My Divina review 12/6/2016

[lisamarieh]

First time MSC and first time cruising for us. Planning and booked for almost a full year is finally here!! Weather looks good to fly down from Michigan. Safe travels.

 

 

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My husband is from Michigan, his dad lives in the UP now. We visited in January 2013 and I will never do that again!! That is truly the great white north!! You are going to enjoy the weather on our cruise, I can guarantee it!!

[lisamarieh]

***Day 5 Aruba***

For the record, this is the 2nd time I am typing this review of our day on Aruba! The first time I typed it, I was nearly complete when Brad announced lunch was ready. Thank goodness for him taking care of me when I am sick and miserable to be around. Anyway, when I got back to the computer, I was logged out of Cruise Critic and my entire Aruba review was gone!! Deep breaths!!! So, I am going to start over and hope that I type it exactly as it was!!

 

Our Aruba day started off quite differently than most port days, actually completely different for us as we had never had a port day where we didn't have to wake up early and rush to get ready to be at a meeting place. The hours we were going to be in Aruba were 1pm to 11pm. We ordered coffee and croissants from room service and took our time getting ready to head up to the spa for a little time in the steam rooms. I noticed that the steam room for the women is the papaya steam room and the steam room for the men is the coconut steam room. I asked Brad if there was a scent of coconut in the men's steam room as the women's didn't even have a hint of a papaya aroma. He said no so I am assuming, like most of the massage rooms have different scent or color names on the door, that is just the theme in the spa. After we were finished, we took a nice walk on the pool deck, swam a little in the Garden Pool and then went back to the room to shower and prepare for our day.

 

At 11:30am, lunch was being served in the Black Crab dining room. This was the only port day that lunch was served there due to the late arrival into the port. I savored the delicious cannelloni for the 2nd time on this trip!! I love to cook. Aside from traveling, my dog and being with my family, cooking is one of my favorite things to do. I have all ready informed Brad that I am making homemade cannelloni, as close to how MSC makes it, for Christmas dinner! Naturally, he is on board. After lunch we made our way to the meeting place for our excursion, which on this day was the Golden Jazz Bar. We selected the Ticket to Paradise excursion. It was an all inclusive day at a private island resort. Brad had never been snorkeling and the last time I had been was in 2006 when I took my son on a cruise. It is a memory that I cherish. You see, my son was diagnosed with cancer in 2008 and I lost him in 2011. I don't tell you this for any sort of sympathy. I just love telling people that my son did exist and to savor every moment with each other!! Cherish every memory, that is what going on vacation is all about is relaxing, having a good time and making memories with our loved ones!!

 

Around 1:20pm, our group was called and we made our way to the stairs to deck 4. A few minutes later, we were inside a visitors center with several shops and tour group kiosks. We handed our tickets to the girl at the kiosks, she told us what bus to board and out we went into sun shiny Aruba.....for now. Once the bus filled up, we were on our way, with the driver narrating the ride to the place where the ferry was to meet us to take us over to the island. He pointed out different point of interest to us. The one things I noticed about Aruba in comparison to other island countries is, there didn't seem to be as much poverty there. It seemed, even away from the port town area that Aruba is growing and is an up and coming place. I asked a shop keeper later on when we got back into the port if we had just been taken through a more upscale and touristy area or if that is what Aruba is like. She said I needed to come for a week and see for myself how beautiful Aruba truly is. She told me I would never want to leave. On the bus we also had a group of people from Turkey. MSC sent an interpreter for them so after our driver would talk about a certain point of interest, the microphone was then passed to the Turkish interpreter. Not a language you hear everyday, that's for sure!

 

After about a 20 minute ride, we pulled into a parking lot and I was looking for a marina or a harbor. Nope. Just what appeared to be a floating gazebo at the bottom of a small hill with a ferry tied to it. We walk down the hill and boarded and 5 minutes later we were at De Palm Island. After a brief speech about what was included with our tickets and where everything was located, we were set free. The tickets included snorkeling, banana boat rides, ziplining, food, drinks, etc. It also included water slides but when you get to the island the first thing you will see is an old water slide area that appears to be under renovations and from the looks of it, has been for a while and will continue to be for a while. Other than that area, the island and it's facilities were immaculate. Brad and I went to the changing room and get into our swimwear. We went straight to the snorkeling area. By this time of the day, gray clouds had started to form and the water was quite choppy. After several mouthfuls of water, we decided today was not the day for Brad to learn to snorkel. We got out and walked over to a cove, where there were a few people swimming. We began to walk in and immediately sharp rocks began to assault our feet. It was at this moment in time that I remembered the water shoes that I had bought 2 years ago that were sitting in the closet of our cabin. They still had the tags on them and this was their 3rd cruise!! After walking about 15 or 20 feet out, the rocks turned into sand. We stayed in the water for about a half an hour, spoke to a couple from Florida who were also in the water and then decided to find something to drink. There are 2 areas where you can get food. The first one is near the swimming area and it has fast food type food. I have no idea exactly what is there as we didn't eat there. Across from that area is a bar. Further down the boardwalk is a restaurant and Brad and I decided to walk down there. We were only one out of 2 groups on the island on this day so once away from the bar area, it felt like your own private paradise! When we got to the restaurant, we discovered a buffet with BBQ ribs and chicken, corn on the cob, scallopped potatoes, soup, bread and salads of all varieties. We certainly didn't need to eat but it was there, why not? I am on vacation right? The food was OK, not too bad but not too great either. While sitting there, it began to do what we were told was a very rare occasion in Aruba. RAIN!! We decided to wait it out in the restaurant. Well, after abut a half and hour, we figured we could make a run run for it to the beach to a palapa that had unoccupied lounge chairs and watch the ocean. We did just that. It was very relaxing and beautiful but after another half hour, we came to the conclusion we were not going swimming anymore today so we showered and changed out of our swimwear.

 

At 5:30pm, we were advised to make our way back to the ferry for the short trip back to the mainland. It was still drizzling and as I stated before, all the walkways were boardwalks. Since rain was a rare event in Aruba, I imagine that is why there wasn't any sort of non slip material on the boardwalk that leads to the ferry, which is on a downhill slope. I wear flip flops 365 days a year except at work where I still wear a sandle type of shoes everyday. My flip flops hit the downhill and my left foot went sliding out in front of me and my right knee hit the boardwalk, hard! Aside from a little embarrassment and a scraped knee, I was fine. But what bothered me was all the employees rushing to get on the boat at quitting time that didn't even stop to ask if I was OK or offer to help Brad get me up off the ground. Oh, well. I guess everyone is raised differently but I would never walk past someone who fell and not see if I could help. Morally, I just could not do it. I guess that comes along with my first responder training too.

 

Back on the bus, we again enjoyed the views of Aruba all the way back to the port. When we made it back to the town, we noticed all the shops were closing up. We were later told all the shops and the restaurants in the port area closed at 6pm. We decided since everything was closing up and it was starting to get dark anyway, we would just check out the shops in the visitor area and then get back on the boat. We walked around and found a rosary for Brad. He buys at least one in every port we go to, he has quite a collection. We even managed to buy one in Colombia the day before which is now his favorite one. We also bought a vest with a bowtie for our Jack Russell, Freddy!! He was my son's dog so he means the world to us and is our baby!! We always joke that all we ever buy on cruises is liquor, dog shirts and rosaries!! It's true. I never even buy $5 T-shirts!! We got back on the ship and started to walk up the steps when who do I run into but the International Host that I met at the Cruise Critic meeting that was too busy to talk to me after I was told that I was not eligible for the Voyagers Club OBC. Well, I cornered him and if he had any thought of escaping, it went out the window because until I had resolution to this issue to my satisfaction, I was not going away.

 

He tried to explain to me that it was Cheap Cruises fault for not explaining that due to the change in my reservation when I upgraded, I lost my OBC because at the time of the upgrade, this cruise was no longer a Voyagers Selection. Again, I explained my side of what happened and the fact that I made the reservation a year ago when the cruise was in fact a Voyagers Selection and how I felt it was unfair and unethical of MSC to accept $1500 more from me and take away a loyalty club OBC. I asked him what is more loyal than a person that all ready has a cruise booked in a balcony room but decides to spent the amount of money that would buy another cruise on just an upgrade? I was seeing that he was starting to wear down but that he was not in a position to give me the OBC. I asked him what do you suggest I do since this is the 2nd time I have had issues after I upgraded and spent more money. Should I switch cruise lines? Should I stop spending so much money on MSC? Again, no answer. Well, what it came down to is I am a fabulous tipper. I always tip 20% or more and on a cruise I am forever handing out tips. I told him that I would just remove the service charges and tip on my own if my OBC wasn't honored because I feel like their customer service department didn't deliver for me twice!! He looked at me and lowered his head and stated, "I would do the same thing." I shook his hand and walked away. I hated doing that but I more than made up for it for all the people that provided Brad and I excellent service, I know this isn't a popular decision because a lot of these crew members count on the service charges as their income but like I said, anyone we came into contact with that provided us excellent service was rewarded, I didn't remove the charges to be cheap and save money.

 

I just realized that I have not made any mention of the shows in the theater yet. That is because as of this day on the ship, we hadn't attended one. They were the same shows as last year. Not that we didn't enjoy them, we did very much. We just chose to eat dinner around 8pm so we didn't even start to get ready for dinner until 6 or 6:30pm. Then we would spend an hour or so having pictures taken, as we pre- paid for the 100 picture package. Great package by the way if you like several pictures from your cruise. I have no idea what I am going to do with all the photos but we have them! We did got to the theater 4 or 5 times though towards the end of the trip. Brad loved the Witches of Paris show from last year as well as the Pirate show (can't remember the exact name) so we attended them. I would never go on MSC and miss the Michael Jackson tribute. It brings me back to my childhood watching that guy dance. I coiuld care less about the lip- syncing but that kid can dance. Remember in the 80's when girls would pass out and cry hysterically when he took the stage? That is me at the tribute show. I instantly get tears in my eyes!! I have no idea why, it just happens and I can't control it!! I always have been emotional!!

 

After another fantastic dinner and more than 2 bottles of wine, we retired for the night as we had a 10am arrival in Curacao and I intended to wake up early and pray to the sun days for one amazing beach day and round 2 of teaching Brad how to snorkel!!

[NoName]

***Day 5 Aruba***

Then we would spend an hour or so having pictures taken, as we pre- paid for the 100 picture package. Great package by the way if you like several pictures from your cruise. I have no idea what I am going to do with all the photos but we have them!

 

 

How did you go about selecting your 100 photos? Are your photos associated with your room? We are traveling with our sons, significant others and grandsons in different rooms. I want to have family photos taken, but am hesitant if we can't include all members of the family in photos. There are 7 of us total. What do you think? Would we be able to get photos of our kids as well?

 

Kim

[lisamarieh]

How did you go about selecting your 100 photos? Are your photos associated with your room? We are traveling with our sons, significant others and grandsons in different rooms. I want to have family photos taken, but am hesitant if we can't include all members of the family in photos. There are 7 of us total. What do you think? Would we be able to get photos of our kids as well?

 

Kim

 

Every evening we went to the photo area and found the pictures taken the night before. If you pre- purchase the package, they start a folder with your room number and prepaid receipt attached to it. We would sort through all the photos taken the previous day and chose the ones we thought we the best. We would have them put those in our folder and the rest they did whatever they do with unwanted pictures. On the last afternoon of the cruise, and I advise to get to the photo area as soon as they open to avoid the crowds, we received our folder, which by this time was bursting with probably 200 pictures. The photographer will tell you to sit down somewhere and pick the 100 you want to keep. We did. After that, we took the photos to the counter. We told that photographer how many we had and if there were any pictures we wanted prints of or a larger or black and white made of. If you have a favorite picture of your family and everyone wants a copy, they will make as many as you want, as long as you don't go over 100. And, they don't even look at the picture or count them. Brad and I told them what we wanted and how many we had and guy told us it didn't matter if we were over by 1 or 2. They don't care what pictures are in your package or how many people are in the photo. For $98 you can't go wrong!! I hate to see people buy 6 or 7 pictures and spend more than I did for 100. You can also included your photos with the captain, dinner photos and embarkation photos in the group of 100 if you want. I saw a couple buy their 3 embarkation photos, a photo with the captain and a couple of dinner photos and their total came to $116. I almost choked.

[NoName]

Every evening we went to the photo area and found the pictures taken the night before. If you pre- purchase the package, they start a folder with your room number and prepaid receipt attached to it. We would sort through all the photos taken the previous day and chose the ones we thought we the best. We would have them put those in our folder and the rest they did whatever they do with unwanted pictures. On the last afternoon of the cruise, and I advise to get to the photo area as soon as they open to avoid the crowds, we received our folder, which by this time was bursting with probably 200 pictures. The photographer will tell you to sit down somewhere and pick the 100 you want to keep. We did. After that, we took the photos to the counter. We told that photographer how many we had and if there were any pictures we wanted prints of or a larger or black and white made of. If you have a favorite picture of your family and everyone wants a copy, they will make as many as you want, as long as you don't go over 100. And, they don't even look at the picture or count them. Brad and I told them what we wanted and how many we had and guy told us it didn't matter if we were over by 1 or 2. They don't care what pictures are in your package or how many people are in the photo. For $98 you can't go wrong!! I hate to see people buy 6 or 7 pictures and spend more than I did for 100. You can also included your photos with the captain, dinner photos and embarkation photos in the group of 100 if you want. I saw a couple buy their 3 embarkation photos, a photo with the captain and a couple of dinner photos and their total came to $116. I almost choked.

 

 

You just answered every question I had about how this would work! I am definitely buying the package...thanks so much for taking the time to detail out how this process works!

 

Kim

[NoName]

We did not go to what MSC calls "MSC Cinema Al Fresco." I did however, pull out the daily programs so I could make a list for you.

 

Terminator Genisys

Pitch Perfect 2

Ride Along 2

Zoolander 2

Mission Impossible

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Spectre

 

Also, on one of the nights, there wasn't a show scheduled in the theater so at 6pm they showed Cirque Du Soleil: Dralion. At 8:30pm they showed Daddy's Home.

 

 

Thanks for taking the time to dig up this information! Kim

[lisamarieh]

***Day 6 Curacao***

I was going to wait until tomorrow to add our Curacao Day but tomorrow is my first day back to work in 17 days and I am still under the weather, so I figured while I am just laying around the house today (by myself since Brad had to start back to work this afternoon) I would get my Curacao Day written.

 

If my recollection is correct, Curacao Day was supposed to be from 9am to 5pm. After reading the past 5 days of my reviews, I am sure by now, you have memorized my morning routine. We arrived at our excursion meeting place, which was the Golden Jazz Bar again. We waited until everyone checked in and received their ticket and wait for our number to be called. Our excursion for today was the Beach Express. We were going to board an open air bus, go for a short tour of Curacao and then to the Blue Bay Beach Resort. After a short wait we were on our way. We boarded the hand painted bus and departed the port with our tour guide. She was a middle aged lady who, you could tell was very knowledgable and very proud of her country. She took great pride in telling us how peaceful of a country Curacao is and how everyone gets along and lives together in harmony no matter what race, nationality, gender, sexual orientation or religion a person was. We rode on the outskirts of Willemstad. She pointed out the swinging bridge, churches, I believe it was the governors home, and some other historical homes.

 

We rode through some neighborhoods and then we went to the salt flats where there was a bunch of pink flamingos. It was beautiful to see. We then entered a golf/ resort community which is where the Blue Bay Beach resort is located. We rode past homes that I can only imagine were valued at at least a couple of a million to start. When we arrived at the resort, to my surprise I found out the snorkel equipment was included with the tour. The only thing you have to rent separately was the fins if you wanted them and they were $5. Having remembered our beach shoes finally, we didn't feel the need to rent fins. During the tour the sweet lady mentioned that it hardly ever rains in Curacao and that if it did today, please don't be upset if she was smiling as they desperately needed the rain. I said a quick prayer that it rained that evening in Curacao just as soon as I got back on the ship!! We entered the resort and were told where everything could be found. We located the restrooms and changed into our swimwear and then went to find a couple of lounge chairs for our stuff. Then we obtained our snorkeling equipment. We walked out on the beach and I cannot for the life of me describe how beautiful this large cove that we were blessed to be at was!! The water was crystal clear. To the right side were cliffs with homes hat had to be several million dollars a piece. To the left were either condos or a hotel but an absolutely beautiful setting with palm trees.

 

Brad and I immediately got our snorkel gear and hit the water. I hoped he would have a better time than yesterday. He did and he loved snorkeling as much as I do. The colors and sizes of the fish under there were amazing!! After a few minutes, guess what happened? It started raining!! Who cares? We were in the ocean at this point and it was just a quick passing shower, lasted about 5 minutes. We stayed in the water, swimming and snorkeling for about 2 hours straight!! At 12 Noon the equipment had to be turned in and at 12:30pm, we were on the bus heading back to the port.

 

Upon arrival back to the port, Brad and I decided to have lunch somewhere other than the ship since we didn't want to eat at the Sports Bar or the buffet. We began walking and to our shock, all of the stores for the most part were closed. The vendors were open but the big named stores were closed on Sunday's. We weren't planning on buying diamonds or tanzanites anyway and it was quite nice walking around a place that was not so congested. We came upon the Rif Fort. We walked through the entrance which is like a short tunnel and then into the courtyard which had several restaurants and shops. We decided, of all places, to have lunch at The Burger Bar. It was different. First you choose the type and size of burger you want. It shows what the price is for just the burger. Then you chose your cheese type, again the add on price is shown. Next you chose your favorings to be added to the meat- again an up charge. Everything was ala carte but I drew the line at paying 80 cents for pickles on a burger. Brad and I had a couple of beers, Bud Light for me and whatever the local beer was for Brad. Our lunch came to just under $50 for burgers, fries and 2 beers each. At the time, I thought it seemed high until we ate at Margaritaville in Grand Turk. I will get to that another time! I do have to say it was a very good burger. After lunch we walked around the port area for a little while and then back to the ship.

 

I remember things as I go along that I forgot to mention when they actually happened. On the second day, we were at the spa, I had my consultation with the spa doctor, it was part of our package. She recommended that I have an anti- aging treatment on my face that is done in 1,2 or 3 sessions. She recommended the 3 sessions for the best results. The treatments were a deep cleaning and then followed by 3 different serums applied to the face and she then used some sort of electro-therapy instrument on my face. This was supposed to get rid of the little lines around my eyes, mouth and my forehead. She said the effects would last for at least a couple of months. I said to myself I would never do this when I am at home so why not give it a try. So I did. I did the treatments every sea day until the 3 were done. I have no noticed any difference in the lines on my face so my advise to facial treatments by the spa doctor: save your money!! After the service charge I paid $251 for the 3 treatments. It was an experience is what I chalk it up to.

[Cap'n Ron]

Wow, sounds so difficult but I will give it a try!! Probably much easier than it sounds!!!

 

If you would prefer to not post the suite and balcony photos, would it be possible for you to email them to me? I hate for you to have to create a new account, etc. Thanks again, and I continue to enjoy the review!

Edited December 19, 2016 by Cap'n Ron

[lisamarieh]

If you would prefer to not post the suite and balcony photos' date=' would it be possible for you to email them to me? I hate for you to have to create a new account, etc. Thanks again, and I continue to enjoy the review![/quote']

 

That would be much simpler for me too. I can send them straight from my phone from my work email account since that is the one programmed on my phone. I am not sure of the policies on posting email addresses on here though. I sent you a friend request last night and was going to suggest the same thing as I really do want you to see the photos!!

[lisamarieh]

That would be much simpler for me too. I can send them straight from my phone from my work email account since that is the one programmed on my phone. I am not sure of the policies on posting email addresses on here though. I sent you a friend request last night and was going to suggest the same thing as I really do want you to see the photos!!

 

I have been battling a cold which is why I have not even attempted to figure out how to post the pictures.

[Cap'n Ron]

I have been battling a cold which is why I have not even attempted to figure out how to post the pictures.

 

Thank you! I just saw the friend request and accepted, but I am not sure there is a message feature on this forum. I am sorry that you came back with a cold and certainly understand with you feeling under the weather. I'll post my email and then edit it out in about 10 min, just to be safe. Hopefully, you'll see this before I clear it out. I think they limit edits to 15 mins. I really appreciate the help, thank you!

 

Thank you, thank you, thank you Lisa! Got the pics and it looks awesome! Can't wait to for June!

Edited December 19, 2016 by Cap'n Ron

[lisamarieh]

Thank you! I just saw the friend request and accepted' date=' but I am not sure there is a message feature on this forum. I am sorry that you came back with a cold and certainly understand with you feeling under the weather. I'll post my email and then edit it out in about 10 min, just to be safe. Hopefully, you'll see this before I clear it out. I think they limit edits to 15 mins. I really appreciate the help, thank you!

 

Thank you, thank you, thank you Lisa! Got the pics and it looks awesome! Can't wait to for June![/quote']

 

I am so excited that you liked the pictures!! They don't even do the cabin justice!! You are going to have an incredible time on your cruise!!!

[KeywestK]

Lisa.....Your review continues to be fantastic. Thank you for sharing about your son. I know your memories of a special cruise together are precious, and I suspect that each and every cruise is a opportunity to relive those priceless memories.

 

A suggestion for you. Several years ago, I was writing a lengthy review of a cruise on Cruise Critic, and like you, I walked away from my computer for an hour or so, and when I returned it had disappeared. I was so upset, and worried that I didn't have it in me to start again. Well, I did, but the second time, I wrote the review in a Word Document, and I saved it. Then I was able to edit it at my convenience, and when I was ready to put it on Cruise Critic, I just did a copy and paste, and viola! No muss, no fuss. And I could take my time with it and not worry about being thrown off the site.

 

Thanks again for your outstanding review of your cruise. I'm loving it!:D

Edited December 19, 2016 by KeywestK

[lisamarieh]

Lisa.....Your review continues to be fantastic. Thank you for sharing about your son. I know your memories of a special cruise together are precious, and I suspect that each and every cruise is a opportunity to relive those priceless memories.

 

A suggestion for you. Several years ago, I was writing a lengthy review of a cruise on Cruise Critic, and like you, I walked away from my computer for an hour or so, and when I returned it had disappeared. I was so upset, and worried that I didn't have it in me to start again. Well, I did, but the second time, I wrote the review in a Word Document, and I saved it. Then I was able to edit it at my convenience, and when I was ready to put it on Cruise Critic, I just did a copy and paste, and viola! No muss, no fuss. And I could take my time with it and not worry about being thrown off the site.

 

Thanks again for your outstanding review of your cruise. I'm loving it!:D

 

I am so thrilled you are enjoying my review!!! And yes, my cruise with my son is one of the greatest memories I have because he was so happy and had such a good time!!!

 

What I have been doing, if I have to walk away from my computer is copying what I have written, that way if I am kicked off again, I can just paste what I all ready have. Thanks for the suggestion though!! I truly didn't think I had it in me to start that day all over again because I was up to the part where I fell on the boardwalk!!

[nikkiw60]

Why are you unable to post photos using your phone? As I am typing this there is a + next to where I am typing. You click that then get this screen

Click the 2nd icon next to camera and then chose the photo you want.

Hopefully this has worked!

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

The screen shot I took as a photo .

Edited December 19, 2016 by nikkiw60

[Skier52]

We had no issues with loud noises but we were generally awake before we pulled into port. We also didn't have to drop anchor anywhere. We did however, feel a lot of the rocking but we knew this was going to happen because we were traveling in December and the seas are rougher. also, in regards to your question about pictures, I have a bunch of the cabin and the balcony but I have no idea how to upload them. I will try to figure this out so you can see the cabin.

 

 

 

Here is a pictorial set of instructions on how to post a picture usig windows

 

Firstly this is how to do it using "Photobucket"

 

 

Open an account in photobucket It is free.

 

then you will need 2 windows or tabs open, one with cruisecritic open and one with photobucket open.

 

 

 

In the photobucket window/tab

 

1) make an album ( use the "create an album" function on screen)This step only has to be done the first time you post an image.

 

 

2) upload your image or images by clicking in the "Upload" box on screen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

to post from there

3) select the image thumbnail you want and click on it ( it makes the image

larger)

 

 

4) Click in the box to the right of the "Direct"

 

5) it momentarily goes yellow and the word "copied" can be seen

 

 

 

 

 

 

5

 

now change to the cruisecritic window/tab

 

 

6) select the position in your post where you want the image to appear and click there.

 

7) click the image icon (the yellow icon with mountains on it ; sixth icon from the right))

 

 

 

 

 

Another window/tab opens

 

 

 

 

Press "Ctrl" and "V" together (which is the paste command) to paste the link in the box which has http// highlighted in blue.

 

Finally press Return ( or you may have it labelled Enter).

your image is now posted in the reply box

 

Repeat steps 3 onward to post more images

 

 

 

Pete

Edited December 19, 2016 by Skier52

[GOLDENBONNY]

***Day 5 Aruba***

For the record, this is the 2nd time I am typing this review of our day on Aruba! The first time I typed it, I was nearly complete when Brad announced lunch was ready. Thank goodness for him taking care of me when I am sick and miserable to be around. Anyway, when I got back to the computer, I was logged out of Cruise Critic and my entire Aruba review was gone!! Deep breaths!!! So, I am going to start over and hope that I type it exactly as it was!!

 

Our Aruba day started off quite differently than most port days, actually completely different for us as we had never had a port day where we didn't have to wake up early and rush to get ready to be at a meeting place. The hours we were going to be in Aruba were 1pm to 11pm. We ordered coffee and croissants from room service and took our time getting ready to head up to the spa for a little time in the steam rooms. I noticed that the steam room for the women is the papaya steam room and the steam room for the men is the coconut steam room. I asked Brad if there was a scent of coconut in the men's steam room as the women's didn't even have a hint of a papaya aroma. He said no so I am assuming, like most of the massage rooms have different scent or color names on the door, that is just the theme in the spa. After we were finished, we took a nice walk on the pool deck, swam a little in the Garden Pool and then went back to the room to shower and prepare for our day.

 

At 11:30am, lunch was being served in the Black Crab dining room. This was the only port day that lunch was served there due to the late arrival into the port. I savored the delicious cannelloni for the 2nd time on this trip!! I love to cook. Aside from traveling, my dog and being with my family, cooking is one of my favorite things to do. I have all ready informed Brad that I am making homemade cannelloni, as close to how MSC makes it, for Christmas dinner! Naturally, he is on board. After lunch we made our way to the meeting place for our excursion, which on this day was the Golden Jazz Bar. We selected the Ticket to Paradise excursion. It was an all inclusive day at a private island resort. Brad had never been snorkeling and the last time I had been was in 2006 when I took my son on a cruise. It is a memory that I cherish. You see, my son was diagnosed with cancer in 2008 and I lost him in 2011. I don't tell you this for any sort of sympathy. I just love telling people that my son did exist and to savor every moment with each other!! Cherish every memory, that is what going on vacation is all about is relaxing, having a good time and making memories with our loved ones!!

 

Around 1:20pm, our group was called and we made our way to the stairs to deck 4. A few minutes later, we were inside a visitors center with several shops and tour group kiosks. We handed our tickets to the girl at the kiosks, she told us what bus to board and out we went into sun shiny Aruba.....for now. Once the bus filled up, we were on our way, with the driver narrating the ride to the place where the ferry was to meet us to take us over to the island. He pointed out different point of interest to us. The one things I noticed about Aruba in comparison to other island countries is, there didn't seem to be as much poverty there. It seemed, even away from the port town area that Aruba is growing and is an up and coming place. I asked a shop keeper later on when we got back into the port if we had just been taken through a more upscale and touristy area or if that is what Aruba is like. She said I needed to come for a week and see for myself how beautiful Aruba truly is. She told me I would never want to leave. On the bus we also had a group of people from Turkey. MSC sent an interpreter for them so after our driver would talk about a certain point of interest, the microphone was then passed to the Turkish interpreter. Not a language you hear everyday, that's for sure!

 

After about a 20 minute ride, we pulled into a parking lot and I was looking for a marina or a harbor. Nope. Just what appeared to be a floating gazebo at the bottom of a small hill with a ferry tied to it. We walk down the hill and boarded and 5 minutes later we were at De Palm Island. After a brief speech about what was included with our tickets and where everything was located, we were set free. The tickets included snorkeling, banana boat rides, ziplining, food, drinks, etc. It also included water slides but when you get to the island the first thing you will see is an old water slide area that appears to be under renovations and from the looks of it, has been for a while and will continue to be for a while. Other than that area, the island and it's facilities were immaculate. Brad and I went to the changing room and get into our swimwear. We went straight to the snorkeling area. By this time of the day, gray clouds had started to form and the water was quite choppy. After several mouthfuls of water, we decided today was not the day for Brad to learn to snorkel. We got out and walked over to a cove, where there were a few people swimming. We began to walk in and immediately sharp rocks began to assault our feet. It was at this moment in time that I remembered the water shoes that I had bought 2 years ago that were sitting in the closet of our cabin. They still had the tags on them and this was their 3rd cruise!! After walking about 15 or 20 feet out, the rocks turned into sand. We stayed in the water for about a half an hour, spoke to a couple from Florida who were also in the water and then decided to find something to drink. There are 2 areas where you can get food. The first one is near the swimming area and it has fast food type food. I have no idea exactly what is there as we didn't eat there. Across from that area is a bar. Further down the boardwalk is a restaurant and Brad and I decided to walk down there. We were only one out of 2 groups on the island on this day so once away from the bar area, it felt like your own private paradise! When we got to the restaurant, we discovered a buffet with BBQ ribs and chicken, corn on the cob, scallopped potatoes, soup, bread and salads of all varieties. We certainly didn't need to eat but it was there, why not? I am on vacation right? The food was OK, not too bad but not too great either. While sitting there, it began to do what we were told was a very rare occasion in Aruba. RAIN!! We decided to wait it out in the restaurant. Well, after abut a half and hour, we figured we could make a run run for it to the beach to a palapa that had unoccupied lounge chairs and watch the ocean. We did just that. It was very relaxing and beautiful but after another half hour, we came to the conclusion we were not going swimming anymore today so we showered and changed out of our swimwear.

 

At 5:30pm, we were advised to make our way back to the ferry for the short trip back to the mainland. It was still drizzling and as I stated before, all the walkways were boardwalks. Since rain was a rare event in Aruba, I imagine that is why there wasn't any sort of non slip material on the boardwalk that leads to the ferry, which is on a downhill slope. I wear flip flops 365 days a year except at work where I still wear a sandle type of shoes everyday. My flip flops hit the downhill and my left foot went sliding out in front of me and my right knee hit the boardwalk, hard! Aside from a little embarrassment and a scraped knee, I was fine. But what bothered me was all the employees rushing to get on the boat at quitting time that didn't even stop to ask if I was OK or offer to help Brad get me up off the ground. Oh, well. I guess everyone is raised differently but I would never walk past someone who fell and not see if I could help. Morally, I just could not do it. I guess that comes along with my first responder training too.

 

Back on the bus, we again enjoyed the views of Aruba all the way back to the port. When we made it back to the town, we noticed all the shops were closing up. We were later told all the shops and the restaurants in the port area closed at 6pm. We decided since everything was closing up and it was starting to get dark anyway, we would just check out the shops in the visitor area and then get back on the boat. We walked around and found a rosary for Brad. He buys at least one in every port we go to, he has quite a collection. We even managed to buy one in Colombia the day before which is now his favorite one. We also bought a vest with a bowtie for our Jack Russell, Freddy!! He was my son's dog so he means the world to us and is our baby!! We always joke that all we ever buy on cruises is liquor, dog shirts and rosaries!! It's true. I never even buy $5 T-shirts!! We got back on the ship and started to walk up the steps when who do I run into but the International Host that I met at the Cruise Critic meeting that was too busy to talk to me after I was told that I was not eligible for the Voyagers Club OBC. Well, I cornered him and if he had any thought of escaping, it went out the window because until I had resolution to this issue to my satisfaction, I was not going away.

 

He tried to explain to me that it was Cheap Cruises fault for not explaining that due to the change in my reservation when I upgraded, I lost my OBC because at the time of the upgrade, this cruise was no longer a Voyagers Selection. Again, I explained my side of what happened and the fact that I made the reservation a year ago when the cruise was in fact a Voyagers Selection and how I felt it was unfair and unethical of MSC to accept $1500 more from me and take away a loyalty club OBC. I asked him what is more loyal than a person that all ready has a cruise booked in a balcony room but decides to spent the amount of money that would buy another cruise on just an upgrade? I was seeing that he was starting to wear down but that he was not in a position to give me the OBC. I asked him what do you suggest I do since this is the 2nd time I have had issues after I upgraded and spent more money. Should I switch cruise lines? Should I stop spending so much money on MSC? Again, no answer. Well, what it came down to is I am a fabulous tipper. I always tip 20% or more and on a cruise I am forever handing out tips. I told him that I would just remove the service charges and tip on my own if my OBC wasn't honored because I feel like their customer service department didn't deliver for me twice!! He looked at me and lowered his head and stated, "I would do the same thing." I shook his hand and walked away. I hated doing that but I more than made up for it for all the people that provided Brad and I excellent service, I know this isn't a popular decision because a lot of these crew members count on the service charges as their income but like I said, anyone we came into contact with that provided us excellent service was rewarded, I didn't remove the charges to be cheap and save money.

 

I just realized that I have not made any mention of the shows in the theater yet. That is because as of this day on the ship, we hadn't attended one. They were the same shows as last year. Not that we didn't enjoy them, we did very much. We just chose to eat dinner around 8pm so we didn't even start to get ready for dinner until 6 or 6:30pm. Then we would spend an hour or so having pictures taken, as we pre- paid for the 100 picture package. Great package by the way if you like several pictures from your cruise. I have no idea what I am going to do with all the photos but we have them! We did got to the theater 4 or 5 times though towards the end of the trip. Brad loved the Witches of Paris show from last year as well as the Pirate show (can't remember the exact name) so we attended them. I would never go on MSC and miss the Michael Jackson tribute. It brings me back to my childhood watching that guy dance. I coiuld care less about the lip- syncing but that kid can dance. Remember in the 80's when girls would pass out and cry hysterically when he took the stage? That is me at the tribute show. I instantly get tears in my eyes!! I have no idea why, it just happens and I can't control it!! I always have been emotional!!

 

After another fantastic dinner and more than 2 bottles of wine, we retired for the night as we had a 10am arrival in Curacao and I intended to wake up early and pray to the sun days for one amazing beach day and round 2 of teaching Brad how to snorkel!!

 

 

I guess I am not the only one who did not get OBC. :mad: I booked from MSC Miami and been told 20 times that we will get OBC when on board. :mad::mad:

[shelpt]

Thanks for the review and now I'm worried about my OBC!

[lisamarieh]

 

 

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[lisamarieh]

Wow!!! I tried the uploading the cabin photos from my phone and it did work!!! This is great!!! The above photo is taken in the bedroom of cabin 10008. This window is the one that face more towards the front of the ship and in the left corner is the vanity.

 

 

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[lisamarieh]

 

 

This is the rest of the bedroom and one of the living room.

 

 

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[lisamarieh]

 

 

These are picture of the balcony and taken of the view from the balcony.

 

 

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[lisamarieh]

***Day 7 At Sea Day***

So this was our third at sea day and honestly, the at sea days run together except for some of the finer details. I know we went to the spa for our candle massages. Again, basically the same massage but with the scent of aromatherapy candles in the air. Gave me and Brad a great state of relaxation. It was also on this day that I introduced Brad to pedicures. The night before, I was laying in bed just about to fall asleep. Well, Brad sleeps like a large tazmanian devil. The next thing I know I feel something on my left leg, it started at my ankle and went all the way to knee. I swore I had no skin left on this part of my leg. I have always joked with Brad that he has gator feet. At this point in time, I was ready to cut them off!!! I woke him up and announced that he would be getting a pedicure the next morning after the massage. He reluctantly and sleepily agreed and went right back to sleep. I didn't know what the expect when he went for the pedicure as Brad cannot stand when I file my nails. Well, he loved it!! He is now booked at our local salon for next week and I intend for him to have bi- weekly pedicures so I can continue to keep the skin on my legs!!

 

Since it was an at sea day, we had lunch in the main dining room. Delicious as I have come to expect. The food has really improved from last year. On this afternoon, as I have mentioned earlier in this review, the captain had a behind the scenes presentation where he provided a narrative while we were shown different places of the ship that are off limits to passengers. It was interesting and provided a lot of information. At the end of the presentation, the captain took questions from the audience. Some of the questions presented were legitimately good questions, some not so much.... A few of the men asked questions about the engines and the thrusters, questions that I would never think to ask but interesting to some people no doubt. Then came the question from a woman that was concerned that of the 18000 eggs that were cooked on the Divina everyday, were they from free range chickens or chickens raised in a cage? What???? You have the opportunity to ask the captain, the man that drives the ship any question you want and you ask about where the eggs come from. It was clear he had no idea how to answer the question, He told her that MSC has a contract with a food distributor in Miami. She went on to state that it is very important to most Americans that the eggs they eat are free range. By this time, the theater is almost in hysterics and I think some in disbelief. Next question... Another lady asks, Captain, I play bridge on deck 6 and the music on deck 7 is too loud, Can you do something about it? Really???? You are on a cruise!! The captains answer was great. He stated, "Not from the bridge I can't." The majority of the people in this world will never get to go on a cruise ever in their lifetime. There are many things that may not cater 100% to just me on a cruise and you know what? It might make someone else happy so I deal with it. The captain assured both of these women he would look into their issues and seeing him on the ship everyday, checking out everything, I am sure he looked into these nonsensical, IMO, issues.

 

Another wonderful dinner and a few bottles of wine and day 7 was done!!!

[Skier52]

Hi Lisamarieh

 

congratulations on posting images from your phone, but I think there might be a technical hitch as there are 4 images side by side and the width of the page on screen is a wee bit on the massive side.

Edited December 20, 2016 by Skier52

[nikkiw60]

They are showing fine on my phone.

 

 

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