nickw

23 minutes ago, StephenA said:

 

 

Great thanks! What site is this that you used?

Unfortunately, we aren’t allowed to post outside websites on this forum.

11 minutes ago, StephenA said:

Just booked cabin 2208 on the Magic for Jan 2020 for me solo.  Only 1A’s left available that had the convertible sofa were 2203,2204,2207,2208.  I was able to find pictures and a video of the layout of the 2203/2204 rooms but nothing anywhere on line with pictures of the other two. Was wondering if anybody knew the layout of these two, i.e. bed and sofa in the L shape that they are in the 1A porthole rooms, or if they are shaped more like 2203/2205 (square with vanity in middle and one bed to the left or right of door and sofa to the opposite side.   Also any opinions from all you expert 1A-ers on which of these four rooms you would choose if those were your only 1A options?   Thanks! 

 

Oh yea...this thread rocks!!! Awesome info 🙂

If you can find pictures of sister ships like the Breeze, their rooms will be similar layouts. Here’s one from the Breeze 2207.

We ended up going with Bernard's. I made a video of our trip:

Check the video out if you have time.

We arrived late in port, so we didn't get to see much sunshine at Orient, which was pretty disappointing.

And we only got to see 1 plane.

I don't blame Bernard for this... it was definitely the bad timing of when we were in port.

Returned from our October 8th cruise. Definitely should have bought the photo package in advance!!! Prices were easily 2x as much on board, if not more!

Anyone been on a cruise since the weather-shortened dry dock? Wondering what was done on the ship lately. Thanks.

I didn't notice any changes worth mentioning!

We were still watching the football game on my phone when we started to see staff walking by in life jackets. One of the staff said "We're having muster drill here soon, you have to go to your room to get your life jacket". Not having been formally given any instructions thru the intercom, we moved down to the next lounge and continued watching the game. People started gathering in the lounge with their life jackets, despite no announcements. Fifteen minute later, they made an announcement that the drill would be starting soon, and to make your way to the cabin when the muster alarm goes off.

It was very odd to me that people were so proactive about getting their life jackets and reporting to their muster stations before we were even told to. We watched the game on my phone until we were told to by the intercom. The safety drill did not seem very serious, and I missed 90% of what they said because I was watching the game. No one asked me to put my phone away, and no one seemed to care. I'm not even sure how long the drill lasted because I was very distracted. I do think it's silly that 1. They still require guests to don their life jackets and that 2. The staff did not impose a sense of seriousness onto the guests.

We would later change into pants for dinner and make our way to the dining room for our 6:00 PM seating. We were assigned the Villa Rosa dining room at the back of the ship on deck 6. I had looked at pictures before boarding the ship and had already made the impression that Villa Rosa was gaudy, but it was not as dark or as gothic as pictures seem. We arrived around 5:55, which is unlike my usual strategy where I show up 5 minutes late to avoid the rush. The dining room doors would not open until 6:12, and I attribute this to the fact that it was the first cruise after drydock with hundreds of new staff AND hundreds of staff that would later miss the boat in Miami due to Hurricane Matthew and flight cancellations (more on this later).

Table 814. We were seated at a large table with two other groups, a couple from Florida and three ladies from New York/China. We quickly learned that the portions on MSC are very European (Small). Personally, I was perfectly fine with this, as I always end up miserable after dinner on Carnival because of the large portions. I heard this complaint/comment from everyone on the ship. It is true, the portions are small. However, you can still order multiple appetizers/entrees, and the buffet is open if you still need to cram some food in.

Even on elegant night, Lobster would never be on the menu for free. It was on the menu every night for a fee of $19.95. The pay-items on the menu are listed below, and I believe they were the same almost every night:

Colossal Shrimp - Marise Rose cocktail sauce or American cocktail sauce ($6.95)

Surf & Turf - 5oz filet mignon and cold water lobster tail ($23.95)

Steam cold water lobster 1-1/4 - 1-1/2 pounds - with basil crunchy fresh vegetables ($19.95

Over the course of the cruise, I was satisfied with the dining room food quality and service. Our waiter was a bit slow at times, but I attribute this to him being new and them being short handed.

I was on the Oct 8 cruise and loved it. I have cruised with Disney, Princess, Celebrity and now MSC. Every cruise and and every cruise line has its issues. I was pleasantly surprised by how nice of an experience I had. People in my group of travelers booked Yacht CLub, suites, and balconies. I found that the expectations of the traveler in their specific room is what determined their satisfaction. The person that spent the $4500 for the suite, that didnt have a balcony and didnt have a pull out couch, had the worst experience. They were upset about something the whole cruise. The person that bought the $700 cabin and upgraded to Yacht Club for $400 had a great experience. This really upset my friend that paid for the suite and got far less value than the upgraded friend. My cabin was next to my mother's and the steward opened the divider on the balcony making one long convenient balcony.

We paid a total of $1700 for the cabin for my wife, two kids, and I. We wouldve paid over $4000 for that cabin on Disney. There was no Goofy, No Mickey, No Princess, but my 11 year old boys absolutely loved the kids club and playing soccer with kids from all over the world.

Yes the buffet is disorganized and it is sometimes hard to get a drink. but vacation is what you make it. If you let that ruin your trip that is your fault. We loved it so much we just booked MSC for spring break in Europe.

Food was average for a ship, buffet had variety and the pizza makes up for any short falls elsewhere. My only complaints are this. They need more staff. Staff was friendly but they definitely need more staff. The buffet is hard to move around. Just like at home though, if you want to avoid people dont go to the buffet during rush hour.

It's all about expectations. I couldn't agree more! Set low expectations and you will always have a good time.

HI, thank you for the review! Did you luggage fit under the bed? We will be in a inside too in April and I am wondering what to do with our suitcases.

Our luggage did fit under the bed. Since our bed was in the king configuration, we had to slide the bags underneath the 'foot' end of the bed. There was a small bar that supported the bed (think U shape) that we had to lift the bag up about an inch to clear. No problems though!

This is pretty standard practice on most all cruise lines.

They have a satellite feed with a fixed number of specific channels subscribed to by corporate and do not have the ability to receive most broadcast commercial channels.

I understand not getting all of the channels. What bothered me was their inability to change the channel if I wanted to watch a different game for a channel they DID have.

After eating, we felt guilty and headed to the gym. We had no interest in working out, but I was very excited to take a spa and gym tour.

Every cruise line is pushy on Spa tours the first day, but MSC was well staffed to sell you on the "Himalayan Dream" massage package (which looked very nice, actually). From a quick glance at a few price sheets, MSC has industry competitive prices and deals on spa services, but this is not something I ever spend my money on.

In order to use the gym onboard, you must first fill out a waiver. To be honest, I skimmed the document and can't tell you any details of what it said. After filling out the form, the staff placed a sticker onto my room key in the shape of a small barbell. I would later use the gym twice, and it did not seem overcrowded.

There were several sign up sheets for fitness classes: Yoga, Cycling, and Aqua Cycling. From my memory, each class was $10 with the exception of the Aqua Cycling which was $15. We were told that they needed 5 people signed up in order to hold a class, and that the spots were limited to around 10 people for each class. My girlfriend signed up for 10:00 AM Yoga on the first Sea Day, but not enough people showed up to make the class. We did not try any of the other classes.

We made our way back to the sports bar, as #9 Texas A&M was slated to play #8 Tennessee at 2:30 PM. We both attended Texas A&M, so missing the undefeated matchup was not an option. (A&M would later win in double overtime) The game was nationally televised on CBS, so I was hopeful they would have it. Come to find out, they would not be playing the game, and they had no ability to flip thru the channels to check. They essentially told me that they have a set list of games and that they were not able to change the pre-selected TV channels. This was the most obscure thing I've ever heard at a Sports Bar. The only channels available were ESPN Caribbean and ESPN 2 Caribbean, which featured futbol (soccer). The ship would have several NFL games playing on Sunday, but good luck finding an American College Football game onboard! :mad:

We would spend most of the next few hours streaming the game from my cell phone.

Up next: Muster drill, dinner, and our first day at sea.

As a long time traveler (since the 60's), if I needed a bottle opener in a hotel room or on a cruise ship, the first place I would look is in the bathroom area. It is usually mounted on the wall or a door frame in the bathroom. It is the standard location around the world if the room has an opener supplied.

Kind of makes sense. If the beer fizzes over, you'd want it to spill in the bathroom.

The bottle opener is in the bathroom on the wall (randomly)! I had read in the first time cruisers forum someone had said to look in the bathroom.

 

 

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Ah, I remember that now! I remember seeing it and saying "why the heck is there a bottle opener in the bathroom?". I didn't put 1 and 1 together.

Part 3.

Overall I was very happy with the room. The layout was pretty similar to other cruise line interior cabins. I have uploaded a brief video tour of the cabin, which you can find here:

In addition to the video above, here are quick lists of Dislikes, Likes, and observations about the room.

Dislikes:

1. The room steward wouldn't take or replace empty glassware when she cleaned the room. We ended up putting them in the hallway when she did not take them.

2. Bathroom power outlet was on the ceiling? (Not kidding...)

Likes:

1. The shower doors were great. No water on the floor! The shower still felt roomy, and I felt like I could take a more natural shower when I wasn't worrying about spilling water on the floor. I'm a tall guy, so this affects me more than it would some people.

2. The minibar price list allowed you to order additional items. I marked down five water bottles, signed the bottom, and the fridge was stocked the next time they cleaned the room. Very convenient!

3. Like the rest of the ship, there were plenty of mirrors which made the room feel larger.

4. The bathroom was nice looking - nicer than Carnival and Royal Caribbean, in my opinion.

5. PA system speakers in the room (in the bathroom), so you could hear the captain's announcements without opening the door. Fortunately, they never made any announcements while I was sleeping.

6. I love the cold. I kept the AC on the lowest setting, and the room was frigid! By my best guess, the room was under 70 degrees on the lowest setting. I love this, because I am often hot in Carnival cabins.

Observations:

1. The room steward would not take the old daily activities sheets. If anything, I appreciated this, because I was able to keep them all as a momento. If you'd like to see some of them, let me know!

2. Snacks in the minibar.

3. Beer bottles in minibar, not cans. Bottle opener?

4. The safe was very large; could have fit a full size iPad.

5. Phone was on a nightstand and not the desk.

6. Drawers on nightstands.

7. Cabinets under bathroom sink.

8. Hairdryer in desk drawer.

9. 2x outlets on desk, 1x on bathroom ceiling (dual US 110 VDC and European)

Here's a picture of the minibar offerings, with prices.

We dropped our bags in the room and headed out to see some more of the ship. But first, a stop at the buffet!

As expected, the buffet was packed. More people had made their way onboard, and everyone seemed to be starving. We circled around the entire buffet to get a sample of everything. The buffet was essentially identical on port and starboard side, with the exception of the front-most counter. On one side was the pizza station, and on the other was typically american-style burgers, hot dogs, and fries.

The burgers/hot dogs didn't do much for me, but I am certainly spoiled by Guy's Burgers on Carnival ships. The pizza, however, was easily the best pizza I've ever had at sea. I would frequent the pizza counter during lunch and often in the late hours before bed. One comment about the pizza though, is that they had some very unique concoctions. One example that I specifically remember is Sweet Corn, Ham, and Cheese. my guess is that they use the pizza station as a way to recycle their leftovers (corn, ham, asparagus, etc). Often, there were not many "normal" choices left - pepperoni, cheese, or margherita.

Different from other cruises I have been on, there always seemed to be a pasta station with 4-5 choices. The pastas were usually pretty good, as I would expect from an Italian cruise line. It was also common to see an "international" station with Indian-type food, which I stayed away from. The "Kids only" line was near the back of the ship, and they often had some of the best food - chicken fingers, cheese sticks, shrimp poppers, etc. The rest of the food was about what you would expect from a buffet - not terrible, but not great.

My biggest complaint, which you will hear from others, is that the food is COLD. Ok, maybe it's not cold, but it's not hot. By the time you put food on your plate and find a table, the food is lukewarm at best. The "MSC Breakfast Sandwich" that is served during breakfast was given 2 chances, and I only took 1 bite each time - it was just too cold to enjoy. MSC must fix the temperature of the buffet food, and I hope that they take our reviews to heart on this!

... to be continued ...

Points from this post:

1. Interior cabin was pretty standard. Enjoyed the shower doors. AC blows cold. (SEE VIDEO LINK ABOVE)

2. Buffet pizza is the best at sea!

3. Most of the buffet food is lukewarm at best.

Could you please post picture of the sports bar food/menu.

 

Thank you

I vividly remember thinking "I need to take a picture of this", but I guess I didn't. The mental picture is there, but I don't have an actual one. Sorry! This is the best I can do...

More on the sports bar later.

Enjoying your review. The pictures are beautiful. Going on her end of November. Do you what the cost is to use the bowling alley?

 

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While we didn't partake, I have read previously that it is around $7 for 5 frames of bowling. I had no interest in playing, and it was broken at least one day of our cruise.

I did see a sign in the F1 simulator area that was unlimited F1 Simulator, XD Theatre, and Bowling for $60. Unfortunately, the XD Theatre was closed/broken down most, if not all, of the cruise. This was pretty shocking considering it had been in dry dock the previous 3 weeks.

Thank you for your review! We will be going on the Divina next April. Where did the ship dock in San Juan? I have been getting conflicting info from MSC agents. One said Pan Am, the other one said guaranteed Old San Juan.

We docked in Old San Juan alongside the Carnival Magic.

Part 2.

I feel like I've been on Carnival enough times that I know the deckplans like the back of my hand. The occasional new ship comes to Galveston, and I get to experience a new decor that brings back that "first time walking into a cruise atrium" feeling. I was hoping to share this experience again on the MSC Divina, as I knew it was going to be a beautiful ship.

Leaving the casino, we made our way back into the atrium. WOW! Such a beautiful atrium, and the same can be said for the rest of the ship. The staircases, which I am sure you have heard about, have thousands of Swarovski diamonds embedded into the steps.

Looking down from the steps, the grand piano takes center stage, illuminated by a breathtaking chandelier hanging several stories above. The glowing glass elevators were actively moving passengers to their rooms, and I could not help but to smile in appreciation of how marvelous the atrium felt.

Mirrors seemed to line every unused surface - a common trend around the ship - which makes the spacious public areas feel even larger. As I've mentioned several times previously, I am a regular on Carnival, so the sophistication and class of the Divina decor was extremely refreshing. I'm sure you'll read me saying this again and again on this thread.

Passing back thru the atrium, I did take notice that there were lots of crew around trying to sell drink packages and other onboard services. I've been to many markets in Mexico, so the aggressive sales pitch doesn't phase me, but I know this may come off as offensive to some guests. We also experienced this during the Spa tour (more on this later).

We made our way to the first set of elevators and staircases. Strangely, even this area seemed very nice to me - from the elegant red carpet and black tiles, to the dark paneled walls and frosted glass pillars, this ship was beautiful. Wanting to do some early bird exploring, we made our way several stops: The sports bar with bowling lanes, the massive theatre, the golden jazz bar, the la luna piano bar (which we called the purple room), and caffe italia (the coffee place). Each of these locations was unique and well patterned. Most all of these places were empty, likely due to the time and the fact that most of the people had made their way to the buffet.

Next, we discovered a large number of the missing people in line at the concierge desk. I had a few questions about purchasing onbaord wifi, but to my surprise, there was no priority line for Black card members - or any type of priority for that matter. This is a feature I think MSC must add if it wants to have it's loyalty club be competitive with other cruise lines.

Onward to our room, 10179. An interior cabin! Although it wasn't mentioned on the benefits page, I assumed that being a Black member would mean that our room would be ready earlier than for other passengers. It may also have helped that the ship had been in dry dock for 3 weeks, so surely our room was ready to go. To our enjoyment, the room was ready! (1:23 PM) Staff had already delivered our "Complimentary Basket of Fresh Fruit" given to Silver, Gold, and Black members.

Sadly, the fruit went to waste, as we never ate any of it. On the next post, I hope to upload a video to YouTube of the room. I also have a few comments regarding the room, and will be happy to answer any interior room questions you may have.

... to be continued ...

Points from this post:

1. Overall ship decor is excellent. Beats any Carnival ship I've been on.

2. Lots of staff pitching onboard services as you embark. I recommend looking at pre-purchase packages online; you will get a better deal.

3. No priority line at the concierge desk. MSC must add this!!

4. Interior cabin ready by 1:23 PM. *May have been due to dry dock or Black status.

Would it be possible to get pictures of the sports bar menu items?

 

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I can upload later. I remember specifically taking a picture of the food items.

I see that funship freddy has already started a review of his experience on the 10/8/2016 MSC Divina cruise, but I wanted to share my perspective on the same sailing.

I have sailed many times before, mostly on Carnival. This was my first cruise on MSC, and I was enticed by the competitive pricing and loyalty matching (Google: MSC Loyalty Matching).

The start. Hurricane Matthew caused several problems for my inbound flight, and I was forced to change my flights twice thru American Airlines. A terrible airline experience, but I will keep to the cruise. We spent one night in Miami and were scheduled to board at 2:00 PM on October 8th. We utilized the late check out at our hotel to enjoy some beach time before heading to the ship. I believe that we arrived at the port around 12:30 PM, yet there were tons of people at the port ready to board. We dropped our bags at the curb and headed inside. Security lines were pretty standard, and they were sufficiently staffed to move us thru to the check in stands.

Near the front of the check-in line, I had to ask about our priority check-in, gifted to us for being a Black member (loyalty matching from Carnival). Had I not asked, I would have wound up in the line of ~100 people, as there were no signs indicating a Black card priority line. We were directed to an empty line, which was just alongside the clearly labeled "Aurea Experience" line. They may have been 10-15 people in the Aurea line. For those of you who are not familiar, MSC allows you to pay for different "experience" levels, which have tiered pricing and somewhat proportionate benefits (Google: MSC Experiences). The check-in process was very painless, and we were quickly whisked away to a private escalator that took us to the ship. We witnessed some employees exiting the ship and utilizing the same card scanner as us, which disrupted the flow of embarkation. I want to contribute this to the fact that we were the first sailing out of a 3-week dry dock, and there were lots of staff members moving around the first day. Regardless, we were onboard no later than 1:00 PM. The 'priority boarding' experience seemed quicker and smoother than it does with Carnival.

I had already read about the kiosks that are used to link a credit card to your Sail & Sign card, so we were able to quickly find one with no line. I had some initial difficulty, but a member of the staff was nearby and I asked for help (I was sliding my card too quickly). Throughout the first day, I did see multiple people having difficulty understanding the kiosks. I think that MSC has incorporated these kiosks in order to speed up the check-in process, but I feel that it is more confusing for ill-prepared first-timers (the current majority of guests).

Next, we asked for directions to the casino to pick up our drink package. We had preordered an 18-drink package for $84 ($4.67 per drink!). There was a line of approximately 15 people, which was a bit frustrating at the time - I was ready to explore. We still had vouchers in hand within 10 minutes. Hours later there was no line, so I probably just hit rush hour. You are required to sign for your drink package, and they slide your card every time you use a voucher. I think this is in place to avoid a "I never got mine" situation, and I understand the necessity to sign for the voucher booklet. In the future, it would be nice if MSC could somehow incorporate the "vouchers" onto your card, so that no visit to the casino is required.

... to be continued ...

Points from this post:

1. There did not seem to be a dedicated debark/embark point for crew members, which interrupted the flow of the passenger embarkation line.

2. Priority check-in and embarkation was quick; overall good experience.

3. Credit Card Kiosks are confusing to first-timers who are not prepared.

4. If you can wait, get your drink vouchers when there is no line.

Were there mechanical issues that necessitated the ship going to drydock before 5 years old? I thought these refreshes typically happened around that time? The ship was beautiful before and showed no real signs of wear this spring. Pretty impressive cosmetic refreshes

I heard it was just routine maintenance and preparing some rooms for the new "wellness" experience.

We came off Divina on last cruise before 23 day drydock, we were told by upper staff that all carpets were being changed on ship including rooms, lots of maintenance of decking and a lots of cosmetic repairs, im sure they will scrape bottom and paint and clean propellers, they were vibrating a bit due to ocean growth on them. I am sure she will be ready and beautiful. We had a great time, and for all the reviews you read about staff and food being bad, not true, we have been on divina 2 times and both times food and staff were great

Can you help with this?

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2399707

On the option to repurchase online, it lists the cost as $98 per person. If we purchase one package, under my husband's name, would all of our family's pictures in our cabin be included?

I would like to know this also!

Back in 2012, I did a private island tour with Noel Tours. I remember at the time that it was a close contest between Noel and Bernard, but I ended up choosing Noel. Looking at my options now, it looks like Noel has gone defunct and or priced himself out of the market.

Is Bernard's the only option now? Are there any other island tours that cater to the cruise passengers? I'm looking to visit both Orient Beach and Maho beach for as long as possible.

Does anyone know if the 100 photos for $98 are 8x10" prints?

The only description is:

ALL INCLUSIVE PHOTO PACKAGE, DONT MISS THIS GREAT OPPORTUNITY!

SAVE up to 80% of the onboard price! Choose a selection of up to 100 photographs from Embarkation, Studio Portraits, Dining Rooms Dinner, Cocktails lounges, Photo with Captain and many other events, in only all in one package!

I can see the pricing for the items you can pre-purchase, but I wanted to know if anyone knew how much photos were on board? Does anyone know how much the cruise DVD's cost on board?

Wanting to know if I should buy in advance or wait until the cruise.

If you've ever purchased a photo of photo package onboard, please post how much you paid!