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On MSC Divina now - things I didn't expect

lovelights

By lovelights,
in MSC Cruises

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Max49

Max49

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Posted

We were also on this same cruise. The ship is beautiful and with no expenses spared. It was also spotless clean.

We thought the food was OK to good. Warm but never hot. The buffet was huge and beautiful with plenty of variety to eat once you found what we were looking for. This, plus trying to find a place to sit contributed to the food being just warm.

We found good seats at the back of the buffet/ ship and I was surprised that it was more rocky back there.

We originally had a rear facing balcony 10254, but MSC called and offered us a yacht club upgrade for $700.

We of course liked the free drinks in the YC area and the private pool , bar , hot tubs, no chair hogs and crowds.

We didnt like that we only got free drinks in the YC area. The yaucht club restaurant, "Lemuse" in my opinion was not near as nice as the Black Crab or the Villa Rosa, was it called? The Lemuse being in the back of the ship where the rest of YC was in the front, you had to walk the length of the ship on deck 15, through the smoking bar and pool area to get to the restaurant. Or we could go down to deck 7, walk to the back of the ship and go up to 15. The windows in the Lemuse were not low and close to the sea like the other restaurants mentioned, we were on deck 15 and the windows overlooked the pool by the smoking area bar. Some of the people right outside the windows really should'nt have been packed into those too small bathing suits.

It would be interesting to know the history of the Lemuse restaurant and the yacht club area. That had to have been an after thought add on, I thought it was very bad lay out for what was supposed to be the Yacht Club" area. The service and the butler was great,

We loved the shows we went to. It was nice that the captain showed some nice humor at the first and last show.

We didnt like the bingo in that huge theatre, only one full card game, so we only did that once.

The casino was lively and I was surprised that the slots were not stingy, they took some in but they also gave some back. I liked the $2 black jack machine, and had fun over the week with it and came out a few dollars ahead, My wife did even better on the slots.

I enjoyed the international flare , a lot of partying people, my wife and I agreed that we did feel like the foreigners , not that that was necessarily a bad thing, but I did wish I spoke , French, Spanish and Italian, maybe others, a few times.

I definitly would not rule MSC out for another cruise, but I would not do yacht club on Divina again.

Oh. that was another thing. We've only been on 3 cruises so we are still very green so maybe we could have did this different.

It was supposed to be a bonus that us YC people get off the ship quick. Our Butler said we didnt have to out of the room until 8 but he prefered we be in the Top Sail lounge by 0730. Our luggage was already gone down to custom area. There was no place for a warm breakfast in the YC area so we got up early and went to the buffet for breakfast. (Our flight to come home did not leave FLL until 1800 hrs so really we did not want to hurry) But our luggage was already gone with the YC folks luggage and we are new at this, and MSC and our butler want us to be in Top Sail by 0730 so

we dont want to lose our luggage so we go back.

Hmmm,:confused: our cards have been disabled and we cant get the doors open to the YC area. We go to the broken door to take u to the 18 th floor pool and bar and no body is there, we cant get the elevator to work because our card has been disabled. We go back down to 15 and try the telephone, nobody answers. There also is another couple there locked out too. Just by luck, somebody comes out the door so the 4 go in. Our butler said, "you are late" we told him what happened but I think it got lost in the language translation :rolleyes: lol.

We got to the airport, waited 4 hrs before we could check our bags, then another 4 hrs to get on the plane , then 4 more hrs in the air to Denver.

 

It was an adventure, and eventually we will learn how to do things better.

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1fifthavenue

1fifthavenue

Posted
Posted

It would be interesting to know the history of the Lemuse restaurant and the yacht club area. That had to have been an after thought add on, I thought it was very bad lay out for what was supposed to be the Yacht Club" area.

 

Le Muse was originally a speciality restaurant, Yacht Club dining used to be in a section of the main dining room.

 

This is the reason why it's so far away from the rest of the ship.

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Capricruiser

Capricruiser

Posted
Posted (edited)
Le Muse was originally a speciality restaurant, Yacht Club dining used to be in a section of the main dining room.

 

This is the reason why it's so far away from the rest of the ship.

 

This is true of the YC restaurants on the older Fantasia and Splendida but the Yacht Club concept was already in effect when both the Divina and the Preziosa were launched. Thus Divina Le Muse was the YC restaurant from the beginning and never located in the MDR.

This distance factor will be eliminated with the new MSC ships (Meraviglia and Seaside, etc.) where the YC restaurants will be on the deck right above the Top Sail Lounge.

Edited by Capricruiser
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RudiRatlos

RudiRatlos

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This is true of the YC restaurants on the older Fantasia and Splendida but the Yacht Club concept was already in effect when both the Divina and the Preziosa were launched. Thus Divina Le Muse was the YC restaurant from the beginning and never located in the MDR.

 

When starting YC on Fantasia and Splendida, it consisted of more cabins than now: todays aurea suites on deck 9, 10 and 11 then belonged to the YC, therefore in the beginning more restaurant space for YC guests was needed.

This was changed before launching, but during planning/building of Divina and Preziosa. Surely they did not want to change the complete ship's layout, so Le Muse may also have been originally planned as a specialty restaurant, but never served this purpose.

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Max49

Max49

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who was your butler?
I'm just going to take a wild guess at both the pronunciation and spelling.

 

"Manajo" lol , maybe. We were in 15001 , port side right beside the Top Sail door, did'nt have far to go to get a drink from our room.

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mafig

mafig

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Max49, How was your balcony? I remember you had concerns that you were assigned one without the plexiglass.

 

I read that you wouldn't cruise in the YC again but would select another cabin.

 

We're the opposite, I can't imagine going on MSC without being in the YC.

However, it seems you did a lot more than we did outside of the YC, while we spent most of our time there and ventured out only to the showroom, and casino.

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anonmom

anonmom

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Sorry folks, but I can't answer much about the main dining, or specialty dining, because we ate at the buffet every single meal, and had no problems at all.

 

We're just not the dining type of people, I guess.

 

We didn't have children with us, for all of my kids are older and have families of their own, and this was just my husband and I on this cruise. However, the children that were on board, seemed to be having a blast. They have a buffet just for the kids (but we seen many adults going there, and having to bend over to get out the exit). LOL

 

The dining doesn't affect the shows, because they have set up the shows so that you can go to a 7:15pm show, or the 9:15pm show.

 

We aren't pool people, for we have a poolside home, so we're so use to a pool, that we don't cruise to get in a pool. However, the solarium pool seemed to be more packed. It was very hot in there, when we passed through. The pool in the back of the ship, and the main pool, didn't seem to be overly packed. Seemed like most of the people on this particular cruise was more into sunbathing.

 

The t.v. has just a few channels, and the ones they had were mostly CNN channels that spoke of Clinton and Trump, and I've had enough of that, listening to it at home. LOL

 

Formal night is tonight (Day 6 of the cruise - at sea after leaving San Juan at 2:00am, which we pulled out at 1:40am). However, most of the cruisers on this ship seem to be formal dressers. I don't go on a cruise to dress up, but that's just me. Most of the passengers don't seem to have English as their primary language. However, everyone seems to be very nice and polite. It's like all 4,000 of us are one big happy family. LOL

 

I'm honestly going to miss Divina when we have to get off the ship on Saturday morning. We're thinking of making Seaside our home for a week in 2018.

So glad to hear all of this! We have only ever booked on NCL for one main reason, which is that the total cost of a cruise on NCL is lower than any other US cruise line if you include paying for the drinks package and at least one child. But I see a lot of deals for MSC, Pullmantur, and CDF that include at least a basic drinks package and kids sail free. The reason I haven't gone ahead and booked something is that I also worry about having to do traditional dining.

 

I don't really worry about sitting with strangers, I can get along with anyone and make basic conversation in English/Spanish/French for the length of a few meals. But I hate having to plan my day around when I am going to eat. It seems like the opposite of a vacation. I want to eat when I'm hungry, and I want my cabin mates to do the same, instead of having to coordinate with each other, or (even worse) follow a corporate-set schedule.

 

What are the hours of the buffet? How do breakfast and lunch work? If we plan to just eat at the buffet, can we still drop in to the main dining room if one or more of us happen to be hungry at the same time?

 

Thanks!

 

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Forums mobile app

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anonmom

anonmom

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I took over 70+ Interior Photos of just the interior of MSC Divina. I hope this link works. I'm new to Flicker.

 

https://www.flickr.com/gp/148753594@N04/78xq39

 

I'll try to get the exterior photos uploaded before I go to bed tonight.

Beautiful ship! For some reason, reading MSC reviews by American passengers who experienced culture shock and preferred their previous cruises on US lines, I had gotten the impression that MSC ships were somehow dowdy/dingy/cramped, like traditional European hotels.

 

Reading through this thread, I am more and more convinced that next cruise I book will be on MSC. Can't wait to see the exterior pics!

 

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Forums mobile app

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helen haywood

helen haywood

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I just want to add that we sailed our second time on Divina in September, first time in Yacht Club. OMG! We are about to embark Divina again on Saturday, again in YC. We have another scheduled for next February...and I just canceled an 11 night on our beloved Celebrity Reflection next November to a B2B on Divina YC. Can you tell we loved Yacht Club?!?! And as long as MSC YC prices are so very much lower than other lines we've sailed, we certainly shall continue to sing the praises of MSC's Yacht Club!

 

 

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Crzyfrk62

Crzyfrk62

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I just want to add that we sailed our second time on Divina in September, first time in Yacht Club. OMG! We are about to embark Divina again on Saturday, again in YC. We have another scheduled for next February...and I just canceled an 11 night on our beloved Celebrity Reflection next November to a B2B on Divina YC. Can you tell we loved Yacht Club?!?! And as long as MSC YC prices are so very much lower than other lines we've sailed, we certainly shall continue to sing the praises of MSC's Yacht Club!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

ABSOLUTELY!!! I feel the same way!!

 

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Max49

Max49

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We were in 15011. I wonder if it was the same? We got his name to be

Manoosh .... :confused::)

 

Yea, I bet he is the same, very nice man, maybe a bit more than we expected. I meant to ask him to write down his name but forgot. They should put a card in the room telling us our Butler and Stewart's name.

 

We would have rather had the plexiglass but the steel railing was OK, it was very low and easy to see over.

 

I loved the the private bars, swimming pool and hottubs with no chair hogs and I free drinks was nice. I like the other restaurants better than Lemuse and I missed mingling with different people at dinner. I'm used to any time dining on Princess. I didnt like how far away we were from the buffet. We are use to eating every 45 minutes when cruising, does'nt every body? :D

 

I will try YC again if I get a good deal on their newer ships.

 

I would be interested to know what every one loves the most about Yacht Club.

 

1-Free Drinks? (I still bought the 18 drink package because they were only free in the YC area)

 

2-The Butler?

 

3-24 hr Free room service?

 

4-Top Sail?

 

5-The One Pool, hot tubs, now crowded bar and plenty of loungers to relax in,

 

6- 1st on and off the ship?

 

7- Lemuse

 

Am I forgetting some thing else?

 

If I don't YC the next time, I'm sure #5 will be the one I will miss the most.

Edited by Max49
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lovelights

lovelights

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Posted (edited)

I just noticed that someone else had commented about the vibrations near the back portion of the ship. I was thinking that maybe I was just having some nervous condition. ;) However, I've been on many different cruise ships, and this was the first time I had felt the vibration that badly. I was thinking it was because we were located on deck 12, about 9 rooms from the back of the ship on the portside. I chose that side to get videos of El Morrow Lighthouse and Forts as we were pulling into port. Plus, I didn't want to look out or down onto a lifeboat.

 

When we left San Juan the vibration of the ship actually woke me up. It was about 1:40am. (Ship was suppose to leave at 2:00am). And did anyone else see the white smoke that was pouring from the top of the ship on the portside? We seen a Carnival ship one time that was pouring out black smoke when it left Cozumel. We were on Jewel of the Seas at the time. My husband said "I don't think that ship is suppose to be doing that." When we got home, we turned on the news, and it was the ship that ended up being nicknamed "the poop cruise". :O

 

I noticed that Divina only did the shimmy when it was backing up, or moving sideways to pull up and pull away from the docks.

 

We did notice on the t.v. that there were times that the ship was moving almost 21 knots, and the winds were hitting the side at almost 50 knots. I actually took a photo of it on the t.v., because I thought the ship stood up to the winds rather well. I didn't realize how much the wind was blowing until we opened our patio door.

 

We'd be sitting in the bed or on the couch in our room, and there would be a BOOM. Felt like we had a hit a deer or something. :O

Edited by lovelights
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Crzyfrk62

Crzyfrk62

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My list for the YC is very similar to yours lovelights.

I love the whole experience and I don't have to worry about some crazy bar bill at the end of the cruise, no worries about getting another drink.

I do love the crew in the YC they are amazing and have taken good care of me during my cruises.

Your list is spot on. Can't wait to be able to drink outside of the YC and am excited about MSC private island with an area for YC guest in the near future.... that is an even bigger draw for me. Don't know if I can sail any other way anymore.

 

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anonmom

anonmom

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We were on the same sailing and we were pleasantly surprised with the overall experience. Food was very good for the most part, as was the service, steaks in Eataly were excellent. The best pizza of any cruise line, and we've been on almost all of them.

 

Status match worked well for us as we got black card status and were one of the first people on the ship, had a free meal in Eataly, with no problem booking our desired day and time, and lots of other little perks.

 

The drink coupons worked out very well, but a caution for anyone who purchased them ahead of time. When we picked ours up in the casino, ours only had fifteen coupons, not eighteen. Evidently there was some problem with the vendor, which we would never have noticed if we didn't count them. Not sure how many people got ripped off three drinks and never noticed. We met George on day one and that was the only bar we ever went to. Everyone loved George.

 

We had an aft cabin on deck ten, huge balcony, but a lot of movement when at sea and tons of vibration when docking. The seas were not even rough, but there was a lot of movement in the aft and we are huge aft fans. I'm not sure I'd book an aft on the Divina again for that reason.

 

Overall I wouldn't hesitate to book another cruise with MSC.

Oh no! I thought MSC had stopped doing the ticket thing and was now doing all-inclusive drinks. Was that only a promo that is now over?

 

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PaulnKarl

PaulnKarl

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We used prepaid coupons for coffee and for cocktails - no problems, great value. There are some restrictions, for example in the Piano Bar (Deck 7 above Casino) you have to ask for the bar menu, not the cocktail menu they put out. More expensive items not included. Cocktail coupons = $6 each cp to $7.50 + 15% at the bar. Coffee coupon less than $2 each cp to $3-4.50 + 15% on board.

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TomNPB

TomNPB

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We used prepaid coupons for coffee and for cocktails - no problems, great value. There are some restrictions, for example in the Piano Bar (Deck 7 above Casino) you have to ask for the bar menu, not the cocktail menu they put out. More expensive items not included. Cocktail coupons = $6 each cp to $7.50 + 15% at the bar. Coffee coupon less than $2 each cp to $3-4.50 + 15% on board.

All depends on who you know. And tipping the staff does wonders

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