MTL=CRUISEFAMILY

Makes me VERY happy - we'll be on her Saturday, just one more day.......

Kick back, grab a lounger, a drink and relax...

Enjoy your cruise....

Enjoy!

Did you walk to the rental car company, or did you take a taxi?

Hertz has a white 8 passenger van, with logo on it to pickup and drop off clients with reservations to the rental counter.

Right at the taxi pickup area. Just waved him down. 5 minute drive to the location.

Thanks might just wait until we get off the following week are there any other outlets or malls in Miami. We usually go to premium outlets in Orlando and love it there.

 

Judith

Dolphin Mall, about 30 mins from the port, lots of outlet shops and great prices. Wish we had more time there.

Couldn't agree with you more, Russian Bear.

 

We're taking our first cruise on MSC this Saturday, are looking forward to it and going with an open mind.

We've done several Celebrity cruises, most recent on Solstice, and like you, we enjoyed it but certainly weren't blown away. In fact, we think Celebrity is "overblown."

Very few entertainment options, no place to dance other than the atrium, no aft elevators making for very long walks, and the food was just so-so. MUCH better food on HAL and Carnival, in our experience. In fact, our most recent cruise was on Carnival Miracle and the service was heads above any we've had on any ship, yet people are always bashing Carnival.

So you see, there's something out there for everyone.

Agreed, Celebrity lacks after dinner entertainment, which we enjoy...Carnival just strikes me as LOUD, although we enjoy having some fun, we are looking for a happy medium....HAL, heard it was lights out at 9 pm...your thoughts?

Thanks, we are thinking about hiring a car to go to saw grass mills just hoping we will have enough time.

 

Judith

You should be fine, roughly a 45-60 minute drive each way. We rented a car near the port of Miami (Hertz) we were at the location by 8:30 and in a car within 20 minutes or so. Check closing time at this location, I believe it was 4 pm.

Hi

 

Can we get straight off the ship in Miami or do we have to go through customs first, if so does it take long. Also what time do you have to be back onboard at.

 

Thanks in advance

Judith

You will go thru customs with back to back passes furnished by MSC, early off as 7:30- 8 am, departs at 7 ish, so back at the ship by 5ish, if I remember correctly.

Took less than 5 mins to go thru customs.

Hi MTL,I like your cruise experience evolvement ;). I am pretty happy that you found Celebrity to be your preferred cruise line,and that you still plan to try new ones,e.g. RCI. I can warmly recommend the Oasis and Allure,and believe that the Quantum is going to be one heck of a cruise ship. If you plan to sail to Bermuda with Celebrity,it is going to be on the Summit which is going to be very familiar to you after cruising on the Constellation and Century. I liked those older ships,too,but I think you and your teenagers would really like the Solstice class.

I,personally,consider the Solstice and MSC Splendida the best looking ships I sailed on.

 

After my not greatest experience on the Splendida (service wise) about 5 years ago I am trying the Divina next month. The ship looks very nice,the price we got is unheard of,and after this year's terrible winter I really need to get to the Caribbean again as soon as possible:D.

I read your review with interest,and believe that my opinion is going to be similar to yours.

 

Happy cruising!

Good to hear from you, and am sure you will enjoy the Divina. It is a spectacular ship, and cannot fail them on food, we were quite happy, presentation is another thing. Although I prefer Celebrity, I know the entertainment/shows are hard to beat on MSC.

Yes, would prefer Solstice class, just trying to avoid the airfare and sail out out New York.

Have a great trip....

I agree, the OP, and you too are being fair, but I'd like to go a little further.

I'd like to ask you the same question I asked the OP, about less service on the Divina.

As the old saying goes, 'you pay for what you get'! The current Divina sales are running 'approx'. 50% of the per day price of Celebrity!

Is Celebrity with its better service and much higher prices still your first choice?

Would you pay double for a Celebrity cruise over the Divina (based on current sales going on) because of the extra service?

I haven't sailed yet on the Divina, we have a back to back scheduled in May. We have enjoyed our cruises on Celebrity, and agree the service was good, but we weren't really over blown away with Celebrity when we factored in how much it cost for their 'good service'!

Just my opinion, not meant to be disagreeable, just conversing with other cruise enthusiasts, and interested in their decision process!:D

As stated in my review we enjoy the entertainment and shows on MSC, and enjoyed the refinement of Celebrity, each has it's cost. For us it is finding a balance of both, not necessarily the per day cost of a cruise, after all. we all cruise for enjoyment, and a break from our everyday lives. Would love to cruise more often...

If you are an experienced cruiser, you will be constantly comparing the differences or shortcomings in areas that may be important to you. I would however encourage first time cruisers, and families with young children wanting to maximize their travel dollars.'

 

 

 

Thank you for your detailed review!

Right now MSC is pricing out at 'approx.' 50% of an equal cruise/equal cabin on Celebrity!

A question, might not your statement better read 'all cruisers', instead of just 'first time cruisers, and young families', because prices this low come around very rarely for an almost new ship on a 7 day cruise, and going on an expensive cruise is always there!:D

example: the Divina on one site is advertising $299. for a balcony in April, $399. in May, would you really rather spend more then double this amount for a similar Celebrity cruise? I respect your answer, I just find it interesting in seeing how people think! My wife and I are fortunate, we can choose our cruises on what we want, and not worry about the price, but again, 'we love a good deal'!:D

Have a good cruise on the Quantum!:)

We cruise as a family, and our two teens accompany us, therefor have to travel when they are off school (march break) We booked at close to full price, and high airfare to add, so, it would not be fair for me to compare reduced rates that may be available, since I cannot benefit from them.

But as for service charges of $12 per day, same as Celebrity, I do find that the levels should match.

MTL: I loved JAcob Taylor Beach for those reasons,... but my driver was a tour who stayed with us and provided chairs for those wanting them. I loved that secluded area. I am curious , how much were you charged for the cab to the beach? Is it pp or per car load.

 

It is great to hear that they put in a new show for the last night. Our show was a tribute to Frank Sinatra and it was the poorer of the shows since it takes a very different person to sing Sinatra than what they have on MSC. It just did not work. But I thought the costuming and the dancing as well as their singing on all the shows was fantastic. You read my review from Jan 18-Feb 1 thread, so you know my feelings about what I experienced.

 

Are you going again this year? We are. We could not resist the Oct sale! Doing another b2b on oct 11 and Oct 18 on our beloved Divina.

If I remember correctly it was $15 pp return. We were a group of 6.

The shows are amazing, although Opera is not my favorite, it seemed to hit the mark with the audience, loudest and longest standing ovation of all the shows, my favorite was the Michael Jackson, with The Witches of Paris a close second.

I am looking at Celebrity out of New York, to Bermuda for one week this summer (possibly)...and want to give Quantum or an RCI ship a try next.

Enjoy the Oct cruise...

Wanted to add that we pre ordered the 10 wines for $120, we thought this was a good value, wines were good table wines from Italy, you could choose white , red or rose, we alternated white and red.

Excellent Review!

 

Thank you!

 

We have cruised (and prefer) Celebrity over our other cruises (RCL, Norwegian and Costa)- A lot of people compare Costa to MSC- and although it does not come close to our "favorite" line- its still a vacation, yes, perhaps not as refined as Celebrity but still an opportunity to experience a cruise to beautiful places- how bad can is possibly be- glad to hear theres lot of great feedback comming out of Divina recently!~

Agreed, as stated in the review, some issues mentioned are really not major. We enjoyed this cruise as much as we do all our other cruises, but when I put my reviewer's hat on, there are areas of improvement.

For us cruising is a chance to relax, have some fun, spend time with the kids and friends, we did all of that on MSC.

..I have not discounted them altogether, just time to try something else.

We must of we just didnt like being bumped from our early dining because of this group. What time did you eat in the MDR or did you go to the buffet like we did?

Late dining, 8:30 we were in the Black Crab the first week, and asked to switch to the Villa Rossa for the 2nd week.

Nicole W, Russian Bear, yes we got off the ship in Miami, easy and early out by 7:30-8 am

You will receive BACK TO BACK passes in your room, and you walk off the ship, thru customs...took 5 mins.

Didn't realize we were on the same cruise...must have crossed each other many times.

Yup, the holistic bunch cleared the buffet and pool area, as they were in conferences, lectures and other activities.

was waiting for a review from you - as a fellow canadian -

 

Glad overall you had a wonderful time -

Absolutely! Had lots of fun, the animation team really pulls you into the activities, and they are a fun bunch of youngsters.

The different lounges always offered some activities. Saw lots of people learning to dance:D

Embarkation

Smoothest and quickest we have ever experienced, port staff were efficient and pleasant. Arrived at port at 11:30 and on the ship by 12:15.

What hit us first was the absolute beauty of the ship. Stunning atrium, and beautiful decor, rich sleek materials, and stylish furniture everywhere.

Buffet Calumet

No cookie cutter decor here, original, tasteful area. Food stations were functional, and allowed for quick flow at all stations.

Food at the buffet was very good, wide variety and selections available from pizza to pastas, salads, breads, meats and great little desserts. The coffee was better than other lines, full roasted flavour. Drink stations offer a variety of water, juice mixes, tea, hot water and coffee.

Our first quick tour of the ship assured us this was a stunning ship. Stopped by the pool area, as we waited for our room to be ready. Pool is salt water and kept at 26 degrees, very comfortable. Plenty of seating areas all over the decks. The solarium top was open and offers a nice area to sit and relax. Soft self serve ice cream just outside that area.

Reception staff were very efficient, quick and knowledgeable.

Room, first time with a balcony suite, and I think I can get used to it. Size of room was adequate, even for four, pull out sofa is large and comfortable, but not as large as the king size main bed. Four empty suitcase fit snugly underneath.

Bathroom, a little tight, but functional, liked the full glass shower door, some may not like that there is no bars of soap, or shampoo just dispensers. No creams or lotions either. MSC tries in many areas to be Eco friendly and they do not favor waste.

Muster drill was organized well with staff present and directing as expected.

Late dining at the Black Crab dining room. First week Unanimous confirmation that all our dishes were good to very good, started with the shrimp cocktail, large portion well prepared. Soups and salads all good. Steaks surprisingly tender and generous size. After cruising with Celebrity on our last two cruises we see the difference in general areas, lacking on MSC are a level of refinement, and presentation. At dinner the table setting seemed lacking in appeal, no full set of utensils, they are only brought out when needed, as the dish order dictates. Head waiter, although pleasant, did not seem to be up to the needs of his tables, lacking in attention to basic details such as, ensuring that dishes and utensils are clean before placing, refilling water often, having milk, spoons and utensils for dessert. These in my opinion, are not items one should have to ask for, but should be present at time of need. This improved as the first days advanced... But only slightly.

Late dining at the Villa Rossa dining room. Week two, better service and more experienced staff. Although I understand the European standard of service is more reserved, a certain level of basic interaction would have been appreciated. We tried several times to engage in conversation with staff, but did not seem necessary to them.

Breakfast, buffet was well stocked with a good variety of choices. I personally do miss the made to order omelet station. Plenty of fruit also available.

Although our two other MSC cruises were considered impeccably clean, the Divina, seems to be lacking in some areas of cleanliness, public restrooms are one area that need improvement, having noticed on several occasions, especially at dinner time, no attendants or upkeep being done.

What is up with elevators? Although plenty are present, it seemed to take forever for them to arrive, and many times limited levels could be reached. Many areas of Divina do not allow for an easy flow, we ended up in many dead ends, having to go up or down levels just to continue on the same floor.

Shows

Wow! This was one area where MSC obviously spends a lot of money, the production shows are a spectacle, with true artists, singers, dancers and entertainers. No amateur hour here, enjoyed all the show, did not miss one. If you only catch one show, make sure it is the Michael Jackson tribute show. The dancer does a fantastic homage to the king of pop. On our last night, they presented or premiered a new show, "Love me" La Traviata with Tenor Manuel , and Soprano, Irina, if you like opera, it was a nice production, and the audience really enjoyed it.

Animation team. This young troop kept everyone smiling, laughing, singing, dancing and sometimes making fools of themselves. Especially enjoyed the white night party, great atmosphere next to the open pool deck.

Disco, well attended, mainly due to the fact that a good portion of the ship was young and looking to have a good time, lots of fun!

Pool deck, gets crowded early, get out early if you plan on spending a good portion of your time near the pool.

Tender port were surprisingly smooth, no chaos, calm seas, and quick to and from process.

Ports

Jamaica, took taxi to Jacob Taylor Beach, found it too quiet and not much to do, so driver took us to Burwood beach, more lively, calm waters, clean beach, only negative was lots of vendors trying to sell you stuff.

Grand Cayman, took bus to Surf side beach, 15 min from port, nice, clean beach, practically no vendors.

Cozumel, we opted to take a ferry to Playa del Carmen. Do no suggest this as we had very little time there, 45 minute ferry each way, and depending on departure time, does not give you time to explore at leisure.

Great stirrup cay, unfortunately weather was cloudy and rainy, and island was all wet, took a while before the decision was made to proceed with tendering. Once on the island, food was served and weather cleared up a little. Nice island. Missed this port on our 2nd week, bad weather.

Miami. Mid cruise return to Miami, we rented an Chevy Captiva from the downtown hertz location, for under .$20 for the day. Need to get there early, the lines can get long, even with a reservation.

St Martin. We did a circle island tour, offered in port area, 3 hour tour, including Marigot, Maho, and orient beach $25

San Juan. Did the sights on our own, easy city to navigate, pick up a map, at the info office near the port. Lots of boutiques for all tastes, lots of photo ops everywhere you look, castles, colourful houses and green areas.

I am now in a more informed position to confirm that Celebrity is more of a fit for us. MSC shines and outperformed in some areas including price, shows, performances, decor, animation team, no bar staff screaming to sell drinks.

It did not hit the mark on service levels, particularly in the main dining room. Some dirty public bathrooms, non enforcement of their own rules, like no bathing suits in buffet area, in fact some men waltzed around the food with no tops, kids in the hot tubs. A little too much smoking in areas that smoking was not permitted.

If you are an experienced cruiser, you will be constantly comparing the differences or shortcomings in areas that may be important to you. I would however encourage first time cruisers, and families with young children wanting to maximize their travel dollars.

Next for us is to try Royal Caribbean, Quantum of the Seas, more precisely, hopefully we will find a product that scores on all areas that are important to us, good food, good service, cleanliness, entertainment that continues past 9 pm (which MSC does very well )

So overall a good offering with room for improvement.

As expected, I knew you would come back with a great review, thank you.

We are on a B2B Feb 22nd

A few questions:

How is the day back in Miami handled? Customs?

Are the service charges carried over until the end of the b2b, or after the first week?

Were you able to change restaurant after the first week, if you chose to?

I know from our 2 other MSC cruises, we also loved the ship, food and overall experience.

Any tips? Excursion suggestions?

Thanks

MSC is running a kids under 17 sail free promo.

I've read comments going both ways on how many kids were on board, and how they acted, so any thoughts would be appreciated!

Kids Free?

From MSC site...

At MSC Cruises Kids 11 and younger sail FREE* and Kids 12-17 sail at a reduced rate on MSC Cruises!

Kids between 12-17 roughly $160 plus port charges.

Kids, yes there will be, but not enough to discourage going on a beautiful ship...

Fabulous review

Answers a lot of little concerns many may have had.

We are sailing on the Divina tomorrow. We booked two cabins as a group more than a year ago, and our TA asked that they be linked together for early seating. The whole purpose of going with family is to enjoy meals together, especially on Christmas.

 

With the MSC website being so poor you are unable to see your seating anywhere on your reservation. Our TA assured us again several weeks ago that we were set. Tonight in packing we finally noted that we are in fact split between early and late seating. Called the TA, who in turn called MSC. After 20 minutes she was told our tickets were "wrong" and that we are together for late seating. I told her I requested early seating....another 20 minutes on hold only to be told there was "confusion" and that we will have to "sort" it out on board. This is so frustrating. I know it maybe trivial but despite all assurances it is still screwed up and MSCs system seems dated and ill equipped.

 

Aside from griping I wanted to know if any past MSCers have had luck in changing seating on board.

 

 

Sent from my KFTHWI using Forums mobile app

We were able to change without issue, as soon as you board go see the Maitre D in whichever dining room he is in, specifically to accept or arrange for changes, make sure the whole group is there as he may want to note the changes directly on your cards...

Did all on line with our booking.....first night at dinner one of the crew showed up at our table and gave us the little coupons.....7 grey ones for House Wines for use in the MDR for wine and 15 yellow coupons for beer or cans or bottles which I could use in the MDR and any bar on the ship......I usually got one of the MGD 16oz cans .......the wine one was good for one bottle and you could share it with anyone you wanted....if leftovers they gave it back the next night at the table....all was pre paid so never had any service charges added....a great bargain.....I had the beer package $52 and my wife had the wine package $85...no tax

Sounds like a great deal...thanks

.we had the NA wine package of 7 bottles for $85....very nice house wine.....Trebiano Rubicon and Grillo Tratt....both white.....(there are also two reds and one rose to choose from )...buy before you go on the cruise and save the service charge....also had the NA beer package at $52 for 14 bottles or cans... had the odd MGD 16oz...cost at $5 each in the bars and restaurants

I noticed on the site that it states per person, is that accurate or is it really the flat rate of $85 and can be shares at the table?

Very frustrating to start reading a thread to acquire input, only to have it disrupted by two or three miserable souls who find happiness in spewing what they assume is superior knowledge of facts, figures, jogging tracks, pool ratios, cc polls

Enough already, please...we ignore these posters, but it does get old.

Skipper Tim has a suggested fix if you just cannot digest them any longer..

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1955437

I cannot understand the enjoyment one might receive from continuously bashing a line or product that they did not like. I tried NCL, did not like it, I have not been on the NCL board since. Case closed.