Photo Heavy! Divina Yacht Club review by Stealthy, 1st time cruiser 7 June 2015

• La Spezia

• We arrived at La Spezia (morning) by train from Florence the day before embarkation. We Checked in at the Albergo Teatro B&B just a few blocks from the port, dropped the bags and went out to explore the city. We had a nice stroll through the streets of La Spezia for a bite to eat and to find out about a trip to Cinque Terre (Porto Venere) via the ferry. We noticed the MSC Armonia in port that day and we were very excited to see her as we knew her big sister MSC Divina was on her way to pick us up the next day. We got onto the ferry and travelled out to Porto Venere to explore the sites of this most beautiful sea side village. Great place to site see, walk the streets, do some retail therapy and to find a nice place in the cool shade to have a drink and people watch. We met some lovely people from the Armonia who were on an MSC excursion that day and had a chat about their cruise experiences and our upcoming cruise. We walked around some more, shopped some more and stayed until the last ferry returned to port to maximize our time in Porto Venere, what a place and a must do if you haven’t been. Arriving back at port we decided to return to the motel to freshen up before heading out to the check out the night life of La Spezia. We headed out about 9pm and hit the pavement once again to take some photos and to see what was available to eat. While walking around the back streets looking for a place to spend a few hours, my wife Jenny could hear some great music coming out of a small bar and suggested we go and have a drink (too cool down of course) then keep looking for a restaurant, we sat outside the “Distro Bar” and ordered a drink. The waiter brought out our drinks and also a big complementary antipasto platter……….. well to cut a long story short we ended up staying there all night hanging with the locals enjoying the warm night listening to cool tunes, smoking a cigar and bending the elbow a few more times, then home to rest our weary heads…. A great night before boarding our dream cruise.

Now this is my very first cruising experience and I have nothing else to Judge it by except my wife who had a girls trip in 2011 on the Armonia and some close friends who also cruised MSC in 2013. I wasn't at all interested in taking a cruise but said if we do, I want to do it first class all the way........ So this is my experience.

More of La Spezia and Porto Venere (Cinque Terre)

Now this is my very first cruising experience and I have nothing else to Judge it by except my wife who had a girls trip in 2011 on the Armonia and some close friends who also cruised MSC in 2013. I wasn't at all interested in taking a cruise but said if we do, I want to do it first class all the way........ So this is my experience.

• Day 1

• Embarkation La Spezia

• I woke up around 9am excited to know that during the night the MSC Armonia had left port and the Divina had arrived that morning approx. 8am. Jenny had gone out earlier and purchased coffees and croissants for a quick breakfast (She is the best!), we showered, packed and attached the pre printed tags to our bags, and checked out around 9.45am. We decided to walk down to the port as we were going to be a bit early as embarkation was supposed to be at 2pm. Humping our bags down to the dock was a bit of a effort in the heat (it was already hot and humid) but seeing a glimpse of the Divina through the dock cranes and buildings was enough to keep our enthusiasm going until we got there. 11.15am, arriving across the street from the MSC terminal I noticed the tour buses, MSC tent and flags flying in the breeze, a welcome sight to see as we were hopefully in the right spot, then I noticed that the Yacht Club tent was manned with butlers and staff ready for action, plus seeing other YC cruisers unloading bags from cars I thought well what the hell let’s go! We walked up to our YC area to be greeted with a warm smile, the Butler looked at our booking info and our bag tags, then added other tags to the bags and escorted us (minus the bags) to another staff member who took our info/passports etc. To confirm our booking.

• After a much needed complimentary drink to cool us down we were then escorted by butler Mohammad to the transfer bus and then travelled around the dock area to the ship. Rounding the corner of the dock we noticed a new building being built, I assume it’s a new terminal as the other one was a bit small (it was packed at 11.15 when we arrived with people waiting to check in but nothing happening) but with YC….. Straight in! YES! Onto the ship we go being escorted by Butler Mohammad all the way to the YC concierge desk were we received our cruise card, ordered our daily paper and confirmed our excursion in Naples later in the cruise. After that our Butler Putra showed us to our room (15020) where our bags were waiting and then explained the room layout, balcony, amenities and the never empty mini bar!!!!! Yippee! All up we were completely checked in and lounging in our room sipping our complementary bottle of champagne by 12 noon, you gotta love the service.

After emptying the bottle of champagne we headed to the Top Sail Lounge to check it out, Comfy seating with awesome views..... check, Well Stocked Bar.... check, yummy Food.....check, attentive and friendly staff...... Check check! It was all good in here so after introducing ourselves to the staff with another refreshment we headed up to the One Pool Bar for some lunch. Now this is my idea of a holiday, sitting by the pool, lounging in the spa, reading or listening to music while soaking up the Mediterranean sun and having cool refreshments brought to you when needed...... Heaven! The buffet was well stocked with yummy treats both hot and cold, savoury and sweet and anything you would need to fill you up while breathing in that sea air and exploring your surroundings that you will now be accustomed to for the next week. The food was always replenished when getting low and the menu changed daily, It was really good to get great coffee at the bar as well, perfect. After lunch we returned to our room and changed into pool attire and went back up to the One Pool area and found a spot with full sun and maximised the rest of the day doing absolutely nothing, it was bliss. After the sun and pool we returned to the room to unpack, make more use of the mini bar and get ready for dinner in the YC Le Muse restaurant. We booked a rough time of 7.30 at the restaurant and made our way there with Putra escorting us all the way as it was our first time. We strolled across deck 15 to the rear of the ship to Le Muse. We were introduced to our waiter Rio who took great care of us from then onwards. All of the other Waiters (Gabriel, Christian), Food servers, Master Sommelier (Leonardo) and Maître d' (Gioncarlo) took great pride in there work and looked after every request with style. I can't remember what we ate but it was all beautiful and plentiful, nothing was out of the realm if you wanted, just ask and it will be done. The wines, breads, cheeses, espresso and deserts were also very good and made our dining experience worth the trip to the restaurant from the YC area at the front of the ship. It wasn't so bad walking through the ship to the restaurant as you were able to see what was on offer in other parts of the ship, my wife especially liked walking past the shops and sales tables to see what was on offer that night (it's a trap I kept saying! Hahahahaha:D). We went back to our cabin after a wonderful dinner to retrieve a drink or two and go out to photograph the night sky and listen to the band playing on stage in the main pool area. The music was excellent and La Spezia was especially magnificent with the city and port lit up plus the still water and warm night could it get any better? Was this cruising? If so I don't want to leave and it's only been the first 12 hours or so..... I'm hooked big time!

Buonanotte and I'll try to get onto day 2 ASAP. Ciao ciao.

More pics

Last few for now.

Ill be back with more of day 2 soon. :)

Hope you enjoy.

Really looking forward to your review, Stealthy. I'm doing this one in 7 weeks time so I'll be devouring anything, everything, that you put out here :D

Love your pics - each worth more than a thousand words, it's said - so true ;)

Ohhhhhh how I miss our Divina!!!! It's great to finally see a review!!! I do wish MSC would do away with the art auctions,,,they must be fairly new because they weren't onboard during our last August sailing, but saw them in April,,,:(

Ohhhhhh how I miss our Divina!!!! It's great to finally see a review!!! I do wish MSC would do away with the art auctions,,,they must be fairly new because they weren't onboard during our last August sailing, but saw them in April,,,:(

I've never come across an art auction in eight cruises with MSC, Mike. Looks like it'll be a first for me on Divina. The photo with the easels caught my eye and I wondered if that was what that was about! Just one more "new" thing for me to experience on her! What lounge is that?

Stealthy, I'm new to MSC and am contemplating the Divina for a Caribbean itinerary. Thank you for posting your review and pictures. If you could, please post a picture of your suite/balcony.

Thanks again; I'm learning a lot and traveling with you vicariously!!:) Have a great time!

I've never come across an art auction in eight cruises with MSC, Mike. Looks like it'll be a first for me on Divina. The photo with the easels caught my eye and I wondered if that was what that was about! Just one more "new" thing for me to experience on her! What lounge is that?

That's the "TOP SAIL" lounge in the Yacht Club Bea!! Notice!! No easels back in August.....

Excellent photos, very nice to see a review from Divina in the Med. We also considered MSC Divina from La Spezia but ended up on the MSC Fantasia from Barcelona. There was no art auction onboard there as well as the MSC Armonia in January som maybe this is special for MSC Divina?

Thanks for sharing your review, looking forward to more :)

They had an art auction going on in April when we were on the YC.

Wonderful start to your review! I'm hoping to enjoy the Yacht Club myself one of these days, but for now I'll just enjoy it vicariously. :)

Day 2

Cannes, France.

I awoke early on the 2nd day to my wife's displeasure and went straight outside onto the balcony to see the view.

The day looked a little overcast but the warm air was inviting and the sea was calm, picture perfect. I took some photos from our balcony before going inside to let Putra in with our 8am Coffee and Tea served juuuuussst right.

This was also delivered with my morning paper from home (Melbourne, Australia), it was nice to catch up on some news while sitting on the balcony enjoying a cuppachino.....and what a view! (not me in my sarong. lol)

The Daily Program that was on our bed the night before was also kept us informed of all the restaurant serving times, shops/casino hours and times of events that day plus weather forecasts and docking times. A must read everyday to keep you up to date....

After the morning rituals of caffeine before leaving the room, we showered, changed and headed up to the One Pool for a bit of breakfast, alfresco style!

More Juice and Espresso (Only the Italians can do good coffee) plus a nice breakfast buffet of eggs, bacon, sausage etc. plus toast, breads of every kind, cereals and fresh fruit and cold things like cheeses, cold cuts and the like. Sorry no photos as I forgot..... to busy eating it.....

More please! :p What was your cabin # ?

I am having a lot of fun reading your review and your looking at your wonderful pictures. Your writing style is very pleasant, entertaining and enjoyable.

Day 2

 

The Daily Program that was on our bed the night before ...

You wouldn't have a copy of one of the dailies that you could post by any chance?

can't wait to read more!

I am having a lot of fun reading your review and your looking at your wonderful pictures. Your writing style is very pleasant, entertaining and enjoyable.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You wouldn't have a copy of one of the dailies that you could post by any chance?

 

 

 

can't wait to read more!

Thank you for your kind words, yes I do have a copy and I will post it up tonight (only the front cover though)

Till then. [emoji2]

Anthony & Jenny, Melbourne Australia

Cruising MSC YC 7th June 2015, Eastern Mediterranean.

More please! :p What was your cabin # ?

We had cabin 15020 (YC1) and it was fine, very comfortable. [emoji106]

Anthony & Jenny, Melbourne Australia

Cruising MSC YC 7th June 2015, Eastern Mediterranean.

They had an art auction going on in April when we were on the YC.

I originally thought it was just decorative until I was told by another passenger that it was a art auction. You would never know because there were no auction details that I could see anywhere [emoji53].

Not that I was going to stuff that in my suitcase. My wife was doing fine with shoes! [emoji30]

Anthony & Jenny, Melbourne Australia

Cruising MSC YC 7th June 2015, Eastern Mediterranean.

Ohhhhhh how I miss our Divina!!!! It's great to finally see a review!!! I do wish MSC would do away with the art auctions,,,they must be fairly new because they weren't onboard during our last August sailing, but saw them in April,,,:(

They were there in Dec.

They were there in Dec.

Is that when they started them MsTabby???? We were onboard in April and saw them and were shocked that MSC would get into that game,,,,

Is that when they started them MsTabby???? We were onboard in April and saw them and were shocked that MSC would get into that game,,,,

I don't know when they started and I was surprised to see them. However, I found them more "sophisticated & knowledgeable" than the ParkWest gang (from NCL & Carnival).

Is that when they started them MsTabby???? We were onboard in April and saw them and were shocked that MSC would get into that game,,,,

Mike. What game are you talking about? Like I said I thought it was decoration around the lounge, it wasn't imposing or was I missing something? Didn't give them a second look the whole cruise. [emoji52]

Anthony & Jenny, Melbourne Australia

Cruising MSC YC 7th June 2015, Eastern Mediterranean.

Enjoying your review and photos, thanks.

This review is making me wish I hadn't booked so far out