IntrepidFromDC

Everything you just said matches my experience and feelings so far.

Unless they somehow know I like to gamble, its just an offer to try to poach frequent loyal cruisers of other lines. The offer was in the list of offers on their website. Although I did the status match and am Gold status my first cruise, I never mentioned gambling at any time. That said, I did manage to drop $285 last night.

MDR has tablecloths! The caesar salad was eh, Carnival's MDR caesar salad is consistently good imo. The Carnival MDR prime rib is inconsistent in my experience, sometimes good, sometimes too fatty or gristly. This prime rib was really good for MDR food. I asked the server for a margarita and her response was a shocker "are you sure, it'll take 20 minutes". Hydration break it is, then.

A few random pics from exploring the Divina. I love all the Venetian artwork, reminds me a little bit of Carnival Pride.

Sports bar has some activities, but Carnival has the edge in big screens.

Sailaway, South Beach

Internet is working well so far. Very international crowd, including some Italians. Tomorrow is Ocean Cay, MSCs marine reserve private island. I'm a huge Half Moon Cay fan but I have a feeling Ocean Cay is going to steal top spot on my best beach list. I have a kayak adventure, hoping to see turtles and other non-finned creatures.

Pools are deeper than Carnival pools for anyone who likes to swim, 6ft+.

Buffet is just like Carnival. Everything is hit or miss. Surprisingly, Carnival's pizza is much better than MSCs, which is buffet served rather than fresh baked to order. Carved roast beef is alot like Carnival... two pretty good tasting bites followed by a bite of well disguised gristly mystery meat. Couscous was disappointing but green lentils were yummy.

Tonight's menu. Since it's an Italian line, I'm expecting better pasta than Carnival MDR.

The theater is huge, upholstery like new (contrast to the chairs in the casino on Mardi Gras)

No 15 drink limit and alcohol is included in the (cheap) price, as is internet. Hmmmm...

Note to self, don't fall for it...

No USB port in the cabin.

Main atrium is classy, not "fun". I miss the fun a little bit already. No Seuss on the loose on Divina.

Although the ship's name, Divina, is named after Sofia Loren, the names (restaurants, theaters, bars, etc) are named after my favorite city in the world, Venice, Italy.

Casino is small.

The cabin is a bit classier than Carnival cabins, but the beach towels are a joke.

Embarkation was a dream. Due to my flight arrival in MIA at 10am but my boarding time at 1pm I was prepared to be turned away when I approached check in at 1050am. Instead I hit the embarkation expressway, no line at all and they didn't even ask for the health questionnaire or ask questions, I showed my passport and was handed my room key/charge card in 2 minutes. Service was great and terminal was beautiful.

This morning I caught a flight from DCA to MIA for my first ever S2S and first ever non-Carnival cruise. I have 3 days on MSC Divina, disembark and walk to Carnival Conquest's terminal for a 4 day cruise. I have cruised 25 times, all Carnival. I will be trying to focus on differences in the brand experiences, but food and ridiculousness will find it's way home I imagine as long as I don't trip over the bathroom threshold and crack my skull like last cruise. My lives tend to be photo- and food-heavy.

Great thread, thanks for starting it. The sailaway experiences from Manhattan and NOLA are wonderful. Discovering that Alaska is such an amazing place, thanks to Carnival's deeply discounted cruise offer there, was amazing (been back twice)! Cruise out of Rome to Pompeii, Sicily, Turkey, Santorini, Mykonos, Athens, Olympia has to be the best cruise. But best experience hands-down is seeing the joyful look on my daughter's face when she returned from the kid's clubs over the years.

Do you think the sprayer might be for those who normally use a bidet? 😱 😁 🏴‍☠️

I experienced the hockey puck biscuits over a year ago on Mardi Gras, January 2022. Surprised they haven't improved. The chicken sandwiches and chicken tenders are awesome though. And Shaq sauce is pretty good but I don't care for the others, I get sauce from Blue Iguana and dip my tenders in that for a yummier experience. Have fun today!

Wow Engine Ice Dude! Fantastic, thanks for doing a live and I am excited to follow along!

Totally agreed! And if it's not the staff acting up, it's the lowly deck 1 steerage passengers. Get back down there and paddle!