MSC Divina Review 04/12/2014 Western Caribbean Sailing

[thraak]

On April 12th, my wife and I boarded the MSC Divina to the Western Caribbean. The whole experience exceeded our expectations in every regard. We can't wait to board the ship again.

First, a little background: My wife and I are in the 45-50 yr. age bracket. I am American and she is Irish. We are very casual cruisers. We read some negative reviews and decided to keep an open mind. The average age of the clientele was about our age. It seemed that about 90% of them were European.

Cleanliness of the ship was beyond our belief. The friendliness of Capt. Scala and all of the staff couldn't have been better.

The breakfast buffet was delicious and offered a wide assortment of foods. The lunch buffet was even better. The pasta dishes and pizzas were exceptional. The dinner buffet was a little more limited but was still was more than expected. I think that the reason that the dinner buffet was smaller because many people chose to eat at the sit down dinners. The dining room meals were, well we don't know. As casual cruisers, we were always more than satisfied to eat at the buffets.

Drinks: We pre-purchased our drink vouchers. At $3.75 a beer, this has to be the best deal at sea. (Peroni, Stella, NewCastle, Guiness, Red Stripe, Corona, Heineken.... & American beers).

Entertainment: we missed the first and last night shows. The Sunday-Thursday night shows are NOT to be missed. I honestly think that the shows themselves are worth the price of the cruise!

We read that some people complained that the inroom tv had no dvd. That there were no chocolates on the pillows. That their bath towels were not made into animal shapes. This didn't seem to bother us. One middle aged man complained that the water slide should have been steeper as he got stuck in it twice. I believe that this can be attributed to user error as a 350 lb. man should not be attempting such a physical feat. Some people complained that they came down with the flu after returning home. I believe that this could simply be because it is flu season.

I can not say enough about the crew members. They work 16 hour days from 6am-10pm everyday. After 252 days, (9 months), they are able to take time off or renew their contract. Yet, day in and day out, they are constantly working, smiling and greeting you.

Once again, value-wise, cleanliness, friendliness, the quality of the food, drink prices and with MSC's superb entertainment, I wouldn't want to sail with anyone else!

 

PS......Well, it has been confirmed, as I am no longer in denial. I have been diagnosed with a case of the After-Cruise Blues Syndrome. The only known cure is to book another cruise on the same vessel for the fall. My prognosis is good and I have been told that as long as it is booked, I will immediately start to feel better!

 

 

 

https://m.flickr.com/#/photos/102766395@N07/sets/72157644180313874/

Edited April 22, 2014 by thraak

[skyking]

Love it, we will be on the Divina in Oct and I can't wait.

[Danbee46]

Thraak, we also had a great time on the Divina. And we also suffered from the After-Cruise Blues Syndrome. So we have booked two more cruises in the Divina's Yacht Club in Sept. and Jan. and we immediately felt better.

Edited April 22, 2014 by Danbee46

[thraak]

I know....:-(

 

I want to do the E. Caribbean Oct. 4th or 18th. And then the Western Caribbean again on Mar. 12th. Ya mon!!! Want to do the Bob Marley excursion then.

Edited April 22, 2014 by thraak

[thraak]

Two afterthoughts:

(For future cruisers)

 

Midweek there is a "White Party" on pool deck (deck14), so don't forget your white casual attire.

 

Also:

 

On the final day there is a great all inclusive beachfest at Great Stirrup Cay in the Bahamas. If you purchased drink coupons, bring them on the island to redeem for drinks to go along with your jerk chicken, hamburgs, hotdogs, potato salad....

[FLA Cruiser]

Two afterthoughts:

(For future cruisers)

 

Midweek there is a "White Party" on pool deck (deck14), so don't forget your white casual attire.

 

Also:

 

On the final day there is a great all inclusive beachfest at Great Stirrup Cay in the Bahamas. If you purchased drink coupons, bring them on the island to redeem for drinks to go along with your jerk chicken, hamburgs, hotdogs, potato salad....

 

 

Thanks so much for your review. We have 6 women going in May - and I've read the same reviews (good & bad!). We are keeping an open mind & are determined to enjoy - so I'm sure we'll have a great time.

 

Can I ask which drink package you purchased? And did you do that before you left - or did you get it once on board?

 

Thanks!!

 

-Lisa

[thraak]

I purchased 2 beer packages for about $52 ea. I think it were about 15 beer coupons each. (I thought that it was only American beers but imports were allowed!

I bought 2 Allegrissimo pkg. I think it was called escape. They were about $72 each and you got a total of anout 30 coupons in each for wine, beer or mixed drinks.

I pre booked them and once you board, you go to guest services and pit money on your cruise card. Then you go to the casino and there was one girl handing out your coupons to you. Then she charged them on your cruise card.

I would do this when you first board as it appeared that she was the only one handing out these packages. When we boarded at about 2pm, it looked like about a total of 40-50 people chose to pre-order these packages by the amount of envelopes on the table.

Edited April 22, 2014 by thraak

[dogchopper]

So sorry about your after the cruise blues syndrome !! I know that is miserable as I have had it many times myself :)

I'm glad to see the great review!!!

 

Question on the drink package. Do you know if you can buy one and share the coupons? My husband and I are not big drinkers at all but would maybe just go thru 15 coupons between the two of us??

[thraak]

You sure can! We did!

[angcreates4u]

Awesome review Thraak! I ordered the same beverages for my hubby and I. Thank you for adding how they handled the beverages I wondered about that along with which beers were included in the beer package. I finally was able to place my drink order on the website. Great tip about taking the drink coupons with us to Great Stirrup Cay. Can't wait to get this party started ;) I've been packing outfits, trying to pack smart. how was the weather? We head out at the end of the month.

[thraak]

Great!!! The weather was perfect. 80-85 everyday. It felt a bit warmer than home. (Orlando, Fl.). Make sure you bring flipflops as the pool deck on deck 15 gets hot!!! I am prone to seasickness and never broke the seal on the Dramamine. It never felt like we were moving. I still monitor these boards because I am close to booking another cruise or two on the Divina. Have fun!!!!

[thraak]

Deck 14 also.

[Out to sea!]

So sorry about your after the cruise blues syndrome !! I know that is miserable as I have had it many times myself :)

I'm glad to see the great review!!!

 

Question on the drink package. Do you know if you can buy one and share the coupons? My husband and I are not big drinkers at all but would maybe just go thru 15 coupons between the two of us??

 

Yes. They come as coupons with no names on them so you can use them how you see fit. I do find it unusual that the OP stated you could order them ahead of time but pay on board. When i called in, I was asked to pay for them then (which I had no problem doing).

[cruiselife4me]

Thank you for your review! I have been keeping an eye on MSC although I've never cruised them. I've cruised Royal, Celebrity, Carnival (1st cruise), NCL and and AMA. The ship looks amazing! I get the same post-cruise blues. They are horrid.

[thraak]

I reserved them online from the MSC website, printed out the statement and paid for them with my cruise card in the casino when I boarded.

Edited April 22, 2014 by thraak

[thraak]

A few more tips:

The Divina departed around 7:40 pm, but your luggage doesn't arrive until 8-9 pm outside your stateroom. Make sure there isn't anything you need in your luggage until then. In my case, it was cigarettes. The duty free stores open around 8 pm and they sell name brand cartons for $29 or 5 cartons for $125.

 

Beach goers: When you arrive in Grand Cayman, you will see Margaritaville. A block or two behind it is Edward Street. You can get a taxi to Seven Mile Beach for $2.50 per person each way. Ask the driver to drop you off at Calico Jacks which is 3 miles away. Good food & drinks and you can rent a lounger for $5. I think a snorkel and mask is $10 to rent.

 

Good times!!!

http://flic.kr/p/ndQWd5

Edited April 22, 2014 by thraak

[Out to sea!]

I reserved them online from the MSC website, printed out the statement and paid for them with my cruise card in the casino when I boarded.

 

I'll take it if you've already paid for them, you still pick them up in the casino, you just don't have to make a payment then (since they are already paid for)?

[thraak]

I believe so. I know that the reservation said that it could not be cancelled within 72 hrs. of sailing.

[zigsma]

Thank you for the upbeat review! So tired of the whiners and complainers. A person once said, "when you read a review and it's all negative, it's probably the reviewer and not what he was reviewing". We leave this Saturday on the Divina and as you said, keeping an open mind after all the negative reviews. Happy cruising to you.

 

Is it easy to find a cab back from 7 mile beach or Calico Jacks?

Edited April 22, 2014 by zigsma
adding text

[riclop]

Thanks for the great review.

[American Bear]

Thanks so much for your review. We have 6 women going in May - and I've read the same reviews (good & bad!). We are keeping an open mind & are determined to enjoy - so I'm sure we'll have a great time.

 

Can I ask which drink package you purchased? And did you do that before you left - or did you get it once on board?

 

Thanks!!

 

-Lisa

 

 

Lisa, if you haven't already, come over to the May 10 roll call, and sign yourself and friends up!:)

[thraak]

Thank you for the upbeat review! So tired of the whiners and complainers. A person once said, "when you read a review and it's all negative, it's probably the reviewer and not what he was reviewing". We leave this Saturday on the Divina and as you said, keeping an open mind after all the negative reviews. Happy cruising to you.

 

Is it easy to find a cab back from 7 mile beach or Calico Jacks?

 

Oh God!!! Too easy. The cabbies are on the steps of CJ's with signs!!! We actually walked back on the beach. It took about 50 minutes and we got our back tanned at the same time. You walk back until you reach the rocks then cut through a vacant lot and then take the street about a mile more.

 

You'll have a super time!!!!!

[American Bear]

Yes. They come as coupons with no names on them so you can use them how you see fit. I do find it unusual that the OP stated you could order them ahead of time but pay on board. When i called in, I was asked to pay for them then (which I had no problem doing).

 

 

You can 'order' them on line, and the price will be added to your cruise card, on board expenses just like an ordered excursion, or your gratuities!

If you call in to MSC, they make you pay upfront!

Both ways you 'do not' pay the extra 15% gratuity charge that you would pay if you buy the vouchers on board the ship!

 

Future considerations,,, if you are going to join the 'loyalty club' after your cruise, (which you should) 'ordering' is better then 'buying/pre paying' for vouchers, etc., because the amount you order go towards bonus loyalty points you receive for every $200. you spend on board the ship! If you pre pay, this money isn't counted!

example,,

$200. of ordered vouchers=1 extra cruise point

$200 of pre paid vouchers=0 extra cruise point

[American Bear]

On April 12th, my wife and I boarded the MSC Divina to the Western Caribbean. The whole experience exceeded our expectations in every regard. We can't wait to board the ship again.

First, a little background: My wife and I are in the 45-50 yr. age bracket. I am American and she is Irish. We are very casual cruisers. We read some negative reviews and decided to keep an open mind. The average age of the clientele was about our age. It seemed that about 90% of them were European.

Cleanliness of the ship was beyond our belief. The friendliness of Capt. Scala and all of the staff couldn't have been better.

The breakfast buffet was delicious and offered a wide assortment of foods. The lunch buffet was even better. The pasta dishes and pizzas were exceptional. The dinner buffet was a little more limited but was still was more than expected. I think that the reason that the dinner buffet was smaller because many people chose to eat at the sit down dinners. The dining room meals were, well we don't know. As casual cruisers, we were always more than satisfied to eat at the buffets.

Drinks: We pre-purchased our drink vouchers. At $3.75 a beer, this has to be the best deal at sea. (Peroni, Stella, NewCastle, Guiness, Red Stripe, Corona, Heineken.... & American beers).

Entertainment: we missed the first and last night shows. The Sunday-Thursday night shows are NOT to be missed. I honestly think that the shows themselves are worth the price of the cruise!

We read that some people complained that the inroom tv had no dvd. That there were no chocolates on the pillows. That their bath towels were not made into animal shapes. This didn't seem to bother us. One middle aged man complained that the water slide should have been steeper as he got stuck in it twice. I believe that this can be attributed to user error as a 350 lb. man should not be attempting such a physical feat. Some people complained that they came down with the flu after returning home. I believe that this could simply be because it is flu season.

I can not say enough about the crew members. They work 16 hour days from 6am-10pm everyday. After 252 days, (9 months), they are able to take time off or renew their contract. Yet, day in and day out, they are constantly working, smiling and greeting you.

Once again, value-wise, cleanliness, friendliness, the quality of the food, drink prices and with MSC's superb entertainment, I wouldn't want to sail with anyone else!

 

PS......Well, it has been confirmed, as I am no longer in denial. I have been diagnosed with a case of the After-Cruise Blues Syndrome. The only known cure is to book another cruise on the same vessel for the fall. My prognosis is good and I have been told that as long as it is booked, I will immediately start to feel better!

 

 

 

https://m.flickr.com/#/photos/102766395@N07/sets/72157644180313874/

 

 

Great to hear you had a good time, we board in 2 weeks for a Back to Back, Eastern and Western Caribean! The prices were too good to pass up, and I see they're still looking good in the fall !:D

[Out to sea!]

You can 'order' them on line, and the price will be added to your cruise card, on board expenses just like an ordered excursion, or your gratuities!

If you call in to MSC, they make you pay upfront!

Both ways you 'do not' pay the extra 15% gratuity charge that you would pay if you buy the vouchers on board the ship!

 

Future considerations,,, if you are going to join the 'loyalty club' after your cruise, (which you should) 'ordering' is better then 'buying/pre paying' for vouchers, etc., because the amount you order go towards bonus loyalty points you receive for every $200. you spend on board the ship! If you pre pay, this money isn't counted!

example,,

$200. of ordered vouchers=1 extra cruise point

$200 of pre paid vouchers=0 extra cruise point

 

Yes, I called in as nothing was showing up online. The cruise points are not that big a deal from me as I don't see us cruising MSC very often (only 1 full time ship in the US and it goes from the port we like the least). Plus, we don't spend much on board anyway so probably wouldn't get to $200 anyhow. But thanks for the tip on how to order them without paying for them upfront.