority was very lacking and there were usually lines and not much priority help. We never had any issues at meal times and the service on both ships was very good. I would say the Maitre D on Seaview didn't interact with us much, but Divina was more personal. Funnily enough, they were brothers! Service in the lounge was probably better on the Seaview, but they both seemed a bit slow at times. They insisted on helping carry drinks or snacks to our room on Seaview. Bartenders on both were OK, although we were really turned off by our bartender on Divina because some comments he made about tipping. As far as service in our room, I think they were equivalent. I made a few requests on Seaview and was told no. I didn't think they were big requests, but whatever. Both butlers were good, but nothing over the top. We were happy with them, but sometimes wished we had gotten some of the service a few people have mentioned. Just little added touches like snacks being left or a random decoration, nothing major. All in all, we thought the Med was slightly better, but no major differences other than the return to ships at ports. We'll be on the Euribia in a week and a half in Northern Europe, so I'll try to share how that goes.

Thanks for sharing your review. We were on a similar itinerary on Divina last January and really enjoyed it. Now we get to look forward to the Euribia in almost 3 weeks in Northern Europe! I think I'll need to "up" my game with wine at dinner and ask for suggestions to go with my meal.

Enjoy your cruise! We'll be on Euribia March 15th. I'm curious how the Northern seas are and if it will be rough. I know that is weather dependent of course! Let us know how it goes.

You probably already know you can order pizza to your room in YC. I'm not sure they will do it on all ships, but when we were on Divina last year, they even made a pizza 1/2 and 1/2 because DH and I wanted different things, but couldn't eat a whole pizza each. We'll be on Euribia in March, so will need to test it out there!

Also, they will bring drinks to your room! You get a bottle of wine or alcohol as part of the YC, but many people save those because you really don't need to be mixing your own cocktails.

@Cotswold Eagle Sorry, I see where I was "slow" to grasp what you said. I did find it on the Eurail site, but it directs me to another site for the reservation. No matter, I already went ahead earlier, but I will learn and we have nearly six weeks to use 10 days of the pass.

@Globaliser Thank you. Yes, I've seen that page. It was more specifically not finding routes to Southampton from London. I have booked my tickets now. When I booked, there is a drop down for passes and no option for Eurail, so I'll save that for another day. On the actual Eurail page with maps and routes it doesn't show a line to Southampton, only Portsmouth.

@Cotswold Eagle Thank you! We purchased a global pass for 10-days to use anytime in 2 months. I think I'll pay for these and keep that day for some other time. I have researched a ton, but there are so many moving pieces with this, I keep second-guessing the train portion! There is an excellent web site for using trains, but nothing on this specifically, it's called The Main in seat 61 if anyone else is searching for using trains - all over the world!

I am figuring out booking our train as well on the same route. We will have purchased Eurail passes as we will have more time in Europe after our trip, but don't see that I can use those for this portion (no option on the pass list). Does anyone know if it is possible to use our Eurail pass? I'm also wondering if it is better or doesn't make a difference to purchase round trip tickets to/from Waterloo to Southampton? For the price shown below, I think this is fine and less expensive than I would have thought. One other question. We will be using Eurostar to go from London to Lille, France. When we return to Waterloo station (with luggage) is it easiest to catch a taxi to the St. Pancras station for that portion? I appreciate the wisdom of those on the board!

Actually you were helpful, just wanted to clarify if it was Southampton Central station we wanted. I know what station from London. Only thing I am not seeing is the ability to use the Eurail pass for that portion of our trip. I'll keep researching!

Are you booked on Euribia in March? Would be great to meet and compare hair -- mine has purple streaks! We leave out of Southampton on 3/15. I'm now working on booking trains if you have any advice to offer. We booked a Eurail pass because we will be spending another five weeks in Europe after the cruise.

Enjoying your report! We will be on the Euribia in March and also booked in YC inside. I hope the weather cooperates so we can enjoy some deck time! Also love the ducks! We have one from a prior cruise that is traveling with us in our Jeep! Her name is Francesca (white with Rainbow!)

Such a great report and I love how you thoroughly enjoyed the relaxation time and time with your husband. So much pressure to always be doing something or running somewhere and it's hard to change that mind set. When we were on Divina they did not have the cushions on the loungers, that is a great improvement! While we enjoyed our cruise immensely, we probably would not make Divina our first choice. I preferred the Topsail set up on the Seaview just because it was more open and our room was more spacious. Now, if the right cruise came along at the right price, of course we would enjoy it. That said, we are booked in March in a YC inside on Euribia. I'm hoping I don't regret the inside and that weather cooperates so we can enjoy the outdoor space of YC.

I just used this to purchase excursions. I'm hoping to get the credit. I wish they had some kind of confirmation and it didn't take a few billing cycles to know if you get credit.

Our first MSC cruise was on Seaview and that spa had a thermal pool, heated loungers, salt room, wet and dry steam, two saunas, an outdoor whirlpool, etc. Divina only has gender specific sauna and steam room, so if you are traveling with someone of the opposite sex, you can't spend time together. There is only a small lounging area and they are not heated. We only went once on an 11-day cruise.

If anyone is considering a spa pass on Divina, I would seriously consider it unless you really like a sauna or steam room that is not co-ed. I loved the spa on Seaview, but Divina was disappointing, although I was aware ahead of time and it came as a perk of YC. I wouldn't pay extra though.

We're in Fort Lauderdale right now and I can say I really wouldn't want to be on a ship out there! 🤢 Hope it's better than I am imagining.

This is looking to be an entertaining review!