cruiselover87

YACHT CLUB! YACHT CLUB!! YACHT CLUB!!! Just off the Divina today. What can I say, from being escorted by one of the butlers, from the curb at the port, to a private Yacht Club area to check in. Once on-board, another butler escorts you to the Yacht Club where the Concierge explains all of the benefits of the Yacht Club and the included spa amenities. We were then handed off to the Maitre-De,(Giovanni) of the Yacht Club dining room, (LeMuse), to go over our dining options.

Jonathan, our butler, had items we drank from our in-room mini bar, replaced after we had left for only 10 minutes. I am not kidding you when I say this,,,it happened on multiple occasions, and we have yet to try and find out how they do it. Juliano, Naomid, and Danilo at the One Bar, what can I say,,their service is absolutely incredible. Lying by the pool, our drinks were refreshed without having to even ask for another drink,, again,,just first class service all the way.

One more thing regarding the Yacht Club which maybe not everyone may know. There are card readers in some of the elevators, once you insert your Yacht Club card and select the floor you would like to go to, the elevator will bypass any of the other floors that were selected and take you to your floor immediately. On more than one occasion I had people in the elevator with me, asking why the elevator didn't stop on their floor,,I wasn't about to tell them why.

WOW youre sailing on the Divina a LOT! Just curious what the average rate is for the Yacht Club and if its all inclusive with drinks, airport shuttle etc.. Seems like a great experience.

Some of the entertainment seemed repetitive to me, the dancers and performers basically did the same stunts just in different costumes.

You really only have to see three shows: Michael Jackson, The Opera and just one of the shows inbetween.

I think the enjoyment would depend a lot on whether you enjoy the singing. There were 3 fantastic shows that were all singing, mostly opera. If you do not like opera, I could see how the shows would leave you a bit cold.

 

I would agree that some of the acrobat and tumbling routines did have some repetition.

Yeah I think you are spot on, I just wrote a review and discussed the singing. I didnt think the female singer was good at all, however, the male was pretty good. I did not catch the Opera show so I cant comment on that.

I am going to piggy back off of your outline and give my review:

EMBARKATION:

I arrived at 4 PM and the process was extremely smooth, probably took around 30 minutes, which is quicker than any cruise I have been on. This could be do to the fact that the ship is docked until 8 PM.

A-

FOOD

Going to divide this into 2 separate ratings.

BUFFET

The buffet was nothing special, on par with Carnival and Norwegian.

BUFFET RATING - B

MAIN DINING ROOM

Service wasnt great, the waiters barely spoke English and were not as attentive as previous cruises. The main courses were good while the side dishes were lacking, still I really enjoyed the food and the servers were pleasnt.

RATING - B+

ENTERTAINMENT

As I stated before, the acts felt repetitive after the first show. The singers were average at best.

RATING - C+

DRINKS AND DRINK SERVICE

The drinks were on par with any other cruise line. The bartenders were hit or miss depending on which bar you went to, MSC is probably the only cruise line which doesnt walk around "pushing" drinks on you, which is refreshing for a change.

RATING - C+

EXCURSIONS

N/A - I did not partake in any excursions so I cannot rate.

RATING - --

DEBARKATION

I also self disembarked and while it was hectic it didnt feel any different from any other cruise line.

RATING - B

SERVICE

Ive mentioned service in the past, this is where MSC is lacking the most and why they most likely wont be cruising out of North America until they find a solution.

RATING - D

SHIP APPEARANCE

You didnt add this category but I wanted to discuss it because the ship was so beautiful, the decor is very tastefully done. Appearance wise it rivals ANY SHIP out there.

A+

OVERALL RATING - C+

Would I sail MSC again? For the price YES, if I had the option of sailing Carnival or Norweigian for the same price I would chose either of those before MSC.

ENTERTAINMENT

 

Unbelievable!

 

MSC rules in this area. We went to every show except the opening night intro show and liked or loved them all.

 

LOVED the Italian song show, the acrobat show, the french variety show, the opera and the opera tribute shows.

 

LIKED the comedy show, the Michael Jackson tribute and the pirate show.

 

Plenty of seats in the comfy theater. Only downside is no drinks in the theater. Since the shows are not that long this is not a very big deal.

 

Also included is the great entertainment elsewhere. Great string quartet every night in the atrium. Latin band in the black and white lounge. Elton John impersonator, dueling pianos and more.

 

Slight disappointment with the Galaxy Club for dancing as its layout is very funky and does not fit very many on the dance floor.

 

RATING - A+

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I dont understand all the love for the entertainment on the Divina. Did anyone else think the shows became repetitive? It was the same performers essentially doing the same acts with different costumes on. I did enjoy the comedy show. But imo the entertainment was average at best, but then again I never really saw any shows on previous cruises as I was younger, so I have no point of reference.

I have to ask. How is it in any way your business what someone else earns?

 

The service charge is included in the drinks package if you buy it pre cruise. If you buy it on board it is added to the total price. If you don't have a drinks package then each individual purchase is subject to a 15% service charge.

 

There is also a daily hotel charge. It doesn't take a genius to figure that "service charge" is for the staff of the ship that serve people and the "hotel charge" is for staff that run the hotel/ship (cabin attendants etc)

 

If you think they deserve individual recognition then by all means provide it. But demanding to know where the money you pay goes is, IMHO, crass. I have interacted with many MSC employees, some who I've tipped and some who I haven't. All of them have given excellent levels of service irrespective of if I was on a drinks package or not. So being on the drinks package is not the reason you were getting what you thought was rude service.

 

You were more likely getting the correct service for the environment you were in but not what you expected. You do not get the faux chummy "Hey you guys" OMG you're so funny, smiley service on MSC. You get professional courteous and friendly service. Not auditions to be your new friend.

I never said it was my business what someone else earns but to say I have no right knowing where my money is going is absurd. And as stated in previous posts I am not asking for as you call it "fake chummy friends". I could careless if they even talk to me, they just came across as somewhat rude and it felt as if I was a bother to them.

I am not alone in this sentiment look up reviews for the Divina and the customer service is the #1 complaint. The reviews for the ship are approximately 3.5-4/5, which I agree with; a beautiful ship, decent food but lacking in service and organization.

Agreed - I just know what I overheard in the lounges - it was such a popular topic for people to ask. I find it really weird, tbh, to ask anyone what their salary is - including tips. I would not like it if someone was asking me such a personal question.

 

I do think though - that for the most part - people just want to know if they should be tipping, tipping more/less etc and they think by asking that question they will figure out an answer. I don't think people want to be seen as cheap - and also since most people assume the service charge is being given to employees they feel cheated if it is not.

 

I paid a $12 day service charge, plus 15% on any drinks I purchased - I honestly did not worry about who that went to because I figured I would tip people who exceeded my expectation or provided superior service - whether or not they were getting part of either service charge. This is my way of thinking on MSC and to each their own of course

I Began to inquire about the tips after some of the bartenders seemed to act a tad rude towards me, or generally unfriendly. You didn't experience this because you didn't have the drink package and the bartenders were receiving 15% gratuity on every drink you purchased. It started to feel like I was a bother to them whenever I placed my drink order and in return I was tipping , making the $316 drink package, with gratuity included, much more expensive then I had anticipated.

But back to the subject at hand, does anyone know if the 15% is a “gratuity” or “service charge” and if the bartenders as I suspect aren’t receiving the 15% who is?

If you are so worried about bartenders why you did not tip extra? :rolleyes:

I did tip extra, to the tune of around $75, which I normally wouldnt have if the 15% gratuity was included like it stated that it was.

"There is a reason they are referred to as the "Mafia Shipping Company""

 

I wonder if that came from the same person who said the same to me albeit on a different ship!

I heard it from two different people, I think its their recurring joke!

I recently came back from a 7 night cruise on the MSC Divina, April 19th-26th, 2014.

My girlfriend and I purchased the Allegrissimo Classic drink package, $318 Per Person. There is a 15% gratuity that is supposedly built in if you purchase prior to sailing, if purchased while on the ship you pay $318 + 15% or $365 per person.

Even though the gratuity is supposedly included in the drink package, the bartenders do not receive a dime of it, so my question for MSC is why are we paying the gratuity for the drink package and if the hard working bartenders are not receiving it who is?

If you purchase a drink package on carnival, Norwegian or RCL every drink you purchase has a gratuity on the bottom of the bill, a set amount that each bartender receives, however, on MSC there is no such gratuity on the bill.

So I asked at least 10 bartenders if they receive any of the gratuity from the drink package and every one of them emphatically stated "no". Most of the responses were prefaced by a smirk or a laugh. Some of the responses I received when asking if they receive tips from the unlimited drink packgaes were:

"There is a reason they are referred to as the "Mafia Shipping Company""

"I dont know who is receiving the gratuity but we dont see a time of it"

I am actually renting a car from the hertz near the port of Miami, I am driving back and dropping some people off at the ft. Lauderdale airport for the 1225 flight.

I'm also wondering if I can relax and eat some breakfast and just walk off the ship around 10? Are most people off the ship by then?

I will be traveling on the MSC Divina April 19-26th

It says the ship will arrive at the port by 7AM on the 26th, my flight is out of Ft. Lauderdale at 12:25 PM.

What is the earliest they start letting people off of the ship and can I make this flight or is it too early?

What package only contains draft beer?

I thought the alligresimo classic which is $44 a day now includes bottled beer?

Is this correct?

Thanks!

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Not a problem. Cabin 13045 - Cabin Interior 191.8 sq ft (24.2 sq ft bathroom + 167.6 sq ft living space). Balcony is 42.0 sq ft. It should have a double sofa bed and a shower only. (Some regular balcony cabins have a shower/tub combination though they are not advertised.)

 

Hope this helps!

 

Bret

How about 11301 & 10087, thanks.

I neglected to mention one of the positive things in my review of the Divina. We were pleasantly surprised when we saw what was now included in the Allegrissimo Classic Adult All Inclusive 24 Hour Package. They expanded the offerings and they are very generous compared to the original package, and in our case, a great value. If you take advantage of the package, don't forget to get the fresh squeezed juices. Yummy!

 

As posted earlier by Sidari, the package now includes:

 

Unlimited consumption of alcoholic and non−alcoholic beverages including wide selection of wines by the glass (more than 20 international labels), draft beer, rich selection of bottled beers from all over the world (more than 20 kinds), canned sodas, fruit juices, premium mineral water, wide selection of hot drinks including classic and specialty coffee drinks, teas and hot chocolate delights, international selection of spirits, wide range of cocktails from the Bar List including frozen cocktails, punches, classic cocktails, mixed drinks and MSC signature cocktails, as well as take away ice cream in a cone or cup.

 

The drinks included in package can be consumed in all bars and restaurants, including the à la carte restaurants and themed venues. Not included in this offer: cigars, cigarettes, champagne, premium and ultra−premium brands, minibar and water provided in you cabin, room service, souvenir glasses and food consumptions in fee paying restaurants.

For your convenience, the drinks not included in this package are indicated in our Drink Lists and Menus with an asterisk.

 

 

I know this thread is kind of old but I had a question regarding MSC unlimited drinking packages. When you purchase the package do they give you vouchers for drinks or do you just use your card?

I have two cabins booked on the MSC Divina leaving from Miami one for myself and one for my parents, I was considering buying the allegrissimo drink package for my cabin and sharing with my parents, if they were vouchers. They have maybe a total of 5-10 drinks a cruise and it wouldnt make sense for them to get this package individually. If they put it on your card then that would be too difficult and I wouldnt attempt it.