!!! DIVINA !!! Eastern Caribbean ^_^ The Ultimate Review and Complete Pictorial Guide

[Bimmer09]

Gambee thanks for taking us all along on a voyage of discovery through your great lens.

 

I don't ever see me wanting to cruise with MSC - I have never been on one of their ships but read many reviews that left me scratching my head. The general impression is beautiful ships (though the interiors don't appeal to me in the least)

with mediocre service and food and there weren't many food shots that made me interested, regardless of how good the plates were photographed.

 

I see on CC that as a line their reviews make for a 54% approval rating which is a warning flag for US cruisers I would think. To raise that they would really need to pay attention to what Americans expect from a cruise line and either try to knock our socks off or just continue to give a Latin shrug and settle for being a "cheap " cruise line with modest expectations for success. A recurring theme on the CC member reviews is that many of the staff don't seem to want to be there....well if they don't neither do I.

 

Thanks for taking me aboard for a free ride for a week in the sun.

 

I look forward to your next cruise!

 

Mine begins in Venice on September 20th on the Ocean Princess and a review will follow.

 

Thanks again- you are a gem of a guy and really know your way around a camera.

 

Norris

[S.C.]

Thank you for another awesome review!

[gambee]

I'm sorry - GIANT pictures!!!

 

Its ok, thank you mom is very grateful for this.

[gambee]

Thanks for the very fair review. It was you saw it. Going to miss it. Soon we will see for ourselves what she is like.

 

John.

 

You're welcome John, have a great cruise!

[gambee]

As we all appreciate this photo essay, I wAnted to ask gambee what he felt would be more activities to enjoy?

 

We found MSC to have tons of things going on all day around the pool and in the lounge , where trivia was played two times a day, morning and late afternoon. Then there was always a game in the evening either music based or movie based.

 

They have very unique arts aNd crafts at no charge. They have tons of dance lessons and dancing in the evening to many live bands. MSC is unique with an opportunity for the ladies to dance with the officers on one occasion in the black and white lounge. The staff is around the pool stage area from 9 am until around 5 pm each day, playing games, teaching line dancing...

 

Acfually there is so much to do on a MSC cruise I do not think you can fit it all in, hence my b2b on Divina since 7 days is just not enough on this ship!

 

It is too bad that you did not enjoy the dining room due to a 2 hour dining experience. We enjoy this very much since at home, we surely never dine like that!

 

Again, thanks for all the pictures and the time posting your photo essay.

Safe travels ....

 

There are activities during the day. But most of the day time we spend in the sun like many others. At night it lacks activities. Just look at the daily to see what I mean. There are usually about 4-5 activities to choose from and that is including the main show. The ship is lacking interactive events, like the love and marriage show and true Karaoke. Also things like RCCL, adult games or Carnival's Hasbro interactive show, or NCL dancing contests. Each line seems to have something to pull their own weight. MSC has a lot of lessons, I learn a lot of stuff at home. I am studying almost the entire year. When I cruise the very last thing I want to do is learn, lol. Although technicaly I am learning as much as possible to be able to do these reviews. I guess in the end it is all subjective, but most of the activities planned on Divina, were ones that we did not enjoy. We never found ourselves bored, but that was mainly because we made our own fun. But if it was mom and I alone, I think we would had struggled to stay entertained the entire cruise.

 

Also in that section I take into considerationthings like rope course. Water slide (Divina's was very lousy). Mini golf. Pool tables. Flow Rider. Rock climbing. Ice skating. zip line. Etc. Divina really only offers bowling which is extremely expensive, and the water slide. If the formula one simulator worked it would be geat.

[gambee]

Thank you Gambee! Another A++ review. I so enjoy reading of your experiences and thoughts on each ship you've been on. Also, you are a wonderful caring son and I'm sure your mom appreciates you so much. I understand you are concerned about your English/grammar, but don't be. You tell such a great story, with your words and pictures, that these issues are not a problem. Keep on cruising....be happy.:D

 

 

You're very welcome, and thank you for your kind words :)

[gambee]

Hi Gambee,

 

Thank you so much for the review. My husband and I would like to rent one of those clamshells on GSC. Please forgive me if you already stated how to do so. Can I do it in advance or do we need to do it with the first hoards getting off the boat? How much are they and do you get to pick the locations?

 

You can rent the clamshells on the shore excursion desk aboard the ship at any time. But to get a good spot you have to be among the first people to get off the ship, for the location it is basically first come first serve. They are $30 each, or so I think. I paid that in NCL, I am not sure if the pricing is different.

 

That said, I do not recommend this product. It is hot as hell in there, there is no airflow.

[gambee]

Thanks again, Gambee, for a great read! You always do such a thorough job and keep everyone entertained at the same time! Can't wait for the next one!! :D

 

On a side note, I know you hate the long dinners but I am confused as to why you kept saying it is the "European" way and the ship is trying to cater to Americans so they may want to adjust that. It is true that, on land, European people enjoy longer dinners than those in the US and Canada, however I don't think the ship is missing a mark for the American market. That fact is, long dinners are a feature of ocean travel that goes back over 100 years. It is somewhat of a tradition, for both Europeans AND North Americans, to have leisurely dinners when at sea. The "anytime" dining is a fairly recent thing considering the history of ocean travel. Every cruise I have been on, both NCL and CCL, had fairly long dinners in the MDR and they have all been on this side of the Atlantic. **NCL did tend to be a bit faster due to the anytime aspect but it still took well over an hour for all the courses, when served and spaced properly.** I do hope all the cruise lines will begin to offer things that appeal to both the traditional and the anytime diners; that way everyone is pleased. I don't think of it as a Euro vs. American thing though, it is just they way ocean travel has always been.

 

Again, thanks for the great review!!

 

I think that just like everything else in life, things evolve. The old ways of cruising are slowly dying off. As humans, we change and preferences change with it. I am fairly new to the industry so my opinion is always objective. Just keep that in mind. But from my personal knowledge of my last cruise on the breeze we had one 2 hour meal and pretty much all of us in our group of 12 said why was it taking so long. So this not just coming from me, most of us were solo cruisers and we all noticed that it was taking longer than usual.

 

I have little patience, I am the first to accept that. I think with all the new option that ships offer activity wise, some people are eager to go and do other things. I am also aware that many people enjoy their family time. But the thing is that I have that family time every second of the cruise. I like having good food without the need to be tied to a specific location. So that might have something to do with my final opinion. I know many have complained about the 2 hours meals, as I also know that many love them. This is nothing more than my personal thoughts. If they were to implement my time dinning they could cater to both groups. The impatient people like me and those who enjoy long dinners. To me it seems like a no brainer.

 

Once again thank you for following the review and for all your comments.

Edited September 9, 2014 by gambee

[gambee]

Yes, thanks for all the pics and your review. We'll be on Divina Oct. 4th with the same ports of call and can not wait. We've been to St. Maarten twice, but have not been to PR or GSC.

 

Thanks again for taking the time to enlighten us all.

 

You're very welcome, I hope you have a wonderful cruise :)

[gambee]

Gambee I finished getting caught up with your wonderful review. I have enjoyed them all. They are always informative and entertaining. Can't wait for you to go on another cruise. Glad you enjoyed you holiday with your family. Awesome ! Awesome! :)

 

Thank you for following along, it was very much appreciated :)

[gambee]

Thanks again Gambee for your great review and thanks for taking the time to do it but my opinion on the entertainment and things to do around the ship especially at night differs greatly from yours. As far as 2 hr dinners go its a relaxing way to enjoy a dinner with your loved ones. I do agree with you about the garden pool area they should enforce the rules and keep it adults only. Food is very subjective but I found the food to be much better than Carnival and RCL and on par with celebrity, there lunch buffet has a bigger variety than any other line and the MDR food is also good. We have been on the Breeze and the MDR food was so bad that we went to the Italian restaurant 5 out of the 8 nights and there the food and service was fantastic for only $12pp. Thanks again and hope you sail soon so we can all enjoy another Gambee review. BE SAFE!!!

 

I agree with you, food and 2-hour meals are very subjective, so readers should always keep that in mind. Thank you for all your comments throughout the review, they were very much appreciated. Have a great cruise on Divina.

 

Until next time!

[gambee]

Thanks for a great review we are on the b2b in 3 weeks time cant wait. Did your Mum have a separate internet package from you or was she able to share yours? Can you have more than one device on the package?

 

Thanks

 

Judith

 

Same internet package, you actually can stay on the login page on several devices. They only log you out after 24 hours I think, and all you have to do is put the internet code and your password again, to get into the login page. Very easy and efficient. The internet is truly amazing!

[gambee]

I was anxiously awaiting your final notes. I pretty much agree with your scoring, though I think your food and service scores were generous. I agree that 2 hours is just too long in the dining room and am happy that is usually not the norm. In fact, if you could just eliminate the MDR and buffet (aside from pizza) the experience would be a good one. :) To each their own I know, but there is just so much opportunity with the basics on Divina... The ship is pretty and their bar menus some of the best out there. Thanks for entertaining with your photos.

 

Glad you enjoyed the final notes, thank you for following along, even though you will never sail MSC again. I truly appreciate all your input throughout the review :)

[gambee]

Gambee & Gambee's Mom!!! Hello and so glad to see that you've been back aboard a cruise ship. I know I'm really late to this party, but if I can't dedicate lots of time at one sitting to reading one of your fun (and very informative) reviews, well it's just a "tease"!!!

 

I and my sister spotted this cute little thing also, while cruising out of Ft. Lauderdale this past May to begin our transatlantic and believe it or not, I had you in mind when I got a couple of photos of it. I've tried to upload them here but to no avail. I'll email them to you; you can post them if you'd like.

 

Enjoying this immensely . . . now where's my dirty martini???;)

 

Ellen

 

Thank you Ellen, glad to see you here. Sure thing you can send them through my social media, its in my sig.

 

This cruise I mostly stuck with long islands. I am not sure why but I failed to take most of their pictures :D ooooops!

[gambee]

Taken from our balcony on deck 16 aboard MSC Divina using 100mm-400mm lens:

 

 

 

Very nice, thank you. You did not have those damn containers blocking the view.

[gambee]

Oh, Gambee. Ditto to all of the above. I find your occasional grammatical glitzes totally charming. Sometimes I think I hear you speaking them in what I am sure must be a beautiful accent. I doubt most of your readers for whom English is a first language could write nearly as well in French, Spanish, or German. It is indeed a good day for many of us when we flip on the computer and find Gambee is on a new cruise. Wow! The review must be coming soon, right? And, come it does, and we all can't wait to devour every single word and pic. Don't change a thing. Yours are the only reviews I trust.

Can't wait to see pics of mom and auntie in their tiaras.

Carolyn in Texas

 

 

Thank you Carolyn, I truly appreciate your kind and thoughtful words :)

[gambee]

Another really great review Gambee! And I really like how you conclude your reviews with individual ratings for various aspects of the ship. That lets me focus in on those things that would be important to me, and maybe disregard those things that I don't really care about. Well done! I am just sad that it is over.

 

Looking forward to the next one.

Lynda

 

Thank you, and you're welcome Lynda. Glad you enjoyed :)

[gambee]

Do you see the faces in the rocks??? I count at least 3. There are legends about them but I forgot what they are :)

 

I never noticed that, I guess I have some reading to do. I just need to find the time to do it :)

[gambee]

Another great review!!! You have such a knack for making us feel like we're right there. Thank you so much for all of your hard work.

 

A few notes on GSC. This is coming from our visits with NCL so the MSC visit could be different.

* The cabanas you saw were the large cabanas. The small cabanas are located further down and they are closer to the water. NCL also offers a shuttle. For us it was well worth it for the privacy, shade, shower, and $50 food/beverage credit.

* They have foot washes that run on the tender ramps. Maybe MSC didn't use them??

* One thing NCL did well was had ship personnel at the tender entrance making sure the line was orderly and passing out ice water.

 

Thank you and you're very welcome.

 

Who knows, I might have enjoyed the cabanas, I was not aware of the shuttle. I never saw it during our long stay.

 

The foot washes were there, you're right. But in the middle of that chaos, I could not stop to wash them. Everyone was pushing and rushing.

 

I guess NCL does things much better than MSC, no ice water in any port, and no personnel there to help anyone.

 

Thank you for your notes, I will keep that in mind for our next trip in GSC.

[gambee]

Great review Gambee! Thank you for your effort. I really enjoyed all the photos of the more unusual places aboard the ship (hallways, elevators, etc.). We will be on Divina in November, and I feel like I know it much better now..... Thanks again!! :)

 

You're very welcome, I hope you have a great cruise!

[gambee]

Another great and very comprehensive review my friend! Well done! :)

 

Thank you Chris :)

[gambee]

Thanks for the great review-I just finished. I hope you are still around to ask some question for my upcoming Divina Cruise:

 

I need shade. So I was thinking I might get an umbrella that I can attach onto any chair. I'd use it onboard and while we were ashore. What do you think? They have several and I could enjoy anyplace on the ship!

 

It's nice to see that MSC actually still serves Lobster! Last few cruises on RCCL they had done away with it!

 

Are there any LGBT meetings scheduled? How are they announced? I didn't see anything in the daily programs.

 

Camera lenses: I really liked the fish eye for in illustrator mode and for the videos. But not for regular still pictures. :)

 

I'm happy to get an extra GSC magnet that I will drop in the mail for your mother. :)

 

Thanks again for the time and effort. It really is appreciated!

 

Cheers!!!

 

J

 

 

Hi Jay,

 

You can definitely bring an umbrella on board for GSC and other ports. I am not sure about using on-board, but if it is like everything else in MSC, no one cares about anything you do. I would say bring it, the odds are that no one will say a thing.

 

You're kidding about lobster in RCCL, that is bad news :mad:. Although technically I rarely eat it anyway, lol.

 

I had to go back and look at the daily for this one. If you look on the day, one daily, they did offer the LGBT meetings on that day around 6 pm I think. It is kind of a blow that it was only offered once, though.

 

That lens gets mixed review, some folks hate while others love it. I love it :D, lol. Thanks for the iput though. I am set on doing the videos with that lens from now on.

 

My mom would love that, thank you so much. I'll wire you the cash for it. Just contact me when you get back. Thank you, she will so happy. :)

[gambee]

Gambee thanks for taking us all along on a voyage of discovery through your great lens.

 

I don't ever see me wanting to cruise with MSC - I have never been on one of their ships but read many reviews that left me scratching my head. The general impression is beautiful ships (though the interiors don't appeal to me in the least)

with mediocre service and food and there weren't many food shots that made me interested, regardless of how good the plates were photographed.

 

I see on CC that as a line their reviews make for a 54% approval rating which is a warning flag for US cruisers I would think. To raise that they would really need to pay attention to what Americans expect from a cruise line and either try to knock our socks off or just continue to give a Latin shrug and settle for being a "cheap " cruise line with modest expectations for success. A recurring theme on the CC member reviews is that many of the staff don't seem to want to be there....well if they don't neither do I.

 

Thanks for taking me aboard for a free ride for a week in the sun.

 

I look forward to your next cruise!

 

Mine begins in Venice on September 20th on the Ocean Princess and a review will follow.

 

Thanks again- you are a gem of a guy and really know your way around a camera.

 

Norris

 

Thank you for your kind words Norris. I also think you're quite right about your statement of MSC. Who knows, maybe one of their new builds really does attract the US market.

 

I hope you have a great time on your cruise! We are still debating whether to do Europe by land or sea.

[gambee]

Thank you for another awesome review!

 

 

You're very welcome, glad you enjoyed it :)

[houstoncruisers2001]

 

It's nice to see that MSC actually still serves Lobster! Last few cruises on RCCL they had done away with it!

 

 

 

J

 

Seriously? I never been on a Royal Caribbean ship that didn't have lobster.

I was on Oasis once that had an escargot shortage, but that's about it.