MSC Divina Transatlantic - Barcelona to Miami, 28 November to 14 December 2023

[Best Cat Mom]

Day 6 Dinner menu:

 

[jean87510]

2 hours ago, Best Cat Mom said:

 

Day 6…

 

Today we ported in Tenerife. We had a tour scheduled but were happy to learn that our meeting time was a little over a hour later then the two previous (way too early) tours. After coffee and Baileys in the cabin, we arrived at Le Muse at a much more decent 8am with the sun already peeking out from the horizon. We really don't like being up before dawn while on holiday, though just about every time we've had to fly back from land-based holidays in Europe we do need to be up that early.

 

I had booked us only half-day tours so that we'd always be back on the ship in time for lunch in Le Muse. However, when booking MSC tours, you don't know when the tour begins until your butler leaves your tickets in your cabin the night before. While we were happy to sleep in today, we did not think about how this would make the end time of the tour later as well.

 

The tour was very good, with a guide that had his own tour business in the Canary Islands. He packed a lot of information into our tour, both on the bus and when were were exploring on foot. As we approached the last stop, he told us what time to be back on the bus -- and then spoke of the next stop. Next stop? We would miss lunch in Le Muse. 😞 We knew that the hot buffet on the One Pool Deck stayed open until 3pm and hoped that we'd at least make it back to the ship by then. We had taken note of the path back to the ship when we left in the morning, learning from our long walk the day before in Funchal. Today we saw that there were no sidewalks near the dock and our last stop wasn't even close to the ship. We were resigned to staying with the tour and hoping to return in time for the buffet on the pool deck.

 

We were very pleased to get back to the ship just before 3pm and made it to the pool deck at 2:55pm. There was lamb, grouper and roast beef on the buffet, along with sides, salad, cold cuts, etc., and some desserts but we opted for burgers and fries instead. BCD had 2 Heineken beers and I had 2 glasses of Santa Cristina Chianti. BCD also grabbed a cookie for dessert.

 

I had wanted to talk with Mehmet at lunch about whether the lamb shank on the dinner menu would be GF so I could order it. I know it is slow cooked and thought that if it wasn't GF but I gave him enough advance notice that the chef would still have enough time to prepare a GF version for me. Luckily, our butler Elvin was circulating on the pool deck so I was able to ask him to pass on the request for me.

 

After lunch, we headed to TSL to hang out until dinner. We pleased to find that they had our favorite truffle potato chips today. Elvin came by with the head concierge Simone and they phoned the chef -- good news! I can have the lamb shank since as prepared it is GF.

 

We changed for dinner -- just casual tonight -- and arrived at Le Muse at 8:15pm. Champagne to start. BCD ordered the tuna poke as his starter, which he has had before and liked. I opted for the duck breast as my starter, also a dish I knew and liked. We both were looking forward to lamb shank as a secondi, and BCD added the gnocchi for his primi while I ordered risotto. We had Santa Cristina following our champagne. I also asked for a GF roll to sop up the sauce from my lamb shank.

 

After our starters were finished, the 4 entrées arrived as we had requested. (We don't split up the primi and secondi on MSC, as we would on a land-based Italian holiday.) I dug into my lamb and it was falling-off-the-bone excellent, as always. The risotto was even better than I expected, since vegetables are not my favorite for a risotto dish. A short while later, our server Glenn asked us if our lamb was to our liking and not too tough. I said mine was great and showed him how it fell off the bone. BCD said that his was a little tougher than usual. Mehmet also checked on us a little while later, asking about the lamb. Turns out that the lamb was cooked in two separate preparations and the second one was not as good as the first. Many people who had the second preparation had commented that they were not pleased and Mehmet stopped serving the lamb altogether, telling subsequent guests who ordered it that they were out of it. He even apologized to us about it as we walked out later. I guess I was fortunate in that I had received the exceptional preparation that we'd come to expect from the YC restaurant.

 

We were both pleasantly full after dinner so finished up our wine and headed back to TSL for after dinner drinks and live music. The saxophonist was in TSL again and we had left just after he began at 6:30pm so were looking forward to listening to him a bit more.

 

Given that we were turning the clocks back that night and would gain an extra hour of sleep, we opted for 4 rounds of sidecars and old fashioneds before calling it a night.

 

Day 7 to follow…

Tenerife is one of my favorite places to visit (mt tiede).  This itinerary sounds wonderful so far.  We will be on the Divina on the 28th for 10 days and really looking forward to it.  Quick question.  I have had reactions to shellfish, nuts and mushrooms.  It sounds like they work with you, correct?   

[DaKahuna]

 I love sidecars and also love old fashion's.  How are they on Divina?  

 

 I am hoping the lamb chops and the ossobuco both continue to be available when she sails from Miami.  Those are two of my favorite dishes and a couple of slices of crusty Italian bread to soak up the juices from the ossobuco would be amazing. 

[Best Cat Mom]

13 hours ago, jean87510 said:

I have had reactions to shellfish, nuts and mushrooms.  It sounds like they work with you, correct?

You should expect to receive accommodations. Fill out the Special Needs form (here: https://www.msccruisesusa.com/manage-booking/special-needs) in advance and also notify your TA if you have one attached to the booking. I also make sure that our server and assistant server know. If you don't always have the same servers -- like often occurs at breakfast and lunch -- tell everyone who comes to your table to be sure that your chances of cross-contamination are minimized. I need to be gluten free, but I'm not celiac so I can tolerate a little cross-contamination. If you can't, then definitely keep reminding EVERYONE. 🙂

[Best Cat Mom]

12 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

I love sidecars and also love old fashion's.  How are they on Divina?

Hubert is one of the YC bartenders on Divina right now. He is in TSL in the evenings and makes excellent sidecars and old fashioneds. On our last Divina cruise, the bartenders did not make them as well (in our opinion, and everyone's is different). I hope that Hubert is around and you like his "cooking." LOL

 

As to the lamb and ossobuco, they were on the YC menu during our Caribbean cruises as well. And if you're Diamond in Voyager's Club and have a free specialty meal on your cruise, Butcher's Cut has them on the menu too. 🙂

[morpheusofthesea]

On 12/2/2023 at 12:02 PM, Best Cat Mom said:

We asked him when Le Muse was closing and he told us 2pm.

Now that is another nice touch. Extending the lunch time for a port call. Read that this something else that Explora will NOT do. Pay more, get less on Explora Journeys.

[morpheusofthesea]

On 12/2/2023 at 12:16 PM, Best Cat Mom said:

the maître d' was a former sommelier in Napa Valley, California, and chose the wines himself (that's Mauricio, if anyone knows him as well)

Yes, he is now the Maitre d' of the YC Restaurant on Seascape. (I think we already discussed that last month). You didn't mention his connection to Napa before.

[morpheusofthesea]

On 12/3/2023 at 1:18 PM, Best Cat Mom said:

One of the annoying things about having to walk back to Le Muse is passing all the photographers

This is another tidbit. We never get any pictures of ourselves any more. DW does not want to be reminded of how old we are getting. So we just read that Explora is having a special formal Masquerade Ball for New Years. What better picture, we ordered special masks and a photo like this would suit our vanity well, until I remembered a post from a gentleman on Explora warning us that one photo on board Explora ranged from $400-$800 EACH. (selfie time) I can not imagine what kind of special backdrop is going to be worth that much money.

[DaKahuna]

1 hour ago, Best Cat Mom said:

Hubert is one of the YC bartenders on Divina right now. He is in TSL in the evenings and makes excellent sidecars and old fashioneds. On our last Divina cruise, the bartenders did not make them as well (in our opinion, and everyone's is different). I hope that Hubert is around and you like his "cooking." LOL

 

 I really hope he's there in February.  Making a good old fashion is an art!  I carry a recipe for the "new fashion" with me just in case.  (new fashion == rum old fashion). If you like old fashion's I am sure you would enjoy one made with rum vs bourbon, especially since the have Ron Zacapa 23 showing on the beverage list. 

 

1 hour ago, Best Cat Mom said:

 

As to the lamb and ossobuco, they were on the YC menu during our Caribbean cruises as well. And if you're Diamond in Voyager's Club and have a free specialty meal on your cruise, Butcher's Cut has them on the menu too. 🙂

 

Unfortunately we are only Gold with Voyagers Club but I did book a dining reservation for Galaxy and Butcher's Cut pre-cruise so we will be eating at Butcher's Cut at least once. 

 

[morpheusofthesea]

22 hours ago, Best Cat Mom said:

attire of the staff in Le Muse. We had been used to seeing tricolored ties and cumberbunds and instead there were muted green ties

That is unusual. The Divina YC was our first Yacht Club experienced and really did not make notice of the ties of the waiters. On our subsequent YC cruises on Seaside, Seashore and Seascape we learned that the top YC waiters wore gold ties and aspiring top waiters wore black ties.

[Best Cat Mom]

Before I write about Day 7, I realized that I forgot to mention a fun occurrence from the day before.

 

Around sail away time, the captain announced on the public address system that after departing Tenerife and prior to the 6-day crossing of the Atlantic Ocean, the ship's compass would need to be recalibrated and this would be accomplished turning the ship around a full 360 degrees in the harbor just after leaving port. (This is similar to how you recalibrate the GPS on your car or phone; rotating 360 degrees and allowing the device to recalibrate.)

 

We realized that it would likely be dark for the recalibration so we went up to the One Pool Deck just after we left port in order to have a view of Tenerife during the spin. The island is hilly and dotted with lights so I was thinking it would be a nice view. We found out that the compass is just above the One Pool and saw various crew members huddled around the compass with flashlights to perform the recalibration. As the ship began to turn, the lights from the hillsides of Tenerife swirled around us very beautifully. BCD is an engineer so he was more enthralled with the scientific aspect of the recalibration. We both enjoyed it, but for very different reasons. LOL

[Best Cat Mom]

Just now, morpheusofthesea said:

You didn't mention his connection to Napa before.

Sorry, did not mean to omit that. He mentioned that he had been a sommelier in Napa at some point in his career. He uses a lot of American idiomatic expressions, so we gathered that's where he learned them.

[Best Cat Mom]

Just now, morpheusofthesea said:

This is another tidbit. We never get any pictures of ourselves any more. DW does not want to be reminded of how old we are getting. So we just read that Explora is having a special formal Masquerade Ball for New Years. What better picture, we ordered special masks and a photo like this would suit our vanity well, until I remembered a post from a gentleman on Explora warning us that one photo on board Explora ranged from $400-$800 EACH. (selfie time) I can not imagine what kind of special backdrop is going to be worth that much money.

We also don't need any picture of ourselves. The EJ photo sounds like a great opportunity -- it could be anyone behind the masks and you can "reinvent" yourselves. Maybe that could be worth a few bucks? LOL

[Best Cat Mom]

Just now, DaKahuna said:

If you like old fashion's I am sure you would enjoy one made with rum vs bourbon, especially since the have Ron Zacapa 23 showing on the beverage list.

YES!!

When we were on Seaside just this past September, the bar outside of YC near the specialty restaurants had a great bartender named Frederick. He made an awesome rum old fashioned with Zacapa 23. I hadn't asked Hubert for one of those, but maybe that's a good idea for me later today.

Edited December 5, 2023 by Best Cat Mom

[Best Cat Mom]

Just now, morpheusofthesea said:

the top YC waiters wore gold ties and aspiring top waiters wore black ties

Yes, on regular nights that is still the case. This was Mediterranean Night (aka Italian Night) so we expected the Italian flag colors but only got the muted green.

[morpheusofthesea]

14 minutes ago, Best Cat Mom said:

We also don't need any picture of ourselves. The EJ photo sounds like a great opportunity -- it could be anyone behind the masks and you can "reinvent" yourselves. Maybe that could be worth a few bucks? LOL

Just like I do here every day on CC .

[Best Cat Mom]

Day 7 begins…

 

We were thrilled to have a one hour time change backwards, allowing us to sleep a little later. We also decided that we'd like to have breakfast at the One Pool Deck, which closes an hour later than Le Muse -- giving us two more hours total. Awesome!

 

We arrived at One Deck around 9am. We knew that they prepare eggs to order so we could have some omelets just like in Le Muse. BCD ordered an omelet with ham, cheese, mushrooms and onions while I ordered an egg white omelet with bacon and cheese. We grabbed some more bacon and some potatoes from the buffet. We also had our usual mimosas and cappuccinos.

 

After eating and simply enjoying the view for a little bit, BCD ordered a Malibu rum (coconut rum) with orange juice and I asked for a cappuccino and a GF chocolate chip muffin.

 

Then we saw Pepe, Mehmet and a few other officers roaming around the One Deck. The captain came on the public address system and announced that we would be turning around back towards Tenerife shortly to accommodate a medical evacuation. He explained that it was not an emergency but the person decided that they'd rather evacuate now and not risk anything more serious during the 6-day crossing where it would be much more difficult (if not impossible) to evacuate. He went on to explain that the open decks would need to be cleared for the helicopter evacuation.

 

When the captain concluded his address, Pepe and Mehmet circulated on the One Pool Deck to speak with each table individually, explaining again the situation with profuse apologies. We had not received our order yet, but it was ready so the butler said that he would take it down to TSL for us. We met him down there and he had already transferred everything from the plastic used on 18 to glass and china as used in TSL.

 

We hung out in TSL, waiting for the time that we could go back to the One Deck. Pepe was checking in with tables in TSL and we thought it was about the medical evacuation. When he came to our table, he said that he wanted to make up for the disappointing lamb shank last night in Le Muse and would be giving us a complimentary meal in Butcher's Cut for a reservation date/time of our choice. We typically like dinners in Le Muse, so thought maybe lunch tomorrow. Pepe said that the second Gala Night was tomorrow, which made us think that we wouldn't want a big lunch, so we chose Day 9 lunch instead. Pepe moved on to another table and Simone, the head concierge, called BC to secure our reservation. We hadn't realized that people were that upset about their lamb shanks -- or maybe Pepe was the one more upset and wanted to be extra generous to be sure that no one felt slighted. Either way, we felt that it more than made up for an average meal in Le Muse, especially one that was only experienced by one person at our table.

 

Eventually, the captain announced an estimated time for the medical evacuation and we discovered that the helicopter was hovering off the port side of the the ship, which was the same side as our room. We happened to go back to the our cabin just then and watched the whole operation from our balcony. It was quite a procedure to see. A helicopter hovered over the pool deck of the ship, dropped a rope down to the pool deck, a helicopter crew member rappelled down the rope, an empty basket was lowered to the ship, the basket was lifted back to the helicopter with a passenger in the basket, another passenger was tethered to the helicopter crew member and both of them were lifted into the helicopter, a bag of some sort was lifted into the helicopter, the rope was reeled back into the helicopter and the helicopter flew away to a presumably good outcome for the patient and their traveling companion.

 

We returned to TSL around 12:45pm as the ship was beginning to turn around to resume our westward crossing. The captain had assured us that we'd have no issue making up lost time over the remaining 5.5 days left in our crossing.

 

Day 7 continues...

[Best Cat Mom]

Day 7 continues…

 

Somehow the thought of lunchtime had escaped us and we found ourselves rushing to Le Muse at 1:28pm. The door was closed when we arrived, and there was another couple behind us who were also late. Mehmet was kind enough to allow the 4 of us in even though it was our own fault we were late. BCD and I only wanted starters -- he ordered the Parma ham and I ordered niçoise salad. He had a chianti and I had a sauvignon blanc. We had already talked about having the next course at the One Deck buffet. We were quick to finish -- well, quick for us. 😉

 

We headed up to the One Deck buffet where BCD had some tuna with mayonnaise, tomatoes and cucumbers and I ordered a plate of French fries. I had 3 glasses of chianti and BCD had 2 Heineken and a nice looking double chocolate chip cookie.

 

BCD also began work on a project this afternoon that he had planned for this cruise after I showed him some images from the most recent Observations from the Poop Deck thread by @morpheusofthesea (https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2975181-observations-from-the-poop-deck-seascape-nov-2023/ -- see posts #151 and #160). BCD is an automotive engineer and could not resist a challenge to replicate and improve on these two impressive uses of champagne/sparkling wine corks, wires, etc.

 

BCD had already been collecting "supplies" from the crew and by today had finally had enough to begin assembly. The loss of his Leatherman tool, however, made this undertaking much more difficult. He is currently working with nail clippers, scissors and the back end of a knife (as a hammer to pound out some of the kinks in the wires from around the cork).

 

The weather changed to very cool so we returned to TSL for drinks until it was time to dress for dinner, after I convinced the engineer to halt production for the day. He agreed provided that he could consider design improvements with adult beverages for inspiration. When the current iteration of the design and analysis phases was complete, we returned to the cabin to change for dinner.

 

We arrived at Le Muse about 8:15pm and checked out the menu with some champagne.
Mehmet came by our table to greet us while we were still deciding what to order and recommended the baked island shrimp and the almond-crusted salmon. The engineer formerly known as BCD (TEFKABCD -- hope that's funny for at least a few people) had the shrimp as a starter, while I had the summer salad -- after our server said that the shrimp was not completely GF per the chef. I ordered the almond-crusted salmon after being reassured that it was GF and BCD opted for the rib eye. We finished our champagne with the starters and BCD moved to a dolcetto and I to a pinot noir. When Glenn and Ryan brought our entrées, they also brought risotto -- which we did not order. I had told Glenn that we would skip the risotto since we thought cuttlefish was a black ink dish like squid. It wasn't so he brought it anyway, knowing how much we liked the risotto. I definitely think we have a great server team this cruise. 🙂

 

We liked all of our meal, but I now have a new dish to add to my favorites list. The almond-crusted salmon was fantastic! I doubt it's a new offering so I must have always chosen something else I thought I wanted more when it appeared on the menu. Now I know not to miss it when I see it.

We looked at the dessert menu, to be polite as usual -- or so I thought. I did not feel like dessert but BCD ordered me a coconut ice cream with a shot of Kahlua and the caramel Bavarian cake for himself. Guess who ate both? I think automobile design makes one quite hungry. LOL

 

Back to TSL and since we were changing clocks back another hour tonight, 5 sidecars and old fashioneds before heading to bed.

 

Day 8 coming next…

[Best Cat Mom]

Day 7 Lunch menu:

 

[Best Cat Mom]

Day 7 Dinner menu:

 

[DaKahuna]

1 hour ago, Best Cat Mom said:

 

We looked at the dessert menu, to be polite as usual -- or so I thought. I did not feel like dessert but BCD ordered me a coconut ice cream with a shot of Kahlua and the caramel Bavarian cake for himself. Guess who ate both? I think automobile design makes one quite hungry. LOL

 

 

Might I make a suggestion the TEFKABCD - try Bailey's instead of or in addition to Kahlua with your ice cream.  I love a simple French Vanilla ice cream served with a shot of Bailey's. (goes well with gelato too).

 

[DaKahuna]

1 hour ago, Best Cat Mom said:

 

Back to TSL and since we were changing clocks back another hour tonight, 5 sidecars and old fashioneds before heading to bed.

 

 

 I was hoping to see you had tried the rum old fashion but maybe tomorrow. 

 

[quattrohead]

17 hours ago, Best Cat Mom said:

the ship's compass would need to be recalibrated and this would be accomplished turning the ship around a full 360 degrees in the harbor just after leaving port.

This happened to us once in Miami or PC on Divina too when returning from a cruise. We did a full 720 in the turning basin and boy it was quick. Fun times.

[quattrohead]

15 hours ago, Best Cat Mom said:

The captain had assured us that we'd have no issue making up lost time over the remaining 5.5 days left in our crossing.

You won't, Divina is a very quick ship. Love her.

[Best Cat Mom]

Just now, quattrohead said:

Divina is a very quick ship. Love her.

We really like the Fantasia-class ships too. We're back on Divina in April and happy that most of the YC crew we've come to know will be too. 🙂