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Comparing MSC Divina with Norwegian Epic for Western Med cruise


hrmkr
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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 Divina and especially if anyone has sailed on both ships so they could give a good comparison.

 

Thank you for your help

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I've been on both. A little information about who is going and what you enjoy doing on a cruise would be helpful. Do you drink much alcohol, like specialty dining, like the shows, book sutes, want sea views from the lounges, etc..... What is the price difference?

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Ate,

 

It will be my wife and I celebrating our 25th anniversary. While on the ship, we enjoy relaxing along with doing activities. We drink some but not in excess. We like going to see the shows and comedians (if there are any). We have never done specialty dining. The cruises we have been on did not offer them.

 

We know that there are many ports on the cruise and we will be getting up and leaving the ship early and coming back late in the afternoon. I look at it that the only time we are in the cabin is to sleep, shower and change and take the occasional nap:)

 

It is a little hard to compare apples to apples. On the NCL Epic, I can get a mid ship inside cabin for $2300 + gratutities. On the MSC Divina, they are out of the lower interior cabins so I would have to upgrade to a higher level. That price for an inside forward area cabin is $2035 (fantastica level). I can get a balcony toward aft for $2228. We plan on spending an additional 3-4 days in Rome after the cruise.

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Hi. I've sailed on both and enjoyed both. Epic is a strange ship as there are few open sea views and spaces, not to mention the 'Haven Hat' at the front. That aside, I think you will be more at home on Epic a sit caters more for US cruisers in terms of food, service and entertainment. when we were on it(2013) the entertainment was great, Blue MAn Group, Howl at the Moon and Cirque Dreams(additional charge). The food was more western compared with MSC's Italian style offerings. Drinks package on MSC is great value @€26pppd. Time in ports is longer with Epic, mostly, and the Epic's ports in April would be more appealing to me but you get an extra port with MSC. On balance, the price of a balcony might swing it for me. You won't starve and the entertainment on MSC is good but short shows. The fellow cruisers on an MSC cruise from Rome will be mainly Italians and that can be a cultural challenge but we'v done 5 with them and we survived!

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Hrmkr, I lost a detailed response due to travelling. Short version is I think Divina is the better value. Epic has better slides, a climbing wall, better specialty restaurants, spa, overall entertainment offerings and is more oriented to English speaking cruisers. On a busy Med itinerary you may not even utilize all those features. On the minus side Epic has a lot of smoke around the casino into the theater entrance and nearby restaurants, it also lacks lounges with ocean views. Also I don't like being basically forced to pick the inclusive drink package to avoid taking a guarantee cabin. NCL charges same rate whatever promo you choose, even if you decline promos, so you are subsidizing the UBP for others if you chose one of lesser value. You may not notice the changes, but over the last two years NCL has made some very customer unfriendly changes.

 

MSC Divina was similar in size and crowds at times. Epic non-Haven cabin's bathrooms are uncomfortable for more than two, but I don't think that would bother you as a couple. Otherwise cabin size and amenities are similar. I like that MSC let me choose a specific cabin with a smaller drink package that I could enhance if I wanted. It would be nice if they put more effort into thier specialty restaurants. Set MDR times and tables was not a deal breaker and we had two private specialty meals with black status. MDR, buffet and specialty food was comparable. Divina has features that you would find on a NCL ship built 15 years ago, but I like those older NCL ships and don't really use a lot of the new features anyway. What it came down to is that for the itineray we sailed to coose a cabin on NCL Escape would have been twice the price for the same cabin type on Divina. I usually sail suites but don't consder myself overly picky. Divina wasn't exceptional in any specific area but offered a very satisfactory cruise in all aspects, I considered it an excellent value. I have two cruises booked on their newer ships and feel they have addressed most little dislikes I had about the Divina.

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Still looking for some opinions/information.

 

I realize that there will be a potential lannguage issue. A lot of Europeans will be speaking English. My wife is hearing impaired and I want her to be comfortable being able to understand what people are saying

 

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.

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