youngcruiserFL

We got off the Divina today and it felt really crowded most of the time. We made the best of it but the lunch buffet could be a real free-for-all in terms of finding a seat. I had a lady nearly knock me down as she ran in front of me to take the table I was about to sit at. Having said that, the food choices were quite extensive and truly enjoyable for lunch. HINT: keep going toward the back and there are better options under the "Ethnic" and "Daily Specials" sections. The front has mostly "American" items like burgers, hot dogs, fries and pizza but the further back you go, your choices are yummy items like Jamaican jerk chicken, curried cod, fajitas, etc that really tingle the taste buds. The desserts were varied each day so my family always got a few items to share.

 

The shows were SPECTACULAR! Wonderland (a sort of Cirque du Soleil version of Alice in Wonderland) and the Pirates show were nothing short of amazing. There was also an impressionist that had all of us in stitches with his impersonations and we were sad when his show ended. HINT: get to the show at least 20 minutes ahead of time to get a good seat. The later you go, the closer you are to the stage, which sounds counter-intuitive but trying to climb the stairs afterwards is very challenging when the ship is really rocking (no rails and I saw many older people struggling to keep their balance).

 

The best part of our evening was the Dueling Piano guys (Keith and Ben). Head to the Golden Jazz Bar right after the show to catch their late show (9:30-11) and prepare to be blown away by their ability to play just about ANY request you throw their way. HINT: Bring cash (yes, actual money, not just your ship card) as they really appreciate that your requests are accompanied by some greenbacks. :D We caught their show 3 nights out of 7 and had the most fun singing along and trying to stump them with our oddball requests. These guys were much better than anything we've had on Carnival or RCCL in terms of "fun".

 

Now for the bad. Service in the dining room is incredibly SLOOOOOW. We learned to hit a bar ahead of time to get our beverages (a martini for me, my husband a beer). The first few nights we waited nearly an hour for our drinks to arrive so we learned to just bring our own instead of ordering at the table. Food was always slow to arrive but our waiters were really attentive so we gave them great marks. They provided fabulous breads and rolls and kept our water glasses filled between courses. The food itself was good, lots of variety but my husband was not a fan of the beef dishes. I always chose the pasta, chicken or seafood and was happy each time. The lobster tail was fantastic! Desserts were always good and my husband usually ordered at least 2 each night. My favorite was the berry creme brulee - it was always creamy inside with a wonderful smoky sugar topping. One night they presented Baked Alaska in a fun and dramatic way!

 

We had a balcony room and it was elegant and always tidied by our room steward. My only disappointment was that we were in the front of the ship and our balcony was made of metal, not glass, so you could only see the ocean by standing up and looking over the railing. The rooms to our right all had glass but it would have been nice to know ahead of time and I might have tried to change our reservation (we were in 10032). Our kids traveled with us so our couch was always pulled out into a queen bed after we went to dinner. This made it a bit cramped for the night but not a big deal.

 

I can't speak to the Yacht Club other than it was incredibly annoying with regard to elevator usage. The YC folks have priority by swiping their cards when requesting/using the elevators. Many times we stood at the elevator banks and watched them all pass us by, as they were being used by the YC members. It's a great perk for the 5-10% of passengers but a HUGE dissatisfier for the remaining 90%, especially those with mobility issues. On the flip side, we found ourselves using the stairs MUCH more often than other cruises so I am sure we are healthier for it! :rolleyes:

 

We missed the stop at Great Stirrup Cay as the seas were too rough to tender over. I was sad but I understand - safety is much more important. Our other stops at San Juan and St Maarten went great and their debarking and reboarding processes were incredibly smooth. Even when our son's Teen card didn't scan properly as his barcode had worn off, they were able to enter him manually to keep the line moving.

 

Speaking of the Teen card, this was a great idea. We pre-loaded $50 onto the card and MSC adds anther $10. This allows your kid to buy his own sodas, try the F1 simulator, etc, without racking up crazy charges on your account. Unfortunately, my son spent $60.01 somehow so when we tried to disembark this morning, they made us turn around and go back to Guest Services on the deck below to pay that penny that we owed. A penny! We had to stand in line all over again and it took nearly an hour and a half to get off the ship. They did have issues with Customs officials holding things up - MSC had requested 10 agents for this first sailing and there were only 3 to handle all the passengers getting off. There were some pretty angry people, especially those that had to stand in line for a few hours when they were expecting a quick 30 minute process. Not MSC's fault but a black eye for them, no doubt. :(

 

Overall, we had a really relaxing cruise and enjoyed our vacation. There were quite a few kids on board so my teenagers had a good time making friends. My husband had a fun time in the casino (coming home with an extra $200 in his pocket) and I really enjoyed the lido deck. HINT: there are usually loungers available in the very back of the boat where the "infinity pool" is, however, there is a distinct odor coming from the smokestack that might turn some people off. There was always something going on (we took the winemakers class and really enjoyed talking to Greg from California - we bought 2 bottles of our own design to bring home) but you can also choose to just sit in one of the MANY bars or lounges and just people-watch. :D The cruise director and entertainment crew were great.

 

I hope they iron out the kinks (service in the dining room, flexing bar staff) but overall, a great value and an impressive ship. I hope everyone enjoys their cruise on her - she will take your breath away.

 

Any questions, feel free to ask.

Angela

Lovely review!!!!

By any chance, do you recall if there were any Yacht Club upgrades available at the pier or onboard?

Hello everyone. I'm sailing on the MSC Divina a few days from today and there are tons of Yacht Club cabins available, but the price remains excessively high. Does MSC ever sell upgrades at the pier or onboard for a discounted price? Your comments will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Tell me about it. Loved our prom but 3 times I forgot about the curtins. LOL. Lucky for me I was on the other side of the bed. I don't think anyone saw in. :eek: :rolleyes: :D

One evening, I was having a late night orange juice on the Royal Promenade (ok I admit the real reason was that I was waiting for a cute Italian guy who worked at the front desk to start his shift so that I could bomb him with questions, haha) and as I looked up, I saw a couple having intercourse completely oblivious to the fact that their promenade cabin curtains were open. Since they were an older couple, it was quite disturbing for me. :(

We were just on the Freedom and had an oceanview at the very front of the ship. It was great! The cabin seemed bigger than usual due to its triangular shape, and we had 2 huge round windows and privacy.:)

I second that! Though my experience was with a triangular front oceanview cabin on the Navigator.

Okay I want to book my cabin today. My choice is either a promenade view cabin or an ocean view cabin. My TA tells me my the only option for ocean view is either the very front of the ship or the aft. I have always been mid ship in a balcony cabin so not sure what to do.

 

What would you do - promenade view cabin or ocean view front of ship or aft?

 

Would really value advice.

I had one of the triangular oceanview cabins at the front of the ship on the Navigator and completely loved it; just a tad less than a balcony. The promenade cabins are too small for my taste and you constantly have to close the curtains or people will see you getting undressed or coming out of the shower.

Thanks. The rooms you are talking about are a G category now on our sailing. Could we request an upgrade from H to G GTY for the difference in price between the H GTY to G GTY or is this asking too much ?

To be honest, I'm not sure they will let you do this because they will feel that you have already received a complimentary upgrade from inside GTY. My guess is that they will tell you that you will have to pay the full difference between inside GTY and the new category that you want. You can definitely call and see, but I don't want to get your hopes up.

Overall, is your sailing very full? Day of departure upgrades (subject to availability of course) are pretty cheap.

We booked an inside N GTY for the Navigator of the Seas in May.

We have been 'upgraded' to H Oceanview four rooms from the back on deck 2.

The only H grade rooms available to book are GTY. If we wanted to change our room and go back into the pool would we go back to category N or stay in H. Hope this makes sense, thanks.

Keep in mind that May is still two months away so availability can very likely change. If you ask to go back into the inside GTY pool and someone with an inside room cancels, you may get assigned that room. On the Navigator, there are some nice H category cabins at the front of the ship, especially the triangular-shaped ones which are quite spacious and have two full windows. If I were you, I would stay in the H category for now and constantly check if any cabins within that H category open up. You can then ask to be changed.

My sister booked our vacation through a Travel Agency and they only guaranteed category H / Deck 3 on the Serenade of the Seas. I just found out that they assigned me the VERY FIRST CABIN on Deck 3 (#3000) at the very front of the ship, left side and I am PANICKING!!! Please let me now your opinions and/or experiences at similar cabins because I don't think that I can make any changes... Thanks:confused:

Do you see other cabins within the H category being available? Once the revenue management department assigns you a category, you are allowed to change cabins within that same category.

 

In your opinion where is the best Aqua Class cabin location? :) We're booking a last minute and they're aren't many left, so just waondering where the better choices would be..Thanks:)

I loved AQ #1501 on the =X= Equinox with only one other cabin next to it.