Divina May 10 - May 17

[RoePost]

This is my review of our week on the MSC DIVINA, May 10, Western Caribbean.

I wont speak about any of the port activities because been in the Caribbean

enough times that we in decided to just relax onboard this beautiful

vessel.....we are experienced cruisers with almost 30 cruises under our belt..

We are elite on Princess but also have sailed with Royal Caribbean, Carnival and

NCL.

 

To begin with,,embarking is quick and easy 10 minutes from start to finish..had

embarking number 17 and we were on board by noon. They advise that cabins are

not ready till 2 PM but we made our way up to our cabin on deck 9 (Minerva

deck) and lo and behold our mid ship balcony cabin was ready..we dropped off our

carry on and proceeded to check out the buffet area.

 

Cant say enough about the buffet on this ship.......very large...it continues

all the way back where you can find different offerings So be sure to check it

all out before making any decisions...the pasta station is awesome..as is all

the pizza offerings...the deserts are plentiful, but some look better than they

taste. Hamburgers and hot dogs premade but really terrific and good

tasting.....all the fixings area available.....

 

Our mid ship balcony was sufficient..however the drawer space is absurd...the

drawers are so tiny you cannot fit your clothing in them...look like they are

meant for baby clothes..BTW I am not a large person and could not fold any tops

small enough to fit into the drawers without wrinkling them...even under

clothing was a tough fit...very insufficient and my biggest gripe about this

ship..and maybe my only gripe... Balcony size is sufficient for two..but a

little small...no problem for us..

 

The food in the dining room and the buffet and everywhere Round the ship is

pretty god..som,e she's better than others....but on the whole, pretty good..no

complaints ..although I heard some passengers complain that the food was not

hot enough..I found it to my liking every time...coffee is very strong and I

needed to water it down to be able to tolerate it...

 

The Internet service is good.pretty fast for a ship connection...1 purchased 100

minutes for $45...worth it for me...

 

Just a note for you men...none of the public restrooms have urinals...a strange

sight to most men....just thought would let you guys know... The ship is

immaculate and with so much glass and mirrors around public areas, I never saw a

fingerprint....pretty impressive..

 

The entertainment might be the best I have encountered on a ship...I would sail

MSC again just for their nightly shows...all talented and trained voices and

dancers...shows are terrific..don't miss one...they have plenty of activities to

keep you busy..this turned out to be a baseball cruise and 4 former players held

games and contests each day...well done and lots of fun if you are a baseball

fan...we are.....and we won the baseball trivia challenge...our prize was an

autographed MSC cap...... Loved it.

 

No passenger art option me like not so welded , or battle of the sexes, etc. I

think there are too many languages spoken on board and that may be why no

games are played...some triva during the afternoons...

 

Met some nice people on board....but encountered lots of non English speaking

passengers and crew..sometimes it was difficult to communicate your needs to the

crew.

MSC still experiencing growing pains..especially In the service area, not for

lack of trying...I am positive that as they spend more time around Americans and

the Caribbean they will become better adapted to our way of cruising....would

not hesitate to cruise with them again..

 

Don't hesitate to give it a try we did and had a great time!

[Mikesa1721]

Thanks for the review Roe. I have heard that the internet speed aboard Divina was very good, close to 6 megs down. This is good to know, as a programmer you never know when I might get a call at sea to transfer some files.

[portofrome]

Thanks for the review.

[areneeh]

Thank you for the review. I appreciate your experienced review as I am a first time cruiser sailing on the Davina during Christmas. I appreciate the review and I am feeling a little better due to the many opposing reviews I have read.

[riclop]

Thanks for the review.

[toes_in_sand]

This is my review of our week on the MSC DIVINA, May 10, Western Caribbean.

 

MSC still experiencing growing pains..especially In the service area, not for

lack of trying...I am positive that as they spend more time around Americans and

the Caribbean they will become better adapted to our way of cruising....would

not hesitate to cruise with them again..

 

Don't hesitate to give it a try we did and had a great time!

 

Thanks for your review we were on the same cruise.

 

I like strong coffee, so it was perfect for me.

 

However, I'm not too sure why you feel that MSC has to adapt to North Americans (not just Americans, as many Canadians were on board as well).

 

MSC is a Mediterranean cruiseline, they are offering something different from the usual Americanized lines, which is why I chose to sail on them again and is also why I will look at their sailings in the future first.

 

Having sailed on the Poesia last year, and then the Divina 2 weeks ago, a big difference to me was that they were becoming 'too Americanized' and were swaying away from what made them unique in the first place.

 

Yes, there must be a fine balance when catering to the NA market ie: coffee served after 10 am, water at dinner, english as the only language used on board for non emergency announcements, facecloths in the rooms.

 

Taking all that makes them unique away will be a shame and a disservice to those that want to experience something different.

[MsTabbyKats]

Thanks for your review we were on the same cruise.

 

I like strong coffee, so it was perfect for me.

 

However, I'm not too sure why you feel that MSC has to adapt to North Americans (not just Americans, as many Canadians were on board as well).

 

MSC is a Mediterranean cruiseline, they are offering something different from the usual Americanized lines, which is why I chose to sail on them again and is also why I will look at their sailings in the future first.

 

Having sailed on the Poesia last year, and then the Divina 2 weeks ago, a big difference to me was that they were becoming 'too Americanized' and were swaying away from what made them unique in the first place.

 

Yes, there must be a fine balance when catering to the NA market ie: coffee served after 10 am, water at dinner, english as the only language used on board for non emergency announcements, facecloths in the rooms.

 

Taking all that makes them unique away will be a shame and a disservice to those that want to experience something different.

 

 

What did you consider "unique"....non-North American?

 

When I was 16 (half a decade ago) I spent the summer in France, and ordered pizza somewhere. I picked it up with my hands and ate it...and was laughed at. I don't know how they do it now...but I hope the Italians don't expect me to use a knife and fork. :)

[toes_in_sand]

What did you consider "unique"....non-North American?

 

For myself, the not in your face selling from the beverage servers, photographers, wine tasting, FCC dept. It was nice to be able to spend a week and not be sold to everywhere you turned.

 

The shows- hands down are the best at sea, though I did prefer the shows and the entertainment staff on the Poesia. As English is not everyones first language, the shows are very visual.

 

I enjoyed listening to Ana on the Poesia (who is now the International Cruise Director) address the audience in 5 languages flawlessly. She was on our Divina sailing and was just in awe listening to her.

 

The venues, dancing, music on all parts of the ship.

 

Sea days not being loud with music blaring and having to watch the 'hairy chest contests'. Though on the Divina the main pool area was louder than our sea days on the Poesia.

 

Food- subjective I know, but great breakfast buffet, awesome coffee, assigned seating, dinner was an event and we really looked forward to the slower pace. We were not rushed out.

 

The cultural mix of your fellow passengers. Not everyone was from North America, so meeting others from different parts of the world.

[MsTabbyKats]

Do you remember what the 5 languages were? I assume English & French are 2 of them......

[toes_in_sand]

English, French, Spanish, Italian and German.

 

A large percentage of Brazilians were on the cruise, as the next sailing (minus the 2 day jaunt) is the current 19 day sailing to Rio for the World Cup.

[cruisetrail]

What did you consider "unique"....non-North American?

 

When I was 16 (half a decade ago) I spent the summer in France, and ordered pizza somewhere. I picked it up with my hands and ate it...and was laughed at. I don't know how they do it now...but I hope the Italians don't expect me to use a knife and fork. :)

 

Don't worry about anything "non-American".

Don't expect to be in Italy on the Divina.

 

You'll see international crew - officers from Europe, waiters and stewards mostly from Southeastern Asia - same as on any mega cruise ship.

So no one expects anything "unusual" from you. The only person from Italy that may happen to see how you eat is Maitre D. :)

 

MSC as a company has established a particular level of quality for their product.

That's a thing #1 that defines everything else.

 

"Unique" - is just a misleading word that is worth nothing really.

"Difference" - yes. There are differences between all cruise lines and ships.

 

Notable difference between MSC Divina and an "average" mega ship (just to mention one positive and one negative):

1. Positive - a couple of shows really stand out (not the whole entertainment program)

2. Second worst food at sea (Costa being the worst).

 

Enjoy your cruises!

Edited May 28, 2014 by cruisetrail

[American Bear]

RoePost very good review! Well balanced and fair!

We agree it was a good time!

 

 

 

Actually 'Tail', the Divina is very European in many ways!

Cleanliness, on the Divina you always see people cleaning, much more then the other lines! On the other lines in the Caribbean instead of cleaning, the help is barraging you to buy, buy, buy! Some here on the forums consider this good service, we consider it obnoxious behavior!:eek:

Food quality, choice, and cooking style is also very European, and because quality is subjective, our opinion was the Divina's free food choices exceeded the quality of most other large cruise lines in the Caribbean except Celebrity, and Princess, but not by enough to warrant how much more they charge for their cruises then the Divina!:eek:

Edited May 29, 2014 by American Bear