MSC Divina Carrabean - Understanding Meal and Drink packages

Hi Everyone!

We are scheduled to take a cruise on the MSC Divina in April. Their website is not the greatest as far as getting information. I have been on 14 cruises, never MSC, and have never had such a tough time understanding what's included, packages, etc. I would love to get personal opinions on the packages. Can some past cruisers help me with two things?

1. I can't get clear on exactly which meals are included. Main dining rooms and buffets included? Are they good? Are the specialty restaurants not included and do I have to decide on this before I board ship? Are they worth it?

2. I also can't get clear on the drink packages. There are several and some look identical. I am trying to decide if they are worth it and which one to pick.

Thank you so much for your help! :eek:

There is a "sticky" from Skier52 that has a break down with visuals on the packages. As you scroll down to get to threads It will be before current threads start. It stays up always. That will probably help a lot.

The buffet and MDR are for everyone, everyday while cruising as with other cruise lines. The specialty restaurants are done the same as other cruise lines also. Their is an additional charge for those and it varies. I have not eaten at any of the specialty restaurants so I'm not help there.

The "More for Less" all-inclusive is a great value product. It covers bottled water, coffees and teas as well as draught beers, spirits, soft drinks, wines by the glass etc. The premium will give you even more: speciality coffees, champagne cocktails, top shelf spirits, bottled beers, better choice of wines by the glass in the dining room, room-service menu items, mini-bar (the steward will stock this to your own specifications, too!) and pastries in the Gelataria. I usually get the premium, mainly for the better wines included and having the minibar beats having to go to a bar to bring a drink back to the cabin. Here's a link to the info:

https://www.msccruisesusa.com/en-us/Already-Booked/Cruise-Upgrade/All-Inclusive-Packages.aspx

As for the speciality restaurants, for fee: I've had meals in the Galaxy restaurant and found them great value and very enjoyable. I also had a meal in the Eataly Ristorante, though not on Divina, which I was less than impressed with! If you get a drinks package, you'll be covered for any drinks in these restaurants.

When we were on the Divina last year we pre-purchased vouchers for cocktails and beer, but now I cannot find anything about them. Does anyone know where I can order them? Thanks!

When we were on the Divina last year we pre-purchased vouchers for cocktails and beer, but now I cannot find anything about them. Does anyone know where I can order them? Thanks!

I was able to log in to my January reservation using booking number and last name, and then found option to "enhance your cruise" where I chose the food and beverage option, and found the coupon option listed. I selected and saved it but found they do not charge you until you actually board. I can see this order listed on my reservation now when I check it.

I was able to log in to my January reservation using booking number and last name, and then found option to "enhance your cruise" where I chose the food and beverage option, and found the coupon option listed. I selected and saved it but found they do not charge you until you actually board. I can see this order listed on my reservation now when I check it.

I did not see the drink vouchers listed - only full packages. I am looking for 17 drink vouchers and coffee vouchers. :confused:

That's what I got, the drink voucher package. Wasn't clear to me whether I needed the additional coffee package also.

It was listed as More For Less Escape Pass

We just completed a cruise on the Divina to the Panama Canal about a week ago. As for drink packages, we purchased the cocktails and wine coupons for my wife; 18 drink coupons for $72 if purchased on-line before boarding. I purchased the soda coupons; 15 sodas for $30. There are other drink packages available up through unlimited drinks while on the ship; you should be able to find a package that suits your needs, but purchase on-line to save money. They also offer discounts at times during the cruise if you want to purchase a partial package. The drinks on Divina are very reasonable when compared to other cruise lines. Divina does not allow you to bring drinks of any kind on board when you embark.

All meals in the main dining room and buffet are included in your cruise price. The Etaly specialty restaurant is an extra that you can purchase. We travelled with a group of 28 and most were disappointed with the food in the main dining room; also service was extremely slow as the wait staff was understaffed. We had 2 waiters working six tables; dinner normally took over two hours with long delays between servings. I expected better meals from an Italian cruise line; the lobster however was excellent on the next to last night. The food in the Buffet is good; great for breakfast and lunch, or late night pizza. Their pizza is excellent. We did miss the lack of a cooked to order egg and omelet station; on Divina they are pre-cooked, but still tasted OK.

I have submitted a review of our cruise to Cruise Critic that should be posted soon "MSC Divina - The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly". I suggest you read it when it becomes available. t's a pretty thorough review. My wife and I are booked on the Divina for next April, but will be cancelling that cruise. We prefer cruise lines that cater to Americans rather than a large European crowd. There is a difference.

thanks, jgallagh1944.

Every year or so I play with the idea of booking a MSC cruise, but when I start to dig deeper into reviews, I tend to back away.

Your comments were very helpful to me.;)

thanks, jgallagh1944.

 

Every year or so I play with the idea of booking a MSC cruise, but when I start to dig deeper into reviews, I tend to back away.

 

Your comments were very helpful to me.;)

Me too I am the same way, they have some good prices but when I start reading the latest reviews I am like OH I don't know about this.

We're the opposite. We won't ever sail another cruise line, after sailing on the MSC. Sailing next week on the Divina. We prefer smaller ships, so this will be interesting. But we also prefer the quieter, less-party, more-refined atmosphere. I am convinced that there are professional trolls who post negative reviews (NOT referring to anyone on this thread). The first year we sailed on MSC (2008), we found some *horrific* reviews that terrified us. By then, 23 of our family members were booked to join us, because of the super pricing. We decided to go ahead and keep our booking, figuring we'd still have a good time together even if all we had was staled crackers and water. It was the best cruise we had had to date. The ship was pristine; the food and the service was superb. Our only complaints are about some of the passengers who were rude to us, other passengers, and crew members. We're already looking toward a January 2017 sailing, and we haven't even left for this upcoming one. Best cruises we've had (total of 18) were all on MSC.

One of the earlier replies said MCS does not allow passengers to bring sodas onboard. Can anyone tell me what brand of soda they offer? Coca cola brands? Or something else?

One of the earlier replies said MCS does not allow passengers to bring sodas onboard. Can anyone tell me what brand of soda they offer? Coca cola brands? Or something else?

They have Coca Cola products.

thanks, jgallagh1944.

 

Every year or so I play with the idea of booking a MSC cruise, but when I start to dig deeper into reviews, I tend to back away.

 

Your comments were very helpful to me.;)

Me too I am the same way, they have some good prices but when I start reading the latest reviews I am like OH I don't know about this.

Same here. BUT the pricing for a balcony was so good I couldn't resist. I figure that if nothing else we can retreat to the balcony and enjoy the trip. Been on Carnival, Celebrity, NCL, Princess & Royal Caribbean and never had a really bad cruise out of 38.

I guess I'll know when I get back:p

Charlie

Same here. BUT the pricing for a balcony was so good I couldn't resist. I figure that if nothing else we can retreat to the balcony and enjoy the trip. Been on Carnival, Celebrity, NCL, Princess & Royal Caribbean and never had a really bad cruise out of 38.

 

I guess I'll know when I get back:p

 

Charlie

You can't beat the price; it's almost half what the other cruise lines are getting for a balcony. Also, if you buy the drink coupons and wifi in advance, they're much cheaper than the other lines. My wife and I will be on Divina April 23rd for St Maartens and San Juan. We figure that this being our second time on Divina that we can work-around most of the things we weren't too crazy about on our Panama Canal cruise this last November. The ship has a lot of good things to balance out problem areas.

We just completed a cruise on the Divina to the Panama Canal about a week ago. As for drink packages, we purchased the cocktails and wine coupons for my wife; 18 drink coupons for $72 if purchased on-line before boarding. I purchased the soda coupons; 15 sodas for $30. There are other drink packages available up through unlimited drinks while on the ship; you should be able to find a package that suits your needs, but purchase on-line to save money. They also offer discounts at times during the cruise if you want to purchase a partial package. The drinks on Divina are very reasonable when compared to other cruise lines. Divina does not allow you to bring drinks of any kind on board when you embark.

 

All meals in the main dining room and buffet are included in your cruise price. The Etaly specialty restaurant is an extra that you can purchase. We travelled with a group of 28 and most were disappointed with the food in the main dining room; also service was extremely slow as the wait staff was understaffed. We had 2 waiters working six tables; dinner normally took over two hours with long delays between servings. I expected better meals from an Italian cruise line; the lobster however was excellent on the next to last night. The food in the Buffet is good; great for breakfast and lunch, or late night pizza. Their pizza is excellent. We did miss the lack of a cooked to order egg and omelet station; on Divina they are pre-cooked, but still tasted OK.

 

I have submitted a review of our cruise to Cruise Critic that should be posted soon "MSC Divina - The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly". I suggest you read it when it becomes available. t's a pretty thorough review. My wife and I are booked on the Divina for next April, but will be cancelling that cruise. We prefer cruise lines that cater to Americans rather than a large European crowd. There is a difference.

You can't beat the price; it's almost half what the other cruise lines are getting for a balcony. Also, if you buy the drink coupons and wifi in advance, they're much cheaper than the other lines. My wife and I will be on Divina April 23rd for St Maartens and San Juan. We figure that this being our second time on Divina that we can work-around most of the things we weren't too crazy about on our Panama Canal cruise this last November. The ship has a lot of good things to balance out problem areas.

Unfortunately us Americans thing dinner is eat, eat, eat, pay, leave. You can hardly put your fork down until more food is shoved in your face. We lived overseas for 12 years and learned to love he slower pace and the chance to actually enjoy dinner and company. We can't wait to go in just over 10 weeks.

Unfortunately us Americans thing dinner is eat, eat, eat, pay, leave. You can hardly put your fork down until more food is shoved in your face. We lived overseas for 12 years and learned to love he slower pace and the chance to actually enjoy dinner and company. We can't wait to go in just over 10 weeks.

I know exactly what you mean. I want it now, and keep it coming. I felt sorry for one waiter on one cruise. We were seated in the MDR with two elderly southern ladies (Alabama or Georgia, I think), and they were absolutely berating the poor guy because there was no fried chicken on the lunch menu. Or the one couple at another lunch sitting, that thought service was so bad in the MDR, they left after their entree, skipped dessert (already ordered), because his wife had a spa appointment. They were sitting a total of 25 min.

This is why we usually do not put much emphasis on negative reviews. After all our cruises, we can't honestly say we did not have a good time on any of them. It is what you make of it, and your attitude towards things. We have always looked at any vacation, as an opportunity to try new things, meet different people and cultures.

My wife and I are both Canadians or Italian decent. We totally enjoyed the food variety on our Italy trip a few years ago, and look forward to a more relaxed easygoing cruise, with good food, entertainment.

I have had enough of the hairy chest contests and stand up comedy. I do enjoy karaoke though. :D

Unfortunately us Americans thing dinner is eat, eat, eat, pay, leave. You can hardly put your fork down until more food is shoved in your face. We lived overseas for 12 years and learned to love he slower pace and the chance to actually enjoy dinner and company. We can't wait to go in just over 10 weeks.

There is a difference between a relaxed meal with great service that takes two hours or more to consume and a dinner where you wait 30 minutes between courses and getting a refill of your drink is almost a chore. Understaffing the MDR caused the delays we experienced on Divina; it wasn't just a slow pace to allow one to relax and enjoy. I've travelled for work to Germany on many occasions and have always enjoyed the relaxed dining experience with timely refills of drinks and bread baskets; that didn't happen on Divina in the MDR. I expect MSC will improve service and hopefully improve the menu in the MDR.