Divina Reviews

[sharecruises]

I wrote a review and submitted it for the 3 night sailing :)

 

I think some people let the little things really get to them.....

 

I have been pretty unhappy with my last couple cruises on mainstream lines....mainly Carnival which has had so many cutbacks on the live entertainment. I really enjoy the shows and the musicians on MSC

 

and while I like NCL, the free style dining is not my favorite, the "included" food in the main dining rooms is pretty bad - for instance the shrimp cocktail is salad shrimps - tiny -swimming in a sauce..it was horrible. You have to pay for the upsell restaurants on NCL to get the kind of food MSC served in the main dining room included in fare

[GOLDENBONNY]

There appears to be a lot of MSC conformists on here, ones who would accept a poor service, slow service, a lack of quality of food, and possibly any other complaint that may arise simply because it is a "repo" i do not recall reading any small print saying there will be a degraded service while repositioning , its not a case of get what you paid for, if a company claims its 5 stars then that is what you should receive, and expect, if you don't provide what you claim then you leave yourself wide open to complaints

 

 

1. MSC not a 5* cruise line .

2.How much did you pay? 1000$ for 18 nights? what would you buy in London for this money ? How many nights in 3* Hotel? how many good dinners (if you find any good food in London).? You know why repo cruises so cheap? because everyone knows how it could be.

 

Looking for 5* book Oceana or Silverstar they little bit more money lets say 6000$ pp cheapest cabin. MSC is mass market cruise line and they give no less service, food or entertaiment than any other cruise line. I been on many of them include luxury ones I can compare.

[ISLANDCRUSO]

How much did you pay? 1000$ for 18 nights?

 

Bonny can you give me a link for a cruise line with those prices please ? :)

[nowaysis]

1. MSC not a 5* cruise line .

2.How much did you pay? 1000$ for 18 nights? what would you buy in London for this money ? How many nights in 3* Hotel? how many good dinners (if you find any good food in London).? You know why repo cruises so cheap? because everyone knows how it could be.

 

Looking for 5* book Oceana or Silverstar they little bit more money lets say 6000$ pp cheapest cabin. MSC is mass market cruise line and they give no less service, food or entertaiment than any other cruise line. I been on many of them include luxury ones I can compare.

 

Your right its not 5*, but when we went to reception to complain about something lol, they seriously tried to convince me it was a 5* hotel, I told them I was not buying that and said it was a 3*, I would imagine someone higher up had convinced them of this

 

The entertainment is the same, all the shows were the same with different costumes, like I have pointed out in previous posts, no plot, no story and no point. Even the guy doing the Michael Jackson can't even mime to the songs and it appears he has been doing over a year, fantastic dancing from all I must admit but just let down by the people who put these productions together :)

[nowaysis]

How much did you pay? 1000$ for 18 nights?

 

Bonny can you give me a link for a cruise line with those prices please ? :)

 

If we had paid what would be roughly the equivalent around 700 pounds things may not have been to bad lol, but like I've said previously it is not a case of get what you paid for :eek:

[kevsue]

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Pack your washrags...hysterical!

 

 

 

Barbara

 

Made me laugh too!!My husband usually has to endure my awful English cooking so he is looking forward to 2 weeks of Italian cooking. ITS AN ITALIAN SHIP!!!I'm looking forward to more reviews but nothing will spoil my holiday of a lifetime :)

[Skipper Tim]

Your right its not 5*, but when we went to reception to complain about something lol, they seriously tried to convince me it was a 5* hotel, I told them I was not buying that and said it was a 3*, I would imagine someone higher up had convinced them of this

 

Cruise ships do not have official star ratings.

 

The Berlitz 2013 Guide, which is probably the most comprehensive and authorative going, gives the Divina four and a half star (out of 5).

 

The entertainment is the same, all the shows were the same with different costumes, like I have pointed out in previous posts, no plot, no story and no point. Even the guy doing the Michael Jackson can't even mime to the songs and it appears he has been doing over a year, fantastic dancing from all I must admit but just let down by the people who put these productions together :)

 

MSC follow the Mediterranean tradition of using an 'animation team' to run and provide the entertainment. If you had stayed in Med 'resort' hotels you would be used to them. The one skill they are required to have is dancing. I don't care for this type of entertainment either. Thankfully MSC also place plenty of talented musicians around their ships at different times, but centred on the evenings, which more than compensate. Some of the classical duos I have heard were simply brilliant.

[sthelder]

Both Divina and Preziosa are in the top 10 large resort ships category in the 2014 guide (the rest of the top 10 are made up of Cunard and Celebrity ships). QE got a 5+ star rating, and the rest are all 4+ star ships according to 2014 guide.

 

My personal take is it's more because Douglas Ward prefers Cunard, Celebrity and MSC over the the rest of the fields.

[Skipper Tim]

Both Divina and Preziosa are in the top 10 large resort ships category in the 2014 guide (the rest of the top 10 are made up of Cunard and Celebrity ships). QE got a 5+ star rating, and the rest are all 4+ star ships according to 2014 guide.

 

My personal take is it's more because Douglas Ward prefers Cunard, Celebrity and MSC over the the rest of the fields.

 

Interesting. MSC Divina was no. 12 in the 2013 guide (the Preziosa was too new to be rated). The Next MSC ships to appear in 'the charts' were the Fantasia at 24 and her younger sister, the Splendida, at 26 with ships from a diversity of lines above them: Princess, Disney, Norwegian, more Celebrity and the two TUI Mein Schiffs. For two MSC ships to move up implies the cruise industry (upon which the rating methodology is based - a score from 2000 spanning ship, accommodation, food, service, entertainment, and cruise) beleives MSC is doing something right, even compared to the year before for the same ship(s).

 

I have used the Berlitz guide since the 2009 edition for reference but this is the first time I have ever looked at the cruise ship rankings (tooked away in the back). I note that Cunard's QM2 for guests travelling in Brittania class - which are the vast majority - is rated below all three MSC Fantasia class ships, at 27, in the 2013 guide. BTW, the highest placed RCI and HAL ships, Allure, Oasis and the Nieuw Amsterdam appear several places further down.

 

Berlitz should start ranking Yacht Club separately on Fantasia class ships as they do with Grill class on QM2. Then MSC would probably take 4 of the top ten and 7 or 8 of the top 20 positions.

 

Finally, I would recommend the Berlitz 'Cruising & Cruise Ships' guide for some sound and informed objectivity. It is a welcome relief and in stark contrast to many threads, too many, on the MSC forum that sound to be written by people who have never been out of their own backyard - despite a lengthy cruising history in some cases.

Edited November 29, 2013 by Skipper Tim

[sthelder]

Extracted from 2014 guide. Take with a pinch of salt if you will.

 

[cruisetrail]

Extracted from 2014 guide. Take with a pinch of salt if you will.

 

... and a good deal of mustard and ketchup.:D

[nowaysis]

... and a good deal of mustard and ketchup.:D

 

i was happy to see HP sauce, loved it with my little sausages, funny strips of bacon & Sunnyside up eggs lmfao :D

[GOLDENBONNY]

How much did you pay? 1000$ for 18 nights?

 

Bonny can you give me a link for a cruise line with those prices please ? :)

 

Eh... MSC web...

[kevsue]

i was happy to see HP sauce, loved it with my little sausages, funny strips of bacon & Sunnyside up eggs lmfao :D

 

Do they seriously have hp sauce? Dont suppose they have marmite and pg tips too?? Might reduce the weight of my luggage!!!

[Skipper Tim]

Dont suppose they have marmite and pg tips too??

 

Now, there is a serious question you could post FAO MSC USA. I would like to know the answer to that.

 

I can remember seeing every sort of condiment imaginable on the Fantasia and all brand names from around the World, but I can't recall seeing Marmite (or Vegemite for our Aussie cousins).

[marcoigna]

Eh... MSC web...

 

How much did you pay? 1000$ for 18 nights?

 

Bonny can you give me a link for a cruise line with those prices please ? :)

 

 

for sure, try this - 18nights - 999.00 usd ... great deal, so yes they are out there..!!!!

 

http://www.msccruisesusa.com/us_en/Cruise-Departures/Cruise-Itinerary-MSC-Divina-Rates.aspx?cruise_id=DI20140524MIARIO&ship_code=DI

[papcx]

Now, there is a serious question you could post FAO MSC USA. I would like to know the answer to that.

 

I can remember seeing every sort of condiment imaginable on the Fantasia and all brand names from around the World, but I can't recall seeing Marmite (or Vegemite for our Aussie cousins).

 

FO has little pots of marmite with the jams!

[sidari]

No Earl grey either apart from some make called Everton that was like dish water .... :eek: most of the rest was Twinnings.

 

we bought PG Teabags during the Malta visit and a jar of coffee though we did spot coffee sachets in the cupboards under the cup storage area a few days later as one was being closed.

[moomoocow]

Do they seriously have hp sauce? Dont suppose they have marmite and pg tips too?? Might reduce the weight of my luggage!!!

 

Can confirm HP sauce available in bottles in the Preziosa buffet.

 

If you ask nicely then a lovely waiter will bring some to the MDR for breakfast.

[tbmrt]

Love spicy italian!

Barbara

[Skipper Tim]

FO has little pots of marmite with the jams!

 

You could have borrowed one for your next cruise.

[AmoMondo]

Love spicy italian!

Barbara

 

I've been on MSC ships and to Italy many times and have never seen hot red peeper flakes. Think this must be an American Italian thing rather than Italian Italian thing. Not even sure what they are - is it red chillies dried and flaked or something like that?

Edited November 29, 2013 by AmoMondo

[nowaysis]

Do they seriously have hp sauce? Dont suppose they have marmite and pg tips too?? Might reduce the weight of my luggage!!!

 

yep definitely had hp sauce, like the others not sure about Marmite or pg tips lol, one bit of advice don't ask for brown as this will confuse them, and if having bacon, sausage, and eggs in the main dining room ask for hp soon as you order as i discovered one day i had actually eaten my breakfast by the time it had arrived :)

[papcx]

You could have borrowed one for your next cruise.

 

Never.

Touch.

The.

Stuff!

[kevsue]

Think I will still pack the marmite and pg tips.......And thanks for the hp tip- can't face a fry up without it- I like my home comforts (but am also looking forward to all varieties of food- if it's cooked and put in front of me its rude not to eat it!!!)