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MSC impressions?

RMS Olympic

By RMS Olympic,
in LGBTQIA+ Cruisers

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RMS Olympic

RMS Olympic

Posted
Posted

Just booked my first MSC cruise ....on the Divina.

I would like to hear comments from those that have sailed MSC (not on a charter). As a charter may modify normal operations I would like to hear what the typical cruise is like.

I am not concerned about the differences from a usual north American style product having sailed the old Costa before Carnival took them over and made the just another Carnival with a yellow smoke stack.

Food

Service

Cabin appointments

Entertainment

Overall atmosphere...laid back, hectic, quiet?

I just hope the "Americanization" of the Divina is not taken too far........I still want my pasta:D:D:D

Tom aka Bertha

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fp60

fp60

Posted
Posted
Just booked my first MSC cruise ....on the Divina.

I would like to hear comments from those that have sailed MSC (not on a charter). As a charter may modify normal operations I would like to hear what the typical cruise is like.

I am not concerned about the differences from a usual north American style product having sailed the old Costa before Carnival took them over and made the just another Carnival with a yellow smoke stack.

Food

Service

Cabin appointments

Entertainment

Overall atmosphere...laid back, hectic, quiet?

I just hope the "Americanization" of the Divina is not taken too far........I still want my pasta:D:D:D

Tom aka Bertha

 

I will let you know after I get back from the March 22nd sailing...

:cool:

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flag fan

flag fan

Posted
Posted

I sailed the MSC Peosia on a regular cruise and the Divina on a charter, so I can't comment directly about a regular Divina cruise, but some of my experiences may be helpful.

 

The entertainment (MSC shows, excluding the RSVP shows) were fantastic--best I've seen at sea. I saw four shows and two of them featured a great mix of singing, dancing, acrobats, and strongmen. The variety was great, in my opinion, much more interesting than only song-and-dance shows. The other two shows were mainly song-and-dance, but the quality was excellent.

 

The food was a mixed bag. I ate mostly in the buffet (there were logistic problems with the charter arrangements for open-seating that would not exist on a regular cruise). The buffet food was tasty, but not a lot of variety. I particularly liked the pizza and pasta, but the salad bar was disappointing (limited ingredients) and the dessert options also limited (no chocolate desserts most days!). I highly recommend the Eataly Steakhouse. The food there was excellent and service top notch. I also recommend trying either of two coffee/hot chocolate bars, which have a nice variety of pastries and other desserts. Room service had a very limited menu, but delivery was prompt.

 

I found service to be fine. I don't ask for much from a cabin attendant--a clean room and answers to questions, which I got readily both on the Divina and Poesia. I found staff to be professional and friendly.

 

The cabin appointments were fine--my balcony had two comfortable chairs and a nice footstool. The bed was a little firm (just how I like it) and the cabin tv had a nice variety of channels and movie options (although I didn't order any). Decor was very nice. However, the cabin had very little storage space. Also the bathrooms were very small. The showers had doors instead of curtains and a flexible hose shower nozzle arrangement, both of which I liked, but only liquid soap and shampoo dispensers (I would have preferred bar soap). Also be forewarned, no wash cloths were provided (I brought my own) and towels were relatively small and thin.

 

For the atmosphere, the Poesia is probably more typical of what you will experience than the RSVP charter on Divina. It was pretty low-key. Some pool games and bingo as examples of activities; my cruise had a lot of kids (about par for a Caribbean cruise) but they were not running wild taking over the ship. Demographics were typical of other cruises--mostly 40s-50s with a sizable number of older (60s-80s) and younger (30s) passengers. Lively, but not overly hectic.

 

The biggest difference between MSC and other cruise lines I noticed on the Peosia was the larger number of non-North American passengers. Europeans (and Asians) were about 40% of the passenger list. I think that number will be down for the Divina, which is marketing to North Americans, but I read somewhere that there should still be about 30% of the passengers from outside North America. I found this to be really nice--the mix of people made the cruise seem a little more exotic and interesting. This may be what you experienced on the old Costa.

 

The ship itself if beautiful and has a nice variety of public spaces--several pools (one which should be adult-only on a regular cruise) and a special sunning deck (extra cost), quite a few bars, each with a distinct personality (and all of which had very stylish and totally-impractical bar stools), and an enormous theater with good views from all seats (but no drink service). Decor is beautiful and stylish (in my opinion)--the opposite of the loud (garish?) style used on a lot of Carnival ships.

 

The Divina did keep an Italian flare (the pasta was delicious).

 

Hope this helps; enjoy your cruise!

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Darrell6t

Darrell6t

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Posted

I was on the RSVP charter, but that didn't affect the cabins. We had a standard balcony cabin on Deck 11 and it was quite nice. Interesting to have a huge mirror right at the foot of the bed and another behind the desk. Everything was comfortable. Only a liquid soap dispenser in the shower and at the sink, no bar soap.

 

The restrooms on the ship are sometimes in obscure places and have no obvious signs pointing them out. And some bars have no close-by restroom. Even the main dining room is under-served by restrooms. There are some close to the entrance, but they are small. And the weirdest thing of all: there are no urinals in any restroom. Only cubicles with a toilet.

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WDBGUY

WDBGUY

Posted
Posted (edited)

I was on the MSC Lirica in 2009 out of Ft Lauderdale to the southern Caribbean, it was more than 50% Europeans, everything was in 5 languages, the menus, announcements, shows, etc. I found some of the Europeans to be rude...cut in line, unfriendly, etc. overall

had a nice time, would not do another MSC or Costa Cruise unless it was free. Maybe things have changed since then.

Edited by WDBGUY
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RMS Olympic

RMS Olympic

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Posted (edited)

Does the Divina have coed steam rooms and dry saunas? Or are they gender separate? Is there a charge to use them.....as part of a spa package?

I love sweating out suntan lotion late afternoon.

Second question.....how is the gym? I like my early morning gym time to compensate for over consumption.

Thanks........counting the days til boarding in Sept.

Edited by RMS Olympic
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Bosjoe

Bosjoe

Posted
Posted
Does the Divina have coed steam rooms and dry saunas? Or are they gender separate? Is there a charge to use them.....as part of a spa package?

I love sweating out suntan lotion late afternoon.

Second question.....how is the gym? I like my early morning gym time to compensate for over consumption.

Thanks........counting the days til boarding in Sept.

 

The sauna and steam room are co-ed and are free. The gym was Ok, I been in bigger gyms. Its good enough to get a good workout.

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Boytjie

Boytjie

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Make sure you drink LOTS of coffee while on board!! The Divina is a HUGE account for my partner!!

:p

 

We are actually trying to figure out when we can sail her as well....He says she is a gorgeous ship!

 

Check out the pricing for the Sept 13 sailing........too inexpensive to pass up.

If the coffee is that good.......I'll give it try.

 

Only the Segafredo coffee that you pay extra for, the free stuff was vile.

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fp60

fp60

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Posted
I just booked someone on the March 15 sailing in an Inside Guarantee at 399.00 pp plus tax and would you believe they were upgraded to a Balcony.

 

Anyone on the March 22nd sailing?

Thanks!

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

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bradpole

bradpole

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Posted
Only the Segafredo coffee that you pay extra for, the free stuff was vile.

 

I would have to agree!

 

however the coffee in the buffet, as bad as it was, was still hands down better than the sludge Royal Caribbean servers...yuck!

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Boytjie

Boytjie

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I would have to agree!

 

 

 

however the coffee in the buffet, as bad as it was, was still hands down better than the sludge Royal Caribbean servers...yuck!

 

 

I'll take your word for that since I haven't sailed on RC. :)

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MiamiSpartan

MiamiSpartan

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Posted
Check out the pricing for the Sept 13 sailing........too inexpensive to pass up.

If the coffee is that good.......I'll give it try.

 

 

I would in a heartbeat, but we have already booked our time share in Orlando the following week.....

:mad:

We are looking at the last week of October.....

He was on the ship again this past week....

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RMS Olympic

RMS Olympic

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Are there Italian crew on the ship or is it an international crew like on other ships?

Would love to see at least a few Italians as I sit back enjoying my long island ice tea.

Very curious as to how Americanized the product is becoming. If the European style is too watered down, then what will set them apart?

I am hoping I like it enough to consider a Med cruise with MSC summer. Now if only RSVP would charter the newly renovated / stretched Armonia for a Greek Island cruise embarking in Venice........watch how fast I would book.....:cool:

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Boytjie

Boytjie

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Divina's crew changed quote a bit when it moved to the US: they brought a lot of Indonesians on board but there is people from all over the world working in the ship. The senior staff are mostly Italian.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

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