Divina - Our Third Time!

This was our third cruise on the MSC Divina. We've sailed on Divina in 2014, 2016 and 2017. We have many cruises to compare it with, as this was our 33rd cruise. Divina is the only ship we've sailed on three times, and would sail on again!

 

In general, from what I've witnessed or read in other reviews as a difficult situation are the language barriers. Typically we've always cruised on "American" cruise lines, thus English is the primary language. We anticipated in advance of our first Divina cruise to expect Italian as the primary language. It seems that many people expect English as the primary language and can be rather rude and unhappy when it is not. If you go with the mindset that this cruise will be much more diverse than you are used too, you'll have a great time. I will add that over the years Divina has become more "American" and English speaking than it was in 2014. (Take that for what it's worth...)

 

The ship is beautiful and well cared for. The Swarovski stairs in the atrium are spectacular. The Caffe on 7 is a nice coffee / espresso place with a nice view of the atruim. The public restrooms are all well kept. The Theatre is huge, with a nice view from just about anywhere.

 

Cabin - Each time we booked a balcony cabin. This cruise we had two balcony cabins next to each other. The divider on the balcony was able to be opened for the entire cruise, and made for a nice family place to hang out and view the ocean.

 

The Shows - Some of the best ever. And the pre-show entertainment is always fun to watch. Especially Mr. Limoncello! With the diversity of nationalities and languages on board, you won't have any comedians, guest entertainers, etc. However, you will have a variety of different shows. Many of the songs, even if not performed in english, and well known.

 

Restaurants - The specialty restaurants are a must try. The Galaxy is well worth the price. The food and view are the best on the ship! Eataly Steakhouse, surf and turf was so good, we went back another night and had it again! Eataly Pizza, Rosario the pizza guy, is from Naples, he makes the best Pizza I've ever had. His pizza is so much different than the pizza from up on deck 14. Although even the pizza on deck 14 is the best pizza of any cruise line we've been on, and we ate them nearly every night around midnite (and sometimes at lunch too!). What really made the specialty restaurants special... the Head Waiter,Gianmarco. He covers all of the specialty restaurants and goes out of his way to make sure that you enjoy every bite of your meals. One night, as a joke, my only complaint to him was there were seeds in my lemon... he went and got another lemon, de-seeded it,and freshly squeezed it himself on my lobster! We also tried Restaurant Italia. Also, delicious, the antipasti plate and the steak sauces are excellent.

 

Bar Service - Different from your standard "American" run cruise line. They aren't constantly after you to buy another drink, and if you need a drink in the show, get it beforehand as there isn't a bar in the theatre. My only complaint.... rarely could you find a diet coke. Lots of coke zero, but very few diet coke, and my sister is a diet coke addict. Also, many bartenders didn't seem to know that Ginger beer is non-alcohol. And, like diet coke, not available in all the bars. (I'm the ginger beer addict...) Oh, and cherry coke was also hard to find. I think I had a tantrum at one time for the cherry coke.... they didn't have it...two cans were delivered to my cabin later that day....

 

The Gym - I know... who cares when you're on vacation. Me! I'm kind of a gym rat and I used the gym every day. It's large, clean, very nice, a good variety of equipment, even a free weight dumbbell section. It's also in a great area with full windows on three sides so there is always an ocean view!

 

Staff - Many of the staff members had remembered us from previous sailings. This made our cruise extra special. Many crew members and officers had welcomed us back with a hug or a handshake. One, Austin - Buffet Supervisor, welcomed us back with a handshake and our favorite pepperoni pizza! Many, many crew members went far above and beyond in making us feel like they really enjoyed having us back on board. The level of service we had received was far above any level of service from any other cruise line.

 

Overall, that's my quick review. Feel free to ask if you have any questions.

Overall, that's my quick review. Feel free to ask if you have any questions.

 

What experience did you have (Bella, Fantastica, or Aurea?)

Fantastica - 12210

 

We also bought the dining package and drink vouchers before the cruise.

Fantastica - 12210

 

We also bought the dining package and drink vouchers before the cruise.

 

We have the Aurea Experience (we cruise in November) and have the drink package included. Otherwise I think those drink vouchers are a great value! If we didn't have Aurea, we would definitely purchase a couple of those pre-cruise. I doubt we will get the specialty dining, but I keep reading about how good they are, so I might have to rethink this one.

Thanks for your review! Sounds all good to me. I am booked on my first MSC cruise for next year on the Seaside. I have been considering Divina though for some time, and hopefully will also get to cruise on her in the future. I will not be drinking much alcohol on my cruise, just one or two a day maybe, but do enjoy wine with dinner, so the drink package would not benefit me much, but my question is; did you eat in any of the non pay extra dining rooms? If so how was it? and if you have a drink with dinner, were you able to get one in a timely manner? I am not worried about the Europeanness of the cruiseline, because I speak three languages and have European parents. Actually look forward to these differences:)

Thanks for the review - interested to hear about the speciality restaurants. How did you find the MDR?

Thanks for the review! I'm happy to hear about the gym as well! I go 5 days a week and hope to go while on vacation. Happy to hear that there is a dumbbell section. That is my preference over machines.

Thanks so much for your review, we are cruising on the Divina in 3 days, May 6th. This will be our first time and we have a 2 room suite w/Aurea package....so excited to try MSC!

Glad you enjoyed it the 3rd time.

Thanks for the concise report.

Thanks so much for your review, we are cruising on the Divina in 3 days, May 6th. This will be our first time and we have a 2 room suite w/Aurea package....so excited to try MSC!

 

razzzbere I hope you do a review and post some pictures when you return. I would love to know your experience with the free massage, the Thermal Area, the exclusive sun deck, priority embarkation, and the My Choice Dining. We are cruising MSC for the first time and have one of those S3 corner suites at the end of November :) Which cabin are you in? We are in 11010.

Thank you for posting. Who was the cruise director?

So.... several MDR questions.....

 

My experience with specialty restaurants hasn't been worth the extra cost on most cruise lines that I have taken. In fact some have been so bad that they refunded our dining costs. The only stand out would be Blu on Celebrity. With regard to MSC only, 2014 we didn't do any specialty restaurants. 2016 we tried two of them, and 2017 we tried them all. Galaxy was the best in our opinion.

 

The MDR - In all honesty 2014 was the best overall MDR food. 2016 they revamped the menu just prior to our cruise. It was still good, just not as good as 2014. However, in 2014 it was a longer dining experience and many people complained that it took too long. This year, the food in the MDR is still good, however, it is your typical very large crowded venue. Not to offend anyone.... but... there were several families with young kids that just let them run around in the dining room, including jumping up and down on the furniture. The specialty restaurants are very roomy, small venues, excellent food and service, and not too pricey. Breakfast in the MDR was extremely slow. Up on the pool deck there is usually a made to order Omelette bar, this was very good!

 

Ordering drinks in the MDR was spotty. Alcoholic drinks / wine was usually quicker than ordering soda. But again, my sister always wanted a diet coke, which was difficult to find. Eventually we'd just stop at a bar before heading to the MDR and carry in our own drinks.

 

Andre was our Cruise Director.

 

Hope this answers everyone's questions.

First , thank you for your informative and positive review .

 

Secondly , a few silly questions please .

 

Did you or have you in the past , purchased a photo package ? Any info on this ?

 

Did you eat at the Sports bar ? Any recommendations ?

 

What Fantactica balcony room did you book ? We are in cabins 12228-30-32 ( 3 rooms) and are a bit concerned about being so far aft.

 

Thanks for your willingness to help us future cruisers. We sail July 22, first time with MSC .

Thanks for the response. All good info. I think this time I will spring for a dinner or two at some specialty restaurants. Thanks again.

First , thank you for your informative and positive review .

 

Secondly , a few silly questions please .

 

Did you or have you in the past , purchased a photo package ? Any info on this ?

 

Did you eat at the Sports bar ? Any recommendations ?

 

What Fantactica balcony room did you book ? We are in cabins 12228-30-32 ( 3 rooms) and are a bit concerned about being so far aft.

 

Thanks for your willingness to help us future cruisers. We sail July 22, first time with MSC .

 

 

Never a silly question!

 

We did eat in the sports bar. Fish n Chips, and the Mozzarella Sticks were very good. Salads.... terrible. Service was poor at best. This bar too, didn't have diet coke or cherry coke. Interestingly enough, the coffee bar which is right around the corner always did. The server would not go around the corner and get it for us and we got it ourselves. (most staff members would do their best to at least try to get them for us, but not the sports bar.) This was easily the worst service on the ship. Do give it a try though, I'm sure they've moved around staff. Worst case you leave. When we were on in 2016, they had a great staff at that bar.

 

As for cabins, we've been in 12140, 12220, and 12210. Good thing is that you are near the elevators and stairs. Two decks up and you are directly in the middle of the buffet. It will be really nice to have the partitions on the 3 balconies opened.

When you went to the specialty restaurants were any of them covered as a perk? Last year we used our card to eat in the Steakhouse and it was a fixed menu. I understand that policy has changed and just wondered if it was the full menu, limited menu, how does that work now, if you know?

 

We did not try Galaxy or the Italian restaurant last year but want to this year; did you have a personal preference for one over the other? I had not considered the pizza restaurant because we loved the pizza at the buffet and couldn't see spending money on pizza.

 

Did you notice any other significant changes compared to your earlier cruises? Thanks

Glad you enjoyed your cruise.

 

 

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This was our third cruise on the MSC Divina. We've sailed on Divina in 2014, 2016 and 2017. We have many cruises to compare it with, as this was our 33rd cruise. Divina is the only ship we've sailed on three times, and would sail on again!

 

In general, from what I've witnessed or read in other reviews as a difficult situation are the language barriers. Typically we've always cruised on "American" cruise lines, thus English is the primary language. We anticipated in advance of our first Divina cruise to expect Italian as the primary language. It seems that many people expect English as the primary language and can be rather rude and unhappy when it is not. If you go with the mindset that this cruise will be much more diverse than you are used too, you'll have a great time. I will add that over the years Divina has become more "American" and English speaking than it was in 2014. (Take that for what it's worth...)

 

The ship is beautiful and well cared for. The Swarovski stairs in the atrium are spectacular. The Caffe on 7 is a nice coffee / espresso place with a nice view of the atruim. The public restrooms are all well kept. The Theatre is huge, with a nice view from just about anywhere.

 

Cabin - Each time we booked a balcony cabin. This cruise we had two balcony cabins next to each other. The divider on the balcony was able to be opened for the entire cruise, and made for a nice family place to hang out and view the ocean.

 

The Shows - Some of the best ever. And the pre-show entertainment is always fun to watch. Especially Mr. Limoncello! With the diversity of nationalities and languages on board, you won't have any comedians, guest entertainers, etc. However, you will have a variety of different shows. Many of the songs, even if not performed in english, and well known.

 

Restaurants - The specialty restaurants are a must try. The Galaxy is well worth the price. The food and view are the best on the ship! Eataly Steakhouse, surf and turf was so good, we went back another night and had it again! Eataly Pizza, Rosario the pizza guy, is from Naples, he makes the best Pizza I've ever had. His pizza is so much different than the pizza from up on deck 14. Although even the pizza on deck 14 is the best pizza of any cruise line we've been on, and we ate them nearly every night around midnite (and sometimes at lunch too!). What really made the specialty restaurants special... the Head Waiter,Gianmarco. He covers all of the specialty restaurants and goes out of his way to make sure that you enjoy every bite of your meals. One night, as a joke, my only complaint to him was there were seeds in my lemon... he went and got another lemon, de-seeded it,and freshly squeezed it himself on my lobster! We also tried Restaurant Italia. Also, delicious, the antipasti plate and the steak sauces are excellent.

 

Bar Service - Different from your standard "American" run cruise line. They aren't constantly after you to buy another drink, and if you need a drink in the show, get it beforehand as there isn't a bar in the theatre. My only complaint.... rarely could you find a diet coke. Lots of coke zero, but very few diet coke, and my sister is a diet coke addict. Also, many bartenders didn't seem to know that Ginger beer is non-alcohol. And, like diet coke, not available in all the bars. (I'm the ginger beer addict...) Oh, and cherry coke was also hard to find. I think I had a tantrum at one time for the cherry coke.... they didn't have it...two cans were delivered to my cabin later that day....

 

The Gym - I know... who cares when you're on vacation. Me! I'm kind of a gym rat and I used the gym every day. It's large, clean, very nice, a good variety of equipment, even a free weight dumbbell section. It's also in a great area with full windows on three sides so there is always an ocean view!

 

Staff - Many of the staff members had remembered us from previous sailings. This made our cruise extra special. Many crew members and officers had welcomed us back with a hug or a handshake. One, Austin - Buffet Supervisor, welcomed us back with a handshake and our favorite pepperoni pizza! Many, many crew members went far above and beyond in making us feel like they really enjoyed having us back on board. The level of service we had received was far above any level of service from any other cruise line.

 

Overall, that's my quick review. Feel free to ask if you have any questions.

 

Thanks for the information;

With regard to Galaxy and Italia: did you by any chance take a picture of the menu? I am considering booking for the four of us. I have seen pictures of the plates at Galaxy, showing three of four little bites of food on a long plate. While pretty, and no doubt delicious, there are three hungry men in my family, and I don't want them to come out hungry! Thanks for your help,

Thank you so much! Reviews like your's are very helpful to though of us new to MSC. While our cruise will be on Seaside its nice to read about experiences on other MSC ships. We too have always gone on lines/ships that cater to the US market, we are excited to see a more international mix of passengers.

I am going to book the dining package and use the Black Card meals as well. I have read that the Galaxy has a Special Sea-day Brunch, how is this?

If you go with the mindset that this cruise will be much more diverse than you are used too, you'll have a great time.

That is the truth. And I loved the fact that it was different. For those of you that don't like different, they have designed the Seaside with the American market in mind. However I still expect a more diverse crew and passenger base. I'll let you know after my cruise in January. Thanks for the review. Bob