Our MSC Divina Cruise - Dec. 9-16, 2017

This isn’t so much a review as it is my thoughts and impressions of our cruise on MSC Divina. I have been intrigued with trying this cruise line since I startedreading about it a couple of years ago. I liked the idea of an Italian cruise line with more of an internationalflavor that what we’ve been used to.

The Positives: Firstand foremost, the ship is gorgeous. Wewere impressed the minute we stepped on board. We enjoyed the fact that the guests on board were very international. My guess is there were probably 20%American/English-speakers, and the rest international. All announcements were done in 5 languages.

Our loyalty level on RCI matched us to MSC’s Black Cardlevel, which is their highest, and a nice way to experience MSC for the firsttime. We booked the Fantasticaexperience, and had an aft balcony cabin. Included were 12 beverage coupons each, which could be used for alcohol(with some limitations,) specialty coffees or gelatos. We were also to have preference with ourdining request. More on that later. We were given two complimentary dinners fortwo at the specialty restaurants. Theentertainment was outstanding, probably the best talent we’ve seen on a ship.

The Cruise Critic gathering was very well attended,including the Captain, the Hotel Director, the Executive Chef, and the CruiseDirector. They were truly interested inour impressions of the ship, and asked for details of what they are doing rightand what needs improvement. The HotelDirector said that many of the design flaws on Divina were corrected andimproved upon on their new ship, Seaside. A ship’s photographer was on hand to take a group picture, one of whicharrived in my cabin the following day.

A Chanukah celebration was offered each day of theholiday. MSC provided all the essentials….abattery-Menorah, Kosher wine, grape juice, potato latkas (pancakes) anddonuts. On Friday evening, they addedfresh-baked challah and battery-Sabbath candles. Lovely!!

Another major positive: The pizza!!! In fact, the buffetrestaurant provided very nice food, both in quality and selection. Hint: it’s very crowded, but if you walk waaaaaay to the back, there’s plentyof room.

The Negatives: Whenwe booked the Fantastica experience, we were told we had priority in choosingour dinner seating. We requested 1stseating when we booked the cruise (one year out) and were given 2nd. I waited almost an hour to speak with the maitre’dto straighten it out. When I booked thecruise, the customer service rep at MSC told us we’d have $100 OBC. That failed to show up. Multiple conversations with Guest Services,over the course of more than a day, finally worked it out. Neither of those two issues should havehappened.

The service was sketchy at times. Dining room staff was either overwhelmed orinexperienced. Food in MDR was fair atbest. Communication was at timesdifficult. There was a lack of publicbathrooms, and they were often very dirty.

They need more lounge chairs at the main pool, and lesstables and chairs. On sea days, findinga lounge chair was nearly impossible. There was no waiter-bar-service on the upper pool deck, only on the mainpool deck. There was nowaiter-bar-service in the Pantheon Theater.

None of these individual issues would be a deal-breakerfor booking a future MSC cruise. But itclearly shows that collectively, MSC has some work to do to meet theexpectations of the American market.

Thanks for your impressions. I have been on Divina's sister, Preziosa, when she was relatively new back in 2014 so can relate to Divina without having been on it. You are right that the international flavour changes the onboard feeling of the ship, and not in a bad way. It's also visually very impressive.

I can't say I am surprised with regard to your dining preference option issue, nor your OBC issue. Particularly with OBC, MSC seem to have great trouble between linking up what they promise shoreside and what's delivered on board - this has been the case for years. It took me some time to sort out a similar issue with regard to OBC and a bottle of wine that were never received on board. HOWEVER, I have been with MSC twice and have booked a third - as you say, these niggles aren't enough to put you off, and they don't put me off giving their pricing compared to others. But - they need to tighten up on these things, and they have needed to do that for years.

To get around the dining issue I have paid the extra for the Aurea experience, to do 'My Time' dining (or whatever MSC call it) so I can turn up whenever I want and get a table appropriate for the size of my party. I suppose it suits MSC to get me to pay a higher fare, but it suits me too as I can relax more about the dining and won't need to beg/negotiate with the Maitre D' when aboard.

Just a final note - I'm a UK resident and they have a bit of work to do to meet my expectations too, but the price point is the compromise I suppose.

How were your Black Card meals - did you have a set menu to pick from or could you swap out courses you wouldn't eat for the 'main' menu?

Our Black Card status gave us 2 complimentary dinners for 2 at the Eataly Steakhouse or Galaxy restaurant. We were 4 couples traveling together, 2 couples being Black Card, and the other 2 couples not. So we decided to use all 4 vouchers to treat our friends. We chose Eataly Steakhouse, which was very good. The food and service were head and shoulders above the MDR. There was no separate Black Card menu in the Main Dining Room.

I agree that the negative issues we experienced were not enough to completely turn us off to MSC. I do, however, find it interesting that they seem so invested in the "idea" of meeting the North American cruising standard, but still are missing the mark. They will need to deliver what is promised if they want to keep cruisers returning. Just matching loyalty status is not enough.

I think they are introducing their version of My Time Dining on their new ship, Seaside. That alone would draw me back.

So pleased to read your thoughts Karen. As mentioned, there are things that need improving to meet our expectations too (obviously been on too many 'US' lines lol).

I also feel that there inconsistency between ships, because, as you know we've sailed with MSC twice now, and the service and the way things were organised was so different on Fantasia after our first on Splendida. Fantasia was the inferior, with a few more frustrations.

The one thing I want to see being offered is the equivalent of MTD, but I'm not prepared to pay for the Aurea experience for it. Set dining times on our last sailing was far too late at 9:15pm.

I'm also watching the price rises that they are implementing, because this could negate the desire to sail with them, unless the service aspect improves.

At the moment I'm awaiting the release of the TA that Meraviglia will be doing to New York in 2019, that's one we're interested in because the days of reasonable prices for a TA with Celebrity and RCI seem to be over of the prices if those released for 2019 are anything to go by.

The one thing I want to see being offered is the equivalent of MTD, but I'm not prepared to pay for the Aurea experience for it. Set dining times on our last sailing was far too late at 9:15pm.

For us the differential was c. £400 p.p on a 12 night European itinerary, but instantly knock £192 each off that for the drinks package that we were going to buy anyway. For us roughly £200 each is a price worth paying to have MTD only, and to ensure we would have a table for two (call us introverts!) when dining. With the other Aurea perks thrown in such as the private sundeck, thermal access, free massage (even although we are not 'spa people') and priority boarding it makes the differential more palatable - especially so as the base fare is lower than our usual 'go-to' line which is NCL. Believe me I crunched the calculator for hours to make a decision on this one, but I'm happy so far (the proof will be how I feel when we return from our cruise in March!). It's funny how everyone has a different priority - other people would call me crazy for paying £200 p.p to avoid having to have a 'traditional' dining experience but personally I'd probably be happy to pay a bit more!!

Appreciate ypur feedback. Good to know they have My Time dinng on the Seaside.

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Just a final note - I'm a UK resident and they have a bit of work to do to meet my expectations too, but the price point is the compromise I suppose.

?

If you ever need to call the UK customer relations ask to speak to Stuart Chalmers he really knows the ‘system’ and English is his first language [emoji3]

Thanks for the feedback.

Thanks for posting this and for all the extra information. So good to get feedback fresh off the ship. :)

Mind if I ask when did they hold the Cruise Critic Meet and Mingle? Hoping they do that somewhere about mid-afternoon on the first sea day.

When we book back 2 years ago right after telling us we had priority at dinner seating the CS said to me, "Now, there is available seating at the second dinner seating" and we both chuckled.

Have cruised MSC since 2006 in the Caribbean. Cruised the Divina 3 times this year. Still don't understand why people say that MSC needs to become more US type cruise. I don't find that much of a difference between MSC, RCI, NCL, Celebrity and Princess which we have cruise all of these this year.

Food is very subjective, however, we do not cruise for food. Food quality has gone done over the years on all cruise lines. They are trying to force passengers to use the Specialty Restaurants. Even the Specialty Restaurants have changed with selection, quality and price.

As for Aurea Anytime dining. Yes, you may choose your time of dining. However, it is on the lower deck of the Black Crab and a section when you first enter the MDR on the Left side of the MDR. We just got off of the Divina and had Anytime dining. If you choose a time, you will get it. But there is no special area really set aside for it. We have done both - Traditional and Anytime. Other than time, no difference. Same menu, service and MDR. Somewhat misleading when you read about it on the MSC site. Would I pay $300/person for this Anytime dining? No, but the other perks are worth it. I can get a table for 2 without the extra $$$$s.

As for the private sundeck, yes, we tried that one time and it was mainly in the sun. There were seats and very few people there.

Everyone has a choice and they pay for their choice. Enjoy your cruise!!! Happy Cruising.

I was in this cruise. When we get home, I will post my lengthy review. I got food poisoning. It ruined my trip. I am still sick. What was worse was paying for the aurea experience and even though I had my receipt to show them, a glitch in their system wouldn’t allow it to show up until half way through the cruise and we were denied all amenities. No drinks. No private sin deck. No spa. No robes (which we desperately needed since the airlines lost all of our luggage). Unreal. We paid for so much they would not give us. I even offered to pay twice so we could drink, but they denied us— it made no sense.

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I was in this cruise. When we get home, I will post my lengthy review. I got food poisoning. It ruined my trip. I am still sick. What was worse was paying for the aurea experience and even though I had my receipt to show them, a glitch in their system wouldn’t allow it to show up until half way through the cruise and we were denied all amenities. No drinks. No private sin deck. No spa. No robes (which we desperately needed since the airlines lost all of our luggage). Unreal. We paid for so much they would not give us. I even offered to pay twice so we could drink, but they denied us— it made no sense.

 

 

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Typo!! Sun deck, not sin deck. Lol

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Were you the only one who got food poisoning on this cruise? What do you think you ate that gave you this?

You posted:

'Anyone else come down with a food Bourne illness? '

'I am a germophobe. I am the pickiest eater I've ever known. I, in general, dislike people, and normal children annoy me. I will be back from the DIvina on Dec. 16. I will let you know if I survive. I...'

Thanks for the review.

Thanks for posting this and for all the extra information. So good to get feedback fresh off the ship. :)

 

Mind if I ask when did they hold the Cruise Critic Meet and Mingle? Hoping they do that somewhere about mid-afternoon on the first sea day.

When we book back 2 years ago right after telling us we had priority at dinner seating the CS said to me, "Now, there is available seating at the second dinner seating" and we both chuckled.

The Meet & Mingle was held the 2nd sea day, around 10:30 a.m. They had a lovely set up in a large lounge. They served alcoholic & non-alcoholic beverages, fresh strawberries, canapes, and a lovely sheet cake welcoming all the Cruise Critic members. It was a very nice get-together!

Have cruised MSC since 2006 in the Caribbean. Cruised the Divina 3 times this year. Still don't understand why people say that MSC needs to become more US type cruise. I don't find that much of a difference between MSC, RCI, NCL, Celebrity and Princess which we have cruise all of these this year.

Food is very subjective, however, we do not cruise for food. Food quality has gone done over the years on all cruise lines. They are trying to force passengers to use the Specialty Restaurants. Even the Specialty Restaurants have changed with selection, quality and price.

As for Aurea Anytime dining. Yes, you may choose your time of dining. However, it is on the lower deck of the Black Crab and a section when you first enter the MDR on the Left side of the MDR. We just got off of the Divina and had Anytime dining. If you choose a time, you will get it. But there is no special area really set aside for it. We have done both - Traditional and Anytime. Other than time, no difference. Same menu, service and MDR. Somewhat misleading when you read about it on the MSC site. Would I pay $300/person for this Anytime dining? No, but the other perks are worth it. I can get a table for 2 without the extra $$$$s.

As for the private sundeck, yes, we tried that one time and it was mainly in the sun. There were seats and very few people there.

Everyone has a choice and they pay for their choice. Enjoy your cruise!!! Happy Cruising.

I certainly agree with you that food is subjective. And I agree that it's gone downhill across most of the mass-market cruise lines. We don't cruise for the food alone, but for my money. I prefer to enjoy a good meal with excellent service vs. blah food with not-so-great service. My husband and I do not have unrealistic expectations, I don't think it's wrong to want to at least enjoy our dinner when we are on a vacation that we paid good money for. I won't go to any restaurant anywhere that I can't expect to enjoy my meal.

I was in this cruise. When we get home, I will post my lengthy review. I got food poisoning. It ruined my trip. I am still sick. What was worse was paying for the aurea experience and even though I had my receipt to show them, a glitch in their system wouldn’t allow it to show up until half way through the cruise and we were denied all amenities. No drinks. No private sin deck. No spa. No robes (which we desperately needed since the airlines lost all of our luggage). Unreal. We paid for so much they would not give us. I even offered to pay twice so we could drink, but they denied us— it made no sense.

 

 

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I'm so sorry you got sick on the cruise. I hope you will be well very soon.

I certainly agree with you that food is subjective. And I agree that it's all gone downhill over the years. We don't cruise for the food alone, but for my money. I prefer to enjoy a good meal with excellent service vs. blah food with not-so-great service. My husband and I do not have unrealistic expectations, I don't think it's wrong to want to at least enjoy our dinner when we are on a vacation that we paid good money for. I won't go to any restaurant anywhere that I can't expect to enjoy my meal.

Totally agree with your assessment. However, the cruise lines are not improving the quality of food and service.

Totally agree with your assessment. However, the cruise lines are not improving the quality of food and service.

Lines are starting to push speciality restaurants. ;)

Thank you for your report.

Keith

Lines are starting to push speciality restaurants. ;)

I agree with you. We typically will go to one specialty restaurant on a cruise, but I refuse to pay extra much beyond that. In the case of Divina, the food in the buffet restaurant was better than in the dining room (with the exception of the people who contracted food poisoning from bad hot dogs!) The pizza alone was worth the price of admission!

I'm also watching the price rises that they are implementing, because this could negate the desire to sail with them, unless the service aspect improves.

 

At the moment I'm awaiting the release of the TA that Meraviglia will be doing to New York in 2019, that's one we're interested in because the days of reasonable prices for a TA with Celebrity and RCI seem to be over of the prices if those released for 2019 are anything to go by.

Pete ............I've also noticed quite an increase in prices overall with MSC and the TAs are now coming in at the same per diem rate as regular cruises which makes them a heck of a lot more expensive than they used to be and not such great value anymore.

Karen ............. thank you for sharing your thoughts and experiences from your Divina cruise.

Hi Karen and David, thanks for referring your cruise buddies to this review. Well done and I appreciate you sharing your thoughts. Often times I would like to consider other cruise lines, but it sounds like MSC is mostly comparable to RC. I guess for now we'll stick with RC and make some more progress towards D+.

P.S. Sending you a CC friend request :)

Hi Karen and David, thanks for referring your cruise buddies to this review. Well done and I appreciate you sharing your thoughts. Often times I would like to consider other cruise lines, but it sounds like MSC is mostly comparable to RC. I guess for now we'll stick with RC and make some more progress towards D+.

 

P.S. Sending you a CC friend request :)

Hi Mike,

Thanks for your comments. It's never a bad idea to try new things, but David and I both agree that we will wait until MSC gets its act together more before trying it again. I've been reading the reviews of their newest ship, Seaside, which is as we speak, on it's way to Miami, where she will be homeported. If MSC gets their customer service and some other issues up to a bit higher standard, then I will book her. In the meantime, I'm happy we'll be back on RCI in August. There's something to be said for comfortable and familiar. And we do love our Diamond benefits, and will continue to inch our way up to D+.

Thanks for the CC friend request, although we've been friends for years....LOL! Best to you and Julie!

My Husband and I were on the Divina the week previous to you KeywestK and I pretty much agree with all your comments. This was our 3rd MSC cruise and our least favourite. No offence meant to anyone but I found the MDR 3 course menu's too heavy and American biased, very much like NCL.

The other 2 cruises were more Italian focused with lighter multiple courses. This is my personal taste, as said earlier food is subjective.

What I really did like was popular live music being played in the bars, the other 2 were a bit heavy on classical and opera.

So lack of Sunbeds and toilet facilities and not great MDR food haven't put me off, we've got 2 more booked for this year.

Oh I also came home with a stomach bug, but I put it down to a filthy run down MIA ! who knows it could of been a parting gift from the Divina