alli

A good question can be a good contribution to a discussion.

I did ask some important questions and the replies I received aided my perceptions of this discussion and others on this forum! Thanks!

No contributions to the topic as I haven't sailed either ship and one would really need to have sailed both to make any comparisons. I'm currently reading it as I have a reservation on the Divina and am gleaming any information I can from these boards.

I'll take your evasineness to my questions as a NO...you haven't sailed the Divina nor do you have any plans to...I'm sure you'll correct me if I'm wrong.

Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize you would feel that was an intrusion as your signature is full of reviews and videos from past trips.

Let me then ask have you ever been on the Divina or do you have immediate future plans to sail on her?

I like your idea.

 

Believe me, you'll find much more zones "to stay in" on the Allure/Oasis.

 

 

P.S. I am not in love with the Allure. :)

I'm just making it clear: Allure and Divina are incomparable products.

Cruisetail,

When were you on Divina? Or when are you booked on Divina?

 

The current "Board Reviews", in my opinion, seem suspect, as 40 out of the latest 75 postings on the "Review Board" are first time posters....now when has that ever happened? How come all the poster's are a one time, signed up that day to write a review poster, and never lurked, never visited a roll call, never posted anywhere on the main board, but signed up specifically on the day they wrote a review.....and they never posted again?

 

On every other ship, just decipher for yourself how many first time only posters offer a "Review".

 

I call it Nega-TIV-Bombing......so therefore......Please, I ask you, when you have a drink in hand, Please keep your..............

 

Wave your Pinky at NEG-A-TIV-A-TY!

Cruiseguys,

You bring up a very interesting point in regards to the validity of the recent reviews of Divina. Thanks for doing my 'homework' and cross checking poster names/posts/activity on the forums. I found/find it strange that so many of the reviews are short snippets that all echo the same complaints with no personal references related.

Those reviews coupled with the recent troll activity on these boards has me questioning the value of the Cruisecritic forums in general. I will continue to read here on a regular basis since it always adds to that special anticipation of the 'next cruise'. However, I will do so with a heightened BS alert monitor.

Don't feed the troll!

 

They stave and disappear eventually!

I second that!! Let's all just ignore.

Glittergal,

Check out some of the spa packages that offer weekly use of the thermal spa included in the package. There is one basic package ( I think called the Bali) that includes a 1/2 hour massage and use of the thermal spa at a VERY reasonable cost. I think the cost was like $55.00...

So do thesteam room and saunas equal the thermal package or is there something more to the thermal package...like the heated tiled loungers or a t-pool?

Hey Divina experts, I need some help here. Looking at spa packages for my May cruise. I'm actually not so interested in the spa package as I am in obtaining access to the thermal spa for the week.

What exactly does the thermal spa include?

Do they have thermal spa available on the Caribbean cruises?

Can it be purchased separately from a spa package?

You're getting the idea here. I want all the info I can get without having to pick up the phone and call MSC.

Thanks in advance!!

I think the policy is new...perhaps as new as the last few months. I've read several reviews and threads on it. I don't really recall the details as we didn't take any wine with us and so it wasn't anything I needed to know.

The days of taking cases of wine onboard are over.

Mark,

My husband and I took the plunge and booked the Divina because we heard it is DIFFERENT from the current ships on the market. After numerous cruises over the last 15 years we felt the lines have gotten a bit 'stale' and we're looking for something a little different.

Kevin,

I guess it's been a while since you've been on Princess. We've done two trips with her this year, just got off the Ruby 2 weeks ago. They have changed their policy and you are allowed 2 bottles of wine...all others will be charged a surcharge. You can peruse the Princess boards to catch up on the conversations.

Of course you could smuggle a case onboard...but lets not turn this thread into an alcohol smuggling rant.

Mark, enjoy whatever cruise you finally choose!!

Camofwilliamsburg,

Thank-you for taking the time to post your review and to follow up answering questions. After numerous cruises on different lines we have booked Divina for the week of May 10th and look forward to a great cruise!

We did a 7 night on the CB last spring and just finished a Ruby 5 night last week. I actually preferred the CB plan over the Ruby. Both cruises claimed to be sold out but the Ruby felt more crowded to me even with fewer passengers in reality.

As others have noted, CB still has the skywalkers lounge up in the "spoiler" on the back. Makes for a unique place. Skywalkers on the Ruby seemed to be 'lost in space' and just another lounge. CB also had a more open walkway through the guest service/entertainment areas. You walked through from the theater to the atruim and passed by other venues. On the Ruby I found this convoluted and the traffic pattern was a little rough.

Seascout,

I was also on this cruise and agree with several of your sentiments. It was a much older crowd than we expected! We did a HAL cruise in November and this cruise made the Hal passengers look like teenagers.

Typical cruise fare...didn't have that WOW moment...

Yup!

It was all very pleasant( well, except for the horrible Anytime dining experience every evening), but there was nothing that stood out on this cruise. It was like the crew was just going through the motions.

We have the cruise credit from this trip and I don't know that we're even going to use it. Already looking to purchase our spring vacation and I doubt we'll be returning to Princess.

Husband and I are off in two weeks for a 5 day shortie on Ruby. Pondering whether or not to purchase the thermal suite package.

Questions:

Is there a regular steam room in the spa changing rooms?

Is the Rasul treatment included in the thermal suite package or is this addition only on certain cruises?

We purchased a similiar package on HAL's Westerdam, but their package had a t-pool included.

Thank-you!! We're booked on a five night at the end of January and your experiences were a nice preview of what we can expect.

We were getting off the Westerdam the day you boarded so reading your review was like reliving our great week aboard HAL! The morning we pulled into Fort Lauderdale and I saw where we were parked I mentioned to my husband that the ship was "stuck" until all others departed...nice to hear I was correct on that note.

Also interesting to hear about 2 ships in HMC on the same day! That thought went through my head on the day we visited. It was a busy place with just the Westerdam, I think two ships would make it crowded.

Love your pictures!! And your 'style' of cruising. My husband and I make it a point to do something " different" on itinerary stops as we've been to nearly all the Caribbean stops numerous times. We veer away from the suggested tours and the pier shopping.

Oh, HalfMoon Cay minus that pirate ship would be an improvement. I guess people complained in the past there was no bar down in that middle area and that was the solution. I would suggest HAL replace it with some thatched roofed hut bars with hammocks/ etc for a more topical feel. Too bad I'm not on Hal's payroll, LOL!

I've seen those websites with the port information...but these days how is anyone travelling on a mid-market cruiseship going to escape the crowded ports? It just comes with the territory. I imagine Cozumel must be a beast on any given day. Until that time when I can afford a more upmarket experience I'll just have to bite my tongue and enjoy the quiet spaces on the ship while others head ashore.

I held high hopes for doing a through review of our cruise, but unfortunately work looms tomorrow and the pile of laundry must be dealt with!!

We are experienced cruisers with 16 cruises on a variety of lines ( Cunard to Carnival) and hopped on Hal due to the itinerary and the great rate we received. We were very pleased with the trip and will definately think about booking with HAL again.

A couple quick thoughts:

The food was fantastic!! We felt it was the best we have encountered on any of our cruises. We considered booking the Pinnacle one evening, but felt it would be just gluttony as we got everything we needed in the MDR.

Love the overall maritime theme of the ship and the sometimes eclectic art work. The ship is beginning to show it's age. This didn't bother us, but one can see that it's time for a refit. What amazed us was the ship never felt crowded! Passenger flow was fantastic.

The entertainment was so-so. The singers and dancers really were bad and we walked out of thier shows...just painful to watch! The cruise director did an okay job/nothing special. They show the movies in the Queen's Lounge;not the best venue for a movie.

Our fellow passengers were for the most part very polite. People were considerate about entering and exiting elevators ( believe me that is a big thing if you spend a week on board a ship when they aren't!) and didn't push and shove in line. We did run into the occasional braggart you told us how many Mariner Stars they had...kind of like Diamond people on RCL or Elites on Celebrity.

St. Maarten with six ships!!! Ugh. Oh, well, it is just the cruise industry these days when you pull into port and you realize that the ship next to you has 4-5 thousand people on it! I throughly enjoyed myself onboard that day!

HalfMoon Cay...expected much more as people always rave about it on these boards. It's pretty, it's a beach...it's nothing to write home about.

Gotta run and continue with laundry!! I do have the daily sheets from the trip, but my scanner is broken, so I can't post.

Loonbeam,

This is actually my take on all of it. The actual 'official policy' is that they can't say yes to storing the medications due to rules of dispensing, etc.

I am pretty sure that once you board the medical center will take a medication and store it for you.

I'm not going to be the one who tests this theory out, LOL!! I discussed it with my doctor and I'm going to manipulate my weekly dosage so that I can take it 24 hours into the cruise and than again the day after I get home.

While this is not a problem for myself, for those who need a daily dose of a refridgerated medication...it definately needs more discussion/exploration.

My suggestion is to contact Princess and get a specific answer instead of risking not being able to use the medical center fridge.

BINGO!!! Correct answer.

Just called Princess and after waiting on hold ( I have now memorized the ports for the Japanese bookings) for quite some time, I was told that storing meds in the medical center is against their policy.

I wasn't given any other options...

Ummmm...

Thanks for all the replies. I will be visiting the medical center on day one to drop off my medication!

Off on the Caribbean Princess in 2 weeks and will need to take along a medication that needs to be kept cold ( I take it once a week). I know from past cruises that the fridges in the cabins really aren't cold enough. Does anyone have any experience with having the medical center 'hold' a medication for a passenger?

Is this going to be a huge hassle?

We opted for the premium drink package last spring on our Century cruise and while it worked well for us, it may have worked a little too well and led to a bit of over indulgence in the evenings( I blame the waiter in the main dining room who kept on topping off our wine glasses like there was no tomorrow).

We're getting old and just can't handle the alcohol like we used to. I must say it was great for water and coffee drinks from the Cova Cafe during the day. Afer much discussion we opted to skip the package on our upcoming Millie shortie and this morning we upgraded to a balcony. Now I'm looking into the non-alcohol premium package, LOL!!

Now if we were still in our thirties or forties....it would be a no-brainer to purchase a package!!