MSC Divina Spring Break Cruise (3 Generations - 1 Good Time)

Just back from the April 1, 2017 cruise and wanted to share our thoughts. A little back drop. Our group consisted of 12 individuals (5 kids, 6 parents, 1 grand-parent). All three groups were traveling for Spring Break out of ATL. To make the best our of our trip we always leave a day or so early to break up the drive and hang out on the way down. We stopped off in Ft. Pierce as our break point. This trip we stayed in the La Quinta Inn. It was nice and clean, but it was not a new as the Fairfield we usually stay at. We got in extra early this trip so we decided to head to the beach. We spend the day at Jetty Beach Park. This was a very nice spot. There were loads of people but room for everyone. The kiddos played in the water, the dads fished from the jetties, and the moms took in some sun in the sand. Once the sun went down we ate at one of the local spots. The next day we loaded up and headed down to Miami. We left the hotel at 9 and arrived at Safe Cruise Parking around 11:30. The drive was good down 95 until it merged with the turnpike. It was slow going all the way to downtown from there. The parking spot was just as nice this time around as it was the last two times. My first time with them was so-so, but since that time they stepped it up. If you are looking for discount parking they are the way to go. By the time we unloaded our luggage the next shuttle was there ready to take us to the ship. I did not keep track of time, but I estimated we were through customs, checked in, and on the boat within 30 minutes. There was no line to get into the terminal. Once on the boat we registered our card and went to the buffet to eat. Man this place was crowded. This day and the rest of the trip we always had to find a table and leave an adult to hold it while the others went and got their meal. We found the choices to be adequate and typical buffet style meals. I will say the drink options were more watered down than what I experienced on other lines. After eating we went to our room and rested up before the muster drill. This drill was rather chaotic and no one was really paying attention; however, everyone put their vests on properly. This was the first time I ever had to actually put one on during the drill. After the drill we went back to the room to change for early dinner. To our surprise only one bag had shown up. Also, our Fantastica drink package vouchers had not shown up. Headed down to the reception station and they promised they would be there after dinner. While we were there we checked on the unlimited entertainment package. We got both good and bad directions and ended up pacing the boat for 45 minutes with no success. In the end you have to go up to deck 16 where the F1 simulator is located to get the package. It is a great deal at only 60 bucks per cabin. Dinner was good and took right at 2 hours to complete. We are the type that likes to catch up during our meal and enjoy not feeling rushed. This time frame met what we experienced on other lines as well. The food was delivered timely and at the appropriate temperature. After dinner we explored the ship a little more and headed to the show. I must admit that there was a lot of build up headed in so the bar had been set high. One family in our group had done a MSC cruise in Europe over the summer so we had first hand reports. The acrobatics were stellar but I just could not get into the singing. After the show we headed to the room to find one bag and no drink vouchers. Called the reception and was told we could check on deck 5 for unclaimed luggage. Rest assure my other two bags were there with no tags on them. This was a first. I laminate and zip tie my tags and never had one come off before let alone two. Also after some detailed checking the receptionist informed me that the drink vouchers were not part of my booking. I left it alone and decided I would contact corporate when I got to Nassau the next day. I did not fault the young lady helping me. She was only reporting what was in the system. I thanked her for her time and assistance and headed back to the room to rest up for Nassau.

Next up - Nassau

A good start to your review with lots of useful information.

However it would be easier to read if you used paragraphs IMHO

Thanks for starting the review.

Thanks for starting the review! I too would urge the use of paragraphs. Reading a word block is very difficult.

Thanks for starting the review! I too would urge the use of paragraphs. Reading a word block is very difficult.

A good start to your review with lots of useful information.

 

However it would be easier to read if you used paragraphs IMHO

Noted.

Nassau!

This day we got into port early to find 3 other boats already docked. Not a real big issue since our plan was to walk around downtown and slowly make our way to Junkanoo Beach. The walk to the beach took us about 25-30 minutes at a slow leisure pace. We look at a few shop displays along the way, but we did not linger at any. When we arrived, the beach was pretty vacant and we had choice seating.

They were renting chairs and umbrellas for 10 bucks. This included one adult drink and free drinks for the kid all day. They were also offering all you could drink packages for 20 bucks. The water was slightly chilly and very clean. The surf was elevated slightly but very easy for the young ones to play without any worry. We stayed here until about 1:30 pm before heading back to the boat. There was a food menu you could order from also. The aromas floating along the beach smelled good.

While I was vasting in the sun, I placed a few calls to MSC corporate to discuss my drink vouchers; however, I was never able to get connected. Instead, I opted to send a detailed email through the website. We are not big drinkers so not getting the tickets wasn't a deal breaker. I just wanted to receive everything that I was promised when I booked.

When not in the water we participated in a few of the beach activities until we left. The little one was tuckered out from the water, so we took a cab back to the boat. It was a very short ride but the cabby talked my ear off the entire way. I really like talking to people from different placed and getting their prospective on life.

Back onboard we showered up and headed to the buffet for lunch. We were able to secure a seat at the back by the panoramic windows. We sat there and watch sail away as we ate.

We then went to deck 16 to purchase our entertainment pass and registered the kid for kid club.

Given the time we departed port, early dinner was kind of a drag as we had really just be finished lunch before we had to get dressed for dinner. With that said I still prefer early dinner. I had late dinner once and it seemed like we missed out of most of the nightlife since we were not out the dining room till 10ish.

This night we skipped the show and hung out at the sports bar letting the kids bowl the night away.

Next up Seaday 1.

Great start!

Here is a video of our interior room. I will post the remainder of the videos from this trip as this review progresses.

Loving this review so far ! Very informative ! Thank you !

Nice work on the review.

Great review so far love the video of interior quad so glad to see that! Thanks

Great review - thanks for sharing.

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Wonderful review. I liked the video of the interior quad. We will be on the Divina this Saturday and stay in an interior quad. It was great to see how our stateroom will look like. I am hoping that the two bunks will be folding down from the ceiling instead of from the wall. I am looking forward to reading more of your time on the Divina. :)

Here is a video of our interior room. I will post the remainder of the videos from this trip as this review progresses.

 

Your daughter is adorable!

We cruised on Princess last year in an interior room that has a very similar setup and was roomier than I thought it would be. Can't wait to read the rest of your review :)

Thanks to all that have read and are following this post. Like usual work has been stacked up for me after being off for 10 days so I have not been able to finish my review. I will be on later tonight ready to post away. Just wanted to check in and let y'all know I did not forget about ya!

Great review! I'll be sailing with 3 kids in June, so looking forward to your experience with your daughter (and I agree, she is adorable!).

Thanks for taking the time to do this.

I like your review. You posted "We then went to deck 16 to purchase our entertainment pass and registered the kid for kid club, what is the entertainment pass?

I have never sailed with MSC before.

Well after going through the photos and videos we actually went to the show after Nassau. I got my days mixed up. Here is the full video of the first half of our trip.

Enjoy

Seaday 1

One of my goals on each ship is to take photos of the amenities to post on my youtube page. I have learned over time to start this process early and do a little at a time versus covering the entire vessel all at once. This morning I jumped up to catch the sunrise and then document the lower decks of the ship. One problem with interior cabins is there is no concept of time as everything is pitch black all times of the day. When I got to the top deck the sky was blue and the sun was already coming up. I did catch the majority of the sunrise but not in it's full glory. Guess I would have to try again another day.

After my morning adventure, I went back to the room and grabbed Teeny for some bfast. After we ate I dropped her off to Kids Club. Next I grabbed me a lounger up on deck 15 and chilled until Mama and/or friends came to find me. One problem I had with the boat was the lack of communications that I have grown custom to with Carnival. It's not as big a deal on smaller ships, but on one this size you don't just bump into your companions at any given time. A means to communicate would have been nice.

After Mama found me, we linked up with others from our group and played some card games in one of the lounge areas until the first session of Kids Club was over. Next we picked up the kiddos and headed to the sports bar for lunch. Note to all the food in the sports bar is included with your cruise fare. Give it a shot while you are on the boat. In the sports bar we linked up our electronics and played some electronic board games and bowled a few rounds with the kiddos. I really like the concept of the electronic board games as you don't have to constantly keep track of all the pieces for each game you play. Also, the score keeping is done automatically.

Sidebar - This ship was at full capacity but we never felt squeezed in. They have so many lounges and open spaces that we never had trouble finding a spot to hang out and set up camp.

Tonight was formal night so we left the sports bar around 3:30 to start prepping for dinner. As you recall, we spent the day at the beach in Nassau. Teeny got her hair all wet and sandy. It was now time to drag out the tools and get her head back together.

Tonight's meal was on point and really hit the spot. After dinner the kids were dying to head back up for bowling. We changed back into our street clothes and headed out for a few games. After bowling, we headed to the F1 Simulator and 4D movies. After a round of each, we called it a night. We were stopping at San Juan the next morning so I did not want to stay up to late and be tired the next day.

The F1 Simulator was very realistic. It took some time for me to get the hang of it. Even after that I still had trouble keeping the car on the track. You can't jump in and think you are going to Grand Theft Auto this rig. It simply does not work like that. The 4D movie was similar to ones we experienced on other ships but it was still nice and fun.

When we got back to the room there was a note from the receptionist waiting for me. Turns out my email to Corporate fell on listening ears. They had contacted the ship and told them to honor the drink package I was entitled to. Earlier that day I ran into the young lady that worked with me on day 1 regarding the vouchers. She informed me that she had took it upon herself to contact corporate also but had not gotten a response. I thanked her for her assistance and told her I had reached out to them as well while in Nassau. I thought it was very nice of her to act above and beyond to help resolve my issue. After the cruise I read on this board that others had the same problem I had. I hope they get this resolved as I am sure some may not take it as well as I did.

Sidebar 2 - If yoy plan to purchase a couple or more pictures during the cruise look at pre-purchasing the unlimited picture package. This package gives you line 100 pictures for 100 dollars and they do not sell it on the boat. I opted not to do it as we did the same thing on Royal back in the fall.

I like your review. You posted "We then went to deck 16 to purchase our entertainment pass and registered the kid for kid club, what is the entertainment pass?

I have never sailed with MSC before.

It is a package you can buy on board which gives ALL passengers in the same cabin unlimited use of the F1 simulator; the 4D Cinema and the bowling lanes in the sports bar for the duration of the cruise (currently 7 days for $60 I think) subject to availability and opening hours.

Pete

San Juan

This morning I got up early and went to the top deck to watch the ship dock at the port. The weather was good but the wind was up a little. After docking I met up with the girls and headed to bfast. We tend to lag around at port to let the lines die down before we get off the boat.

Sidebar 3 - When getting off the boat head to the exit that is furthest away from the front of the pier. Each time we got off we went that way and were able to walk off with little to no lines while the front exit still had a wait.

Our original plan was to head over to the forts and stroll around Old San Juan for the day; however, after talking with one of the guest on the boat we decided to check out a beach. I am glad we did. We elected to head over to Green Island Beach. The cab ride over was about 20 minutes from the port. This beach was very nice. White sand, blue water, and good wave action. The surf was up more than Nassau but not too much to bother the kids. Right next to the cab drop off was a restaurant where you can get food and drinks. They also had a public restroom there. We grabbed a couple chairs and an umbrella not far from the drop off. This is the closest beach to the port that has watersports. I wanted to go parasailing but elected to do jetskis as there was a wait for the parasailing adventure that would push us past our set departure time. This was the most turbulent water I ever rode in. I really need to get me some goggles next time I go for a ride.

After the beach we headed to Old San Juan for a bite to eat. We headed to Vaca Brava to take on the Kan-Kan. I missed out on this spot my last trip so I was determined this trip to make time to stop by. Boy-Oh-Boy this was worth the wait. Note to all this is a "meatatarian" spot and most dishes are large enough to share. After we finished eating we made our way back to the boat for sail away. This night we planned to skip out on dinner and hit a specialty restaurant since we had a late departure and did not want to miss port time. After sail away we headed to the early show in the theater.

After the show we ended up turning it in without eating dinner. That meal at Vaca Brava was more than enough to last us for the evening. I am pretty sure this was Italian nite on the boat.

During our port visit the other half of our group went on an excursion to the rain forest. They said it was a nice experience and would do it again.

Next up is ST. MARTIN!!!!!!!!

Thanks for taking the time to post your review. I am enjoying every part of it. It makes the anticipation for my upcoming first MSC cruise so hard. Keep up the great job!

Perfect timing for me reading this thread. We just picked up the Fairfield Inn Ft Pierce on Hotwire for next Friday night. Glad to hear you liked it. Would you recommend your dinner restaurant?

Perfect timing for me reading this thread. We just picked up the Fairfield Inn Ft Pierce on Hotwire for next Friday night. Glad to hear you liked it. Would you recommend your dinner restaurant?

We usually eat at one of the fast-food spots next to the hotel. This time we tried Bluewater Grill down at Jetty Park. It was very good and the atmosphere reminded us of Savannah, GA.

Thanks for your review! We will be doing this same itinerary (just reversed) in 13 days. Reading your review makes it even more exciting.

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