Divina December 28- January 4, 2014

[denandben]

We sailed December 28, 2013 through January 4, 2014. We stopped at Jamaica, Grand Cayman and Cozumel. I am happy to answer any questions.

[travelinggrands]

What did you do In Jamaica? We have the same trip in Feb. & I've signed up for the Rose Hall Tour. Did you hear anything about it?

[Mrs. Squirrel]

How did you like your cruise? We're doing the same itinerary in April.

[island girl 27]

Hi

How was the cruise? What can you tell us about the ship? My November cruise on Holland had air condition and elevator problems.

Teresa

[denandben]

What did you do In Jamaica? We have the same trip in Feb. & I've signed up for the Rose Hall Tour. Did you hear anything about it?

 

We did something a little different. We hired a private cab driver. He met us and took us to two places we wanted to go. First, we went tubing on the river with Bracco Adventures, then we went to a place called the Irie Blue Hole. This is off the beaten path but an amazing place. You can google it. It was a little far and the water was freezing!!! But it was fun.

[Danbee46]

Aw, c'mon denandben, please tell us how you liked the ship, the service, the food, etc.

[riclop]

We sailed December 28, 2013 through January 4, 2014. We stopped at Jamaica, Grand Cayman and Cozumel. I am happy to answer any questions.

Tell us something about your cruise, what you liked or disliked.

[denandben]

How did you like your cruise? We're doing the same itinerary in April.

 

The cruise was very nice. We skipped the private island as it was too windy to tender.

[denandben]

Hi

How was the cruise? What can you tell us about the ship? My November cruise on Holland had air condition and elevator problems.

Teresa

 

No air conditioning problems, but it was not as hot as it would be in summer. There were 4500 passangers on the ship and so you did have to wait for elevators during peak times of day and night.

[Bosjoe]

It was a little far and the water was freezing!!!

 

 

This cracks me up Freezing. You must be from down south, :) Water temps are usually above 80, thats like bath water to us Northerners. :D

 

If you ate at any of the pay for venues, can you give us your opinion on the food?

 

Glad you enjoyed your cruise. I am sailing her in less then 2 weeks.

 

Thanks

Edited January 6, 2014 by Bosjoe

[heeb]

denandben, thanks for your post but as potential cruises for this ship and cruise line we really need to know more info. How was the service? How was the food? What kind and how was your cabin? I do not really care about elevators. I and others are more interested in the ship and what it has to offer us as cruises from other lines who would like to try this cruise line here in the US. Thanks. Heeb:cool:

[Typhoon1]

Would you take another cruise on MSC?

[denandben]

This cracks me up Freezing. You must be from down south, :) Water temps are usually above 80, thats like bath water to us Northerners. :D

 

If you ate at any of the pay for venues, can you give us your opinion on the food?

 

Glad you enjoyed your cruise. I am sailing her in less then 2 weeks.

 

Thanks

 

Actually the fresh mountain water was about 55-60! Although my children and husband were fine I personally had difficulty breathing as is was a shock to my body. So maybe freezing is a bit of an exageration as it was not quite at the freezing point, but it was cold!

[denandben]

This cracks me up Freezing. You must be from down south, :) Water temps are usually above 80, thats like bath water to us Northerners. :D

 

If you ate at any of the pay for venues, can you give us your opinion on the food?

 

Glad you enjoyed your cruise. I am sailing her in less then 2 weeks.

 

Thanks

 

Actually I believe the water temp in Grand Cayman was about 65, at least that is what we were told by a local. We swam and snorkeled there no problem, this water was far colder.

[denandben]

denandben, thanks for your post but as potential cruises for this ship and cruise line we really need to know more info. How was the service? How was the food? What kind and how was your cabin? I do not really care about elevators. I and others are more interested in the ship and what it has to offer us as cruises from other lines who would like to try this cruise line here in the US. Thanks. Heeb:cool:

 

OK,

The ship, very very large. 4500 passangers, 1200+ kids. It was beautiful and sparkling clean. Every lounge and bar was unique. I thought this was the nicest ship I have ever been on. I have sailed, Holland America, Princess, NCL, Carnival, about 12 cruises in all.

 

The room... we had a balcony on deck 12, mid ship. We usually get two rooms but opted for one because the kids sailed free. To my surprise is was larger than expected, but hey with three females the drawer and closet space was tight. It was kept clean but not great. Several days dirty coffee cups were left in the room. We did not complain, our Steward was very nice.

 

Dining...The buffett was ok. It had a lot of choices. The food was good, not like I had to have seconds but no complaints. The pasta was good. It was crowded but one could find a seat except for the morning of disembarkation.

The dining room food was very good. I would say the best I have ever had on a ship. The fresh pasta was delicious, must try the pasta with salmon vodka sauce, it was really good. We sat at 6:00 and were done at 7:30, maybe 8:00 if we were taking our time and ordered a lot of courses. We did not mind, we enjoyed talking with the children, it was nice family time. The waiters were great, friendly and efficient. They made it more enjoyable and shared a lot about themselves and their family. Sad to say kids in the dining room had shorts, t-shirts and baseball caps at dinner. Sadder still was that men had bathing suits, tees and flip flops. No dress code was enforced. We ordered continental breakfast each morning, no charge. My understanding was that there was no charge for room service except for late nights.

 

Camp...the teen club was good for my 16 yo, she made friends and had fun. The 7-11 club was not as good. My 11 yo was the oldest and didnt have much fun, they should have put her in the 12 -15 yo group. She hung out with us a lot, more family time it was fine.

 

Pools....there were an abundunt of chairs. The ones by the pool were gone by 7am, others by 10am. The problem was they were reserved and no one sat in them. Same as all the other ships. Lots of kids in the hot tubs (all the hot tubs).

 

We pre - purchased drink vouchers. They worked out but my older daughter said she waited so long for a drink she often just gave up. We also pre ordered the 7 bottle wine package for 85.00. There was one on board for 155.00, none for 85.00. There were several wines to choose from, we were happy.

 

Our neighbors were loud! An ederly couple with a lot of gradchildren on board. The parents room must have been quiet because they were always banging on walls or running up and down the hall! The steward spoke with them a couple times, to no avail, then we did complain one time and it seemed to get better.

 

My biggest complaint was that the ship was very crowded with many loud and rude people. This is not something MSC can really control. The cruise did exceed my expectations and I would sail again with MSC but not over the holiday.

 

One thing I think needs serious improvement... the tender service on Grand Cayman was awful. Upon return the last tender was 3:30. W arrived about 2:15 and the line was over an hour wait. We shopped around and got on line at 3:40 when it was shorter. It still took us almost 1 hour to get back to the ship.

 

Any questions???

[cruiseclues]

Thanks for your detailed review...after everyone asked for it, I would expect more responses from them...we have always felt that MSC has the best pasta...and it appears that the rest of their food has been improving...we would like to go on the MSC Divina. :):):):)

[denandben]

Thanks for your detailed review...after everyone asked for it, I would expect more responses from them...we have always felt that MSC has the best pasta...and it appears that the rest of their food has been improving...we would like to go on the MSC Divina. :):):):)

 

I thought this ship was really beatiful and despite the crowds I thought they did a very good job with the exception of drink service at the bar and the room which could have been better attended to. We are not very picky as far as food goes and pretty easy to please but we did enjoy our dining experience as a whole (maybe because our children are actually old enough to sit)! Our children ate the pasta and meat on most days. The meat was very tender and tasty. My husband eats mostly fish and is on a low sodium diet so his food was not quite at tasty but he enjoyed it. I had the veal one night it was great, prime rib also very good, lobster which was cooked just right, and Mahi also tasty and good.

 

This itinerary doesnt allow too much time on the ship. Two full sail days is not much. We did miss our last stop and spent that day doing some things we had not had a chance to. The pizzeria has great pizza and the coffe bar has some very yummmy drinks.

 

Go and enjoy

[MVoelker]

I have been to Jamaica twice. We did the Dunns River Falls and then last time we went to an all inclusive called Grand Palladium. It was AMAZING

I am also looking at this ship. I have sailed Disney, NCL, and Carnival so thank you for the comparisons.

[sailinglisa]

Thanks for the info! I'll be on the Divina in May and I am really looking forward to this cruise! I have an interior on deck 5...cruising solo and I don''t need a lot of room!

 

Can you tell me a little bit more about room service? What is offered for breakfast and then lunch and dinner....and then late night. When does the charge for room service kick in?

[neptuno]

........We pre - purchased drink vouchers. They worked out but my older daughter said she waited so long for a drink she often just gave up. We also pre ordered the 7 bottle wine package for 85.00. There was one on board for 155.00, none for 85.00. There were several wines to choose from, we were happy......

 

Yes, we also pre-purchased beer coupons, and quickly learned not to show the coupon before receiving our service, as apparently the server does not receive credit. On one occaision, the bartender at the aft of the buffet ignored me, then took much time to open our beers, and then did not offer glasses. Oh well, I guess there is a reason the coupons are such a great deal. We also used the pre-booked dinner wine package, another great value, and the MDR waiters were all great, happy to serve. It's best to order at least a week before departure, as the web site is a bit glitchy.

[Boytjie]

I have a few questions:

 

Vouchers.

 

Do you get them in a booklet form or is it a bunch of loose vouchers? How is tipping handled - is there a serviec charge included in the vouchers or would you have to use cash if you wanted to tip?

 

Room service:

 

What is "free" and what is there a charge for? What are the breakfast options via room service?

 

Thnaks. :)

[neptuno]

I have a few questions:Vouchers.Do you get them in a booklet form or is it a bunch of loose vouchers? How is tipping handled - is there a serviec charge included in the vouchers or would you have to use cash if you wanted to tip?..... :)

 

We were told the gratuity was included in the price of the voucher, which comes in a booklet. But as one would expect, cash tipping is alway appreciated.

[TravelRocker]

Yes....but does the "cash" tip go into the "tip pool" ??? ie: they can't keep it for themselves. I've heard that any cash tipping has got to be turned over to the purser and then they distribute it amongst the bartenders etc. Can anyone answer this one? Thanks.

[neptuno]

Yes....but does the "cash" tip go into the "tip pool" ??? ie: they can't keep it for themselves. I've heard that any cash tipping has got to be turned over to the purser and then they distribute it amongst the bartenders etc. Can anyone answer this one? Thanks.

 

Yes, we were told the cash tips were supposed to be pooled, but our first waiter on Poesia was Italian, and he just palmed our tip. Go figure....

[Boytjie]

Thanks for the responses!

 

As for who gets cash tips; I leave it up to the staff to figure it out - the cruise lines have rules regarding pooling etc. and it is their responsibility to adhere to it (and not get in trouble for not following it).