bigblue1952

Wonderful, well balanced review.  This makes me want to cruise the Divina soon.

We had our voucher before Christmas.  Our TA sent it to MSC to apply it to our upcoming October cruise.  We are still waiting as well.

Terrific review.  Your tips will be helpful for our October Meraviglia cruise.  I hope to read many more of your wonderful reviews.  Happy New Year 

Wonderful review.  We had Julien on our last cruise who was missing in action most of the time.  Hopefully you will fare better. Have a great cruise.

We will be following along.  We loved your last review.  We will be on the Meraviglia in October so looking forward to your observations of the ship.

Great review.  We will be on the Meraviglia in October and love your pics of the ship.

Great review.  Looking forward to more.  Excellent info on the train.  Thanks.

On the Seaside,  the future cruise desk is in front of the stairs up to the restaurant.  Just to the right as you walk into the TS lounge.  It is open from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM every night.

3 minutes ago, Cruisin MarcnFran said:

I would suggest you do as I did. Send them an email. mscvoyagersclub@mscusa.com

And explain your issue. And hope that you hear back from them before you stop cruising. 

Thanks.  I will try that.

27 minutes ago, Cruisin MarcnFran said:

Just your first name...no middle name?  Having same issue with my wife’s account that I set up. But profile shows her middle name with first name. I never supplied that info when setting it up. And I get the same reply as you did when trying to enter her VC #.

No middle name and not VC points.

8 minutes ago, Cruisin MarcnFran said:

 

Does your profile show just your first and last name?

My profile shows personal information, contact info and address info all filled in.  In personal, first and last name are listed as well as dob and nationality but no VC

28 minutes ago, Cruisin MarcnFran said:

When you sign in...does your VC number appear in your profile?

No it does not.

cellfree, I just did that and the same thing happened.  Any other suggestions.

I have done that as I am on the US site.  When I click on the VC area it asks me to login or join.  When I put my VC number in it says that that number is already linked to another account.  Any suggestions.

I have searched but cannot find the answer.  Where would I look to find my Voyagers Club points total?  Thanks in advance.

Great review and beautiful pictures.  Thanks for taking the time to share with us.

Congratulations.  I'm sure the balcony will be worth it.

1 hour ago, frank808 said:

Thanks for getting back to me.  Will report back in June when we board Seaside again.

 

Glad they have fresh pasta at the pool now.  Pic above is the Seaside YC director (forgot his name).  Is he still onboard Seaside or did he move to another ship?

Robert Bala is still the YC director.

1 minute ago, Seadweller001 said:

Excellent review.  The food choices each night were amazing.  I can only compare this to Celebrity and seems like day and night.  We got tired of the same menu for years on end in both the MDR, Luminae and Murano.  Really excited now about our first cruise on the Devina in the YC for about 1/2 the price of a seven night cruise in a Sky Suite on the EQ.  I think our cruising on Celebrity will be finished if we have the same experiences as you did.

I certainly hope you have the same great cruise on the Divina that we had on the Seaside.

1 hour ago, ranchette said:

Can anyone tell me what is included in the YC package if you do not upgrade to premium +?

As far as I know, any drink on the menu that is $12 and under.

2 hours ago, frank808 said:

I take it that Venchi gelato is not included in YC any more unless you upgrade to Prem+?  Keep hearing different things.  Last year cruising Seaside we had no problems getting gelato from Venchi.  But we did have problems getting crepes the first week but were able to the second week.  Will be cruising Seaside in a few months so just wondering.  It could also change by the time we cruise in June.  Thanks

Our UK friends who did not have the Prem+ package did get gelato as well.  They were in the YC.

On 11/12/2019 at 5:19 AM, hamrag said:

 

Yes, that makes sense as the beer bottles are cumbersome but spirit miniatures are not!

 

I have read on these threads, not often but occasionally, of passengers emptying their minibar twice a day and going home with their 'swag'. Most who do that would not be posting such on these boards, so I wonder if this is prevalent and the powers that be have decided to remove this particular YC perk as it was intended for cabin use only? I am not criticising anyone who would take a few snacks on a port tour for example....we have done that a few times.

Many people in the YC on our Seaside Nov 9 cruise told us they were staying in Miami for a few days and emptied their minibar to take with them.  This must cost MSC a fortune and I may not like the change, but understand it.

29 minutes ago, reedprincess said:

Thanks so much for the review!! And the food info - definitely great to read that you enjoyed virtually everything.

I take it you guys changed cabins om turnaround day? Did the butlers pack abd move everything for you, or did you pack the drawer and personal stuff, then they moved hanging stuff and cases? Any details you can offer would be appreciated.  We have to do so on our upcoming cruise, so hoping it's as seemless as yours apparently was. 

We're considering the PP drink package upgrade, but for the most part, everything we drink is covered by the YC package already, so it would mainly be for the wines and champagnes.  Maybe we'll just do it for the second week, if the first one doesn't work out so well.. 

 

So glad you enjoyed!  Woo-hoo

Yes we did change room from 16035 to 16031.  We packed everything in the drawers and the butler and assistant butler moved the suitcases and everything in the closet.  It was really easy.

If what you drink is already included, I would stick with the YC package.  Your plan sounds good.

36 minutes ago, mafig said:

I really enjoyed your review.  I liked all the detail.  Thank you.🙂

 

Did your stateroom continue to be noisy ???  Hope not.

 

Our stateroom was only noisy for about 3 nights.  The first night was the noisiest.  After that it did not bother us.  Maybe we drank so much we did not care.

 

Let me preface this review by saying that we vacation for the food.  Both Kathie and I enjoy cooking at home and love to entertain.  We have sailed in the Caribbean before and this time we wanted a relaxing vacation.  We were not disappointed.  The following is our review.

 

We stayed overnight at the Valhalla Inn on Oct 31 as it was easier than leaving early on Friday morning.  We left the hotel on Friday at 9:30 AM and took the 11:00AM flight to Toronto.  We arrived early and had lunch.

 

We took the 4:45 PM flight to Miami on Air Canada.  We again arrived early with all of our luggage, which is rare.  We took a cab to the Springhill Suites.  We ate dinner in their bar area.  Dinner was good.  This hotel is near the medical centre and has a shuttle to the port for $8.00 per person.

 

Saturday we ate their free breakfast and packed.  We took the 10:30 AM shuttle  to the port of Miami.

 

We arrived at the ship at 11:30 AM.  We were ushered into the yacht club lounge and had our picture taken and checked in.  We had a glass of Prosecco and then were ushered onto the ship.  We were given another drink of Prosecco and then ushered to our room.  For an inside room, it is a good size.  We then went to lunch where we had Lasagnette with cheese and Iberico ham.  It was so good that I ordered a second helping.  The portions in the restaurant are small but you can have more that one if you so desire.

 

We then explored the ship.

 

This is the most beautiful ship we have ever been on. There are Swarovski staircases in several places about the ship.  Each stair cost $2000.  That is not a typo.

 

We had a nap and now are going for dinner and then the show.

 

Dinner was cannelloni stuffed with veal.  I had Chateau Neuf de Pape Kathie had Prosecco.  I again had two helpings.  Kathie had dessert and I had one Petit Fours.  The food again was outstanding.

 

After dinner we went to the show.  The shows on MSC are a mix of singing, dancing and Cirque du Soleil.  They are really good.

 

Then we went to the casino where we put a downpayment on the Swarovski staircase.

 

After, we went to the Topsail Lounge for grand marnier and Venchi chocolates.  All in all, a great first day.

 

Sunday, November 3, 2019

 

We arose after a noisy night.  Our cabin is near a venue where there is a scraping noise every so often, loud enough to wake you up.

 

Breakfast was waffles for Kathie with fruit, fresh squeezed orange juice and wonderful coffee with milk.  I had eggs Benedict with fresh squeezed orange juice and coffee.

 

We then went to the Cruise Critic Meet and Mingle where the ship’s officers mingled with the passengers and asked for feedback.  They served Hors d’Oevres and drinks and a wonderful cake.  I asked Yannis who is in charge of the hotel operations if the gelato was included with our drink package.  He assured us that for our premium + package that it was.  I explained that I was charged for gelato yesterday and he said he would look into it.

 

Afterwards we went to the Topsail Lounge for the Captain’s Cocktail party where we had better Hors d’Oevres and drinks.

 

We toured the ship before lunch on the Yacht Club pool deck.  Lunch was good, perch and grilled chicken and salad.  Kathie had a Margarita and I had Chateau Neuf du Pape.  The weather is hot and 31 degrees Celsius.

 

At 2:00 PM we are going to the specialty restaurant tasting.

 

The tasting was good.  The wagyu beef at Butcher’s Cut was phenominal.

 

A dip in the pool was next on the agenda.  After, Kathie had a nap and I watched football in the Sports Bar.

 

For dinner, Kathie had the twice baked blue cheese soufflé and I had the escargot.  Both were excellent.  This was followed by Iberico pork for Kathie and a shrimp and calamari skewer for me.  Dessert was chocolate sundaes.  I can already feel my belt tightening.  We read many bad reviews of this ship.  I have no idea why people complain as the food and service have been excellent.

 

The show was good.  This was followed by drinks in the Topsail Lounge with people from the UK.  We stayed up late enough to celebrate Joan’s birthday.  Joan is a chef in France and agrees that the food is excellent.

 

Monday, November 4, 2019

 

We had breakfast at the pool grill to save time as we had an excursion this morning.  We had a light breakfast.  Our excursion was learning to make jerk chicken and of course eating it.  We left shortly after 10:00 AM and returned around 3:30 PM.  It was a good excursion and the food was very good.

 

Upon return we changed and went for a swim to cool off.  The temperature was around 30 C.

 

Dinner consisted of crab stuffed chicken medallions for Kathie with an appetizer of Greek salad.  Both were delicious.  I had the Greek salad and the Seafood and Fish Stew.  We also shared a dish of fennel risotto.  Everything was delicious.  My only complaint is that the sommelier, Andrew, would not give me the Belle Glos Pinot Noir.  He substituted a French Pinot which was not to my liking.  He would give me a glass of Chateau Neuf however.  I was not happy and he knew it.  He avoided us like the plague for the next 12 days.  Andrew was the only glitch in the service department.

 

For dessert Kathie had Tiramisu and I had a chocolate soufle with vanilla sauce. Both were excellent.

 

After dinner we went downstairs to the lounge to listen to a husband and wife duo.  He played a guitar, French horn and the piano while she sang.  Wonderful entertainment it was.  I had spoken with the husband earlier today.  He is a terrific fellow and asked for requests if we so wished.

 

After this we had to go to the casino.  My three nights in the casino consisted of losing.  My brother in law Bill is correct, I must be the anchor around his neck when gambling together.  Kathie on the other hand took $50 the second night and cashed out at $80.  Last night she took the $80 and cashed out at $140.  I like her pattern better than mine.  We ended up in the lounge again where another piano player was playing.  He was excellent.

 

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

 

We ate breakfast at the pool grill.

 

Later, we left the ship and walked around Georgetown, Cayman Islands.  It was so hot we were sweating inside the air conditioned shops.

 

We came back to the ship and had lunch in the restaurant.  I had fish and chips and Kathie had a Caesar salad with chicken.  Both were really good.  We skipped dessert so we could have gelato.  I has chocolate hazelnut and Kathie had salted caramel.  Hers was the best.

 

We then went to the pool for a swim to cool off.  It rained a couple of showers but the sun came back out again.  Kathie slept on the deck and I had a nap in the room.  Eating must be hard work.

 

Dinner in the restaurant was Italian night.  As you walked down the hall towards the restaurant all you could smell was garlic.  Kathie had a regular salad and I had a seafood salad for the appetizer..  We both had the filet of beef with a side order of pasta.  Everything was excellent.

 

We went to the pool for the white  party.  We had drinks with the women from the UK .

 

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

 

We again had breakfast at the pool grill.

 

We gathered at 10:45 AM in the Topsail lounge where a butler escorted us off the ship for the tequila tasting excursion in Cozumel.  We walked to the taxi and were driven to a Nature Park.  Here we learned about the agave cactus and the making of tequila. We were given a small margarita on the rocks.  We then watched a Mayan rain dance where 5 men were 50 feet in the air.  Our guide took us to the Jose Cuervo tequila tasting centre where we were given three glasses of differently aged tequilas.  After the tasting and already feeling a little tipsy we were given a frozen margarita.  The only saving grace was the pork and beef tacos we were served with rice, vegetables, beans and jalapeño or habanero sauce.  The taxi took us back to the ship after 1:30 PM.  This was a very informative tour.

 

We went to the pool for a swim as the heat and humidity were killing us.  The water was refreshing.   

Dinner in the dining room.  Kathie had a salad and the Lobster ravioli in a blush sauce. I had a double order of crab cake and the lobster ravioli.  This was so good that I wanted a second order of the ravioli but I was too full.  I am now not having any trouble getting the Belle Glos pinot noir in the dining room from the regular waiters.

 

We wandered the ship after dinner and lo and behold ended up at the Venchi gelato bar.  I had to have the salted toffee gelato cup.

 

The casino gobbled up our money in record time.  We went to the show which was OK but not as good as the others we have seen.

 

 

After the show we went back to the topsail lounge for a drink before turning in for the night.

 

Thursday, November 7, 2019

 

We ate breakfast in the restaurant.  We had muesli with berries, yoghurt and fruit salad. This was accompanied by coffee and fresh squeezed orange juice.

 

Kathie went to the spa for her massage while I went to the pool for a swim.

 

Today was seafood day at the pool grill.  There were seafood skewers with shrimp, scallops and some kind of fish.  There were langostina that were grilled to perfection.  We also had pasta with fresh cherry tomato sauce with lobster.  Kathie had a margarita and I had a Mattua sauvignon blanc from New Zealand.

 

This afternoon we have a wine tasting booked.

 

The wine tasting was more than I ever hoped for.  It was not only informative,  but the wines that we tasted were $90per bottle and up.  We learned about smell, colour and taste in a way that I would not have thought of.  We paired the wines with prosciutto, cheeses, and chocolate so that the flavours of the wines changed.

We started at 2:30 PM and finished at 5:45 PM.  As the wine was exposed to the air it significantly changed the taste of the wine.  It was a bargain at $100 per person.  The sommelier was informative and helpful.  Our sommelier was from Las Vegas and worked at Fix in the Bellagio.  He said that some of the wines we tasted would cost $750 a bottle in a Las Vegas restaurant.

 

Dinner was in the restaurant with our UK friends.  We had asiago fritters and lobster tails (I had four).  We had baked Alaska and ice cream for desert.

 

We then went to the lounge for drinks and Martel XO cognac.

 

Friday, November 8, 2019

 

We slept in until 9:00 AM.  We had a quick breakfast by the pool and then left the ship for Nassau.

 

We walked to Parliament Square and then down Bay Street to the Straw Market where Kathie bought a hat.

 

It was so hot we just wandered back to the ship and went for a swim.

 

We dried off in the sun and ate at the pool grill.  The fresh pasta was delicious.

 

We wandered to the Bridge of Sighs, a glass bridge which goes from one side of the ship to the other on deck 16.  You can see through to the pool on deck 8.  After we went for gelato and came back to the room for a nap.

 

We went to the Michael Jackson show before dinner.  It was excellent.

 

Dinner was cauliflower soup for Kathie and rigatoni with cheese and iberico ham for me.  Kathie had lamb chops and I had more rigatoni.  We had a cheese plate and a fruit plate for dessert.  We came back and packed and the went for drinks with the UK people.

 

Saturday, November 9,2019

 

We ate breakfast in the dining room.  Kathie had an omelet and bacon.  I had muesli, fruit and yoghurt.

 

We waited in the lounge until after 10:00 AM and were escorted to the Haven lounge on deck 7.  We waited there for a while and then were escorted off the ship.  We went through facial recognition at customs and in less than 5 minutes we were escorted to the lounge to wait to reboard the ship.  After 15 minutes, we were escorted back on the ship.  Our room was ready with our luggage in it.  We unpacked and went for lunch.  Kathie had Caesar salad and pasta and I had garbanzo octopus soup and a hamburger.  Everything was good.

 

It rained most of today so we had a nap in the afternoon.  There was an announcement that we would not be visiting Ocean Cay this week.  We will make another stop in Nassau instead.  We will be given a $100 onboard credit instead as well as 20% off another cruise.  The 20% off is the amount of 20% of the what we paid for this cruise.

 

Dinner was salad and chicken for Kathie and steak and veal rigatoni for me.  Both were excellent. However, the Belle Glos Pinot Noir listed in the Connoisseurs section of the drinks list is out of stock.

 

Later, we went to the casino where I lost and went to the Sports Bar to watch some football.  We came back to the room for champagne and chocolate covered strawberries.

 

Sunday, November 10, 2019

 

We had breakfast in the restaurant.  Kathie had the fruit plate and I had the muesli.  On the way to the restaurant, the bartender told me they now had the Belle Glos Pinot Noir.

 

We are going to the Cruise Critic Meet and Mingle at 10:00 AM and the Captain’s cocktail party at 11:00 AM where the officers mingle and answer any questions.

 

The Cruise Critic Meet and Mingle was very well done.  MSC provided champagne, chocolate covered strawberries and canapés.  They took a group picture and provided a huge cake with the best butter cream icing Kathie has ever tasted.

 

The Captain’s cocktail party was very good.  It is now 11:30 AM and I have had two glasses of champagne already.  We are now going to the pool.

 

After a hot tub and swim we had lunch in the restaurant.  This was a good choice as it started to rain while we ate.  Kathie had Caesar salad Udon noodles and I had an Iberiico ham and fresh mozzarella salad with arugula.  I also had pasta with a veal sauce.  It was delicious.  Kathie had brioche with vanilla cream and I had chocolate cream for dessert.  Kathie had the Matua sauvignon blanc and I had the Belle Glos pinot noir.  It does not get much better than this.

 

After lunch we went to the casino.  I broke even so that is like winning.  Then I had a nap while Kathie went to the spa.

 

Dinner was in the restaurant.  Kathie had a salad and steak and I had the escargots and the iberico pork.  All was delicious.  Kathie had crepes for dessert.  After we went to the Venchi chocolate bar for chocolate martinis.  They were phenomenal.  I am now in love.

 

We then went to the Topsail lounge for drinks and then back to our room for champagne and chocolate covered strawberries.

 

Monday, November 11, 2019

 

We almost missed breakfast and there were only pastries left.

 

We went to the pool and had a swim before I tried the water slides.  They were fun and we came back to the pool grill for pasta for lunch.

 

Afterwards we went to the Venchi bar for chocolate martinis.  It started to rain again so we went to the Topsail lounge for a drink before Kathie went for her massage.

 

We ate at the Pan Asian restaurant.  Kathie had ribs, vegetables and noodles and upside down pineapple cake.  I had crab cakes, asian lamb chops and chocolate soufflé for dessert.  Everything was good and we were stuffed.

 

Tuesday, November 12, 2019.

 

We had room service for breakfast and then went to the Topsail lounge for 8:45 AM for our excursion to the Caymen brewery with sightseeing.  This was probably the worst excursion we have ever been on.  For an English tour, the guide spoke mostly in Spanish.  There were many buses at the brewery where we had to fight lines for our 5 half glasses of beer.  We then toured the industrial section of the island which included a cemetery.  The last stop was at a simulated lighthouse with 300,000 tiles making up pictures on the staircase walls.  This was the best part of the tour.  Our guide  was so bad most people on the bus did not tip her.

 

We came back to the ship to have pizza and beer and then gelato.  We have had gelato many times over our cruise with no charge but today they wanted to charge us.  I told them to call the hotel director, Yannis, and we were not charged.

 

We ate in the restaurant for Italian night.  We received a small bowl of pasta as soon as we sat down.  Kathie had salad and more pasta and I had seafood salad and filet with mushroom sauce.  Kathie had creme brule for dessert.

 

Tonight was the white party by the pool.  It was going great when it started to pour rain.  This put a damper on the festivities.  We went to the casino where we lost in record time.  We then went back to the Topsail lounge for a nightcap, then off to bed.

 

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

 

It was raining when we woke up.  We had a quick breakfast by the pool during a brief lull in the rain.

 

We stayed in the lounge for the morning.  One good thing on days like this is that you can read the Toronto Star which they deliver to your room.

 

Lunch was in the restaurant.  Kathie had a nice salad and pasta with scallops.  I just had the pasta with scallops as we are eating in Butcher’s Cut tonight.  My only suggestions would be less saffron in the pasta sauce.

 

After lunch we went to the aft of the ship and I went down the water slides again.  These water slides curl out over the side of the ship.  They are lots of fun.  When it started raining again, we came back to the room.

 

We had a 6:00 PM dinner at Butcher’s Cut.  Kathie had smoked tomato soup which was delicious.  I had Caesar salad which was very good.  Kathie had a filet and I had a New York strip.  Both were tender as butter.  We had fries, onion rings and roasted cauliflower.  Since we were only allowed one side apiece for the prepaid Duo meal plan, we paid $3.45 for the onion rings.  Everything was delicious and the service was great.  Kathie had New York cheesecake for dessert while I had a crazy good molten lava cake.  We had a terrific pinot noir from Williamette, a small vineyard in Oregon with the meal.

 

Afterwards, we went to the Topsail Lounge to listen to the husband and wife Duo Iris.  They were moved to the Atrium two days ago and we wrote a suggestion for the suggestion box that we were missing them in the lounge.  Lo and behold, we received a letter from the Hotel Services manager stating they were implementing our suggestion.  MSC does really trying to please their guests.

 

Thursday November 14, 2019

 

We ate breakfast by the pool.  It was a nice hot day so we went to our room and changed into our suits.  We swam, read the paper and swam some more.

 

Today, the Maitre’d cooked pasta by the pool.  It was excellent.  There were seafood skewers and large cooked shrimp as well.

 

After lunch I went down the water slides a few times.  Then I went back to the pool and we had a swim.

 

Dinner was in the restaurant.  Kathie had Caesar salad, shrimp cocktail and lobster tails.  I had shrimp cocktail, asiago cheese fritters and lobster tails.  For dessert, Kathie had affogado, ice cream with espresso poured over the ice cream.  Everything was delicious.

 

Afterwards, we went to the theatre for the show Peter Punk.  It was very good with acrobatics that were amazing.  We lost in the casino and went back to the Topsail lounge for drinks.

 

Friday, November 15, 2019

 

We are in Nassau.  It is sunny and 31 C.

 

We had breakfast at the pool grill.  Afterwards, Kathie went to the spa for a facial.

 

We spent the rest of the morning at the pool.

 

Lunch was also at the pool grill.  Kathie had the pasta and I had a hamburger and fries.  I had to wash this down with a mudslide for old times sake.

 

After lunch, I went down the water slides and then back to the pool.  It was so hot that I had to come back to the room.

 

We did some packing and then went for a drink (chocolate martini) and dinner.  Kathie had pasta and pasta and I had pasta and lamb chops.

 

After we went to the casino and lost.  We came back to the room to pack the rest and then went to the lounge for drinks and listen to the Duo Iris.

 

Saturday, November 16, 2019

 

We woke early and had breakfast in the restaurant.  We went to the lounge and at 9:15 AM we were escorted off the ship.  Customs was quick.  We picked up our luggage and got on the shuttle.  It did not leave for 30 minutes and we were worried about missing our 12:15 PM flight but we were OK.

 

We had a six hour layover in the Toronto airport and got to the hotel in Thunder Bay at midnight.

 

Observations

 

The people on CruiseCritic who stated that the Yacht Club was the way to cruise were 100% correct.  The staff were very friendly, so much so, that they made you feel like family.  The service anywhere in the Yacht Club was tremendous.  The two people at the concierge desk could not do enough to help you.  Some CruiseCritic members have said that the food was not that good.  We found the food to be very good and the service great.  Bar service was excellent.  I thank Bea, Beamafar, for the advice to upgrade to the premium plus drink package.  The wines and liqueurs were excellent.  Our butler was not the best as he was MIA much of the time, especially the second week.  The ship was beautiful and sparkling clean.  All the entertainment we was was very good.

 

All in all, this was the best cruise we have taken.  It was most relaxing.  The value for the money was excellent.

 

Thanks for reading.  We hope you enjoyed our adventure as much as we did.

 

Forrest