How can Divinia offer such cheap fares???

[cruisetrail]

once again since you cruise ships not lines why would you book a ship that you have spent months ( in the same time I have cruised three times actual ships).

 

Since my first attempt to cruise on MSC I've had four cruises with three cruise lines.

[Boytjie]

2. "Private sun deck". MSC is the only cruise line that charges for sun deck.

 

 

HAL has ships with the Retreat - a for-fee area of cabanas and sundeck.

Edited March 27, 2014 by Boytjie

[cruisetrail]

HAL Signature class ships pioneered cabanas on cruise ships.

Retreat is a separate area designed and built specifically for cabanas.

It's not a sun deck.

Sun decks on the Signature class ships are most private and most spacious at sea. Free of charge.

[Boytjie]

HAL Signature class ships pioneered cabanas on cruise ships.

Retreat is a separate area designed and built specifically for cabanas.

It's not a sun deck.

Sun decks on the Signature class ships are most private and most spacious at sea. Free of charge.

 

On the Divina one area of sundeck is reserved for the Yacht Club, one area (T18) is for a fee and the rest of the sun decks are free.

 

The Retreat on HAL has cabanas on the perimeter and sunbeds in the center. Sounds like a sun deck to me. :rolleyes:

Edited March 27, 2014 by Boytjie

[alexkrn46]

Since my first attempt to cruise on MSC I've had four cruises with three cruise lines.

 

then you are not serious about msc, you are a tire kicker.

[cruisetrail]

On the Divina one area of sundeck is reserved for the Yacht Club, one area (T18) is for a fee and the rest of the sun decks are free.

 

The Retreat on HAL has cabanas on the perimeter and sunbeds in the center. Sounds like a sun deck to me. :rolleyes:

 

Not everything that is under the sun is sun deck.:)

[Boytjie]

Not everything that is under the sun is sun deck.:)

 

 

What is your definition of a sun deck?

[Bosjoe]

What is your definition of a sun deck?

 

OMG.. exactly. If we go by how he says about his beloved Hal its not, but on MSC it is. Which side of the mouth do we believe? :D I'm rolling my eyes. He must be a salesman.

Edited March 27, 2014 by Bosjoe

[urkidn]

Just to clarify the Divina room service issue. I brought home the menu and it states "A $3.50 delivery fee will apply to orders between 23:00 and 06:00."

 

Also, the menu is very limited to 14 items: soup, antipasto, mozzarella caprese, mediterranean salad, chicken caesar salad, smoked salmon sandwich, tuna salad sandwich, ham and cheese salad, egg salad sandwich, grilled veggie sandwich, cheese plate, fruit plate, chocolate brownie with vanilla sauce and chocolate chip cookies.

 

Pizza (that you pay $8-$13) is a complete separate menu and can be ordered up until midnight.

 

Free pizza in the buffet is available until midnight too. After that they have a sandwich station open until the wee hours. It also includes a couple of salads.

 

Croissants and pastries are available free of charge in Divina Bar and Cafe Italia from 6:00-12noon. I also found cookies at the Divina Bar in the afternoon but these were not advertised in the daily like croissants are in the morning.

 

Self serve ice-cream is available in the Aqua Park (free of charge) from 2-5pm.

 

The sweets you pay for are reasonably priced from $1.50 for cupcakes and $2-$3ish for the cakes. I personally didn't try any of them. Gelato/ice cream was $2/small and $4/ large. There were also some more expensive ice cream concoctions available in the Aqua Park but I didn't bother as the small was more than enough for me. Nutella crepes were either $3.50 or $3.95 and I didn't try that either.

 

EVERY time I passed the specialty restaurants they were empty. I heard several comments from people that they found the a la carte pricing too expensive especially for families and I tend to agree.

[cruisetrail]

What is your definition of a sun deck?

 

 

[LMaxwell]

My folks (almost 30 years cruising, over 40 cruises across all the mass market lines and to many various types of itineraries) are onboard right now; they booked the $249 Balcony deal. They have only checked in twice since departing but have been very pleased with the ship and their trip so far.

 

I look forward to hearing their impressions considering their vast experience with other ships and their actual real life experience with Divina.

 

If I had a choice between a 4 day cruise in an inside cabin on a 20 year old Fantasy-class Carnival ship for $249 and Divina 7 day Balcony for $249 I know where I'd go!

 

Obviously MSC is operating at a loss on some of these fares in order to build brand awareness. I would not anticipate that the prices stay low on this ship forever.

[jkgourmet]

I have sailed on MSC numerous times & have never seen prices this low. My advise is cut the crap about what you get & don`t but try the option to sail on a magnificent ship for a very low price. Don`t try to compare it but see if what they offer is what you like. They have what I consider the cleanest ships afloat, cabins are smaller, the size of NCL. You can reserve larger for a larger price like any other line. They do not have anytime dining & meal times are not 24 hrs a day. When I`m sailing with them in the US everyone wants to compare to US ships, accept them for what they are or sail elsewhere without having a fit. In Europe they are considered one of the best, & they know value.

 

Probably the best information in this thread since the first half dozen posts.:thumbup:

 

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[American Bear]

My folks (almost 30 years cruising, over 40 cruises across all the mass market lines and to many various types of itineraries) are onboard right now; they booked the $249 Balcony deal. They have only checked in twice since departing but have been very pleased with the ship and their trip so far.

 

I look forward to hearing their impressions considering their vast experience with other ships and their actual real life experience with Divina.

 

If I had a choice between a 4 day cruise in an inside cabin on a 20 year old Fantasy-class Carnival ship for $249 and Divina 7 day Balcony for $249 I know where I'd go!

 

Obviously MSC is operating at a loss on some of these fares in order to build brand awareness. I would not anticipate that the prices stay low on this ship forever.

 

Hope they write a review, the more learned from people cruised on Divina the better!

[Boytjie]

Divina solarium:

 

 

 

Pool deck:

 

 

 

(I could not find many pictures of the "infinity" pool area)

[GOLDENBONNY]

HAL Signature class ships pioneered cabanas on cruise ships.

Retreat is a separate area designed and built specifically for cabanas.

It's not a sun deck.

Sun decks on the Signature class ships are most private and most spacious at sea. Free of charge.

 

Sure:rolleyes: and those cabanas take most of space in pool area . Never saw anyone used them but talked to many people on HAL board and on Eurodam who think cabanas should go .

Edited March 27, 2014 by GOLDENBONNY

[Boytjie]

Sure:rolleyes: and those cabanas take most of space in pool area . Never saw anyone used them but talked to many people on HAL board and on Eurodam who think cabanas should go .

 

On 4 cruise on both Eurodam and the Nieuw Amsterdam the cabanas on the Lido deck were used all the time.

Edited March 27, 2014 by Boytjie

[DutchBunny]

We are retired and have taken 12+ cruises on 5 different mass market lines. We nearly always book an inside guaranty as we spend little time in our cabin.

 

I'm seeing fares for 7 day Caribbean cruises on the Divinia for less than $300/pop for an inside cabin. That's maybe half of competitor pricing.

 

How do they do it so cheaply? What's the catch?.

 

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Most other cruiselines have shareholders who are only satisfied with large profits. MSC is privately owned and this family had more other ships besides the cruiseships. They can live with less profits.

[cruisetrail]

Sure:rolleyes: and those cabanas take most of space in pool area :eek: nonsense :eek:. Never saw anyone used them but talked to many people on HAL board and on Eurodam who think cabanas should go .

 

Lido cabanas take about 6-7% of central pool deck space on the Nieuw Amsterdam. A bit more on the Eurodam.

Always booked.

 

[boca7]

That is what you are saying.

 

Now this is what I have said:

 

 

 

As one can see again and again, the worst friends of cruise lines are their fans.

 

I am the best friend! :)

Very well said, I have sailed on just about every cruiseline & enjoy MSC for what it is. Everyone is entitled to their own impression & anyone relying on one persons view is losing out on the sale of the century.MSC is mainly a freight line.

[jkgourmet]

Very well said, I have sailed on just about every cruiseline & enjoy MSC for what it is. Everyone is entitled to their own impression & anyone relying on one persons view is losing out on the sale of the century.MSC is mainly a freight line.

 

Okay,maybe I'm thick or maybe I'm dumb. But I just don't get what you seem to be saying.

 

Is it the "sale if the century" or "a freight line"?

 

I haven't even sailed with MSC, but I'm betting that they are somewhere between these two sentiments.

 

 

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[resstation]

Okay,maybe I'm thick or maybe I'm dumb. But I just don't get what you seem to be saying.

 

Is it the "sale if the century" or "a freight line"?

 

I haven't even sailed with MSC, but I'm betting that they are somewhere between these two sentiments.

 

 

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Haha! That made me giggle. You're not thick or dumb but I'm guessing you are not aware that MSC actually IS a freight line. It is a privately owned company. They started out with freighters only.

Edited March 30, 2014 by resstation
Spelling

[jkgourmet]

Haha! That made me giggle. You're not thick or dumb but I'm guessing you are not aware that MSC actually IS a freight line. It is a privately owned company. They started out with freighters only.

 

Is that a bad thing?

 

I frequently like privately owned companies who don't have to place their BOD and shareholders above their customers. I usually prefer local, owner (or chef) managed restaurants to chain restaurants. One of my all time favorite retailers is Discount Tire (not publicly listed).

 

MSC sounds more promising than I thought when I started this thread. Thanks to everyone who contributed. We've made our deposit for a Miami departure in the autumn.

 

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[neptuno]

.....Thanks to everyone who contributed. We've made our deposit for a Miami departure in the autumn....

 

Hopefully by then, the MSC experience will not be so "americanized" that hot dogs and pre-cooked burgers will not be a delicacy. And, maybe the staff will understand that rules matter, like no diappers in the pools (just kidding, sort of) and bring your ripped jeans, just to make a statement, that americans dont respect any culture but their own!

[hkto]

I don't think that MSC Divina pricing is that much different from general travel industry practices where the operator tries to fill the ship or a plane. Our pricing for Mar 15 departure where quite high until about 30-40 days prior to departure, then they significantly dropped & went up again. And I believe that ship close to capacity on our sailing. Same was true for our flight, cheap 60 days, way more closer to departure & full flight where we couldn't get 2 seats together.

 

It makes sense to have a full ship as fixed costs such as crew wages, port charges, fuel, etc are still to be paid whether ship is full or not. Also more people will generate more revenue for paid charges such as drinks, casino, merchandise purchases, etc. So why not try to fill the ship at any cost?

Edited April 2, 2014 by hkto

[TwizzlersAddict]

For several sailings in September and October, the rate was $199 for inside.

 

Last minute price drops are normal to fill the ship, but its rare to see a rate that low well in advance of final payment.