lIVE from Divina :)

[Award winning jam!]

Thanks for your review, due to sail on the Divina in a few weeks, was wondering if they serve tea and coffee complimentary after dinner in the main dining room? Hope you are enjoying your cruise.

[FMZ]

Loving your live report! Thanks so much for taking the time!

 

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

[shelpt]

Thanks for the review!

[alexkrn46]

Enjoying your review, thanks.

[vicocala]

{snip}

 

For the person asking about menus, is there one or two in particular you are interested in? I'll snap a photo but I don't plan on attending any dining venues. I am completely spoiled by NCL speciality dining on the waterfront. I can easily do 2 hour meals with DH, but a long drawn out meal solo just isn't going to happen.

 

Thanks! They would be:

 

Eataly lunch and/or dinner menu

 

Ristorante Italia

 

Sensory Fusion at Galaxy restaurant

 

Sample platter at the Sports Bar

 

Pizza menu at Pizzaria Italia

 

Thank you again for any help you can share.

[BermudaBound2014]

Monday March 28th

 

Woke up super early again. Did 4 miles to watch the sunrise. Would have stopped at three but the sun hadn't rose yet. Making a note this might be a good motivator.

 

The lounge savers were already out in full force. They learned fast this trip. I wasn't at all hungry so I grabbed a cup of coffee and headed back to the serenity of my balcony. I had zero desire to spend the day with any crowds.

 

I must have taken another midmorning nap on the balcony because next thing I knew it was noon. I was feeling hungry now so I hopped in the shower (excellent shower design-bravo Msc) and decided to go for a sit down lunch.

 

Lunch in the mdr was a huge bust. Out of 1-10 I'd give it a two only because the waiter didn't spill food on me. I've seen lunch menus posted but this lunch menu had zero resemblance. It was an "Easter brunch" menu which is strange because Easter was yesterday. I can only hypothesize there were leftovers? The menu was super fancy, and I could not decipher any of the entrees except a beef lion. I came for a more traditional lunch like I've seen posted (Reuben, French dip, burger, fish n chips, etc...). They advertised a 30 minute express lunch in the daily, but that wasn't offered either. I ordered a roast beef appetizer that was too tough to eat and asparagus soup that had a hunk of fat in it nearly the size of a golf ball. Didn't eat the either. By this time i was grateful I hadn't ordered an entree and dessert and made my escape for the buffet where i had the hamburger and fries i had in mind to begin with. Service in the mdr was decent, not great, but not bad. The couple next to me asked the waiter to explain one of the dishes and he replied "pasta". They said can you elaborate and he said "normal pasta". The tables are very close so I couldn't help but overhear conversations to both sides of me in spite of burying myself in a book. I'm going to assume this was just a big Easter fail and may give the dining room one more shot for lunch another day.

 

Spent the entire day on my balcony- reading- writing- contemplating the meaning of life- being grateful- and dosing in and out. The wake has a meditative quality.

 

Ventured out of the cabin at 6pm. Cher concert at the outdoor theatre. I grew up watching Sonny and Cher and did a mean "bang bang" number at the talent show in 7th grade. Plus, Cher dated Richie Sanbora when he wAs smoking hot and she is 20 plus years his senior. One must respect that. Most of you have no idea what I'm rambling about; but my big-hair band sisters totally get it ^5.

 

Outdoor movie was pitch perfect 2- I didn't see pitch perfect 1 but I'm assuming that wasn't a prerequisite. Started to watch but couldn't get into it. Plus it was a bit chilly and I could feel a scratchy throat coming on. Went down for a Bailies n coffee hoping that would perk me up a bit. Wandered around aimlessly and decided since I wasn't hungry I would skip dinner (well, in honesty I did get a slice of pizza) and call it an early night.

 

Tuesday March 29

 

Today I slept until 7- it is a full day in st. Thomas (9-6), but I have no plans. I've been visiting the Virgin Islands since 1987 when the only port was crown bay and cruise ships were 23,000 GT. and have witnessed the island population literally explode. I've had several land vacations here including my favorite which was an extended stay at cinnamon bay campground in the early 90s. Last August we did a fabulous trip on NightWind Yacht (highly recommend); it's not a cruise excursion so it is a bit less expensive and FAR less crowded. If you are looking for a sailing/snorkeling trip here there is no reason to book through the ship. Plenty of charters to offer much more bang for the buck. Since the theme of this trip is to avoid crowds (which is very difficult to do on an island with 10,000 visitors a day), I didn't make any plans other than to find some free wifi to check mail and Touch base with home. I might walk into Charlotte Amalie via the yacht club path, or I might just come back to the ship to enjoy an empty pool. I'll decide on the fly.

 

We have docked aft to aft next to NCL escape. I have a nice view of the harbor to one side and havensight to the other. There was an announcement at 8:30 for those not on tours to wait in the centrum lounge and not crowd the hallways. At 9:30 I decided to head to the buffet to grab a Danish and coffee. The difference between the silence in my cabin and the bustling buffet is shocking. I did notice today they had coffee urns on carts visiting tables for refills which is the first time I've noticed table service for coffee. I grabbed a baked apple (was really good) and a cup of coffee and immediately went back to the cabin to wait for the all-clear. It's quite nice to be sitting on my balcony avoiding all that chaos. I plan to let the masses Debark long before I head Off the ship. I'm liking this laid back pace more and more each day I spend onboard.

 

There was a note left last night that they will be cleaning all the balconies today. My adorable (and I do mean ADORABLE) cabin Stewart Sholeh was opening up all the balconies on deck 12 and he stopped to remind me to lock the balcony before I leave today. They are removing all the grates and cleaning the drains too. What this ship lacks in hand sanitizer stations (there isn't even one at the back entrance to the buffet and it's often out at the front entrance) it makes up for in people cleaning! There is always someone shining something. The Divina does sparkle.

 

Looks like the first group started heading off the Divina at 9:40. Not sure what the holdup was. I walked off about 10 with no line. Havensight has free wifi which is convenient. I won't be doing any shopping, few reasons- 1). I already have the tshirt and 2) when you travel in a carryon there just isn't much room to bring things home.

 

Let's see if I can answer some questions:

1- yes, coffee and a large assortment of tea are complimentary all day. Complementary juices in the Morning are orange, grapefruit, and pineapple. At lunch there is lemondae, mango punch, and iced tea. I haven't noticed what is offered at dinner because I've been using my coupons then :).

 

2- I can't remember signing specifically for the gym on my last two NCL cruises, but the gym was super small and since they have a walk around promenade I'm thinking I did my walking there instead of the gym. I honestly can't remember. I know I signed a waiver to use the ropes course so maybe that covered the gym too? Same with RCL- I signed for the rock climbing wall, maybe that covered the gym too?? I could swear I remember signing on Princess and Hal- but I wouldn't place much money on it. All 4 elipticals are working now.

 

3) I'll look for those menus, but no promises other than the pizzeria menu which is in the cabin. I'll snap a pic of that today and post when I get home.

 

From sunny st Thomas!

[vicocala]

Thanks, anything you can find out for me is a bonus. I have a B2B in June and I signed up for the specialty package for both weeks and am hoping I did the right thing. :confused:

[BermudaBound2014]

Teaser alert: Yesterday's dessert in my oasis.

b

[verodoodle]

BermudaBound2014 - Question did you have any trouble getting a lounge chair for your balcony? or where they already there?

 

Thanks

Dave

Edited March 29, 2016 by verodoodle

[BermudaBound2014]

From havensight i decided to take a walk to Charlotte Amelia. On the way, you pass the yacht club where there are some higher end shops (Gucci, Lauren, etc...). Also nice places to sit and relax with drinks. They also offer free 15 minutes wifi which was much faster than havensight. The pathway into town was temporary closed due to construction- you could easily get there the "old" way via the sidewalk along the street but I decided to spend my time sitting on the pier watching the fish and yachts.

 

After a bit of time I wandered back to a totally deserted ship. Changed into my bathing suit and enjoyed the infinity pool for the remainder of the afternoon. No lounge chair hogs- in fact there was only 3 other couples in the entire pool area and for the majority of the time I had the actual swimming pool all to myself- heaven.

 

In the evening I went to see "witches of Paris" which, according to the daily, won the best cruise ship show last year from cruise travel magazine. It was a very good show, the "best" is personal, but so far it was the most entertaining show I've seen onboard. Great costumes, lots of acrobatics, some singing, some lip syncing, and dancing. What I like about the shows is they are reasonably short so they don't drag on, and the seating in the theatre is very comfortable.

 

From the show I played in the casino. My 10.00 lasted a bit of time and I cashed out with a 9.00

Voucher so that was another success.

 

Dinner was buffet. Seemed to be an english theme (shepards pie, Scottish eggs, bangers mash). I elected for the fish and chips and thought it was fine. Similar you would get in a family diner in the states.

 

The deck was decorated for the white party. I stayed around for a little bit of time but was tired since I missed my nap. Slept wonderfully and woke up to the pilot boat getting ready to bring us into San Juan.

 

Decided to eat breakfast in the restaurant. Had excellent table mates who also have cruised quite a bit so that's always fun taking about ships of days long ago. Cinnamon raisin French toast was excellent.

 

Today in San Juan I plan to do what I normally do when only here for a day- walk to the fort via the pathway at the water. Probably will through a buck or two for the ferral cat rescue box. It's a beautiful walk. I enjoy other areas of Puerto Rico very much (rainforest, bioluminescent pool, etc...) but there just isn't enough time to do those justice when only visiting for a day. There are some great hotels outside of the city for extended stays if anyone is interested. Divina leaves here early (3:00) so a day admiring the historic architecture of old San Juan is probably the best use of time.

 

Veradoodle- full details of how I obtained lounger were posted from day 1, but it wasn't entirely easy :).

[Cruisermom2nick]

Great review so far! Thanks!!! :) Do you notice a wide variety of more European foods onboard? My 16 year old is excited to try some different cuisine!

[BermudaBound2014]

March 30 continued...

 

Unlike st Thomas, nothing much has changed in old San Juan since my first visit back in 1987. Come to think of it, nothing much has changed in old San Juan in a few centuries. The walkway to the fort is exactly how I remember it a few years ago. The feral cat rescue center has grown and there are quite a few more cat houses built. After my walk to the fort I entered the city at the Gate. The coach store is right there and I like to make an appearance. It sprinkled on and off for most of the day today which was fine for me since I was just meandering around.

 

Back onboard I took a nice long shower and relaxed for a few hours on the balcony (aka napped). I'm on my 2nd book already. We docked aft out so I was able to watch the planes come and go and the various watercraft. Very relaxing day.

 

We sailed at 4 and the carnival valor followed us close behind. They have been with us since yesterday. There was a strange period of time leaving San Juan when we were dead in the water. Engines off. It appears as though we were simply waiting for the valor to get closer, but it was a bit odd.

 

The solarium pool is closed off this evening. Not sure why; the hot tubs in le Sirene are open, just the pool is roped off. Maybe someone dropped glass? There are also lifeguards at each of the three pools. They double as pool attendants, but the back of their shirts are clearly labeled "life guard". Not all cruise ships have this added safety measure if that matters to you.

 

The barTender at le Sirene bar makes the best margaritas on board (the solarium bar) but I had to leave due to a very strong old mop smell. Bummer because this is a nice quiet bar with great service.

 

There was a Bon Jovi concert at the main pool at 6:00 and I attended. The crowd wAs small but mighty and it was a good time. There was also cirque de sole concert playing on the big screen at noon but I didn't watch it. They had a Pavorotti concert at 8:00, which was well attended. They are making nice use of the screen. It's not the nearly 24/7 MUTS, but it's far better than what I've read in the past about the screen not being used. I say they are averaging 3 showings a day. Sometimes movies, sometimes concerts.

 

Tonight's theme was Italian but surprisingly there didn't seem to be an extra showing of Italian food at the buffet. The meat carving station was pork lion. Last night it was meatloaf. They have also had turkey, corned beef, and Chicago roast. I'm hoping to get prime rib at least one night but not counting on it. Nothing looked good at the buffet, and even the pizza is getting a bit tiresome. I broke down and had a cheeseburger and fries. It was ok.

 

Did some time in the casino and lost my 10 limit quite rapidly. Caught one song from the simply Italian show, but I just wasn't feeling the vibe. I think perhaps the heat and rain in San Juan had me tired. I Ended up calling it an early Night and catching up the news. The movie "social network" was playing on tnt. I hadn't ever seen the movie so that was a nice surprise. The tvs are quite small comparatively, but for me that is fine since I rarely even turn on a tv on vacation.

 

Thursday March 31st

 

Finally ship is moving such that there was a sunrise from the privacy of balcony. Of course, that meant I blew off the treadmill. I haven't used the free breakfast delivery yet- largely because I am refusing to be on any type of schedule. I wake when I wake. Nice thing about being on the aft is that there are exterior stairs to the buffet for coffee which I just take back to the room.

 

Of course, that meant I had full sun on my balcony for most of the day. Read a bit outside in the early morning but by 10 or so it was too hot with little breeze. Went for a swim- pools packed. I just swam and then immediate went back to the cabin for a shower and nap. Such a relaxing vacation.

 

Did the Italian language class which wasn't really much of a class. More a sheet of paper with a nice young land pronouncing what was printed. It was fine; but I'm not yet bilingual.

 

Started drinking a bit earlier than normal today since I still have plenty of coupons. The Divina bar is a nice quiet spot during the day and the bartender was also nice. I actually think all the waitstaff/bartenders are very pleasant, just more refined than the staffs on the mainstream lines. Had the passion margarita- good, but I think I like the solarium bartenders version slightly better.

 

I spent a great part of the afternoon wandering aimlessly and appreciating the beauty of Divina. I found artwork I hadn't seen before. A piece of advice for those so inclined, take some time when the ship isn't busy to appreciate the public spaces on decks 5-7. This is probably the most beautiful ship I've ever sailed. I still like the Radiance class on RCL better simply for the extensive use of windows connecting the interior to the ocean, but nothing comes close to interior of the Divina from an ascetic point of view.

 

Evening buffet was typical. The only real variety I'm finding is choosing a different salad dressing each night. Tonight the carving station had roast beef which was cooked nicely. Everything I try that looks like something I would like ends up being good- there is just much of the buffet that doesn't appeal to me personally. Example: tonight they had grilled squid. I tried it, but it was a mess of rubber (way more so than fried squid). There is a Mediterranean section with lots of cold cuts and cheeses, if that sounds appealing and lots of pasta dishes too. I have lots of pictures of the buffets (breakfast, lunch, and dinner); but Msc simply does not have the variety of the other lines. I can't speak for the main dining rooms at all, but unless you are into 2 hour meals at set times, the dining set up isn't for me.

 

This evening the show was Treasure Island and in my opinion it is as good as witches of Paris. They even had some staging for tonight's performance (3 wine barrels and a large skill with flaming eyes). I can't think of any other show that has had a stage set. The costumes are enough to to carry the show. The singers and dancers are great, but the various acrobatics make the show in my opinion.

 

After the show I started drinking long islands. Not sure if the alcohol is slightly watered down, but I had 3 margaritas yesterday and didn't feel even a slight buzz. 3 drinks back home and I've hit my limit. Played electronic roulette for 2 hours on $10.00 and walked away with $3.00. I like the no minimum bet on electronic roulette but miss the group play on a table. An entire non smoking casino is a HUGE plus and the service is very good for drinks.

 

 

 

Arriving to Darren (cruise director) tonight was MSCs first Quest game ever!! Held in the black and white lounge. They tried to make it kid friendly- some things are meant for adults only. It was "ok" but not nearly as funny as Quest on RCL. Part of it was the "kid"'part and the other was the cruise director. His staff are excellent, but I don't find Darren all that funny. Might just be me.

 

The had a late showing of mission impossible on the big screen. On my way back to the cabin I noticed that staff were making the "make your own sandwiches"for guests. Not sure if that means we are in a code red or not. It was self serve at dinner tonight so I suppose tomorrow will tell one way or the other. Tomorrow is Nassau - it's doubtful I will even get off the ship and instead enjoy an uncrowded pool to use my remaining drink coupons :).

[riclop]

Enjoy your last day.

[BermudaBound2014]

April 1st

 

What a glorious day! Absolute Perfect last day of vaca. Sunrise from the balcony. Docked aft facing Atlantis so I had a great breeze on my balcony all day. Full sun until noon and the shady the rest of the day.

 

I decided to order from the breakfast menu last night for giggles. Decaf coffee and a Danish. It arrived 30 minutes early which was nice because i was already up. Only problem was the decaf was make your own instant folgers :(. Yep, they brought a coffee pot of hot water and little decaf packets. Weird because they have fresh brewed decaf in the restaurant and at the buffet. I lived.

 

I ended up sitting on my balcony until lunch time. So peaceful out there. It's like getting hit with a ton of bricks leaving the serenity of my balcony for the ships main areas. It was so quiet I didn't even notice 2 carnival ships and the NCL escape dock. Disney was here when we arrived, so that makes 5 ships in Nassau today. Junkaroo beach is going to be packed.

 

There were far more people who stayed onboard today than the other port days. I suppose some of that has to do with Nassau. Although, there is a "swim with the Sharks" excursion you can book on your own from Stuart's Cove. It is in the top 3 of my all time favorite excursions ever if you are into a little adrenalin Rush. Google it- great tour!

 

After lunch I had the entire Main pool all to myself for a good hour, and then just a few children joined me. I watched cirque de sole' on the main screen from the pool and hot tubs. Around 2:30 it started getting busier so I finally decided to try the gelato. $2.50 for a cup of pistachio.. It was quite good but next time I'll stick with chocolate. You can use coupons for the gelato but that doesn't make financial sense. Due to the numerous web problems MSC has been experiencing I waited to purchase the coupon packet until I was onboard so each ticket ended up costing me $5.37. So in order to make it a work financially, it's necessary to buy the more expensive drinks (Long Island, margaritas, etc...). Beer onboard covered by the package is only $5.00 so if you are a beer drinker the coupons are no savings at all unless you prepurchase and even then if would be a very minimal savings.

 

Needless to say, I retreated to my sanctuary by 3:00 for a peaceful afternoon nap.

 

We were about 20minutes late leaving Nassau. A call was made (in Spanish) for missing passengers. In fact, there has been at least one call at each port for passengers to contact front desk. It was a lovely sail away with perfect weather.

 

Tonight is the Michael Jackson show. They had a bit of comedy act before the show, not a comedian but the three gymnasts miming passengers. It made for a nice pre show. For the person who asked, I'm Sad to report that there has not been any comedians on this sailing.

 

I was not entirely sure what to expect from the Michael Jackson show. Every all inclusive this side of the equator has a Michael Jackson show so I've seen my share. This was, hands down, the BEST MJ show I've ever seen!! It was so good I went to both showings and I've never done that on any cruise ship. It's hard to explain but there was a spirit to the show. I was teary eyed at the end of the show and I was not the only one. There was a standing ovation with the crowd chanting "MSC.MSC" at the end. Like I said, a special kind of energy.

 

The buffet after the show was insanely busy. In fact, the whole ship seemed to be crowded. I would not recommend waiting until the last night to make any purchases, as the lines were VERY long in all the shops and especially at the photos. Other than the pools and buffet (which is to be expected); tonight was the first time Divina seemed crowded.

 

Here is something that was news to me. You can no longer purchase the voucher for future cruises. Msc discontinued this promotion. Now, you can Pre-book the exact ship and itinerary and receive obc. It is not a good deal. Only $50.00 obc for balcony stateroom. I suppose if you did know the exact sailing it is better than nothing, but the vouchers where you can spend $10.00 onboard and gamble on being able to apply later are gone. Too bad. I'd have bought one because we are cruising from Venice this summer and Msc has two ships sailing decent itineraries. However, since we already have air, we will book cruise last minute. I'm gambling that There will be lots of last minute discounting this year with the current political climate so I wasn't keen on limiting my choices this early in the game.

 

Unfortunately MSC doesn't seem to value repeat customers. The "black" card status match is a total joke in my opinion and this new policy for future cruises does not allow much incentive either. I think MSC might be missing an opportunity here. I know I would have spent the $10.00 for a voucher as a possible investment and that same $10 might have been a big enough obc at my time of booking to select MSC over the other lines sailing from

Venice for our summer trip.

 

Luggage is gathering in the hallway already. Always a sign the cruise is coming to an end and that the night will bring out the teens in full force. MSC asks everyone to vacant cabins by 7:00 am. Given that the cabin all clear wasn't until 2:30 at embarkation, 7 seems earlier than most lines. I am walking off myself and have been assigned a 6:45 am meeting point so I'll be vacating bright and early. I hope to be able to do a fins review and post photos once I get back on the network, but all in all, this cruise was exactly what I expected given the reviews, and exactly what I needed in terms of "me time." For the right price, I'd most certainly sail MSC again.

[BermudaBound2014]

Debarkation was another A+! Left my cabin at 6:58 and in a taxi on my way to the airport by 7:18. Through airport security and sitting at the gate at 7:50. Absolutely seamless.

[BermudaBound2014]

Bermuda,,,,,would love to know if MSC has introduced a comedy show onboard,,,Andre ,,the cruise director,,,who happens to be on vacation until May 21st,,tweeted a pic of a new show so I wasn't sure if it was only for one sailing,,or if it will run on every sailing,,,,have a great trip,,,soooooo jealous!!!

 

 

No comedy show at all; but they did try quest for the first time. Family version. Not quite as fun as RCL quest, but they may get the hang of it eventually :)

[BermudaBound2014]

When I was on in December, my steward said he couldn't get me one, but, no one would stop me if I took one. I didn't try....

 

 

 

Oh no, Andre is on vacation? Who is taking his place?

 

Bermuda, which cabin are you in? I'm in 12252 in a few weeks, 10252 had a huge balcony.

 

Bob, (Clarea), come on over to the Italian side, you know you want to! ;)

 

 

 

Well, that's not entirely true Maureen (at least in my experience). I did grab my own lounger from the infinity pool. I made it to deck 13 before the pool boy chased me down (and I thought I was being so ninja). From there the negotiations began. He was pretty adamant at first the the lounge chair was "not allowed". Eventually he softened :)

[BermudaBound2014]

I have the same question if you don't mind sharing. Enjoyed a 7 day on the Divina in March and looking forward to sailing her again in July in an aft on deck 11. Thanks for the tips on getting a lounger.

 

Great review!

 

 

The aft balconies on deck 10 and 11 are much bigger than deck 12. They hold two loungers or two hammocks (Google for video). I wasn't thrilled with that garnet red color combo on deck 10 and 11 but if I was sailing with two people I would have suffered through the 70s Vegas scheme for the extra deck space so you should be great.

 

If color matters to anyone, Deck 8/9 have a tan/brown color scheme. Deck 12/13 have the yellowish/brown. It's deck 10/11 that have the garnet red. I'm sure those on a romantic venture may like the red :)

[BermudaBound2014]

Great review so far? What cabin are you in? We are in 12558 in June and would love to see pictures of a cabin like ours. Thinking about trying to get myself a lounge chair for our balcony.

 

 

Here's my advice on 12558. If you can move toward the center of the ship, I'd recommend that. 12558 is on the end and Buts up to an open deck area. I did see people attempting to

Peek around the wall into your balcony. Also, it's next to an exterior door that SLAMS shut which I could here in 889.

 

Now, if you can't move don't worry. The open space isn't that big of a deal and the door doesn't get used all that much. I'd keep that cabin over moving to a side view cabin any day!!!

[BermudaBound2014]

Great review so far! Thanks!!! :) Do you notice a wide variety of more European foods onboard? My 16 year old is excited to try some different cuisine!

 

 

Yes, food is much more European than the mainstream lines. Your 16 year old will get to try lots of things he can't pronounce or identify :).

[nikkiw60]

Off topic, what is the Yve like as we are staying there after the cruise for one night? We got an amazing package from out UK agent which included 2 nights as the Essex house before cruise and the night at the Yve after!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[LMaxwell]

BB thanks for your review, I learned a lot and it answered a lot of questions I had, but can you speak some more about the Black card and why you were not impressed? Did they not follow through on the promised perks? Did you receive your specialty dining or not? (may have missed that).

[BermudaBound2014]

Off topic, what is the Yve like as we are staying there after the cruise for one night? We got an amazing package from out UK agent which included 2 nights as the Essex house before cruise and the night at the Yve after!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

 

Location, location, location. The YVE is located right next to bayside - which has restaurants, bars, live music, and lots of tours of Miami originate there. Bayside is a typical tourist place but I like it very much. There is a lot to do within walking distance of YVE. I found a nice pedicure place a block away. They were able to offer me early check in also, so call when your ship docks in Miami and make th request. A taxi from the port to YVE shouldn't cost more than $20. Taxis from YVE to airport will rub around $25.00. They offer 6.00 transfer to the port but not from the port. It's a boutique hote so think very small rooms. Front desk was very accommodating and free drinks for ladies from 5-6 pm was a nice bonus. For one day post-cruise, I think you will like the YVE very much, especially if you paid good price :).

[nikkiw60]

Thank you! Looking forward to staying there and I have enjoyed reading your reviews from the trip. (Also Stuart's!).

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[BermudaBound2014]

BB thanks for your review, I learned a lot and it answered a lot of questions I had, but can you speak some more about the Black card and why you were not impressed? Did they not follow through on the promised perks? Did you receive your specialty dining or not? (may have missed that).

 

My pleasure with the review. Updated Msc divina info is lacking on the forums so I'm trying to do my part for th cruise community. As far as the black card goes- I have ZERO brand loyality when it comes to cruising. As a result, I transferred as silver on MSC but didn't bother getting th loyality match straightened out (the website issues were driving me crazy). I simply don't feel that the black card benefits as listed on the Msc site are beneficial for the consumer. I got chocolate covered strawberries and a fruit bowl and I don't even have a loyality match. Dance classes are free to all. I was onboard in 20 minutes so priority boarding would have done me zero help. I wasn't impressed that th "free" dinner was off a selected menu, but it's a decent perk and the cocktail party would hold some value to me as a consumer. I guess what I was saying is that as loyality programs go, MSC does not seem to offer things I would consider perks and since much of what is listed is offers to th general public, it's a bit of a slap (imo).