On MSC Divina now - things I didn't expect

[kathiean]

Did you walk to the fort that has the lighthouse? or the other one? It took us about 20 minutes just to walk to the ship from where the Pigeon Park is.

 

We paid $12 for a taxi to bring us back to the ship. It was 86 degrees with feeling like 98 degrees with the humidity. Even our cab driver said that the heat was almost unbearable there this time of year, due to the humidity.

 

How did you push a stroller through the cobblestone streets? Bet that was rough on the stroller wheels. ;)

 

You're probably much younger than us, unless you're a grandma at the age of 60 pushing your grandchild in a stroller. lol We're not in bad shape, but we're not Olympians either. :) I seen a woman up by the lighthouse when I was taking photos, (much younger than me), that was in tears, because she felt like she was going to pass out from the heat.

 

I do agree though that it's nice to take a walk and see the beautiful buildings and landscape. We did end up getting back off the ship around 4:00pm, and walked and took many photos. The ship was scheduled to leave at 2:00am, but it actually pulled out around 1:40am. This gave us time to get off the ship while it was cooler outside, and made for a much better visit.

 

As a matter of fact, I AM a grandma of 60 pushing that stroller! How did you know? That's hilarious! :) I'm a Floridian so the heat doesn't really bother me. My grandson's stroller is a really nice one that pushes easily over the cobblestones...but we stuck to the sidewalk most of the way. We walked to both forts...started with the big one then cut across to the smaller one. We stopped in Pigeon Square first to feed the pigeons...one of my all-time favorite spots! I'm a retired Environmental Educator and led hikes through the woods for many years so I do indeed love to walk! I absolutely 100% agree about the heat if you are not used to it...definitely do the taxi...especially for only $12. A bargain!!

[kathiean]

This has always been my impression of the fellow passengers, as well. Love to learn more about other cultures. Thank you for your review! Have my third cruise on Divina booked for this winter!

 

I think we are on the same cruise...February 4? Divina?

[lovelights]

SAN JUAN - FORT: If you walk, drive, take a taxi, or however you decide to get to the Fort (Castillo San Felipe del Morro), be careful when walking in the grass that outlines the walkway to the Fort. I stepped off the sidewalk for just a little bit to get a photo without someone standing in front of me, and there are fire ants in the grass area. Or at least there is one, and I stepped in it. Or at least they are there if you happen to be visiting in October.

 

I knew instantly what happened, because I live in Florida and I'm very familiar with fire ants, and fire ant bites.So, stay on the sidewalk on the way to and from the fort.SAN JUAN - TAXI: A taxi ride FROM the fort cost us $12.00, and then we gave a $5.00 tip. (That's just one-way for 2 people). It was so humid and hot, that people were getting sick and one woman was getting medical attention from heat exhaustion. It has just rained in the morning, and then the sun popped up, so the humidity was at it's peak.I think the taxi driver told us that even though it was in the mid 80s, it felt like 96 - 98 degrees.SAN JUAN - FREE TROLLEY: We waited 40 minutes in line for the Trolley, and then after we boarded, we were taken to a parking area, where we were told to get off, and get on another trolley with a different driver. Once we left the parking area, we went about a block, did a u-turn, and came back up to another stop, in which the driver was switched again. It took us over 1/2 hour to get to the fort on the trolley after the drivers played musical chairs. (and that wasn't even including the 40 minutes that we waited in line to get on the trolley to begin with.

 

Trying to get off the trolley was a total chaos, because the people that were waiting to get off, are pushing their way on the trolley, before the people that want to get off, can get off. The trolley was so packed that people were standing in the aisle. It would seem like people would have figured out that in order to get a seat on the trolley, people have to get off the trolley first. DRINKS ON BOARD: We found it difficult to find the frozen drinks on Divina, such as a Mudslide, Dirty Banana, Bushwacker, etc. The Garden Bar acted like they didn't know what we were asking for, and another bar said that they weren't sure how to make them. They had Strawberry Daquiri, Miami Vice, and a few drinks like that, but after having what appeared to be a water-downed Miami Vice at the Garden Bar on the aft of Deck 15, plus being charged more for a beer there, than any other place on the ship, we decided to check out other bars.

 

That's when we found the Silver Bar & Lounge on Deck 6 (mid-ship), and we're so glad we did. The bartender there fixed me up a terrific Bushwacker, and seemed to know all the Caribbean frozen drinks. Not only that, but he served the drinks with a smile, and seemed to be loving what he does.I highly recommend this bar & lounge.

[lovelights]

That should have read "because the people that were waiting to get ON, are pushing their way on the trolley".

[cruiseguyinorl]

That's when we found the Silver Bar & Lounge on Deck 6 (mid-ship), and we're so glad we did. The bartender there fixed me up a terrific Bushwacker, and seemed to know all the Caribbean frozen drinks. Not only that, but he served the drinks with a smile, and seemed to be loving what he does.I highly recommend this bar & lounge.

 

Love this bar as well! The bartender didn't happen to be George from Jamaica was it? That was his usual bar and has always been my favorite bartender on the Divina.

 

Bret

[riclop]

Love this bar as well! The bartender didn't happen to be George from Jamaica was it? That was his usual bar and has always been my favorite bartender on the Divina.

 

Bret

 

George is a hell of nice guy.

[Alexhardesty]

Okay. I'll try to get them to you on Sunday. I just scan them as .jpg files?

 

Yep... that will work and I will do the rest.

 

Thanks and enjoy the rest of your cruise.

[tencruises]

Learning much from this thread for my upcoming trip, including the stroller up the hill thing...hmmm...my son is a little bulky though, so still not sure on that. Should have named him Hercules. HA!

[suzyed]

I saved all of mine, so I'll scan them and post them on Sunday after we get home on Saturday. I just have to figure out how to get photos on here. I'm thinking that I'm going to have to open a Flicker account and upload them there, and then put the link over here. If anyone has an idea of how to get the photos here, please let me know.

 

Can you tell us about the "Theme Nights", please? White Party and 60's party? Is that right? Anything else? Were they well attended?

 

Thanks in advance!

[lovelights]

Love this bar as well! The bartender didn't happen to be George from Jamaica was it? That was his usual bar and has always been my favorite bartender on the Divina.

 

Bret

 

Yes, that's exactly who it was. I loved his Jamaican accent, and he was such a nice person. I asked him, "Do you know how to make a Bushwacker?", and his reply was "Oh yeah, I know how to make a Bushwacker. I know how to make everything. I will fix you up." And he had a smile on his face the entire time. Unfortunately, we didn't discover him until a few days before we got off the ship. Wish we would have found him the first day. Does anyone know his full name? I'd like to put it on an online survey that MSC is asking us to take about what person on the ship made our cruise special. Said they will be promoting many crew members from Divina to work on Seaside. Maybe I can just put George from the Silver Bar Lounge, and they'll know who I mean.

[lovelights]

Can you tell us about the "Theme Nights", please? White Party and 60's party? Is that right? Anything else? Were they well attended?

 

Thanks in advance!

 

We get home tomorrow, and I'll scan my Daily newsletters. I believe it's a 70s - 80s party. Not a 60s, but I may be wrong. I'll double check tomorrow when I get home. All of my Daily papers are packaged up in my suitcase sitting outside my door in the hall. LOL

 

I do remember that whatever was in the Black & White Lounge each night, was very very packed. We passed it to go out to the promenade deck to smoke, and I believe it was Karaoke night that was so packed, there was only standing room.

[lovelights]

Whatever you do, make sure you attend the last show of the cruise. It's the Starwalkers show as a tribute to Michael Jackson. I believe they said that Jonathan Rodriguez was the name of the fella that portrays Michael Jackson, and he is absolutely fantastic. This show is on the night before you get off the ship in Miami, and it was one of the best shows that I've seen on all the ships we've cruised on.

 

If you purchase cruise ship models of the ships you cruise on, the cruise model for Divina is $34.90. It's the most expensive ship model we've ever purchased before. We found Divina more expensive on their logo designs than other cruise lines we've been on. T-shirts (and there were only a few designs to choose from) are $17.99 per shirt. Polo shirts were about $21.00. If you buy 2, you get 20% off. We've always liked how the other cruise lines have sales during the cruise and you can get t-shirts for like 2 for $20.00.

 

Also if you do the photo packages, (which didn't include the embarkation photo), make sure you take care of the purchase before the night before you get off the ship. There was an astronomical line down the hall the day before disembarkation with people that waited to purchase their photos.

 

The embarkation photos were $28.00. I about fainted when I heard the price. (not included in your package either). We've never been on a ship where they were over $19.95. I asked if they did photos when you got off the ship at the ports, and was told that they use to, but they don't anymore, because they didn't make any money. Geez..... wonder why? I wouldn't be buying them either if they were $28.00 each.

 

They do offer a package deal, because they have 3 different styles to choose from for your embarkation photo. I believe we paid about $48.00 to get all 3, and then we got a DVD for free that has 50 digital photos of the ship on it.

 

Ok, I have to go for now. It's going on midnight, and we're suppose to be out of our room by 7:00pm. We have #3 Pink tags on our luggage, which means we aren't called until 10:15 to meet in the theater to get off the ship. Looks like we're going to be taking our time at breakfast (like 3 hours of time). :O

 

Also for the smokers..... I just read where it says there is no smoking on the ship tomorrow before we disembark. (Well, it says there's no smoking in any lounges), so I assumed that means the entire ship. If it's different than that, my husband will find out in the morning.

[nautica34]

Thanks for the revie.w and the great information. Going on Divina end of November. Like you, used to the t-shirt sales. Guess I won't be buying that. Do you recall if the ship sold Bijoux Terner products (watches, purses, etc.)?

 

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[Homosassa]

For free MSC logo apparel, play trivia. MSC tee shirts are given as prizes in Trivia. Other prizes given include MSC back packs and beach bags.

[suzyed]

We get home tomorrow, and I'll scan my Daily newsletters. I believe it's a 70s - 80s party. Not a 60s, but I may be wrong. I'll double check tomorrow when I get home. All of my Daily papers are packaged up in my suitcase sitting outside my door in the hall. LOL

 

I do remember that whatever was in the Black & White Lounge each night, was very very packed. We passed it to go out to the promenade deck to smoke, and I believe it was Karaoke night that was so packed, there was only standing room.

 

I was able to find info on the theme nights on the MSC website and it did say 60's-70's but I suppose that can always be changed. It also mentioned the White party and Italian Night!

Once you get home and are able to look at your Daily's, please let us know if there are any additions or changes!

Thanks in advance!!

 

Susan and Chuck

Edited October 30, 2016 by suzyed

[lovelights]

I was able to find info on the theme nights on the MSC website and it did say 60's-70's but I suppose that can always be changed. It also mentioned the White party and Italian Night!

Once you get home and are able to look at your Daily's, please let us know if there are any additions or changes!

Thanks in advance!!

 

Susan and Chuck

 

We just got home today around 4:00pm. Haven't had time to scan anything, but I will be doing that very soon. I have to open a Flicker account so I can put some photos over there. I think I took about 1,000 photos. LOL

 

On October 26th, which was this past Wednesday, and it was the day that we arrived in San Juan, my Daily does say that the dress attire was for 70s & 80s. I just checked it.

 

I did remember that it had 70s on it, because I remember seeing some teenagers dress up for it, and I looked at my husband and said "I graduated in 1975, and we did NOT dress like that." lol

[lovelights]

Thanks for the revie.w and the great information. Going on Divina end of November. Like you, used to the t-shirt sales. Guess I won't be buying that. Do you recall if the ship sold Bijoux Terner products (watches, purses, etc.)?

 

Sent from my SM-G930T using Forums mobile app

 

Sorry, can't help you there. Maybe someone else that is reading this thread will be able to help. I do remember looking at the watches, purses, jewelry, etc., as we past by them, but I couldn't pronounce half of the brand names, let alone be able to remember what they were. My watch is from Walmart, and the last brand name purse I bought, had the zipper break within 2 weeks, so I just buy the cheap purses now, and they last for years. lol

[TomNPB]

SAN JUAN - FORT: If you walk, drive, take a taxi, or however you decide to get to the Fort (Castillo San Felipe del Morro), be careful when walking in the grass that outlines the walkway to the Fort. I stepped off the sidewalk for just a little bit to get a photo without someone standing in front of me, and there are fire ants in the grass area. Or at least there is one, and I stepped in it. Or at least they are there if you happen to be visiting in October.

 

I knew instantly what happened, because I live in Florida and I'm very familiar with fire ants, and fire ant bites.So, stay on the sidewalk on the way to and from the fort.SAN JUAN - TAXI: A taxi ride FROM the fort cost us $12.00, and then we gave a $5.00 tip. (That's just one-way for 2 people). It was so humid and hot, that people were getting sick and one woman was getting medical attention from heat exhaustion. It has just rained in the morning, and then the sun popped up, so the humidity was at it's peak.I think the taxi driver told us that even though it was in the mid 80s, it felt like 96 - 98 degrees.SAN JUAN - FREE TROLLEY: We waited 40 minutes in line for the Trolley, and then after we boarded, we were taken to a parking area, where we were told to get off, and get on another trolley with a different driver. Once we left the parking area, we went about a block, did a u-turn, and came back up to another stop, in which the driver was switched again. It took us over 1/2 hour to get to the fort on the trolley after the drivers played musical chairs. (and that wasn't even including the 40 minutes that we waited in line to get on the trolley to begin with.

 

Trying to get off the trolley was a total chaos, because the people that were waiting to get off, are pushing their way on the trolley, before the people that want to get off, can get off. The trolley was so packed that people were standing in the aisle. It would seem like people would have figured out that in order to get a seat on the trolley, people have to get off the trolley first. DRINKS ON BOARD: We found it difficult to find the frozen drinks on Divina, such as a Mudslide, Dirty Banana, Bushwacker, etc. The Garden Bar acted like they didn't know what we were asking for, and another bar said that they weren't sure how to make them. They had Strawberry Daquiri, Miami Vice, and a few drinks like that, but after having what appeared to be a water-downed Miami Vice at the Garden Bar on the aft of Deck 15, plus being charged more for a beer there, than any other place on the ship, we decided to check out other bars.

 

That's when we found the Silver Bar & Lounge on Deck 6 (mid-ship), and we're so glad we did. The bartender there fixed me up a terrific Bushwacker, and seemed to know all the Caribbean frozen drinks. Not only that, but he served the drinks with a smile, and seemed to be loving what he does.I highly recommend this bar & lounge.

Hot wasn't the word..i finally left the ship at 2pm And was back onboard by 3 😀 If you were up on deck 15 you probably remember me. We were all the way aft in the lounge chairs. I'm tall long hair.. Were you on 12 ? Edi was amazing .. I couldn't get over how he took care of me. Tom

 

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[nautica34]

Sorry, can't help you there. Maybe someone else that is reading this thread will be able to help. I do remember looking at the watches, purses, jewelry, etc., as we past by them, but I couldn't pronounce half of the brand names, let alone be able to remember what they were. My watch is from Walmart, and the last brand name purse I bought, had the zipper break within 2 weeks, so I just buy the cheap purses now, and they last for years. lol

Thanks anyway! The Bijoux Terner products are usually around $10 to $20. Like you, I don't buy expensive stuff. I buy the $10 watches which is great for the cruise and they actually last for quite a while.

 

Sent from my SM-G930T using Forums mobile app

[dd likes to cruise]

I was on the same cruise. Our boarding docs said our check-in was for 2:00pm. I called and asked how early we could board and was told 12:30. I believe we really got there a few minutes before 12:30. Being a Black level due to status match we did not get a number assigned and walked straight on. Easy peasy!

 

Yes MDR was open first night. Special nights were White Party, Italian night where they ask you to wear red, white, green, and 70&80 night - some pasangers really dressed with peace signs, flower power type fabric, or tie dye. Cute.

 

Our favorite music at night was La Luna lounge - a duo that did great music, including a beatles night. They also did a great set on 70&80's night.

 

We had a great time and agree with the OP that all staff was great!

[cruiseguyinorl]

Yes, that's exactly who it was. I loved his Jamaican accent, and he was such a nice person. I asked him, "Do you know how to make a Bushwacker?", and his reply was "Oh yeah, I know how to make a Bushwacker. I know how to make everything. I will fix you up." And he had a smile on his face the entire time. Unfortunately, we didn't discover him until a few days before we got off the ship. Wish we would have found him the first day. Does anyone know his full name? I'd like to put it on an online survey that MSC is asking us to take about what person on the ship made our cruise special. Said they will be promoting many crew members from Divina to work on Seaside. Maybe I can just put George from the Silver Bar Lounge, and they'll know who I mean.

 

 

It's George Hall. If anyone happens to be sailing the next few weeks, please find out if he will be on the Dec 6th sailing. Tell him Bret with the jazz group will be onboard. Thanks!

 

Bret

[lovelights]

Hot wasn't the word..i finally left the ship at 2pm And was back onboard by 3 😀 If you were up on deck 15 you probably remember me. We were all the way aft in the lounge chairs. I'm tall long hair.. Were you on 12 ? Edi was amazing .. I couldn't get over how he took care of me. Tom

 

Sent from my N9518 using Tapatalk

 

Remember you? How can we forget? I think we passed you about 100 times. LOL I was wondering what you were doing on deck 12. I thought you had a room on deck 9 for some reason. You're right. Edi was fantastic. Best stateroom attendant we've ever had on any cruise we've been on. You were the first person we met getting on board on the gangway, and the last person that we said goodbye to, before we left.

 

Yep, you're tall for sure. What are you at? 7 ft? ;) We're Debbie & Terry. Terry said it got so windy up on 15 that it was almost unbearable. He said chairs were blowing across the deck.

 

It was a fantastic cruise for sure. People were just so nice.

[TomNPB]

Remember you? How can we forget? I think we passed you about 100 times. LOL I was wondering what you were doing on deck 12. I thought you had a room on deck 9 for some reason. You're right. Edi was fantastic. Best stateroom attendant we've ever had on any cruise we've been on. You were the first person we met getting on board on the gangway, and the last person that we said goodbye to, before we left.

 

Yep, you're tall for sure. What are you at? 7 ft? ;) We're Debbie & Terry. Terry said it got so windy up on 15 that it was almost unbearable. He said chairs were blowing across the deck.

 

It was a fantastic cruise for sure. People were just so nice.

OK Now I know who you are

.awesome time. I'm looking forward to seeing all the pictures you took

.i had a problem taking pictures with two drinks in my hand. Lol. Tom

 

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[lovelights]

It's going on midnight, and we're suppose to be out of our room by 7:00pm. We have #3 Pink tags on our luggage, which means we aren't called until 10:15 to meet in the theater to get off the ship. Looks like we're going to be taking our time at breakfast (like 3 hours of time). :O

 

Also for the smokers..... I just read where it says there is no smoking on the ship tomorrow before we disembark. (Well, it says there's no smoking in any lounges), so I assumed that means the entire ship. If it's different than that, my husband will find out in the morning.

 

That should have read "be out of our room by 7:00am" (not pm, even though I wish it would have been pm, lol) However, our stateroom attendant told us to take our time, and we didn't leave for breakfast until 8:00am. I had some time left on my internet plan, so I sat in a lounge with my laptop until our luggage # was called, which was at 10:15am. Getting off the ship was very easy, and went quickly. Best disembarkation we've ever been through.

[lovelights]

OK Now I know who you are

.awesome time. I'm looking forward to seeing all the pictures you took

.i had a problem taking pictures with two drinks in my hand. Lol. Tom

 

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LOL - I plan to upload the photos some time today. We just finished washing clothes that took care of 2 people for 7 days. :O