What are the Main Differences between Divina and the other South Florida ships?

Hello,

I am an avid traveler and cruiser who has been dying to sail MSC for a while now, and this Cyber Monday deal is really sparking an interest. I want to take the cruise with some family, and the first thing they said when I mentioned it was "Is it like Carnival?" "Is it like Royal"? Now, I am 100% open to the new experience and love many aspects of European travel, I actually fell in love with it when I lived in Europe. But having never been on MSC, I can't answer their questions as to how the Divina will be similar to ships like the Carnival and Royal Caribbean ships that also sail from the area.

How does dining compare? How do onboard activities compare? How do the shows compare? Atmosphere? Overall value for price? Service?

Do you feel as though the jump from Bella to Fantastica is worth it? In what regards?

I know those are a lot of points, but I'm looking for as much info as I can get so I can book this cruise tonight. Any info and help will be appreciated! :)

There will be a much larger percentage of non-American guests, so announcements may be in as many as five languages. Dinners in the MDR are more leisurely. They will serve ice water, but thought it is cold, you likely won't get ice cubes. There are similar daytime activities but I can't say exactly because we seldom participate. Evening shows are all music, as comedians would not be understood by the different cultures. There is live music in all venues, no DJ or lip-synch.

As faar as Bella/Fantastica, the only reason we might consider Fantastica next time might be to make sure we get our preferred dining time in MDR. (There is no flexible dining unless you book Aurea). There are good cabins and bad cabins in both Bella and Fantastica. Cabins that would be a lower category on another line because of size are only graded by location. There is a lot of information here about particular cabins,so if you decided to book, please come here for cabin advice.

Quad cabins inside and OV have bunks on the walls, and are larger than those on other lines I have sailed. Balcony quad cabins do not have upper bunks, but a queen foldout couch. EM

It's worth looking at the new review and all the videos from last week called The good, the bad and the ugly. A few postings down by Jimmymed3. And for my two pennies worth it is worth the extra for Fantastica as you get room service.

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My Wife and I were on the MSC Preziosa a year ago on a Western Med Itinerary from Genoa. Unlike Costa which does do all announcements in 5 languages, all were done in Italian and English.

We've cruised with Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, Princess, and Carnival, and when we cruised on MSC Divina last month, it was one of the best cruises we've ever been on.

If I had to compare it to either of these cruise lines, I would put it up on the top with Princess. Carnival isn't even in the ballpark, as far as I'm concerned.

The shows were the best we've ever seen, and the only time we found that the announcements were in several languages was at the beginning of the shows, and at the muster drill. The captain on Divina spoke in English when he made his daily announcements.

We plan to take our next cruise on MSC Seaside. That's how much we enjoyed MSC cruise line. We chose the Fantastica experience because we wanted to pick our balcony room. I didn't want to take any chances getting put in a balcony with a lifeboat obstructing my view, or one of those angled balconies that blocked a portion of your view. We were about 9 staterooms from the back of the ship, on the 12th deck, and we absolutely loved the location.

Hope this helps.....

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2416041

I've cruised the Divina twice, and written as many reviews.

I have a 3rd cruise booked on her.

The best, shortest review I can give you is it's Princess level of beauty, comfort, and service for the price of Carnival.

Other than that, service is a bit more hands off. You won't be hassled for drinks, etc, you have to go ask for them. If you need something, just ask.