Our Week on board the Divina

We are Canadians in our late 50's. We have enjoyed many cruises with what I call the US Branded Cruise Lines. We have had our most consistently enjoyable cruises on board the Celebrity Solstice Class ships. Thanks to this forum, I embarked on this our first MSC Cruise quite well informed. I was looking forward to experiencing "something different" and not necessarily trying to duplicate the Celebrity experience. I was curious to see what a European line would do differently and was it an improvement versus the US Branded Cruise Lines

Embarkation was typical of most cruise ship experiences. However instead of registering your credit card for your on board account at check in you must do so once you are on board at kiosk. This was in my opinion an unnecessary step and could easily be done at check in. We disembarked efficiently with only a 15 minute wait in the designated area.

We had a balcony fantastico class room - 12192 - which is the smallest size in that category. This means that the room lacked a sofa and was quite small in size. We knew this before boarding so it was not a surprise but it did mean that we had to be efficient with our space. MSC supplies a 2 in 1 shampoo/conditioner, body wash and hand soap but all are in a pump format. Shower caps are provided but nothing else.

The room also had a faint sewer smell which we attributed to the drain in the bathroom floor. Our remedy was to use a damp facecloth to cover the drain and this seemed to work sufficiently. We could hear our neighbours on occasion through the walls. I would imagine this could be a challenge if neighbours were overly noisy. Ours were not, thank goodness.

The room was cleaned sufficiently twice a day. Towels were thick and of good quality but the pillows and bedding were not. The pillows were flat and our white bed linen, although clean had yellow stains. The balcony with two chairs and a footstool was small but adequate.

The Divina is indeed lovely, with many unique architectural features, the most notable being the famous crystal staircase. Lots of glass and mirrors which are always sparkling and clean. Vintage black and white photos of old Hollywood stars are posted all over the ship and were fun to look at. The layout of the ship however is not so favourable. All of the bars, main dining rooms, casino and entertainment areas are concentrated on decks 6 and 7 and this creates a bottleneck of people in the evenings.

There is no outdoor space for dining or sail away other than the pool deck or the garden pool which is also the smoking area. There were lots of smokers on board but they fortunately obeyed the rules and kept their smoking to the garden pool area. The coffee shop closes in the afternoon on port days until 4pm. I thought this was very strange and made it more difficult to use our Coffee Cuddle Package.

The so called walking circuit on deck 15, is so crowded with deck chairs that it is difficult to walk. Jogging would be nearly impossible. The gym is an average size. Like most ships, the treadmills are frequently in use. All free weights are in kilos and there were few lighter weights- I guess European women don't use free weights. Pilates and spinning classes were offered for a fee but they did not meet the minimum sign up to have the class. There is a daily stretch and aerobics class held on the pool deck.

There are 3 public pools as well as quite a few hot tubs. We enjoyed them one day when the ship was in port and most guests were ashore otherwise, good luck fighting the crowd

Bring your own books since the library, if you can call it that, is a few measly books tucked away in a meeting room of the disco. There was also no games room for those who enjoy puzzles or board games or cards.

Food at the main buffet was quite good especially if you enjoy pizza and pasta. Both are freshly made with several types to enjoy. Salad items were limited which was a bit of a disappointment but there certainly was a good selection of other foods to enjoy. In addition to the usual teas and coffee, the beverage area also provided two flavoured waters and lemonade.

Finding seating in the buffet at peak times, especially on sea days, was challenging. Those same peak times were a bit of a free for all - everyman for himself. Courtesy forgotten. In fairness, we've experienced this on other larger ships too.

We were assigned dinner seating at the Villa Rosa and at a table for 6. We enjoy meeting new people at dinner and given the multi cultures on board, we were looking forward to learning about the lives of people from another country Instead we were assigned two other Canadian couples to dine with. We enjoyed their company for sure, but a little bit of diversity would have been interesting. MSC made a big assumption that same cultures want to sit together.

Dinner at the Villa Rosa was average to good most nights. I did not have a problem with portion sizes but on the two Gala nights for some reason they remove the "Classic - or always offered" choices and instead promote expensive wines. This means there were only four entrees to choose from on gala night. I passed on dessert most nights - not because I don't like desert, far from it. The selections were biased to ice cream and were not particularly enticing. I missed my usual cruise ship creme brûlée but I did however partake generously with the cookies offered in the afternoon snacks.

Service was quick, almost rushed at times. Our dining time was 6pm. One evening our dinner mates arrived at 6:20. They were told they were late and could not order an appetizer which to their credit they ignored and ordered the appetizer anyway. The serving staff were polite but they did not seem to be experienced. Tables are crowed together and it's difficult to move across the room. Certainly not a fine dining experience.

We decided to book Eately on a whim on the last night. Food was fabulous, probably the best steak dinner I have ever had. Portion was huge - too much for me and when I ate only half the Maitre d' wanted to make sure I was happy with my meal. The service was professional and friendly. The decor however is a bit odd with its plastic chairs and paper napkins. There certainly is no ambiance to this dining experience but you will enjoy your meal.

The entertainment is first class. The talent of the singers, dancers and the production team is outstanding. The singers are classically trained and as long as the tenors and soprano stayed within their genre they provided an excellent show. It didn't translate so well to singing the hits of Queen - lol -except for Bohemian Rappsoday which fit nicely into their singing style. That particular moment was show stopping. I was greatly looking forward to the much hyped Michael Jackson show but I thought it was just ok.

Since there are 25 different languages on board according to the captain, entertainment is limited to singing, dancing and acrobats. In other words there are no comedians. Although we enjoyed the opera style of entertainment it did become a bit repetitive as the week progressed

I enjoyed a 55 min massage at the Spa as well as a 10 min deck ($10) massage both were well executed with no attempt to sell product. I had a shampoo and style and again I was very pleased with the results but the hair salon was more aggressive in the product upselling. The Spa and hair salon advertised excellent discounts in port days

The staff were not as friendly as our experience on other ships. I was passed many times by staff who did not say hello or good morning- a very usual occurrence on other ships. I don't have a complaint about the staff but they didn't stand out either.

The ship guests are from many nations and I had hoped to find some advantages in that but unfortunately that didn't happen. Most cultures kept to themselves probably because of language barriers but that same barrier also limited the on board entertainment

In summary, MSC delivered a good but not particularly memorable cruise experience. I could be enticed back with the right offer but I would likely not proactively plan to sail with MSC. I will likely still favour Celebrity Cruises.

Thank you for taking the time to read my review. I hope you found it useful.

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Thanks for a straightforward review. We're on in two weeks. Looking forward to a great cruise.

Thanks for the review , we just got back also.

Thanks a lot for your observations.

~Brian

 

The ship guests are from many nations and I had hoped to find some advantages in that but unfortunately that didn't happen. Most cultures kept to themselves probably because of language barriers but that same barrier also limited the on board

 

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that's why I love that they sort the MDR tables by nationality.

Avoids uncomfortable silences due to language barrier.

Thanks for the review!

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There was a creme brûlée on the menu every night.

It is called a Wild Berry Studded Vanilla cream obviously not a plain one but very nice!

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Thanks for the review , we just got back also.

Do you mind sharing how you felt about the Divina especially the food and service?

Food is a very personal thing, we don't all like the same things or have the same expectations. A previous poster thinks pudding is Creme Brûlée- lol!

I would say the buffet was good for breakfast and lunch. One day we missed our 6pm MDR and ate at the buffet and was disappointed by the limited selection offered. The food doesn't vary much at the buffet. I thought they could have had better salad options and things like sushi or cold shrimp or mussels. Celebrity Solstice class ships have a much better buffet and variety of food through the week.

I would say the MDR food was on par with most mass market cruise line MDRs

Service was definitely average. I don't have any complaints, but the staff did not attempt to connect with us and no one left any memorable impressions. Perhaps Eataly was the exception, we had really good service there.

However I will add that the Captain and officers were very visible on the ship and I did see them in conversation with passengers. Captain Scala has a great sense of humour and acknowledges the work of his crew

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"Food is a very personal thing, we don't all like the same things or have the same expectations. A previous poster thinks pudding is Creme Brûlée- lol!"

I think you may find the previous poster is correct French Vanilla Cream is what creme Brulee is made from!https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/creme-brulee-traditional-french-vanilla-cream-360748985

Food is a very personal thing, we don't all like the same things or have the same expectations. A previous poster thinks pudding is Creme Brûlée- lol!

 

I would say the buffet was good for breakfast and lunch. One day we missed our 6pm MDR and ate at the buffet and was disappointed by the limited selection offered. The food doesn't vary much at the buffet. I thought they could have had better salad options and things like sushi or cold shrimp or mussels. Celebrity Solstice class ships have a much better buffet and variety of food through the week.

 

I would say the MDR food was on par with most mass market cruise line MDRs

 

Service was definitely average. I don't have any complaints, but the staff did not attempt to connect with us and no one left any memorable impressions. Perhaps Eataly was the exception, we had really good service there.

 

However I will add that the Captain and officers were very visible on the ship and I did see them in conversation with passengers. Captain Scala has a great sense of humour and acknowledges the work of his crew

 

 

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Creme Brûlée LOL!

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A creme brûlée is a vanilla cream with a hard caramel top, this is what we had!

The one on Divina had an addition of berries!

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There was a creme brûlée on the menu every night.

It is called a Wild Berry Studded Vanilla cream obviously not a plain one but very nice!

 

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I did try the wild berry dessert, and it was nothing like creme brulee' served in the states. Maybe this is a cultural thing? When I think cream brulee' I think of a nice crispy seared crunchy top. The wildberry dessert was served more like a pudding with berries on top (nothing hard or seared) if I recall correctly.

I did have cream brulee' on my second trip in YC and it was traditional cream brulee' like I'm familiar with and it was also called cream brulee' on the menu :).

Not saying your wild berry dessert wasn't cream brulee'; just stating that there appears to be different versions :).

We are Canadians in our late 50's. We have enjoyed many cruises with what I call the US Branded Cruise Lines. We have had our most consistently enjoyable cruises on board the Celebrity Solstice Class ships. Thanks to this forum, I embarked on this our first MSC Cruise quite well informed. I was looking forward to experiencing "something different" and not necessarily trying to duplicate the Celebrity experience. I was curious to see what a European line would do differently and was it an improvement versus the US Branded Cruise Lines

 

Embarkation was typical of most cruise ship experiences. However instead of registering your credit card for your on board account at check in you must do so once you are on board at kiosk. This was in my opinion an unnecessary step and could easily be done at check in. We disembarked efficiently with only a 15 minute wait in the designated area.

 

We had a balcony fantastico class room - 12192 - which is the smallest size in that category. This means that the room lacked a sofa and was quite small in size. We knew this before boarding so it was not a surprise but it did mean that we had to be efficient with our space. MSC supplies a 2 in 1 shampoo/conditioner, body wash and hand soap but all are in a pump format. Shower caps are provided but nothing else.

 

The room also had a faint sewer smell which we attributed to the drain in the bathroom floor. Our remedy was to use a damp facecloth to cover the drain and this seemed to work sufficiently. We could hear our neighbours on occasion through the walls. I would imagine this could be a challenge if neighbours were overly noisy. Ours were not, thank goodness.

 

The room was cleaned sufficiently twice a day. Towels were thick and of good quality but the pillows and bedding were not. The pillows were flat and our white bed linen, although clean had yellow stains. The balcony with two chairs and a footstool was small but adequate.

 

The Divina is indeed lovely, with many unique architectural features, the most notable being the famous crystal staircase. Lots of glass and mirrors which are always sparkling and clean. Vintage black and white photos of old Hollywood stars are posted all over the ship and were fun to look at. The layout of the ship however is not so favourable. All of the bars, main dining rooms, casino and entertainment areas are concentrated on decks 6 and 7 and this creates a bottleneck of people in the evenings.

 

There is no outdoor space for dining or sail away other than the pool deck or the garden pool which is also the smoking area. There were lots of smokers on board but they fortunately obeyed the rules and kept their smoking to the garden pool area. The coffee shop closes in the afternoon on port days until 4pm. I thought this was very strange and made it more difficult to use our Coffee Cuddle Package.

 

The so called walking circuit on deck 15, is so crowded with deck chairs that it is difficult to walk. Jogging would be nearly impossible. The gym is an average size. Like most ships, the treadmills are frequently in use. All free weights are in kilos and there were few lighter weights- I guess European women don't use free weights. Pilates and spinning classes were offered for a fee but they did not meet the minimum sign up to have the class. There is a daily stretch and aerobics class held on the pool deck.

 

There are 3 public pools as well as quite a few hot tubs. We enjoyed them one day when the ship was in port and most guests were ashore otherwise, good luck fighting the crowd

 

Bring your own books since the library, if you can call it that, is a few measly books tucked away in a meeting room of the disco. There was also no games room for those who enjoy puzzles or board games or cards.

 

Food at the main buffet was quite good especially if you enjoy pizza and pasta. Both are freshly made with several types to enjoy. Salad items were limited which was a bit of a disappointment but there certainly was a good selection of other foods to enjoy. In addition to the usual teas and coffee, the beverage area also provided two flavoured waters and lemonade.

 

Finding seating in the buffet at peak times, especially on sea days, was challenging. Those same peak times were a bit of a free for all - everyman for himself. Courtesy forgotten. In fairness, we've experienced this on other larger ships too.

 

We were assigned dinner seating at the Villa Rosa and at a table for 6. We enjoy meeting new people at dinner and given the multi cultures on board, we were looking forward to learning about the lives of people from another country Instead we were assigned two other Canadian couples to dine with. We enjoyed their company for sure, but a little bit of diversity would have been interesting. MSC made a big assumption that same cultures want to sit together.

 

Dinner at the Villa Rosa was average to good most nights. I did not have a problem with portion sizes but on the two Gala nights for some reason they remove the "Classic - or always offered" choices and instead promote expensive wines. This means there were only four entrees to choose from on gala night. I passed on dessert most nights - not because I don't like desert, far from it. The selections were biased to ice cream and were not particularly enticing. I missed my usual cruise ship creme brûlée but I did however partake generously with the cookies offered in the afternoon snacks.

 

Service was quick, almost rushed at times. Our dining time was 6pm. One evening our dinner mates arrived at 6:20. They were told they were late and could not order an appetizer which to their credit they ignored and ordered the appetizer anyway. The serving staff were polite but they did not seem to be experienced. Tables are crowed together and it's difficult to move across the room. Certainly not a fine dining experience.

 

We decided to book Eately on a whim on the last night. Food was fabulous, probably the best steak dinner I have ever had. Portion was huge - too much for me and when I ate only half the Maitre d' wanted to make sure I was happy with my meal. The service was professional and friendly. The decor however is a bit odd with its plastic chairs and paper napkins. There certainly is no ambiance to this dining experience but you will enjoy your meal.

 

The entertainment is first class. The talent of the singers, dancers and the production team is outstanding. The singers are classically trained and as long as the tenors and soprano stayed within their genre they provided an excellent show. It didn't translate so well to singing the hits of Queen - lol -except for Bohemian Rappsoday which fit nicely into their singing style. That particular moment was show stopping. I was greatly looking forward to the much hyped Michael Jackson show but I thought it was just ok.

 

Since there are 25 different languages on board according to the captain, entertainment is limited to singing, dancing and acrobats. In other words there are no comedians. Although we enjoyed the opera style of entertainment it did become a bit repetitive as the week progressed

 

I enjoyed a 55 min massage at the Spa as well as a 10 min deck ($10) massage both were well executed with no attempt to sell product. I had a shampoo and style and again I was very pleased with the results but the hair salon was more aggressive in the product upselling. The Spa and hair salon advertised excellent discounts in port days

 

The staff were not as friendly as our experience on other ships. I was passed many times by staff who did not say hello or good morning- a very usual occurrence on other ships. I don't have a complaint about the staff but they didn't stand out either.

 

The ship guests are from many nations and I had hoped to find some advantages in that but unfortunately that didn't happen. Most cultures kept to themselves probably because of language barriers but that same barrier also limited the on board entertainment

 

In summary, MSC delivered a good but not particularly memorable cruise experience. I could be enticed back with the right offer but I would likely not proactively plan to sail with MSC. I will likely still favour Celebrity Cruises.

 

Thank you for taking the time to read my review. I hope you found it useful.

 

 

 

 

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Thank you for the nice, well-balanced review of the Divina. You hit the nail on the head with "I could be enticed back with the right offer". Exactly how I feel. I've sailed MSC twice, and would sail again in a heartbeat since pricing is 50% of the main stream lines. If the price was close, I'd choose a main stream line every time.

I will just say that it is not just MSC that tries to seat people at tables with the same nationalities. That has been the case on just about every cruise I have been on. Celebrity, Royal, HAL, MSC, Costa, Carnival. I agree with the OP that I would like the opportunity to get to converse with others of different nationalities....but from the cruise lines' perspective, how would they know that someone from France or Germany etc spoke good English? I think they go out of their way to give you a pleasant experience with others instead of the awkwardness if couples did not speak the same language.

I agree with all of your comments about being seated with people who speak English. They could have however seated us with guests from USA, UK, Australia to name a few easy English speaking choices.

No offence intended to my fellow Canadian dinner mates of course

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Also ..... didn't mean to start a Creme Brûlée War. It just wasn't prepared the way I'm used to with a hard candy top

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The one we had did have the hard caramel top that is what I am trying to say. Maybe we were lucky as you can see from the photo I posted of my husbands.

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Also ..... didn't mean to start a Creme Brûlée War. It just wasn't prepared the way I'm used to with a hard candy top

 

 

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No war, I always appreciate Nikki's postings I think the cream brulee' differences point specifically to inconsistencies found on MSC worth noting. Not saying it's good or bad, but people sailing MSC should be prepared to have things 'different'.

Nikki: Ours looked similar to the picture you posted, but the yellow stuff was more reddish and was jelly consistency not at all crispy.

No war, I always appreciate Nikki's postings I think the cream brulee' differences point specifically to inconsistencies found on MSC worth noting. Not saying it's good or bad, but people sailing MSC should be prepared to have things 'different'.

 

Nikki: Ours looked similar to the picture you posted, but the yellow stuff was more reddish and was jelly consistency not at all crispy.

True.

Re inconsistencies. Maybe the crust had unset?

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Also ..... didn't mean to start a Creme Brûlée War. It just wasn't prepared the way I'm used to with a hard candy top

 

 

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No creme brûlée war but I found your "lol" comment about my posting a little bit sarcastic hence my response.

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Lol is Sarcastic! Wow sorry didn't mean to offend you.

Maybe I'll just go back to reading comments rather than posting them

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Lol is Sarcastic! Wow sorry didn't mean to offend you.

 

Maybe I'll just go back to reading comments rather than posting them

 

 

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Don't be silly let's put it down to cultural difference?

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Also ..... didn't mean to start a Creme Brûlée War. It just wasn't prepared the way I'm used to with a hard candy top

 

 

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May have been creme caramel.

May have been creme caramel.

Nope cos that turned upside down for the caramel to end up on top!

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Nope cos that turned upside down for the caramel to end up on top!

 

 

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Crème caramel, flan, or caramel pudding is a custard dessert with a layer of soft caramel on top, as opposed to crème brûlée, which is pudding with a hard caramel top.