Divina 8/5/17 Sailing Yacht Club review

Back home from our first sailing on the MSC Divina and wanted to share since these boards have been so helpful in our planning.

PART ONE

Who Are We

I will preface with saying that my husband and I are not frequent cruisers. We have been on 2 Disney and 2 Carnival cruises in the span of 18 years so we do not have the level of experience to make alot of the comparisons that others can make. So take the review for what it is worth! We chose MSC because we had seen the ship when we were on our last Carnival cruise and loved the look (and the peeking in the doors of their balconies as we were docked side by side). This was our first weeklong vacation EVER without a child or family member in tow. We originally booked a balcony Fantastica package and received a great email offer to upgrade to the Yacht Club.

MSC Call Center-Customer Service/Website

Let's just say, this is the WORST part of MSC and I was nervous prior to arrival because of numerous issues via call center prior to our departure. DO NOT BASE YOUR TRIP ON THIS because what everyone says is true. The on-board experience is completely worth the headache of the call center and website.

Transfer to ship

We flew into FLL and chose to purchase MSC transfers. They were easy to find at baggage claim and we waited @10 mins. before departing the airport on a small bus. The bus circled the airport, making stops at various sections, and then we headed to the ship. The ride was about 30 minutes.

Embarkation

The Yacht Club tent is at the far end of the area where folks are arriving. We wheeled our luggage down and got in a line of 3 people and a porter tagged our luggage. A butler escorted us in a door and up and elevator where we bypassed the regular check-in lines. It was about 11:30am and the regular check in line was not that long and moving quickly. We went into an area where we checked in. Off of that area was a small reception room with several butlers supplying drinks and small bites/desserts. We were allowed to linger here as long as we wished and they informed us that they would escort us to our room whenever we were ready. Well, duh...we were ready!! So off we went.

Ship Common Areas

This is a beautiful ship. It is classically elegant and tasteful in the decor and the "feel" of it. Every area felt calming almost. There are mirrors everywhere. Some of them can fool you into thinking there is a hallway where there isn't (don't ask me how I know this!). The ship is immaculate except for one area - bathrooms. The bathrooms near the buffet/pool, theater and Le Muse are not the best smelling places nor the cleanest. This is probably due to the volume of people using them. In the grand scheme of the experience, this is nothing. It just is the one area in which the cleanliness did not match everywhere else. It honestly feels like they have an army of hidden people roaming around cleaning and picking up items people set down. That is how clean this ship ALWAYS appears. And the ship is bright! With the mirrors and lighting, it is well lit but not glaring. The casino is smoke-free and very clean. The buffet area was clean. The floors in the pool area seemed very slippery and the covered pool area is STEAMY!

Yacht Club

We were escorted in to the Top Sail Lounge which is GORGEOUS in muter burgundy tones and panoramic windows. I never saw this room full of people. There is a small area with food items that rotate throughout the day. The different "themes" of food (ex: continental breakfast, chocolate surprise, etc) and the times they are available are listed in the Daily Planner. At this point, we had a welcome drink and then our butler Juan Carlos escorted us to our room and showed us the ins and outs of it all. This was awaiting us:

Here are some room shots:

Hope there's more to the review - we're sailing on the 26th and loving the photos!

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PART TWO

Yes, there is a crystal staircase in the YC

Top Sail Lounge

After we dropped our things off and refreshed, we went exploring and up to the pool area. The YC pool was never crowded during our trip (maybe 8 people at a time max and hot tubs with maybe 4 max at a time). We only had to "look" for a lounger once during our last sea day. There are more than enough but clearly dropping your towel off and disappearing extends beyond the main pool area. :-)

There is a small buffet in the YC Pool area. It did not have anything substantial on it on embarkation day but the butler on duty was happy to get my husband and I each a hamburger and then we sat and ate in the warm sunshine which was quite welcome after a long day of travelling.

PART THREE

When you arrive in the YC, the Maitre D' of Le Muse, Michael, has a table set up in the lounge. He will then ask you for your preferred dining time during your cruise. We chose 6:15ish and it worked out well for us. It allowed ample time for dining and changing before the 9pm show.

Dining

Le Muse is the YC restaurant and your butler will escort you the first day. Pay attention - LOL! When you leave, you will get in the elevator and go to floor 7. Walk the length of the ship. At the elevators near the theater, go up to floor 15. The restaurant is where you exit the elevator. Food is amazing and the staff also amazing. Our server, Arthur, became one of our favorite people on board. The menu, while I do not have photos of these, varied daily and incorporated dishes from specialty restaurants. We did not visit any specialty restaurants during our trip. We only did breakfast 1 morning in the restaurant because a) I like to sleep late and b) there is a small buffet by the pool that serves eggs, breakfast meats, yogurt, fruit and breads/pastries as well as freshly squeezed orange juice and c) the Top Sail Lounge has cereal, pastries, fruit and cold meats each morning. So our breakfast was at the pool most days.

We had lunch many places: pool, Le Muse and the buffet. We wanted to try it and see if the claims about seating were true and, let's be honest, who knows if we will YC again.

Food Porn Pics:

Salmon - YUM!

Cheese plate - Just go ahead and get it and eat it every night. They slice the cheese freshly off the trolley.

Crepes Suzette prepared by Michael the Maitre D'

Lemoncelo creme cake- OMG

Touranos of Beef - Don't let the small portion fool you because there is so much offered in each course that you will not go hungry

One of the neatest things about Le Muse, is that several nights/lunches have fresh pasta dishes prepared in the dining area by the Maitre D.They are delicious. He also prepares Crepes Suzette and Cherries Jubilee. Dinner is an experience in itself and well worth making time for each day.

Weight

I haven't gained weight on other cruises because of all the walking during the day. Be forewarned--the YC experience is a weight gain given. Having everything there 24/7 makes it all too easy.

PART FOUR

Special Touches in YC

Almost too many to name and I am sure I will forget but here goes:

1) nightly chocolates on your pillow

2) Special surprises in the room periodically

3) All the butlers learn your names and drink preferences and smile all the time. They just seem to magically appear.

4) Reception with the Captain in Top Sail (more about him in a bit)

5) The elevator "zip past all the other floors" card works sporadically at best - whatever

6)Your minibar is stocked and you can request to have whatever you want put in it so it suits your needs.

7) Always a full ice bucket :-)

8) Pizza delivered free from Eataly in the evening (by a butler in a heat bag) - more on pizza later.

9) Just ask - the excursion desk rep will come to you, the concierge will make your spa treatments (more on spa later) - just ask

10) The beds have a thin quilted topper covering the mattress and you get one hard and one soft pillow. This worked well for us so we did not use the pillow menu. Let's just say, sleeping was not a hardship :-)

Pizza

So, to be fair, we went to the buffet and had pizza

It was really really good.

We had pizza delivered to our room from the specialty pizza place. It was not better. We preferred the buffet pizza. Tastes vary but I would not pay for the specialty pizza. My opinion.

The Captain

He is everywhere and very impressive. As I said, there was a welcome event in the Top Sail Lounge and the Captain and a Sr. Officer greeted everyone and then went from table to table for photos and individual greetings. To watch him speak English at one table, French at the next, Italian and then Spanish was impressive. He also greeted by husband and I each time he saw us - no matter where we were on the ship- and clearly remembered us. Amazing. He spoke to us at the CC reception and referred back to something we had discussed at the YC meet and greet.

Spa

There is a direct elevator from the YC to the spa which is wonderful after a massage when your hair looks crazy. I had 2 massages - Traditional Balinese and Balinese with hot stones. Both were nice but, given the opportunity again, I would just have the hot stone.

PART FIVE

Shows

Well done and high quality. They are more like a variety type show with singing, dancing, acrobatics and aerialists. There is a reserved seating area for the Yacht club off to the left side balcony. Not sure why they didn't pick a center balcony section. It was nice to always have a seat. If you go to no other show, go to the last evening show and stay to the end. The ending is quite lovely.

The captain also attended the first and last night's shows and offered greetings in various languages. I also appreciated that the cruise director was not a cheesy egomaniac who needed to talk to simply hear himself talk.

Announcements

Everyday at noon the captain made an announcement about weather, water depth, gallons of water used, and so on. It was cool to hear especially as other announcements are kept to a BARE MINIMUM (yay!). There are no "Bingo on the lido deck" announcements throughout the entire day. Announcements are not made throughout the day unless they are locating someone or medical emergency.

Gellato

Closest to what we had in Italy.

Cruise Critic Meet and Greet

GO! GO! GO! It is neat to put faces to names. The heads of various ship departments attend as well as the captain. It is very well done and the seem to genuinely want to host this event and get feedback.

A group photo was taken and delivered to our room later in the cruise.

Ports and Excursions

We had never been to St. Martin so we did a ship excursion to tour the island and visit Maho Beach and shop. It was horrible. The driver repeated himself continuously and the shopping area was dodgy at best. It was inexpensive and gave us an island overview. It fit the "get what you pay for adage". This was the only MSC tour we did.

Nitpicky Things That Really Don't Matter/What I Would Change

1) It would have been nice to be gifted the photo taken during the Top Sail Meet and Greet with the Captain.

2) There was never any communication about whether or not a photographer was ever in the YC to take photos (ex:Formal Night). We stumbled upon a photographer one day before dinner. It would be nice (if personnel permitted) to have a photographer there on formal nights for staircase photos.

3) The half glass shower wall should be at the other end of the bath so you don't have to leap out after you engage the shower (after turning on the faucets). The water is strong and HOT.

Things Others Complained About That Were Not Issues To Us

1) The European feel - I enjoyed hearing all the languages being spoken around me. I enjoyed the leisurely dining. I enjoyed the shows that were not full of overtly sexual dance moves/costumes that might make parents uncomfortable for small children to see.

2) No laundry facilities for passengers - We used the laundry to press my husband's suit, 2 dresses for me, 1 pair dress pants and 6 dress shirts for my husband - Total $32 Completely fair in my opinion.

MISC

The YC has individual toiletries (shampoo, conditioner, body lotion, shower cap, sewing kit, soap).

We had to ask for washcloths. We got them but they were not automatically in our room.

Everyone working on the ship was friendly (save one which is coming up below)

Disembarking

Super smooth. Directions in stateroom. Luggage in hallway. The terminal has airport like luggage pickup areas that correspond with your color tags. It was orderly and not overly crowded. There was no customs forms just an agent chatting about your vacay and what you bought. The transfer bus back was not so great. We sat on the bus for an hour, during which the bus air shut off and a beeping began. The driver was loading and rearranging luggage the entire time. Every seat was taken but another representative kept popping on to see if there were more spots. Someone finally complained about how hot it was getting and the driver restarted the bus. Was very opposite of the embarkation transfer.

I am sure I am missing soooo much. But bottom line is we had a FABULOUS trip so much so that...

WE BOOKED ON SEASIDE FOR NEXT JUNE!!!

(And I refuse to let the grumpy future cruise consultant on board take away my excitement. But, honestly, they had 1 representative and LOTS of people waiting and waiting to see her and book. Another YC person and myself waited almost 1.5 hrs while she waited on 2 other people. Her internet was slow and she kept saying she was the only one working this week whenever someone said there should be 2 people and complaining that her internet was not working. It was just like calling/using the website...lol)

Questions--Ask away and I will see if I can answer.

Great review. Your experience pretty much mirrored ours from a couple months ago. Thanks for taking the time to write this.

~Brian

A very informative review! Very nice photos!

Thank you for sharing.

PART FIVE

Questions--Ask away and I will see if I can answer.

Thanks for taking the time to write this very informative review. I enjoyed it alot.

I do have a couple of questions.

1. With the lack of Photographers in the Y/C. Do you think the Butlers or Staff would take "Formal Photos" using our camera?

2. We have booked one of the square cabins on Deck 16. Is there a stairway up to the Y/C pool? Or do you have to use the elevator? (May help with my anticipated weight gain)

Thanks Mark

Great review! Good to hear you enjoyed your cruise. Yacht Club is a wonderful way to go!

I wholeheartedly agree with your assessment of the Cruise Consultant: the set-up is ridiculous on MSC ships. I don't understand why they can't give you a number so you can go sit in an area and wait. On some ships, you have to stand in a queue as there is no seating area nearby while they spend 20-30 minutes with one person. Also, the times that they are available are so limited that it makes it very difficult to ever find a quiet time to go see him/her. This has become a major issue since they introduced the ability to book future cruise onboard. There should really be a separate desk for Voyagers Club issues so you don't have to wait while someone discusses every detail of every cruise MSC is selling! They are always having problems with their internet connection, too. In this day and age, that shouldn't be an issue.

And, yes, some of them are rude which only adds to the frustration when you've queued to speak to them.

Thanks for taking the time to write this very informative review. I enjoyed it alot.

 

I do have a couple of questions.

1. With the lack of Photographers in the Y/C. Do you think the Butlers or Staff would take "Formal Photos" using our camera?

2. We have booked one of the square cabins on Deck 16. Is there a stairway up to the Y/C pool? Or do you have to use the elevator? (May help with my anticipated weight gain)

 

Thanks Mark

Hope the OP doesn't mind, but they are questions I can answer, Mark.

1. The butlers and waiters are more than willing and happy to take photos for you. In fact, they get asked so much, they're actually very good at it.

2. There are stairs as well as an elevator that will take you to the pool deck.

Hope the OP doesn't mind, but they are questions I can answer, Mark.

 

1. The butlers and waiters are more than willing and happy to take photos for you. In fact, they get asked so much, they're actually very good at it.

 

2. There are stairs as well as an elevator that will take you to the pool deck.

Thanks Bea, You are always helpful. Can you give me an idea where the stairs are? Stairways, and which elevators, go where, are confusing on the deck plans.

Mark

Thanks Bea, You are always helpful. Can you give me an idea where the stairs are? Stairways, and which elevators, go where, are confusing on the deck plans.

Mark

I don't know what it is about the Yacht Club on Fantasia Class ships, Mark, but I always lose my way around. :rolleyes: DH always has to guide me to the lifts! I even get lost around the ship and lose my bearings when we're in YC - something that never happens when we're slumming it in steerage.

The deck plans don't help, either! It's a small enough area, too. I know that there is a dedicated lift only in the YC that goes from deck 14 (for private access to the Spa) to deck 18 for the pool but I couldn't say exactly where that is and I can't see it on the plans. I think it's near the concierge area.

Guess that doesn't help much - sorry!

Could you tell me if the Future Cruise consultant will come to the Yacht club, rather than standing in line? Also what is the benefit from booking while on board.

I am thinking about making reservations for myself and 2 other couples, can I do that all from there?

Thanks for the review. Loved reading it. We will be on the Divina next cruise.

Thanks for the great review and pics. Do they have a hair dryer?

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Enjoyed the review and excellent photos, thanks!

Thanks Bea, You are always helpful. Can you give me an idea where the stairs are? Stairways, and which elevators, go where, are confusing on the deck plans.

Mark

I know that the TOP of the stairs is right at the elevator entrance on deck 18. Thinking about the layout, I assume those stairs would be at the end of each hallway. BUT, you need to swipe your card to enter the YC so the stairs may not go down beyond the floor below.

Could you tell me if the Future Cruise consultant will come to the Yacht club, rather than standing in line? Also what is the benefit from booking while on board.

I am thinking about making reservations for myself and 2 other couples, can I do that all from there?

I don't know if them coming to YC was an option since there was only 1 person and they need their computer to do the booking (it was a desktop). The other YC person had a 4pm appointment and was there waiting with me until after 4. Best advice would be to book earlier in the cruise than later.

Advantage is you get all current promotions. We also got a $200 onboard credit and double Voyager points for that sailing and a reduced deposit.

We did get an email upon returning home offering $100 onboard credit for a new booking after the cruise had ended. Not sure if that always happens. I guess look at the "perks" and see if they are good enough for you.

Thanks for the great review and pics. Do they have a hair dryer?

 

 

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Yes there is a hairdryer. Oddly enough, it was not in the bathroom but in the drawer of the desk (as you look at the room photo I posted, it is on the right side just past the bed.)

It is attached to the drawer so I had to sit on the provided stool and dry my hair. It did a good enough job for me NOT to pack a dryer if I go again. But I do have shorter hair (thick but short).

Hope this helps.

Hope the OP doesn't mind, but they are questions I can answer, Mark.

 

1. The butlers and waiters are more than willing and happy to take photos for you. In fact, they get asked so much, they're actually very good at it.

 

2. There are stairs as well as an elevator that will take you to the pool deck.

That was our experience also. The staff was more than happy to snap a photo of us on Elegant Night in front of the stairs.

Could you tell me if the Future Cruise consultant will come to the Yacht club, rather than standing in line? Also what is the benefit from booking while on board.

I am thinking about making reservations for myself and 2 other couples, can I do that all from there?

We were told the future cruise consultant could not come to the YC due to having to book on his desktop.

Thanks Bea, You are always helpful. Can you give me an idea where the stairs are? Stairways, and which elevators, go where, are confusing on the deck plans.

Mark

The elevator inside the YC area is located in the small hallway behind the concierge desk.

PART THREE

Our server, Arthur, became one of our favorite people on board.

 

 

I'm so glad you mentioned Arthur. We requested him for every meal we had in Le Muse. He was terrific!

Thanks Bea, You are always helpful. Can you give me an idea where the stairs are? Stairways, and which elevators, go where, are confusing on the deck plans.

Mark

The private YC elevatior is located in the small hallway that leads from cabin 15013 to the Concierge area. Depending on the location of your cabin and where you are on the One Pool Deck, sometimes it is easier to go through the glass door to the main elevator bank and use those elevators.