Arsinoe

Although I have only sailed on MSC, my parents sailed on Costa, MSC and many others. Costa is the only cruise line that they would never sail with again. They had a problem with a dirty cabin (sewage backup) and found the food and service indifferent. In contrast, we both love MSC.

Confess that I find the grounding and the sinking of the Costa Concordia so grave, that I crossed Costa off of my list of cruise lines to consider.

Coming to Falmouth on the MSC Divina. An acquaintance from Kingston is taking a bus to Falmouth to meet me. We would like to have a quiet lunch or just spend a few hours together. Can anyone suggest a meeting point that would be within walking distance of the ship, but also a bit away from the crowds? Ideally, some shade would be nice, too, since one or the other might be delayed.

Any ideas? TIA

Fascinating, thanks for posting that.

The traveller app just let's you connect with others on the ship and access Divina info like deck plans, daily programmes and that sort of thing. You have to pay for a wifi package to get on the internet and connect with Emil etc.

 

They have different wifi packages. Typically those for the shortest period are more expensive per minute than those larger ones.

Thanks for the clarification.

Ended up buying the cheapest, basic, no-contract, pay-as-you-talk mobile phone with an international SIM. The per minute rates are steep, but I do not plan to chat and it receives free text messages.

http://www.mobal.com

Last year this thread was posted here about a Divine Traveller App, which could be downloaded on board. If one scrolls down to the bottom of the page there is a post that says that both the Web-based app and the WiFi minutes to use it are free of charge. Has this changed? Or is it that the app only lets you communicate with MSC, to buy more cruises and the like?

Glad to know that the WiFi signal is robust, even if I do need to pay for it.

I used my Kindle Fire HDX on the Divina last march - no real problems, although i think there was one time when i had issues logging out (it couldn't find the logout page - not sure how i resolved it).

Do you mean logging out from the Divina WiFi signal?

Did you use the new MSC Divine app? Did it work on the Kindle? I have a first generation, non-HD Fire, but it rarely matters. Can borrow an HD Fire, if it would matter.

Thanks for the feedback. It is reassuring.

My Kindle has pretty much become my principal computing device, using it right now. The only time that I fire up the laptop is when I have a significant writing project. Mobile phones are just something that I do not want in my life, especially on a vacation.

Leaving on 12/6 on the Divine. In Falmouth I am planning on meeting up with an aquaintance who is taking a bus from Kingston to Falmouth. We will set a meeting point for lunch, but I need to have some way of connecting if something goes awry. She has a mobile phone, but I do not (and do not really want one). I am also planning to leave my laptop at home. I will have my Kindle, but it is not clear whether the Kindle will talk to the Divina WiFi network.

What is the situation with ship-to-shore phone calls when the ship is at sea? And in port? Are there phones in the cabins that can receive calls? Is there voice mail?

What is the best way to handle this?

When we sailed March/April on Fantasia we missed both Casablanca and Madeira I was sooooo disappointed so this year i'm taking out cruise insurance that covers missed ports

Did not realize that such coverage exists. Can you tell me more about who offers it?

It does not matter much on my upcoming Caribbean trip, but for a trio to Europe, Afhrica, or Asia it would change the whole trip.

Wow! Important to be safe, above all. But if I had booked that particular voyage, I would have been so disappointed.

Bon Voyage! Have a great trip (and scout the perfect location for the second week gatherings.

Well, I will post some snaps of my mom enjoying herself on the cruise. She was 90 last August, and still a good traveller.

Interesting. We got the Fantastica level on the Divina Caribbean, but my TA did not think it included vouchers. When I tried to buy soft drink vouchers online, I couldn't. The website only offered me wine and beer packages.

It isn't a big issue either way, as neither of us drink much. I enjoy hanging out in the bars, but usually nurse a diet Coke for the whole evening. My mom likes the specialty coffees and gelato, but our tabs are pretty small. If they don't give us vouchers, I will buy a Carney onboard.

It's not so uncommon in Europe to find showers that take up the entire room. My guess is that you are right. There must be a drain hidden somewhere. We are in a handicapped cabin. I shall make a point of looking for the hidden drain.:D

I have seen plenty of scooters on the tenders on the Divina. The crew does a great job of assisting on and off.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Bret

Thanks, that is very reassuring. Unless I hear otherwise, I shall keep my reservations for shore excursions.

Is it reasonable to assume that if the ship refuses access to the tender that they will allow a cancellation of their own excursions?

Will be traveling with my mother on the Divine (12/6). She uses a wheeled walker for balance, but otherwise gets around quite well. We have also rented a lightweight scooter (and she is slender).

What is the situation in the ports that use tenders? In our case Georgetown, Caymans and the private island. Are moderately handicapped passengers allowed to use the tenders? Is there anyone to assist getting on and off? She can travel with just the walker, but is it possible to take a scooter on the tenders? I will be there to assist as well.

Obviously, the situation changes with weather conditions, so something possible one day might not be another. We booked ship excursions at both tender ports, and would hate to miss them.

Has anyone with a disability used the tenders on Divina? Or has anyone observed other passengers being assisted? Thanks for any advice on this.

That's why I love having an efficient travel agent. I browse the site, then call or e-mail her, and she takes care of it and I get the confirmation e-mail from MSC. I also got my travel documents in the mail, without fretting that I might have neglected to print something.

TA did alert me that you can get into the site by browsing for what you want, selecting it, and then entering your booking number after the fact (rather than logging on first)'.

Thanks for your thoughtful comments. It will be interesting to see whether my mom feels more comfortable with her walker or the scooter. I rented the scooter so that she could cover more territory when sightseeing, but it might not be practical at tender ports. The last three cruises that we took she just used a cane, but she has become less steady recently.

The scooter is a rental:

http://www.specialneedsatsea.com/reserve-equipment/scooters-wheelchairs-powerchairs/standard-scooter/

On my upcoming trip on the Divina I shall be traveling with my mom, who has some mobility issues. She uses a walker, and we have also rented a battery-run scooter for the trip. We also booked a handicapped cabin, so that she will have grab bars in the bathroom and be able to store and charge the scooter.

Does anyone here have experience with the access points to the public spaces on Divina? Will she be able to bring her scooter or a walker into the main dining rooms? The pool areas? (I understand that there are no lifts for the pools, but I can assist her as needed.)

What about the theater? She is really looking forward to the shows, which she enjoyed so much on our previous MSC cruise. Can she enter the theater with the scooter or walker? Is there an entrance towards the front of the theater, as she finds if almost impossible to walk down a steep ramp or steps?

What about ports that are tendered? Does the Divina staff assist those with mobility issues? Or do they have a blanket policy that prohibits clients from leaving the ship at tendered ports? (Does anyone know whether Cayman Island is tendered?)

TIA for any information and/or advice on navigating the Divina.

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On Sunday MSC made some changes to their website (again!). My TA was kind enough to phone me with a heads-up. (That's what great travel agents do for their clients.)

There seem to be some Black Friday sales and upgrade offers. There also seems to be some changes in the pre-trip packages that they are offering.

For my own Divina-Western Caribbean trip (December 6th) I noted that they were no longer offering any non-alcoholic carnets/vouchers. This really is not a very big deal, but I wonder what impact it might have on the on-board prices of specialty coffees, soda, mineral water, etc. Come to think of it, I don't think that I saw the drink-all-you-want deals, just some wine packages.

There seems to be some changes in the MSC shore excursions. Perhaps I neglected to look carefully enough at the original brochure that I downloaded, but there appear to be some additional offerings, more things to do for those who can not engage in vigorous sports, or do not wish to do so. Also noticed that some shore excursions were already sold out for my sailing.

They no longer were listing packages of Internet minutes, perhaps that is related to the introduction of the new Wifi app. Again, not a big deal. I was thinking about taking a one-week break from being connected. (Fat chance!)

Have the offerings changed substantially, or is it just a change in the website layout?

Cinque Terre will be overwhelmed, simply because they have been for the past thirty years. That said, it is such a perfect place to visit that you should not hesitate. It is a good jumping off point for other places, too--like Lucca, or even Genova.

Glad that I visited Cinque Terre in the early sixties. That Italy no longer exists, but today's Italy kid exciting and vibrant in a different way. If you can, spend a few days there before the cruise. That way you get to experience the town's at night, after the hoards have left.

Here are some alternatives, but they are expensive. Ostia Antica is fascinating, as are the Etruscan sites.

http://www.customtoursrome.com/shore_excursion_ostia_castelgandolfo.htm

Do you feel comfortable traveling by train, or renting a car, on your own?

Just rented a scooter from the very helpful staff of Special Needs at Sea, 800-513-4516. They answered all my question about a particular cruise line, itinerary and ports. They also gave great advice on selection of equipment. We booked a handicapped room, with a roll-in bathroom and a designated storage/charging area.

Thanks, Anamarieus.