cruisetrail Posted July 18, 2013 Author #76 Share Posted July 18, 2013 (edited) He took one small portion of regular dinner menu on MSC and added formal night menu from HAL. This is one small, but telling detail. Sorry my friends, I have to answer.If lie is repeated 100 times people start to believe it. Post #38 Written in bold: Gala Dinner Menu With all the respect! Edited July 18, 2013 by cruisetrail Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisetrail Posted July 18, 2013 Author #77 Share Posted July 18, 2013 Front Observation Lounge! Before we go to the most enjoyable part of our prospective cruise, let's mention a sort of a bridge from inside the ship to the endless beauty of the Caribbean.. Front observation lounge. We spend quite a bit of our cruising time there. This time is not as long as important: entering ports in inclement weather, having some relaxing time watching scenery in air-conditioned lounge. Some events from entertainment and enrichment programs take place their. It's called Crow's Nest on Eurodam / Nieuw amsterdam: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
All aboard?? Posted July 18, 2013 #78 Share Posted July 18, 2013 Have to answer.If lie is repeated 100 times people start to believe it. Post #38 Written in bold: Gala Dinner Menu Cruisetrail - please start comparing Apples with Apples.... http://www.msccruisesagent.com/menus.aspx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deckhandoug Posted July 18, 2013 #79 Share Posted July 18, 2013 The buffets look like I remember them on both lines, the menus too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
All aboard?? Posted July 18, 2013 #80 Share Posted July 18, 2013 The buffets look like I remember them on both lines, the menus too The link that I posted shows both Med and Caribbean menus - Cruisetrail has omitted that he could have possibly used a Med menu for Divina; when in fact as I have mentioned before MSC bespoke the cruises to the region - as per my link the Caribbean menu is very different to the Med one and as we are supposedly comparing MSC and HAL in a Caribbean setting I believe it is only just that he uses the correct point of reference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tatka Posted July 18, 2013 #81 Share Posted July 18, 2013 Sorry my friends, I have to answer.If lie is repeated 100 times people start to believe it. Post #38 Written in bold: Gala Dinner Menu With all the respect! Oh, your friends are crying already. LOL. This is not a lie, but a partially picked somewhere piece of menu. I posted menu below. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tatka Posted July 18, 2013 #82 Share Posted July 18, 2013 The buffets look like I remember them on both lines, the menus too In my review (see my signature) I posted tons of pictures, including buffet... ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tatka Posted July 18, 2013 #83 Share Posted July 18, 2013 (edited) Buffet Edited July 18, 2013 by Tatka Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tatka Posted July 18, 2013 #84 Share Posted July 18, 2013 I am not big on photography, don't like to take pictures of food and have almost superwide lens (for landscapes) so quality is definitely not there, but quality and variety of food is good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tatka Posted July 18, 2013 #85 Share Posted July 18, 2013 Buffet is beautiful and people friendly and accomodating Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisetrail Posted July 18, 2013 Author #86 Share Posted July 18, 2013 Open Decks! Open Front Observation Deck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisetrail Posted July 18, 2013 Author #87 Share Posted July 18, 2013 Forward Sun Deck Eurodam / Nieuw Amsterdam at sea. Forward Sun Deck (free access) is Deck 12 (retreat cabanas are seen behind it on Deck 11) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deckhandoug Posted July 18, 2013 #88 Share Posted July 18, 2013 Tatka, the buffets you posted and the ones he posted are the same food, I can see the buns, cheese, tomatoes etc for the burgers and hotdogs in your pictures, just not the meat. Peas, carrots, mysterious kettles of something which resembled last nights main course, it's all there along with the prepackaged deserts The setting may be different, but the foods the same Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
All aboard?? Posted July 18, 2013 #89 Share Posted July 18, 2013 Open Decks! Open Front Observation Deck To be honest Cruisetrail 19 nights on board the Nieuw Amsterdam and not once did I see the access hatches to those decks unlocked...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tatka Posted July 18, 2013 #90 Share Posted July 18, 2013 (edited) Tatka, the buffets you posted and the ones he posted are the same food, I can see the buns, cheese, tomatoes etc for the burgers and hotdogs in your pictures, just not the meat. Peas, carrots, mysterious kettles of something which resembled last nights main course, it's all there along with the prepackaged deserts The setting may be different, but the foods the same Just did not have pictures of meat. First picture has two trays with fish and meat. Every day there where 3-4 types of meat and 2 types of fish. Plus Asian meat dishes, and... Everything was fresh and nice. Meat in buffet was fine. Steaks in DR IMHO were not very good. This is the only thing I did not like. By the way I liked HAL buffet, but was not impressed with MDR food at all. Edited July 18, 2013 by Tatka Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisetrail Posted July 18, 2013 Author #91 Share Posted July 18, 2013 Pool Deck Eurodam / Nieuw Amsterdam at Sea Sunny day in the Caribbean. MSC Divina - a pool under sliding roof. It's called "Serene Pool". It can be serene if kids are not there... Pictures of the pool deck are taken on sea days during high season (I believe) with "kids sail free" on board. European cruises (various sources). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisetrail Posted July 18, 2013 Author #92 Share Posted July 18, 2013 We are leaving sun decks for a while... Promenade Deck! Eurodam / Nieuw Amsterdam feature the second best wrap-around promenade deck at sea (after the Queen Mary 2) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisetrail Posted July 18, 2013 Author #93 Share Posted July 18, 2013 SPA! Another place we won't miss on a cruise ship is Hydropool. This is a core feature of spa complex. We like it very much! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisetrail Posted July 18, 2013 Author #94 Share Posted July 18, 2013 Pool Decks! (continued) Central pool area on MSC Divina Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisetrail Posted July 18, 2013 Author #95 Share Posted July 18, 2013 Sun Deck (midships superstructure) Eurodam / Nieuw Amsterdam have wast and very private sun deck on top of the mid-ships superstructure. Views from here are marvelous. MSC has implemented this idea in the Fantasia class. However, this sun deck is not that wast, somewhat clustered and has full height fence (all sides) that blocks sea views. Note where people have to seat to get decent views.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deckhandoug Posted July 18, 2013 #96 Share Posted July 18, 2013 Just did not have pictures of meat. First picture has two trays with fish and meat. Every day there where 3-4 types of meat and 2 types of fish. Plus Asian meat dishes, and... Everything was fresh and nice. Meat in buffet was fine. Steaks in DR IMHO were not very good. This is the only thing I did not like. By the way I liked HAL buffet, but was not impressed with MDR food at all. No, I meant just didn't have the burger and hotdogs in picture 11, they are to the left of the breads I believe, while he had the hamburgers and hotdogs shown I wasn't trying to imply they didn't have meat or fish selections at all, and you are right MSC usually had several fish offerings on the buffet, while American lines usually one. One of the lines does have decent fish and chips, fried oysters and ceviche in the buffet area, I can't remember which one but its a welcome change Most steaks on cruise ships are pretty much hit or miss anyway, I wouldn't order an American style steak in an Italian themed restaurant or cruise ship as a rule Anyway, back to the review:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisetrail Posted July 18, 2013 Author #97 Share Posted July 18, 2013 Water Slide! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisetrail Posted July 18, 2013 Author #98 Share Posted July 18, 2013 (edited) Pool Decks! (concluded) The most important aft pool that is supposed to be adult area on cruise ships, and so it is on Eurodam / Nieuw Amsterdam. The pool itself is nice on the Divina but the pool area is way too small and clustered even in comparison with the HAL Signature class ships that carry roughly 1,500 less passengers... On HAL ships we can comfortably turn the lounger to follow sun rays. There is no space for an apple to drop on the Divina... Another problem - the aft pool on the Divina is relatively shallow that may attract kids (the pool on Eurodam / Nieuw Amsterdam is much deeper) These pictures are from European cruises. There is nor order. Kids are everywhere. Hopefully MSC will be able to establish and maintain rules on the Caribbean cruises, otherwise that will be a disaster. Edited July 18, 2013 by cruisetrail Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisetrail Posted July 18, 2013 Author #99 Share Posted July 18, 2013 Itinerary! HAL Eurodam / Nieuw Amsterdam Fort Lauderdale At Sea Grand Turk San Juan St. Thomas At Sea Half Moon Cay Fort Lauderdale MSC Divina Miami At Sea At Sea St. Maarten San Juan At Sea Great Stirrup Cay Miami HAL offered much better itinerary for Eastern Caribbean. Four ports vs three. HAL offers Grand Turk and Half Moon Cay - two stops we are looking forward most of all (video) I don't mind sea days but the comparison of our two options is not in favor of MSC Divina: huge number of passengers, significant space taken out of public use d/t presence of Yacht Club, clustered aft pool deck, lack of real promenade deck, lack of observation lounge, lack of observation deck. Add better food on HAL Add Hydropool on HAL Add better cabin on HAL On top of that all - the offer from HAL will cost us.... $150 less. Tough choice.....:) My first cruise with MSC? Time will tell. I need at list one attractive thing besides "technical interest". They cannot rebuild the ship. They won't reduce capacity. What they can improve: itinerary, food, order on board. Best wishes to MSC Divina. If they work hard - this ship will find a lot of followers among Carnival and NCL clientele. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bltrn Posted July 18, 2013 #100 Share Posted July 18, 2013 GEEZZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If you are so enchanted with HAL, why don't you go to their forum and sing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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