Divina, Jan 18-Feb 1!!

[camofwilliamsburg]

I posted the review on Members Review area but I also wanted to post it here so more people looking at this area can read it.

 

If you have any questions, just ask, I will be more than happy to answer.

 

Divina was Divine!!

We did a back to back on Divina beginning on Jan 18 for Eastern Caribbean followed by Jan 25 cruise to Western Caribbean. We got onto the ship in record time with no wait time at all. The experience was the best in all of our 30 plus cruises with many different cruise lines. This was our fifth and sixth time with MSC USA. We got to the port a little past noon and walked right onto this beautiful ship. We were met with smiles and welcomes. We were told that the cabins would be ready shortly and to go to lunch on deck 14. The ship is stunning, more beautiful than any other ship we have been on. The buffet was the best we have encountered also. The variety was incredible with endless selections. They had international fare which was either Thai or Indian each day. They had freshly carved meats, wonderful fresh pastas, wonderful breads, bavarian pretzels, and wonderful desserts. They had typical american fare with great MSC burger which was a thick patty of meat which seemed hand formed. The fries were crisp and hot. They had the best and most extensive salad bar. Fresh fruit abounded with cut up fruit, sliced fruit and whole fruits.

The food in the buffet remained top quality throughout the week for lunch or breakfast. I never went for dinner. The pizza was the best ever eaten on a cruise!

 

Our cabin was ready early and our luggage arrived within hours of embarkation. We had a great cabin, 10080 with a huge balcony. We asked the cabin steward for a lounge chair which he promptly brought. The cabin was nicely decorated with a huge mirror and padded head board. The bathroom was spacious for a cruise cabin with a great double door shower stall. The shower was big in comparison to other ships. They did supply body wash and shampoo in the shower. The cabin steward brought ice each day and even did a few great towel animals.

 

The shows were beyond fantastic. Each was a theatrical performance with costuming that was spectacular. We began with Witches of Paris which showed great dancing, singing, lighting, acrobatics...all trademarks of the finest entertainment that MSC is known for. True to MSC standards, this rated high and had audience participation with the cast interacting with the audience in many ways. This continued throughout each show which brought the audience into each show. True to MSC form was the entertainment group, the cruise director staff who also entertained pre-show with various funny things they did. This is a hallmark of MSC too! Each show was fantastic. The Wonderland show was full of dancing, singing and beautiful costuming. The Pirate show was by far a feast for the senses with wonderful acrobatics, body contortionists and so much more. It was pure entertainment delight. Their opera night was spectacular with a feast for the eyes and ears. Not only did they have great singers who sang great arias, they had dancers who performed with such grace, beauty and quality of dance. Costuming was wonderful too. Then we were entertained by a Michael Jackson show, a tribute to the great with wonderful dancing that you thought you were seeing him. The dancer transposed himself into Michael Jackson right before our eyes. His moves were great, staging was wonderful. The only criticism was the last show, a tribute to Frank Sinatra, where they did not sing Sinatra songs throughout. It was very strange to hear foreign voices singing iconic Sinatra songs. we thought this really did not capture the essence of Sinatra. Also, for the last show, it was a let down since it did not have all the bells the whistles all the other shows had. This was the only show I did not go back to see on our second cruise. All the others were so great I wanted to see them all again.

 

MSC has Americanized with longer buffet hours, but still serving lunches in the MDR even on port days. The food was great with really stand out dishes each night. Lobster nights were wonderful with split lobster tails with melted butter and the best baked alaska! They are the only cruise line we have sailed on that actually light theirs and do a parade. The baked Alaska is the best with multiple flavors of really great ice-cream( including pistacio, coconut, rum raisin, butter pecan). Each pasta dish on their menu was delightful with wonderful sauces and perfectly prepared pasta, freshly made onboard! They served the largest shrimp in shrimp cocktail and coconut shrimp dishes for lunch. The lasagna and every Italian dish was marvelous. The lamb and veal dishes were wonderful. We asked for fresh garlic bread one night and they would bring this delight to our table each night. We had the greatest waiter, Yudi, who served us in the Black Crab restaurant each night. Speaking of restaurants, they are beautiful, with beautiful colors and comfortable seating. The color schemes are wonderful with beautiful marble all over. Both MDR served breakfast, one closing at 9am and the other at 9:30AM giving you many options besides the buffet. We did prefer to go to the MDR for service which was great. Many thanks to Mario for promptly seating us and great service.

MSC has tons of dancing with lessons and many lounges to listen to great live music. The entertainment group also do trivia ( MSC gives the best prizes for winning also) and many interesting games around the pool. We were entertained all day if you want. For a quieter area, the infinity pool was beautiful. There are hot tubs all over the ship. The covered pool area seemed nice but I never used it, as I prefer to be outside.

Tendering was easy for Grand Cayman and Great Stirrup Cay. It was orderly and well done. I must mention that the buffet on the private island was one of the best we have had. They had pizza which was very good, hot dogs grilled well, fantastic burgers with all the toppings ( pickles, lettuce, cheese, onions...)

grilled veggies which included red and orange peppers and eggplant, cous cous with veggies, pasta salad, potato salad, jerk chicken. For dessert they had wonderful huge chocolate chip cookies, brownies which were a combination banana cake with chips and nuts , which were actually very good, regular banana bread and fresh fruit which included watermelon and pineapple. They also served Lays potato chips in snack size bags. There was plenty of seating.

Disembarkation was as easy as embarkation. We left at 9:50 and were through customs with our bags at 10:05. Leaving an MSC cruise is always emotionally difficult for us--we have loved MSC now for 5 years and when our cruise ends it is always a sad moment.

In summary: the ship is wonderfully decorated, the staff is helpful and friendly, the food was amazing and the entertainment the finest ever seen on any cruise ship. The ship sparkled not only on the atrium stairs which are a sight to see but all over in cleanliness! Another wonderful MSC cruise, thank you MSC!!

[Miss JAD]

Great review - Thank you for taking the time. I can hardly wait as we board Davina this Saturday. We fly out tomorrow morning leaving behind our -25 weather!

[Cruisergal1208]

Thank you so much for your review. Looking forward to our 2nd cruise on Divina in March.

[portofrome]

Thanks for your review.

[MTL=CRUISEFAMILY]

As expected, I knew you would come back with a great review, thank you.

 

We are on a B2B Feb 22nd

 

A few questions:

How is the day back in Miami handled? Customs?

Are the service charges carried over until the end of the b2b, or after the first week?

Were you able to change restaurant after the first week, if you chose to?

 

I know from our 2 other MSC cruises, we also loved the ship, food and overall experience.

 

Any tips? Excursion suggestions?

 

Thanks

[Norwegian Cruiser 73]

Thank you very much for your nice and thorough review from this lovely ship:) I'm glad that you had a great cruise:) Can't wait for the baked Alaska:D. The longer Buffet hours is fleetwide.

 

We have booked a B2B (Yacht Club) in August and have the same question as MTL, do we need to leave the ship in Miami after the first week and do the formalities once again? Is it possible to take a excursion in Miami?

[camofwilliamsburg]

Although we had our card marked for the 14 days we did not need to exchange cards but we had to leave the ship. We all meet at 11 AM in the Black and White Lounge and then we were taken off, went thru customs and marched right back on. If you do not have your key card with both dates you would need to exchange them at this time.

We did get our obc combined for both weeks so it was not necessary to spend it all the first week. I would just make sure of this when on board.

Not sure if YC was included in those that met or you do it privately. I do know that your butler will meet you and take you to your cabin upon embarkation. The lounge area for you is very beautiful and your dining room has special menus.

Hint: There are many flavors for Baked Alaska. We were lucky to have a waiter that was willing to run around to get us the flavors that we wanted. The coconut was to die for!!!!

If you want to do an excursion, you can of course. You would then just re-embark through the regular process. We walked right on and off, it as fabulous. It was the easiest disembarkation we have ever had!

An added bonus: You do not have to do muster on the second cruise of your b2b!

We changed tables but then asked for our other waiter to still serve us. We had other friends joining us and we needed a larger table. You can change tables and dining rooms if you want to. I would talk to the person who does that early on if you are doing that. I loved the Black Crab since it was easier to get to than the other dining room, although I liked the other for breakfast since it was open later!

With the MSC club card there are casino specials. One week it was a match bid of you bid $10 and they give you $10. The next week it was spend 10$ on the slots and they give you an additional 10. So when you entered your info into a slot machine and put down spend 10 it automatically credited you for $20. This is only good ONE time per card. We won 75 on one slot and we won 55 on another. So that was a nice treat! We are not big gamblers so we cashed out!

They have a fun slot tournament that you must sign up for. Free. You get 300 credits which take 10 minutes to play. Highest 8 people play for casino credits. I made it to the finals being in 5th place but had no luck in the finals. Fun to play though. The casino was NON SMOKING, a real plus!!!

If you want drink packages, consider pre-ordering them. They give more vouchers for the drink packages that are by coupon and they include tips. Once on the ship, you only get 12 vouchers as compared to 15 and they add 15% tips.

I envy you all for your upcoming Divina cruises. I feel so lost without cruise planning.

Edited February 6, 2014 by camofwilliamsburg

[cruiseguys2009]

Great Review and Thank you!

 

Question: Was there any difficulty in securing a table for two in The MDR? We plan to see the Matre'D the first afternoon to hopefully arrange this.

 

Also, did you experience any of the Specialty Restaurants like Eataly or The Ristorante or Galaxy for Brunch or dinner? We sail in May and we booked all of these restaurants for our cruise.

[tigger89]

Hi

We are doing this cruise in October I have a couple of questions hope you don't mind me asking. When you get back to Miami after the first week did you have to take your cases off with you to reboard? Also if you were going off the ship for a day in Miami what is the earliest you can leave or do you have to wait until you have done the reboarding through customs.

 

Thanks

Judith

[riclop]

Thanks Cam for that great review how do you compare it to the Poesia? and is there anyone from the Poesia's entertainment team on the Divina?

[camofwilliamsburg]

Cruiseguys2009: There were tables for 2, so you should request that through your travel agent. If you do not get the table for 2 for dinner, you can get this for breakfast and lunch. There were many small tables though.

 

tigger89: You can leave everything in your cabin if you have the same cabin for both weeks. If not, the cabin steward will move the bags to your new cabin. If you want to get off, you take your customs form and disembark when you want to get off and go through customs, then enter again and embark again. As soon as you leave the port area you are treated as if you are just coming in. If you have your key card already for that week, then you can just get right on without going over to get a new one again.

 

Riclop: Hi there. Nice to respond to any of your questions. No one is there from Poesia and I felt for the first time to be just a passenger. Although Mario, was there and remembered us. He is the maitre de in the dining room, not the Black Crab one. When we went there for breakfast he would always seat us fast and talk to us. The entertainment team now does Americanized trivia games, although they will do in multiple languages if needed. There are still tons of visual games around the pool and elsewhere. I really did miss the old team, but everyone on the new team was extremely friendly and nice. Mari from South Africa is a sweetie as is Natasha from Russia. Sean is wonderful too. Since they do so much now in many areas they are not seen as a team anymore.

The shows are even better on Divina. Even the opera night is amped up with wonderful dancing and costumes. The atrium is stunning. The lounges are plentiful and in all honesty, I felt Poesia was cozier. The lounges were beautiful but not as functional as on Poesia. For instance, where the dueling pianos were: the main walk through was right through the dance area so no one ever got up to dance. The Black and White was beautiful but the seating was a bit odd if you were a group of more than 3. Only 3 to a lounge chair and none faced one another, it was more like rows. The disco was a bit strange too, right near the library, and not as nice as on Poesia. The art work is stunning, the marble and bronze statues are stunning. The stairways are all mirrored as are the elevators.

We ate late seating with our show at 7 pm. The shows lasted until close to 7:50 and then there were always dance lessons at 8. Parties and games were done at 10:30 or 10:45 pm.

Their ice tea remains great and strong! Coffee was strong too. No need to register your MSC club info since it is done at embarkation when you get your key card. Make sure your level is on your card. They also have different chaise lounges now. No more flip tops for the shade. The infinity pool is delightful with the hot tubs tucked away on the sides. There are tons of hot tubs. They showed some movies but only set up chairs. None of the movies interested us so we did not go. Friends of ours did go and told me there were very few people watching. The pool deck where they do the games, at the stage is much smaller than on Poesia. They do a lot around the pool still in a smaller space. I saw lots of people dancing from other levels around the pool.

 

I did not eat at any specialty restaurant. We were with friends and eating in the MDR was wonderful. People did enjoy the Gelato bar and the specialty cakes, but I did not partake in that. They had some wonderful pastries in the buffet area and great cookies too.

[Typhoon1]

Thanks for the extensive review.

 

Great to hear another positive review aboard the Divina.

[wrdtrvllr]

What a great review! Very informative. Looking forward to sailing on the Divina in May.

[riclop]

Cam thanks so much for your quick reply, we have 3 cruises booked and hope to enjoyed them as much as you did. Thanks again!!!

[sharecruises]

Glad you had such a great time and thanks for your extensive review....I was on Divina inaugural and I can't wait to return in May <grin>

 

How were the "theme nights?" Did people dress up, did you? Did MSC send any info on this before the cruise??

 

Baked Alaska parade is a treat - I love the way MSC combines such an ultra modern ship with real cruise/old school treats like the Baked Alaska parade, theme nights, dining rooms open for all meals if you choose

 

I love the buffet too - the med area with the grilled peppers, black olives, the wonderful cheeses...Oh yum!

[Darriny]

Thanks Cam for the great review...also, thank you for replying to my earlier post.

 

I have a few questions?

 

1. Did you go the Gelateria? If so, what is the cost?

2. Did you go the Pastry Shop? If so, how was the food? What did they have and what was the average cost?

3. Did you do Room Service? If so, what was the menu like.

4. With room service I have read that there is no charge for it unless it is late night. Can you confirm?

 

Thanks

Edited February 7, 2014 by Darriny

[cruiseguys2009]

Glad you had such a great time and thanks for your extensive review....I was on Divina inaugural and I can't wait to return in May <grin>

 

How were the "theme nights?" Did people dress up, did you? Did MSC send any info on this before the cruise??

 

Baked Alaska parade is a treat - I love the way MSC combines such an ultra modern ship with real cruise/old school treats like the Baked Alaska parade, theme nights, dining rooms open for all meals if you choose

 

I love the buffet too - the med area with the grilled peppers, black olives, the wonderful cheeses...Oh yum!

 

 

Oh! I am really excited about going on the Divina and The Baked Alaska Parade in the MDR. See Jerome and I have been cruising for many years, but in the past 24, now almost 25 years we have been together, cruising has changed over these years, and Jerome has never seen an Old Fashioned Waiter Parade with Baked Alaska! This is what I am most looking forward to.

 

Also I have heard about this "Daytime" Midnight Buffet and it has returned in true form to The Galaxy Restaurant/Disco and it is at High Noon and is supposed to be incredible....kind of like the old fashioned Midnight Buffet's from 20 years ago, but at NOON...who would have thunk it?. Anyone Been to it????

[camofwilliamsburg]

Never heard of an afternoon, midnight buffet. There is no midnight buffet anymore since the buffet is open way past that each night. Many of my friends enjoyed the make your own sandwiches at 2 AM!

As for the gelato bar: no I did not eat it, but it is very reasonable. I saw many eating waffle cones. In the past it was generous scoops for $2.50.

The pastries were all $2.50 to 3.95 as I glanced at it while walking past it. I do not spend extra on food when there is so much in the dining rooms each day for lunch and on the buffets.

Room service does do a free service until late evening and then there is a charge until the early morning. The menu has a salad, fruit plate, cheese plate, sandwiches, and a dessert. There is also a soup. You can find the menu in the book left on the desk with all MSC info. Never needed it since the buffets are now open all the times I needed to run in for a snack if I got back to the ship late from the ports. In the past, the buffets had more limited times so room service was used. The buffet had such great food: the fresh pastas each day changed, the carving station with turkey was moist and fabulous, the prime rib was equally great. The veal tips were wonderful, the indian and thai food was excellent. There were great things on the buffets. Oh also, the drink station: they had mango and kiwi enhanced waters....YUMMY!!!!!

Themed nights: No one contacted us about it. But since it is Caribbean we had plenty of white for white night. We happened to put together the Italian colors between DH and I. It makes no difference if you do not have it. The parties on the deck for these things were fine, but been there and done that, so we picked more dancing in the lounges to do. The parties are fun though, do not get me wrong. They do conga line and lots of group dancing. It is always fun doing it once. I learned a long time ago, do not need to do it all to have a great time-the greatness is in the choices! MSC has tons of choices all day long. The water spin class in the infinity pool looked great. I was going to sign up after seeing it, but the sea days were canceled due to weather so they did not do it. They only had it on sea days. Look into it, fun class!! That cost was $12 for the class!

The spa was lovely and you can use the sauna and the aromatherapy rooms for free. Unlike Poesia, there were no hot tubs in the spa, which I really loved. Now they have enough covered hot tubs in the covered pool area. There is a relaxation room with lounges in the spa.

True to MSC, no one bothers you to buy anything or purchase anything. Very low keyed and laid back.

Edited February 7, 2014 by camofwilliamsburg

[Darriny]

Thank you again for your prompt response.

 

We are looking forward to seeing her in April.

[Cruisergal1208]

Oh! I am really excited about going on the Divina and The Baked Alaska Parade in the MDR. See Jerome and I have been cruising for many years, but in the past 24, now almost 25 years we have been together, cruising has changed over these years, and Jerome has never seen an Old Fashioned Waiter Parade with Baked Alaska! This is what I am most looking forward to.

 

Also I have heard about this "Daytime" Midnight Buffet and it has returned in true form to The Galaxy Restaurant/Disco and it is at High Noon and is supposed to be incredible....kind of like the old fashioned Midnight Buffet's from 20 years ago, but at NOON...who would have thunk it?. Anyone Been to it????

 

I checked the Daily's from our December cruise and found the promotion for Brunch in the Galaxy Restaurant from 10:00am-2:00pm for $28pp. There was no mention of a special buffet at high noon. Hope this helps.

Edited February 7, 2014 by Cruisergal1208

[camofwilliamsburg]

You are quite welcome! You are in for a real treat. The music on board is tops, the entertainment will leave you never enjoying any production show on any other cruise line... MSC will spoil you forever. As a matter of fact, we spent one week pre Divina on RCI Oasis of the Seas. After the first show on MSC I whispered to DH, we wasted one week on Oasis. Friends asked me if I liked the one production show on Oasis, Come Fly with Me...my response was NO! They took the b2b on Divina with me. After one show on MSC they told me that they also understood why I said what I did when comparing. They said MSC has now changed their standards of entertainment and never again will they think one trick on a scarf as other lines do will bring them to a standing ovation. They now have seen the top in entertainment, they now understand! MSC does the very best in production shows. Each is a production show. Their singers can really sing, ( not like being on a high school production as it is with all other lines), their dancers can really dance,( and I mean dance, not just run around the stage shaking their bodies)! Their costuming is like no others. You will be amazed and thrilled each show. Do not miss any shows. Even if you do not like Opera, GO, you will appreciate the voices and you will feast on visually beautiful costumes and dance. Words are inadequate to explain how these shows are. Just amazing!!

Edited February 7, 2014 by camofwilliamsburg

[tigger89]

Thanks for all you advice are you doing a review on the ports, we're not sure what we are going to do on port days and looking for some suggestions.

 

Thanks

Judith

[jkasm]

You have given some great information! Thank you!

A few more questions that hopefully you will be able to answer.

How many dancing venues are there? What kind of music do they play? What kind of crowds were there?

Also, we leave on the Divina March 9, when should we expect to get our documents?

And... the drink coupons. Grrr I have been trying and trying to book them on line, but the site just keeps taking me in circles. Spent an hour on hold with MSC, finally got through and they said they would email a form for me to fax back. That was 3 days ago. Any suggestions on how to get this booked before we sail?

Thanks for your help.

[Mrs. Squirrel]

The spa was lovely and you can use the sauna and the aromatherapy rooms for free. Unlike Poesia, there were no hot tubs in the spa, which I really loved. Now they have enough covered hot tubs in the covered pool area. There is a relaxation room with lounges in the spa.

True to MSC, no one bothers you to buy anything or purchase anything. Very low keyed and laid back.

 

Did you happen to see how much a spa pass was for two? Are there any other amenities in the spa that make buying a pass worth it?

[sharecruises]

Did you happen to see how much a spa pass was for two? Are there any other amenities in the spa that make buying a pass worth it?

 

MSC does not have a spa pass in the Caribbean. The steam and sauna (separate sexes) are no charge....the spa does not have a hot tub like Poesia as Cam said but Divina does have hot tubs in the covered pool you can enjoy

 

Massages, scrubs, facials etc are all extra of course - like most cruise lines they have lots of "specials" and deals