Comparing Norwegian Epic with MSC Divina for Western Med cruise

I have done some research and based on which city we want to debark from and when we want to cruise (late April 2018), i have narrowed down my choices to the MSC Divina and Norwegian Epic .

Looking for any opinions good/bad about the Epic and especially if anyone has sailed on both ships so they could give a good comparison.

I have posted the same question on the MSC boards to get differing information.

Thank you for your help

Haven't sailed Epic but have Divinia (am very familiar with Epic though). Divinia is GREAT!

See this recent review for some comparisons of MSC and her views of Epic (although I don't think she has sailed Divinia but I could be wrong):

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2517302

dexddd

thank you for giving me the link to the review

I've been on both, most recently the Divina at the end of August. Both are great ships.

Divina all the way.

jdvmd,

Can you compare the 2 for me?

riclop,

Why Divina so much?

jdvmd,

Can you compare the 2 for me?

 

riclop,

 

Why Divina so much?

We are Black on MSC and Platinum on NCL and enjoyed the perks associated with both. We loved the entertainment options on both ships. The Epic cruise was several years ago but we had a great roll call and met some wonderful people. After the Epic, we felt like we needed another vacation because we were always doing something.

The Divina is a beautiful ship. Great treatment of Cruise Critic roll call. The entertainment was amazing especially the opera singers.

We are American. Since the MSC Divina is based out of Italy, I fully understand that there will be primarily Italians on the ship. How hard is the language barrier? I know very few words of Italian other than pizza and lasagne :). just kidding

On our sailing in August, there were tons of Europeans, not just Italians. A lot of Russians and Eastern Europeans specifically. On our sailing, Americans made up 30 percent of the passengers. There were no problems with communications.

We are American. Since the MSC Divina is based out of Italy, I fully understand that there will be primarily Italians on the ship. How hard is the language barrier? I know very few words of Italian other than pizza and lasagne :). just kidding

We were on in August and language won't be a problem other than some announcements are done in 6 languages but they do a lot less talking on speakers than NCL.

Divinia has an indoor pool, an adults only aft pool with great views plus the main pool.

Divinia is a great ship.

I have done some research and based on which city we want to debark from and when we want to cruise (late April 2018), i have narrowed down my choices to the MSC Divina and Norwegian Epic .

 

Looking for any opinions good/bad about the Epic and especially if anyone has sailed on both ships so they could give a good comparison.

 

I have posted the same question on the MSC boards to get differing information.

 

Thank you for your help

I have not been on the Divinia but have been on the Epic (and several RCI ships) in the Med. The Epic cruises are great and there are good long port stops (Palma has just been a half-day which makes this my least favourite port, but there still is lots to see quite close to the ship) without knowing where the Divinia stops, difficult to make a comparison.

The food and entertainment are top notch on the Epic.

I have to say that April is a great time to cruise the Med. The weather is usually kind, if there are a few showers they will soon pass and sightseeing is enjoyable. I have cruised in July before my schoolteacher husband retired. Never again!! April or May are the perfect months without a doubt.

On Divina, your table mates will be American if you have a set dinner time/place. We sat with a variety of folks from a variety of places at breakfast and lunch. We were in a real minority as Americans but it didn’t matter. As far as food, they do some things really well: gelato, pizza, seafood. I didn’t enjoy the brown gravy on ravioli, the egg pasta (way too salty) or the Indian curry dish (rock hard peas). It’s very Mediterranean so there aren’t any grits or fried chicken. I think I enjoyed the buffet best. They brought me peanut butter for my pancakes and I taught an entire table of Germans that trick. The crystal stairs are slick, so avoid heels. I did save the hide of one young woman who went flying past me after her spike heels slipped. I loved the shows and the entertainers were seen all over the ship doing jobs such as bingo and routing folks around. They also send their staff on every excursion. That was nice. The casino is smoke free, which was a breath of fresh air. Announcements are made about 5 times in as many different languages.

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After 21 NCL cruises we recently took a cruise on MSC Divina, 7 days turned into 13 thanks to hurricane Irma, and loved it. We have sailed on Epic also and did enjoy it too. MSC is more old world type cruising. We very much enjoyed the set dinner times, formal dinners, special dessert presentations, lounge shows and entertainment on MSC. We did a loyalty status match to their highest level and received many extra perks. The Divina is beautiful and the cleanest ship we have seen. Never felt crowded, no lines anywhere.

Safe sailing

Still looking for information.

It sounds like you're looking for specific information regarding both ships. Not sure what type of information you're looking for but for me.... I disliked Epic immensely and loved Divina absolutely.

So, what type of info are you looking for so that we can be specific and hopefully answer your questions.

Not really looking for anything in particular. How the dining compares (better food?), ambiance of the entire ship, activities on board, shows.

The biggest question I have is the cultural difference. I understand that the MSC will be primarily Europeans but will it be difficult to understand enough of what is going or or will there be enough English spoken? I have read that announcements are given in many languages.

When I called different websites for information(Priceline, Expedia, etc.), they told me that the NCL Epic is a basic nice American style ship where the MSC is very elegant.

Just looking for opinions or any other information that anyone can give. It is a close toss up for us which ship to take and maybe looking for something that will swing our vote either way.

Not really looking for anything in particular. How the dining compares (better food?), ambiance of the entire ship, activities on board, shows.

 

The biggest question I have is the cultural difference. I understand that the MSC will be primarily Europeans but will it be difficult to understand enough of what is going or or will there be enough English spoken? I have read that announcements are given in many languages.

 

When I called different websites for information(Priceline, Expedia, etc.), they told me that the NCL Epic is a basic nice American style ship where the MSC is very elegant.

 

Just looking for opinions or any other information that anyone can give. It is a close toss up for us which ship to take and maybe looking for something that will swing our vote either way.

My one and only cruise with MSC was this past Dec. 30th cruise on the Divina. I was Platinum on NCL and so was given Black Status with MSC. It made embarkation so quick we barely had time to blink and we were on the ship.

On Divina, the dining is mostly traditional, sharing tables in one of the MDRs. While I'm by no means a foodie... NCL over MSC as far as quality of the food goes, however, service goes to MSC. ;)

Ambiance, MSC is more elegant with a fantastic crew and fun things to do. MSC and NCL are very family oriented. MSC has special groups for the kids and while I'm not familiar with their kids program I know they have one and it must be fun. Epic is a fun ship too with loads of stuff, almost theme park setting and with a popular kids program too.

DH and I have travelled quite a bit and love the different cultures and like you, expected it to be quite different on the MSC ship, however, all the crew, officers, staff, spoke English quite well, some having a bit more difficulty than others, but it was never a problem for us. As far as other passengers go, we met some wonderful people, German, Italian, Russian... lots of different countries were represented. The announcements are long due to the number of languages spoken but English is almost always first.

We loved our New Years Eve cruise on Divina, it was a huge party NYE with lots of music and dancing, champagne.. lots of fun. The Captain, has a welcome aboard for the Black status pax and it was great, lots of champagne and real champagne at that. The roll call for our cruise was very small yet they provided snacks and drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) and each officer would go and sit with those attending the roll call, very interesting.

I think the major difference for those of us loyal to NCL is the dining experience and the fact that MSC still asks for formal attire to be worn at least 1 evening each cruise, it was 2 for us b/c of NYE.

Entertainment is different as well, geared to multi cultures, in that no comedians but lots of floor acts.

Looking at the various cruise lines, we chose Divina based on the price we paid for an aft balcony. On most lines, the aft balconies are much more expensive than regular cabins but on MSC the aft balcony depends on the level you want. So, say on NCL on aft balcony would be 25% more than a regular balcony, on MSC it's the same as a Starboard or Port side balcony. When looking at prices you need to look at that and consider what each level includes.

Anyway, I guess that's about all I've got, hope this helps.

enjoy your cruise whichever you choose.

Hrmkr, I am getting the very definite impression that your actual "concern" is the fact that you are going to be sailing with a bunch of non-Americans and you keep asking about the "language." Have you BEEN to Europe at all? If so, you surely remember that many Europeans speak English assuming you are going to be conversing with them.

You might ask about the SMOKING policy on the ship involved although Europeans seem to be smoking less than they used to (Asians, well that's another matter).

I’ve never sailed on the Divinia but just got off the Epic today and would not consider that ship again. My preference is Celebrity but we were traveling with a large group and the Epic just fit this time. Here are the pros and cons IMHO:

Pros:

Lots to do on this ship. There’s something for everyone.

Drink package covers almost everything (except water)

Cons:

Awkward staterooms with short beds. Expect to have your feet hang over.

Mediocre food with little variety from day to day

Less than friendly wait staff

Unreliable reservation system for shows and dining venues

Inefficient tendering process

Difficult to find a deck lounger on sea days

Having said all that, whether or not someone has a good time is really up to the traveler. We had a 5 star time on a 3 star ship. Good luck and safe travels.

In response to Bootman4U, the main reason that I keep asking about the "language' potential problem is that my wife is hearing impaired and at times has difficulty understanding what people are saying. Yes, some Europeans may speak English but could have strong accents. Secondly, what language are the shows?

Is there a lot of smoking on the ship? Is it certain areas or all over?

We are looking forward to meeting people from all over the world. It will be a wonderful experience.

This weekend, we spoke to a friend that recently went on a Med cruise. She said that the European style of the food was definitely different and at times hard to get used to. Is there a buffet offered if we look at the menu and don't see anything that we would be interested in eating? We are open to trying new foods but some may not agree with us.

Another issue we need to take into account is from what I have read that you get "nickel and dimed" for a lot of things. In particular, drinks. Do you really have to pay if you just want a glass of water? On the Epic, we can get a drink package for free as part of a promotion NCL is running.

I know there are many factors in deciding which cruise line to take when you are going in a new part of the world that you have never been to. This may be a once in a lifetime trip for us and I want to make sure I am 100% sure that I am choosing the right one.

Thank you again to everyone that has given us feedback. It is appreciated.