Recently returned from 2 separate cruises....any ????'s

We were on the "Caribbean Princess" early Jan and end of the month on MSC "Divina". Any questions on either? My observation/comparisons on either?

What's your thinking about the comparison between the two cruise lines?

Shows, food, entertainment.

Could you please do a mini review comparing entertainment and food?

It would greatly assist those of us (me) who are considering MSC in the future

Thanks!

What entertainment did you have on the Caribbean Princess? I understand she is moving a little slowly these days; did anything else impact your enjoyment of the ship?

I'm not sure it matters since I'm already booked on her, but.....inquiring minds, you know.

We were on the "Caribbean Princess" early Jan and end of the month on MSC "Divina". Any questions on either? My observation/comparisons on either?

Yes, would like to hear this from you.

Yes, would like to hear this from you.

Ditto.

Tony

Did you have any issues with the Caribbean Princess making ports timely? Were any skipped/missed due to the propulsion issue?

If I may jump in here; I am sailing CB and received an update from Princess. Only two of the four ports have been shortened by 30 minutes. To me that is no big deal; doesn't seem to be that bad. Plus an offer of $50 obc for the inconvience

I would also love to hear OP comparison, although CB having problems may not be a fair comparison. Have wondered about MSC...

A few things: One, we are "Elite" on Princess (24 sailings) We've been on MSC once before a LONG time ago on the "Melody" which was formerly Home Lines "Atlantic". However, MSC matches the highest tier you are on any line with their comparable tier. The only port we missed was the out island (bad weather and winds) so that became a sea day and the following, which should have been a sea day we went to Ochos Rios. Unfortunately, it pour that day, all day. Had I not been on Princess before, I wold have said it was a great cruise, but I was a bid disappointed. My biggest complaint was when at the pool, recorded music was techno/pop/rap that was so loud, you had to SCREAM at the person sitting right next to you. You could still hear it if you went to the other pool and the "back pool" is pretty much always in the shade because it's right below "Skywalkers". However there are plenty of loungers on the higher decks, albeit not close to a pool. They became more and more popular as folks were avoiding the noise. Service and staff were very, very good and accommodating, everywhere. Shows were "so-so" on CP especially compared to those on the Divina. They were all very Las Vegas review/Cirque de Soilel-ish (no jugglers, no comedians) and very, very professional synchronized/technical lighting. We had a suite on Caribbean Princess, and a standard balcony on Divina. Size and layout was comparable, balcony was bigger on Divina and we paid a LOT less for our cabin on the Divina. For what it cost, I was expecting a LOT more in a suite. I didn't think it was anything more than a standard balcony cabin other than we had a tub in the bathroom. Lounges were more spacious and IMO much prettier on the Divina. Breakfast/lunch offered more choices on Divina and their pizza was by far the best I've had on a ship (and there were 5 kinds, every day) I like smoked salmon and whitefish with a bagel for breakfast. On Princess, it was one one day, one the next, and so on. On the Divina, both daily. On the Divina, light snacks are available until 2AM. Now we couldn't even get coffee or tea at the buffet after 11PM. On Princess we got 250 min of internet. We've not big techies, so we only used 20-something minutes, but if you wanted to buy time, I think it was like over $100 for a specified time. It was something like $20 for the length of the cruise on the Divina. With top tier on the Divina we also got a bottle of prosecco and chocolate covered strawberries in our cabin on formal nights and one night for two in a specialty restaurant. We have absolutely no complaints with MDR food or service on either ship. On Princess, at the M&G there was a table with pastries, coffee, juice. On Divina there was a tray of h'ors douvers, fresh strawberries on each table and continuous open bar for the duration. Same for the "Black Party", Black level on MSC is comparable to Elite on Princess. All and all, I was VERY impressed with the Divina and a little bit disappointed with the CP, only because we've been on Princess so many times. Also, it's a lot easier to make a comparison between the two when you're on both only a couple of weeks apart. Will we sail on Princess again...yes. Will we sail on MSC again...you betcha! It appeared that MSC is doing a LOT to make you want to sail again with them. Alos..we got a $75 OBC for the cabin on Princess. We thought we were getting a $175 (yes 1-7-5) OBC for the cabin on MSC, turns out....it was $175 per person!

Thanks for posting

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A few things:

 

 

I like smoked salmon and whitefish with a bagel for breakfast. On Princess, it was one one day, one the next, and so on. Actually, they are available every day, but only alternate days for being displayed. If you want smoked salmon and it is not out that day, just ask a server and they will get some for you.

 

 

On the Divina, both daily. On the Divina, light snacks are available until 2AM. Now we couldn't even get coffee or tea at the buffet after 11PM. True at the buffet, but coffee, tea and snacks are available at no charge all night on ships that have the International Cafe.

 

 

On Princess, at the M&G there was a table with pastries, coffee, juice. That is unusual. I have never seen refreshments provided at any M&G on Princess.

see above in red

Thanks for this thread, Marco. You piqued our interest in the MSC Divina and we did some research. We both decided that we'd like to try it some time. In our research we also saw pictures of some other MSC ships and decided that we would never sail on the Seaside...what an ugly ship. Our preference is for ships with classical lines . The Italian influence on the Divina was also of interest to us as was their Caribbean itineraries that were a little different from Princess. We appreciate you nudging us to look at other options.

Very interesting! I have been wondering if we should try MSC and it sounds like we should.

Thanks, Marco, for the in-depth comparison.

Do I understand correctly that since you were Elite on Princess that MSC automatically moved you to their 'Elite' status? That would be so nice to be able to transfer status like that!

Is MSC part of the Carnival Corp fleet?

We must look into a MSC cruise!

Thanks Marco for the comparison report. It answered most of the questions we have about the difference in the two cruises. We were under the impression that MSC had set times for food and that none was available after dinner.

We are also wondering if MSC accepts your Princess Elite credits, do you then lose the Elite status on Princess?

Also, what is the casino like aboard the Divina? Do they have room service; for example, for breakfast. We always book a mini suite on Princess ships so what type of room would be its equal on the Divina?

We really appreciate your response to our above questions.

We are not big casino fans, but my b-i-l was quite happy with his results. Yes, you can have room service breakfast similar to other lines, put the card out on your cabin door (I think it was before midnight) for breakfast the next morning. And all other room service is available as well. They do have "anytime" dining, but we were a large group, so we opted for same table(s) fixed time, and we round robined between 3 tables.. Their top tier repeater status is "Black" and being Elite on Princess were were (and will be on any future MSC cruise) "black". As for the cabins...we had a suite on the Caribbean Princess and except for the fact that we had a tub rather than just a shower, the standard balcony cabin on the Divina was pretty much comparable in size and layout, and the balcony was bigger and we paid a LOT less. Our TA told us about the matching repeater tier status. I just went on the Princess site, saw what my status was, did a copy and paste and e-mailed it to MSC and that was that.

 

Do I understand correctly that since you were Elite on Princess that MSC automatically moved you to their 'Elite' status? That would be so nice to be able to transfer status like that! It is not automatic. You need to apply for it and provide proof of your Princess elite status (a photo of your elite cruise card will do it). You can do this before even booking a MSC cruise.

 

Is MSC part of the Carnival Corp fleet? No

 

We are also wondering if MSC accepts your Princess Elite credits, do you then lose the Elite status on Princess? No

See comments in red above

Doesn't sound like Marco had a real suite on Princess. he said all he got was a tub instead of a shower. Sounds like a mini suite to me.The full suites have bigger balconies, a tub and a shower and he indicated that his was smaller than the balcony cabin he had on MSC.

Thank you Marco telling us about MSC. Sound like something we may try in the future.

Doesn't sound like Marco had a real suite on Princess. he said all he got was a tub instead of a shower. Sounds like a mini suite to me.

 

Probably so....but it still cost twice as much as a standard balcony on the Divina.

Yes, you do have to register with MSC to get matching status. I thought I made that clear in previous post.

Marco, I went on MSC website . I didn't understand the different levels for the same cabin.

Looks like you pay more for different packages(Bella, Fantastica, Aurea)Did you have to do this with your Elite Status and if you paid extra, was it worth it? Noticed that Bella added nothing extra but Fantastica added over $300.00 for same cabin, and Aurea over $600.

I may call MSC to help figure all this out.

Doesn't sound like Marco had a real suite on Princess. he said all he got was a tub instead of a shower. Sounds like a mini suite to me.The full suites have bigger balconies, a tub and a shower and he indicated that his was smaller than the balcony cabin he had on MSC.

 

On the Royal class, full suites on the sides of the ship still only have a 3' wide balcony, even if the length is longer.

On the Royal class, full suites on the sides of the ship still only have a 3' wide balcony, even if the length is longer.

As much as I like the Regal & Royal this remains one of the biggest drawbacks.

The different classes on MSC provide different perks. Bella is the cheapest and you get your cabin and meals but nothing else. Fantastica gives you better cabin options (location) and 12 free drink coupons per person, plus your choice of early or late dining, space permitting (like all lines). Aurea includes unlimited drink packages for all, plus one hour massages for the first two occupants, anytime dining, and access to a special sundeck and the thermal suite for the length of the cruise. If you're going to try MSC pay attention to the deck plans...we got a two room Aurea suite for the same price as the one room Aurea suite. We loved our Divina cruise, felt it was a great value for a solid product. We used to sail DCL consistently, so expect a beautiful, clean ship, and MSC delivered.

I am following this.

Keith