Mikesa1721

Okay, the TA called them, and they sent my edocs and luggage tags to the wrong email. Their error. They said they would be here this a.m. I will keep you posted.

Our neighbors have not received their edocs either. I just spoke to them so now they have to call to get them.

I feel like I am in Italy!

Don't we all wish we were in Italy Joy!!!! Today is David's day off so he won't be in the office today Joy. But good for you,,at least you'll be prepared and not run into any issues once you reach the terminal. Hope your neighbors have the same luck as you!!!

We are planning a family cruise. There is a concern about chidren 5-7 and balcony cabins. Are the doors to baconies lockable in a way which small kids cannot undo? Any other insights would be welcome.

 

Ron

Ron,,the balcony door uses two buttons to lock and unlock the door. We travelled with our 4 year old nephew this past August and had the same concerns as you. Our cousins would close the door,,push in the "Closed" button and then pull the door as to try and open it,,making the "Open" button a bit harder to push to unlock the door. They had to push the door completely closed again in order to engage the "Open" button after this.

Thanks everyone for the awesome feedback, I posted this same thread on Carnival’s page and received pretty much the same feedback! She really looks like a beautiful ship!

 

Question about the lido deck (not sure what it’s called on Divina) & the night life (beyond shows)

 

Lido deck - We love that on carnival you can be there all day, it feels really tropical to us as we love listening to music, having drinks, chatting with fellow cruisers, lido deck party

 

 

For night life we like a Variety – piano bars, karaoke, drinks and hanging out.

 

Would you say this is the same atmosphere on Divina for these?

:)

The "Lido Deck" on Divina is deck 14 or The "Afrodite Deck". This is where you will find the AquaPark. Throughout the day there is music, games and activities as well as "theme night" deck parties in the evening.

You may want to also go to the "Garden Pool" on deck 15 (Mercurio Deck), where music is played throughout the day. This is a great place to relax, have a drink, and soak up the sun. A very popular hangout during our sailing this past August.

For night life,,we loved the Golden Jazz Bar,, The Black And White Lounge, and The Galaxy Disco. You will find everything you mentioned above and then some in these and other venues onboard. Like we stated,,most venues offer "Live" music, there are very few venues offering "canned" music. I think you will notice a huge difference in the entertainment offerings aboard Divina as compared to Carnival!!

Thanks Mike. I am using him, I found him by chance and he was great when I booked my Bermuda cruise. (w/ you and Kim) I did not have that no. (only the 1 877 no.) so thanks, but since I did not book this trip w. him, I didn't think he would help me. I will call him though in the a.m. Thanks for your help.

The MSC print out says: Show this when boarding.

Hmm - 30th cruise, never had a problem.

Lots of European trips, - sounds complexed to me.

This is my 4th MSC trip too.

Each time we've entered into the terminal at the POM,,security was there asking us to see our boarding pass and ID,,,not sure why Joy,,just want you to avoid any problems before you even check-in..

Mikesa, thanks so very much for the video - brought back so many fabulous memories! I can't imagine anyone not thinking this is just one terrific product. I'm thinking that the next cruise, I'm going to BOTH shows each night, they were just that good.

Just watch out for the guys with the red noses that follow you to your seat and imitate your every move. They got me last time,,,,it's payback time for them in January!!!!!!:D:D

David Maceus??? (MSC) I am using him for the Bermuda cruise where we will meet you.

I am using someone out of MSC for this trip.

Thanks.

I am not too worried, they have my money.

Yes Joy,,,David Maceus. Here's the problem though Joy,,,you will be asked to show your boarding pass to security before you enter the terminal,,,you will need to have this in your possession before you can check in.

Mike, I used a TA who is very efficient. He called about a wk. ago and they said they were not ready. Yes, my WEB check in is complete and accurate. I called MSC again, just now, no phone response. I also emailed my TA and he will call me very soon I am sure.

Call my PVC (David),,,,Joy and give him your info,,,you need to have your e-docs asap!!!!!! You can reach him at 954-958-3286,,,let him know Mike and Kim recommended him,,he'll know who we are!!:D

Hi Mike

 

Hoping you can help with this one as you know there are 9 of us in the YC for 14 nights we are not all big drinkers, we will probably go to the shows in the evening but also want to go to see some of the other entertainment going on around the ship. Would you recommend buying the drinks vouchers for using when out with the yc area or do you have any other suggestions.

 

Thanks in advance

Judith

Absolutely Judith!!!! Just a book of 15 should do you just right. Our bar bill outside of the Yacht Club for the week was $44.00,,,we rarely escaped the confines of the Yacht Club, but when we did, we really didn't find ourselves drinking all that much. Dancing, watching the shows,,,consumed a lot of our time beyond the Yacht Club.:D

Excellent Review Clark!!!!! Standing next to Moo applauding!!!!:D

It's a pity you need to transit in the UK. Not that there is anything wrong with Manchester just that our departure taxes are higher than some other European countries and you can often save literally hundreds of pounds by having connecting flights in Spain or Paris etc compared to London.

 

As for long haul flights, a complete pain regardless of class but the only way to see the World. My trip home from Perth in November will take 35 hours on 3 flights with an 8 hour time change. I'm going to be a very grumpy and unhappy bunny on that final flight up from London!

I know Amo,,,but we really wanted to spend a few days with the family we met on our last sailing,,and seeing a little bit of London will be a fantastic beginning to our month long vacation.

That's strange Mike that they can quote you for Oct 2015 when airlines only go 330 days in advance. These long flights don't bother you? we have had it after a 5 hr flight. Good luck in finding the best price.

I can only hope she wasn't quoting me October 2014 Riclop.:eek: Oh,,and yes,,we both don't like to fly,,,but if it's the only way to see a little bit of England and Italy,,,we'll suffer through it I suppose.:) Hopefully it'll be a late flight and we can sleep through most of it.:)

I am leaving Sat. and I have nothing. I suppose I will get it at the port.

Joy,,,,call MSC and have them e-mail you the documents. BTW,,you have completed the on-line check-in correct???

Good Morning All! Have a questions for anyone who has sailed the Divina out of Miami and Carnival Cruise lines.

We have only sailed Carnival and our favorite thing about them is hanging out on the lido deck by day with a few drinks and music playing and music/karaoke in the evening.

We really like that it can both be a party atmosphere or a laid back on - which ever you are in the mood for. ((:

How would you say the Divina and Carnival Compare? We are thinking about trying it out. Thanks in advance (:

Good to see you over here Ms_Pammy!!! I'm glad you decided to take Kim's advice and post this question here. I think you'll definitely get more opinions here than on MSC's Facebook page.

To reiterate what Kim had mentioned, MSC is more relaxed and casual. Mornings and late afternoon on deck 14(AquaPark),,there is stretching, walking, and aerobics. Late morning to late afternoon,,there is music, games and other activities. You won't find the hairy chest contest or the mixology contest or bounce the ping pong ball into the champagne bucket type of games,,,but they do have some interesting games around the pool and give away much better prizes than a ship on a stick!!

In the evening, you can sit and watch a movie under the stars here or on certain theme nights,,enjoy live music, drinks and dancing, or have a cigar with Captain Scala during the White Party.

But what keeps us coming back besides the fantastic food and service is definitely the nightly entertainment. From live music in almost every bar and lounge onboard, to the, in our opinion,,"the best shows at sea". From Frank Sinatra, to the hopefully newly released "Music From La Traviata", to The Michael Jackson "Starwalker" show,,Wonderland, Pirates,,,etc. the production shows are incredible!!!

You can take a virtual tour of Divina here:

http://mscpodcast.msccruises.com/Podcast/VirtualTourFantasia/us_en/

And here is the Starwalker show I filmed back in May:

[YOUTUBE]DyIsC3PDok0[/YOUTUBE]

How/when do we receive our luggage tags? Sailing on 10/18... Do I have to do anything to get them before sailing?

Your boarding pass and luggage tags should be e-mailed to you approximately 30 days from your embarkation date. This sometimes vary depending on the promotion you may have booked under, as some have received their e-docs two weeks prior to boarding.

Hi Mike

We note your quoted price for your flight to Manchester and then onward to Genoa. This is the problem we have in the UK when booking one ways flights. We are travelling back from Florida in December having done a transatlantic from Southampton on Celebrity Eclipse, Celebrity are quoting us $900 from Tampa to London, Gatwick. We won't be able to enquire about our flights for Divina next year until 330 days before we travel, assuming our booking will be confirmed.

We are heading for Venice this weekend to board Preziosa in Yacht Club.

Peter & Lynne

Have a great trip Peter And Lynne!!!! Make sure you take loads of pictures to share with all of us!!!! We are now looking to do a med cruise in the summer of 2016 hopefully aboard one of the Fantasia class ships, but the itinerary will dictate which ship we will sail on. We love the Fantasia class ships because of the Yacht Club,,but we don't mind experiencing one of the other ships either.

I was surprised I was even able to get an airfare quote this early for October 2015. Whenever I did a search,,pricing wasn't available for my dates yet.

Interested in howyou make out Mike, we always found the flights to/from Italy less expensive then Spain!:)

I had MSC's agency look into economy class air for us. I thought for sure we would be into the thousands of dollars after doing some flight research myself. Once I received an offer of $899.00 pp,,,I might just have them look at business class to see what the price comparison might be.

p.s Im also looking at the YC for the same cruise as you from Genoa next year. 2 YC weeks coming up, ill decide after them!

That would be great Andrew!!! There were only a couple of YC1 staterooms that were available on deck 16,,16001 which we are not a fan of is one of them.

Here is the flight info we received from MSC's 3rd party airfare booking agency.

$899.00 per person:

DELTA AIR LINES DL 064 17 OCT MIAMI (MIA) - MANCHESTER (MAN) 3:15PM 8:25AM (18 OCT) Economy Class

AIR FRANCE AF 1069 21 OCT MANCHESTER (MAN) - PARIS (CDG) 2:20PM 4:50PM (21 OCT) Economy Class

ALITALIA C.A.I. S.P.A. AZ 7825 21 OCT PARIS (CDG) - GENOA (GOA) 8:50PM 10:20PM (21 OCT) Economy Class

The reason for the stop in Manchester is to spend a few days with the family we met onboard our August sailing. We had such a fantastic time together and have become good friends and they have graciously invited us to stay at their home. We have plans to spend 2 nights in London with them before returning back to Manchester and then onward to Genoa.

There is bound to be other English speaking passengers onboard but perhaps not many. Not helped by it not being available in UK or Eire to book.

 

Passenger facing crew will speak English, som better than others. However if you learn a bit of Italian, they will really appreciate it onshore and so will the Italian crew.

 

I recommend Michel Thomas Italian course. No memorising or difficult grammar. You learnt by just listening to him as you relax or travel to work. He quickly builds up from a few basic words and structures or the basics of the language. His approach is it's up to him to teach you ratherbthan your job to work to remember. He Lao has the approach that anyone can look up a noun or verb they need in a dictionary but can't look at a complete sentence and know how to string it together. It's amazing how many things you can say with a base of around 500 words!

Thanks Amo!!! I agree!! I would feel more confident in our travel to Italy if I at least could understand and speak some Italian. I feel it is only right to at least understand or speak the language if we will be traveling there. We can't just assume everyone will speak English right??

Just found the website and I'm going to try out some of the sample lessons he has on his website. His lessons are very reasonably priced as well so I think this will be worth a try. Thanks again Amo for the suggestion!!:D

Hi Mike!! My sister and I spent 3 weeks in Italy 2 years ago. Neither one of us speaks Italian. We had NO problems anywhere we went. There were a couple of shopkeepers that didn't speak English, but through hand signs and lots of smiles and laughter, we were able to communicate. Genoa is a lovely city--we spent 3 days there and I will be returning there in November. I had lots of fears as I had gone abroad before with lots of frustrations, but Italy is FABULOUS!!! I am so happy to be returning there for a visit

 

Cheers!! Hope to see you on the T/A next October--I have even made reservations for a hotel in Barcelona (that's if MSC will allow me to board in Barcelona instead of Geona!!):o:D

I hope they do to tsahall!!! I've contacted MSC's 3rd party air provider about flights from Miami to Manchester and then to Genoa. We're now researching hotels in Genoa but I think it's still a little early to get pricing. Lots of research and planning to do still,,love this part of the trip the most I think!!! You'll keep in touch on the roll call thread right???? Let me know how you make out with MSC and embarking in Barcelona!!:D

thanks for the quick responses, i'm fine with it... as far as the long walk goes good thing im in a chair and she will just hop on if she gets tired :D:D:D

Haaa!!!!:D You can get all the way forward,,and all the way aft using deck 7. It's the only enclosed deck that actually runs the entire length of the ship.

my only need was an "H" room for a roll in shower/ my gf and i like the inside cabins then we never know what time it is. if were tired we go to bed if were awake we get up no matter the time .... i just hope its not in a super high traffic area .

I didn't even see that it was a handicap stateroom. You should be fine there GJ2,,close to the same elevator Aussie would use at the aft of the ship. Very easy access to the Garden Pool, Black Crab Dining Room,,Galaxy Disco. It will be a little bit of a hike getting to the front of the ship where the Pantheon Theatre is though.:(

cabin 8242 , any thoughts good ? bad ? ugly ? lol

That's a nice square inside stateroom GJ2. You should have lots of room in there!! If you want a better opinion though GJ2,,,Ask Skier!!! He has lots of info about every stateroom on the ship just about.:D

and it's close to everything we like....aft pool and garden bar just a quick hike up the stairs......and so close to the elevator for Mikey....it's a perfect location actually.....I can't quite believe it...........

Perfect spot,,especially if you are assigned The Black Crab for your MDR. Can't forget,,you're also in the same tower as The Galaxy Disco as well!!!!:D

We got our cabin assignment...10245....a B2 balcony for the gty inside prices if $299........I can't beat that for sure..................I'm doing the old fashioned happy dance pre-cruise...........

Good location Aussie!!! You're next to the elevators towards the aft of the ship. Not a lot of foot traffic back there so it should be pretty quite.