Caronrick

Doug,

Knowing Sue's affinity for gummy bears, has she had opportunity to read the Amazon reviews for the Haribo sugar free gummy bears? Nothing but pure entertainment.

In all seriousness though, I want to thank you for the time and effort you all are putting in for the live-from reviews. I'll be watching for you all when you pull in here in Halifax on Monday. I need to find a way to check out the ship while you are in town..

Much Thanks!

Rick

Pre-Final payment date is a reduction in balance owing.

Post final payment is OBC applied to the account.

This has been my experience anyways.

Happy Travels!

A very sweet gyro. It looked good to me too until I googled the ingredients. Believe I'll stick to fish and chips.

Sometimes it's better not knowing.. willful ignorance is bliss sometimes.. :cool: They are pretty good, even if it's only to say you've tried one..

We had a Lido balcony room on the Breeze.

Very little noise made it to the room. We were roughly mid-way between the elevators and the access to the Lido deck.

I'd take these rooms in a second and not worry about any noise at all.

Your 3 pm visit is likely to be quieter, but any visit after the first week of Sept is bound to be better no matter the time simply because school will be back in and there will be less family visits. The area is more than just a light house and restaurant so even if it is busy in the main area, there is lots of room to venture away from the crowd and enjoy the beauty of the location. I'm there several times a year so feel free if you have any other questions.

Agreed! I would give yourself more time for the transfer. Like already said, the airport itself is easy to navigate, but the pre-clearance for US immigration could hold you back. Add to that if there is any delay arriving to YUL for any reason, you may find yourself looking for a new flight once you arrive to YUL. I've been known to be a little risky in my tolerance for tight connection times, but the only way I would consider this is if you have NEXUS.

I have been looking at Halifax from satellite photos (Google Maps) to see what the city looks like, in case of a future job opportunity there. I've never visited there, but may do so soon. In the satellite photos I noticed the cruise port close to downtown. I vaguely remember seeing there were cruises offered to Halifax as part of Canada/New England itineraries, but never gave it a thought.

 

Do any cruises depart from there (ie, could I get on a cruise there), or do cruises only stop there as one port of call on their itineraries?

Lived here in Halifax for 3 years now. As far as I have seen, the boats only stop here on a visit. I have not yet seen/heard of this being a port of embarkation. It would be nice, but I'm not holding my breath. If you have any specific ?'s... let me know.

Here in the Halifax area, I would suggest Glen Arbour as well. You are looking about a 30 min transfer from the port. This course is very well maintained and a pleasure to play. Another suggestion a little further out is Lost Creek. Less expensive, and a good challenge. Add another 10 min to the transfer though.

About 25 min away from the port is Granite Springs. Closer to the coast, again a nice challenge, and the drive to get there is beautiful as well. (Approx 2/3 the way to Peggy's Cove.) We don't have much in the way of costal courses to play, and the ones that are close, will be subject to higher winds usually, but not always.

If you have the time in Quebec, I agree that Charlevoix is an amazing area to visit! Murray Bay golf course is a nice little treat in that area.

Enjoying this review. One of my bucket list cruises. But like your wife I am married to a teacher. So in possibly 6 years hope to be heading that way.

When do you think the leaves change color up in Canada? Would love to take the cruise with a little bit of color change. Thanks for doing this review.

I live in Halifax right now. The colours started changing last week and right now they are in full force. Keep in mind that it is weather dependant so it can vary from year to year. Early October is usually a solid bet for some pretty colours though for this area. As you travel further north, the changes happen earlier.

 

Halifax and Peggy’s Cove

 

EXCURSION DETAILS

The two most popular ‘must see’ sites; Halifax; Peggy’s Cove and city highlights...

Return to the pier via air-conditioned coach.

NOTE: Stop at Peggy’s Cove is approximately one hour. Warm clothing, a raincoat, and comfortable walking shoes are recommended. Price = $49.99 Adults, $39.99 Children.

 

This is the excursion that we are planning to do in a couple of weeeks. May I ask... which side of the bus were you seated to get such great pictures as you pulled into Peggy's Cove? I want that view :D

 

Also, Thank you for such an extremely informative and picturesque review. I have been reading & trying to absorb as much as possible ... until right now at 4:10am!

I appreciate every sentence & every Picture!

 

As you walk onto the bus, take a seat on your left. (Facing the front of the bus you will be on the right hand side) This side will get you the views as you pull into Peggy's Cove that Jeff had.

You gotta let me know how you like MSC. I haven't heard the best reviews about them. When is that cruise? I'm looking forward to trying Royal again. I really had fun when I was on the Navigator. We've gotta end up on a ship together again! :)

 

 

Kim,

We sailed MSC Divina in the spring. Long story short we loved the cruise. Service was wonderful, the ship was beautiful and although it is VERY subjective, we loved the food. The pizza in the buffet was incredible, we just couldn't eat it enough. I ended up having a slice or two every lunch and supper. The one area that changes the most that you can not control is the other pax on the ship. Our's wasn't so bad but you could tell the difference from a CCL cruise and the European based MSC. At the end of the day, there were still lots of people having a great time. If it's on your radar, I suggest you check out Gambee's review. He did an awesome review, like usual, and doesn't really miss anything, much like your reviews.

Read a little that the movies on deck 12 might interfere with sleep and balcony use during the outdoor movie nights? We have 5 aft cabins on 11 and most of us go to bed early and rise early. Does anyone have any experience with this? We choose this location partially for the quiet. Thank you!

The aft rooms on 11 are more likely to get noise from the Oceanview Bar than anywhere else. The balconies of those rooms overlook the seating area of the bar and at night there may be some music playing that will carry into the rooms. It didn't bother us, but if you are early to bed it may be a factor for you.

We walked ourselves off and made it to FLL in time for a 1030 flight. It is possible, but you have to decide what level of risk you are willing to assume. There is any number of factors that can possibly occur that will make it difficult to be there on time to catch your flight.

With self-assist we have made if off the ship and at FLL in time for a 1030 flight. You should be good for MIA but there is always a risk that something could happen to delay you. You are the only one that can decide if you are comfortable assuming that risk.

We recently had cabin 9090 on the Divina.

This room is on the opposite side of the ship and has the slightly smaller angled balcony, similar to the cabin just aft of yours. Being on deck 9 there was plenty of sun without any shade concerns from the overhang of deck 14, just shade from the floor above. You will definitely get your sun dependent on the direction of sailing and position of the sun. We loved having the big balcony for the little bit of time that we actually spend on it.

Enjoy your cruise!

My family is sailing on the the Divina this Saturday (4/4/15). This will be our first time with MSC.

 

We usually do self debarkation on other cruise lines and I'm wondering if MSC does this as well? About what time can we expect to be off the ship assuming there are no hold ups with customs clearing the ship? I'm trying to figure out what time to schedule our shuttle to pick us up and take us to the airport.

 

Thanks!

Yes you can.

We were off the ship before 7 on our recent cruise. Customs was very very quick and we were on our shuttle just after 7. Even made it to FLL in time for a 1030 flight! :D

Ok, getting down to the final choice on the drink package. Big decisions! In the morning are juices and coffee free during breakfast? During lunch are soda water available from the buffet? Or do they nickle and dime you for every cup of coffee or drink at lunch?

Juice, tea, water and coffee available at the buffet for breakfast and lunch.. coffee and water for remainder of the day.

Sailing on the Divina out of Miami on 4/22. What are the options for ground transportation from FLL airport to the port? Should I just fly into Miami? And, If my flight home is at 1030am will I make it the day of disembarkation?

We used SAS from FLL hotel to POm and then return from POM to FLL. We were booked on a 10:30 return flight and made the flight no issues.

You have to ask yourself if you are willing to take the risk though. If any delay getting off the ship, through customs, waiting for other people to fill the shuttle, accident on route, crowded check-in, etc... you are putting yourself at real risk of missing the flight. Plus it is stressful to some to have to rush off the boat and to the airport hoping all goes well.

Are there daily happy hours? Daily drink specials? My girlfriend does not drink that much at all. Drink packages have to be purchased by both passengers which does not make sense. Are the coupons a good deal?

I don't recall a specific happy hour, but there was a daily drink special. The coupons are a good deal. You get a discount right off the top, and the selection is pretty decent. That said, only you can really determine if the deal is good for you.

My husband and I have only cruised Princess so stepping out of our comfort zone on top of taking our four kids on a cruise this xmas.....what is your honest opinion of MSC Divina? For kids, for comfort, for food. The ports are great looking as is the cost.

 

Kids are 11, 11, 13, 13

 

THANKS

We just took our son on the Divina at the end of Feb. He loved it! The kids club people are by far the best we have dealt with so far. Honest opinion, the ship and crew are awesome.. the one variable we can not control is the other passengers. We found that as Canadians our politeness was not often seen in many (not all) of the other people on board. Many people were willing to cut lines and be rude and not think twice about it. Since the people on your cruise will be different than who we sailed with, I hope you have a better experience than that. The food should not be a problem. There is a kids menu in the MDR, and you can even sign the kids up to be picked up 1 hr after early seating by the kids club so they can eat and go play and the parents can enjoy a relaxing dinner. Very nice feature for us. In the buffet, there is a lot of variety for kids to eat, from pizza, salads, fruit, burger, fries, hot dog, pastas... even breakfast we had never struggled to find something for our son. Have a great time and let me know if you have any :confused: before you go! :D

According to the Cruise Director, guest relations, and the crew it was not the stage removal but the drinking of the group. Cabin stewrads were not permitted to clean cabins until missing passenger were found, as result many cabins not cleaned to standard in time. My daughter and son-in-law had to call guest relations at about 7pmto get cabin cleaned.

 

I was the first one checked in at 10:30am and waited until around 2, (almost 3 hours). An announcement should have been made I kept hearing many complain like you heard saying they would not sail MSC again. This was my 3rd sailing and I would go again things like this can and does happen.

 

Since this ship is home port is Miami smoked salmon is a must yet they did not have it. They had baked beans at breakfast buffet, which is european but no salmon which is american.

 

Non of this was a turn off for me we loved the ship and crew.

Thanks for letting me know. The stage did come up with my conversations with a few staff. I never did talk to Andre about it however, so I stand corrected. Our room was good to go when we checked it out at about 4, and never heard of any one else with issues, so its sad to hear about your daughter.

Thanks for providing me with a little of your perspective of the cruise. :)

that is my usual plan as well, but was concerned about a few of the reviews mentioning something different. being this is my first cruise with MSC I was unsure if things were unique.

On the Feb 21 Sailing the main pool was drained on embarkation. The ship had just returned from a charter that used the pool area as a stage/dance floor as they were doing some work on the pool and hot tubs in that area when we boarded. The infinity pool was full and had some action if I remember right, as did the indoor pool, and the main pool was up and running again the following morning.

Does anyone know if they sell buckets of beer on the Divina?

Yes, I did see them being sold. I don't know if there is any discount to buying them this way though. I never asked...

Was also on the Divina last week, my 3rd cruise on this ship. Entertainment is excellent rated the best by porthole magazine among others.

 

The quality of food was very good, unlike another unnamed cruise line.

I did find the selection to be limited.

 

I found a few shortfalls. Eggs to order at the breakfast buffet not available. Fried eggs and pre-made omelet's were available but did not fit the bill. Sunnyside up eggs, poached eggs, different kinds of omelets could not be had. Even though they went fast, many times they were not hot by time you got them. Another major complaint by some was no smoked salmon (lox) at buffet. Been on numerous ships and never saw this before

 

We had a little service problem in dining room at breakfast, some did not understand when I ordered Kippers (on menu) other then that service at dinner was excellent

 

We were one of the first to check in at the pier. Then waited almost 3 hours to board. Apparently they had a group on board that were drunk and still slept. After waking them up they still had 3 missing. Immigrations/customs etc would not allow b boarding until found. So here we had hundreds of people milling around the terminal with no idea what was going on. It would have been smart if they announced over the PA system something to calm us.

 

The group was so bad that they broke some chairs in showroom. Crew said they were terrible drunk most of the time and disruptive, Because of delay some cabins were not cleaned on time

Valid points about the food availability that I had yet to mention. Much of what you said about the eggs, lox and kippers I did not encounter, as I wasn't looking for them, although the MDR did forget my toast order at breakfast... Minor detail for me.

I agree that check-in was a bit of a mess. It didn't bother me so much, but I was standing with a few people that said that the delay was unacceptable to them and refuse to sail MSC again for the delay.. IMO I would not let that minor detail taint my whole perception. We arrived at about noon, and were on board before 2. Not horrible to me, but some information from MSC would have been very welcome! We were boarding a boat that just finished a 3 day full-ship charter for an Electronic Music party.. Much of the delay had to do with the company dismantling and removing the stage off of the pool deck also. It would be unsafe to board while that process was still ongoing... I did not hear about the late risers, but that doesn't really surprise me either.. Same company had a charter in January and the Logo shop sales lady told me a story about a pax who was too impatient to get off the ship on the return and jumped into the water at the POM before docking.. :eek: Yes a few chairs were broken in the theater, but I partly expected to see some things much worse upon boarding and felt the crew did an amazing job getting things cleaned up for us in such a short time!!

Thanks for this information. Our youngest is 10 years old so we will be fine.

 

Any thoughts on the ports - I am trying to get a handle on options in San Juan - did you guys do anything?

There are many many options for San Juan. Without knowing you and your family I can't offer too much for suggestions. Our day was a bit of a mess. Originally my wife wanted to stay on board, so I planned on just getting off for a couple of hours to walk around old San Juan. Well plans have a great way of changing. Turned out that the CD announced the night before arriving that we were being redirected to dock at the RC docks across the harbor from old San Juan, but that MSC would provide a shuttle across all day at no cost. By the time the morning rolled around, my in-laws decided that they liked my plan and wanted to come along. To spare me a little, my wife tagged along as well and for good measure so did my son. While I was grateful for the shuttle, it was for lack of a better term a disorganized mess. (too much profanity in the term I really want to use.) Too many people felt that they did not need to wait their turn, or that they were more important than all the others already waiting, and cut the line. Both going and returning, though returning was way worse for this. Ultimately walked the city for a little while, stopped for drinks by the other docks, then shuttled back to the boat.

As a after thought to this, we ended up being present on the busiest day in history for San Juan, over 17,000 cruise passengers. I counted our MSC, a Disney, 2 HAL boats, a Carnival, and RCCLs new Quantam was there also. While busy, it never really felt to me like there was an overwhelming amount of people in the city.. maybe many stayed on board or went out to the countryside??