Things I had been expecting (from reading reviews) but didn't find #MscDivina

Just got off Divina yesterday. Mostly a very enjoyable week (slightly disconcerting that our youngest son not accompanying us broke his thumb and tore ligaments in his knee playing rugby the day we departed and needed to see a plastic surgeon and i was directing operations (no pun intended) from the deck before we even departed Miami :rolleyes:

That aside was it a good cruise? Yes. :)

Did I find people pushing to get in elevators before I got out? No. I found them very polite

Did they show wall to wall coverage of the US Election on the main ship TV? No. This was a plus - you have tv in your cabins if you are desperate to know results.

Were the staff rude/standoffish/unsmiling? No. They worked incredibly hard, chatted if you wanted to but otherwise smiled were very respectful and did their job admirably.

Did we even know who our cabin steward was? Yes he knocked on the door and introduced himself the first evening.

Were the portions in the main dining room "small" ? No they were European and if you wanted more of anythng they were more than happy to bring it.

The ship was classy, the shows very enjoyable, the cabin lovely and I loved our extra large balcony. Yes the food was not piping hot, sometimes in the buffet it was lukewarm but what i had I enjoyed and yes there were always tables at the back. Sometimes you just have to look a little further than the immediate vicinity.

Was muster drill a shambles. No I don't find that at all. My take on it was people listened to the announcement that they understood and when it came on in a language they didn't they chatted but you could always hear your own language with no problem.

I think formal night people dressed up quite a bit - again a European thing and it was lovely to see. The opera in the afternoon thoroughly enjoyable. The captain was very visible and friendly. We had some slightly rough weather and I found him very informative. The drink vouchers probably the best value at sea no question.

Will I cruise MSC yes I think that's pretty certain. I had great time. Was it perfect - no. Is anything ever perfect?

For me the bottom line would be in my opinion, if you are a North American who is open minded or who have travelled Europe and enjoyed it then I think you would be fine.

If you have always travelled a certain American line and expect things to be done their way (or the way you are used to and expect) you may be disappointed.

For us however, it worked well.

thanks for your review

Thank you for providing a great informative review!! :)

Thanks for your review, Matt. When I was first booking the agent asked me "Have you traveled to Europe?"

My answer was yes- he said "You'll enjoy this cruise".

Great review. Going on Divina in less than 2 weeks.

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Thanks for your review. I agree completely having had similar experiences on the Divina. We are booked for the Seaside in early 2018 and I'm looking at a week in the Yacht Club on the Meriviglia next summer. Now I just need to find cheap airfare to Barcelona.

Our family of four from the US went on Divina in June and had an awesome time.

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I concur completely with Vicky. The real Matt from mattnvick.

Thanks for your impressions!

~Brian

Thanks for the review and agree with your thoughts 100%.

Hello and thanks for your thoughts and impressions. Glad you had a .ovely cruise. :)

I agree with Mattnvick.

Great review. Thank you.

I am wondering: which cabin you have? I have just booked on Divina for April 22, 2017 and we have Cabin 9225. We know that it is an odd shaped balcony, but wondered if that was your cabin. Thanks.

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Great review. Thank you.

I am wondering: which cabin you have? I have just booked on Divina for April 22, 2017 and we have Cabin 9225. We know that it is an odd shaped balcony, but wondered if that was your cabin. Thanks.

 

 

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Thank you. No our cabin was 10218. I loved the odd shape because we had so much space. We couldn't look back but we could look out and fwd. I would book it again in a heartbeat

I just checked the deck plans, your balcony is exactly the same as ours, but on deck 9 portside, ours was starboard side, enjoy. (Matt).

Great review. Thank you.

I am wondering: which cabin you have? I have just booked on Divina for April 22, 2017 and we have Cabin 9225. We know that it is an odd shaped balcony, but wondered if that was your cabin. Thanks.

 

 

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Thanks for the thoughts, trying Divina for the first time and some of the last few reviews have made it seem like a more positive alternative.

I completely agree. We had a wonderful time and will do it again (booked Seaside - March 2018)

Thanks for the review. We jumped at this cruise line due to the status loyalty match program and the itinerary. And we wanted to try a brand new ship. We are booked on Meraviglia for a YC interior in October. We look forward to a new experience. Your review confirms we will get it!

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Thank you. No our cabin was 10218. I loved the odd shape because we had so much space. We couldn't look back but we could look out and fwd. I would book it again in a heartbeat

Phew. Thanks, Matt.

I noticed that some balconies were barely wide enough for a chair. This balcony ... did you get sun? Or was it mostly shaded?

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Thanks for your post! Reading it brought back memories of our 2014 sailing on the Divina. We loved it! Our next trip is two months away, but I wish I were there now. :D

Thank you so much for your review. I literally JUST booked Divina within the hour and hearing your words were very reassuring. I loved when I lived in Italy, so I think this will be a great time for me. Keeping an open mind about everything though! I mean, how could you not? The pictures I've been seeing of this ship are drop-dead gorgeous. :D

Phew. Thanks, Matt.

I noticed that some balconies were barely wide enough for a chair. This balcony ... did you get sun? Or was it mostly shaded?

 

 

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Obviously a lot depends on time of day. Sun angle, etc etc but we always had some sun at the front usually to a depth of about 4 feet.

Thats the beauty of having the extra depth though as if it was too hot in the sun we also had shade :)

from what i have been reading this is a beautiful ship , I was wondering if you could tell me do you have to pay for the coffee, tea and juices or is this included. we are sailing on Divina in May 2017,

from what i have been reading this is a beautiful ship , I was wondering if you could tell me do you have to pay for the coffee, tea and juices or is this included. we are sailing on Divina in May 2017,

T

Coffee, tea and juice were available for free in the buffet. In the main dining room at night we had regular coffee for free (not sure if tea or juice were available) water was also free in the MDR, but if you wanted a special coffee like a cappuccino then you either paid or as we did used our coffee vouchers.

There are juice dispensers in the buffet, the juices vary depending on the dispensers location. There was also hot water available by the coffee pots presumably for tea, there were Earl Grey tea bags as we pinched some to supplement the weak tea bags that came with our room service tea in bed. Coffee pots and juice dispenser's were always located together. The coffee cuddle vouchers are a good deal if you fancy something extravagant but non alcoholic.