!!! DIVINA !!! Eastern Caribbean ^_^ The Ultimate Review and Complete Pictorial Guide

[gambee]

 

The walk to that far beach is about 15 minutes or so.

 

 

 

 

 

The paddle board rentals are $30 per hour.

 

[gambee]

 

 

I did a short tour of the cabana area.

 

 

 

 

[gambee]

 

The view from up there is really nice! I guess being all the way up there has its privileges.

 

 

 

 

[gambee]

 

 

 

These people found a really good way of getting shade without and umbrella. As you can see from all the pictures GSC is not exactly shade friendly. But there are a few hidden spots here and there, I think the trick is getting there among the first people. We got to the island in the first tender.

 

 

 

 

 

[gambee]

 

 

 

 

I refilled our drinks, and then headed for a swim once more. Gosh, I had a bit too much to drink that day :D

 

[gambee]

 

This is the very first time that I see those umbrellas… Hmmmmmm, I wonder if they were there when we got there, or they opened them later on?

 

Seems like a great area to set camp next time, although I really liked our place.

 

 

 

My usual long island ice tea.

 

 

A few people sat on our area and left some food there, the seagulls were all over it by the time we got there.

 

 

[gambee]

Another private yacht!

 

 

 

Mom was relaxing on the lounger.

 

 

 

Just enjoying myself!

 

 

[gambee]

 

That was the longest that I had ever stayed in a private island, I am not sure why. But the weather was great and I was really enjoying myself. The only reason I got out of the water was because I started seeing more jelly fish than usual. And while I was ok with being stung again, I did not want my mom to go through it. So I decided to call a day and head towards the tender area.

 

My mom kind of messed up and forgot to buy a GSC magnet for our wall of traveled locations.

 

 

 

 

 

 

They need more showers in GSC.

 

 

[gambee]

hmmmm, this picture came out fuzzy. I guess it is odd to happen. I usually just shoot while I am walking, I rarely stop to compose a shot. Oh well =)

 

 

 

I had read somewhere that the water slide had flown away in a storm. I guess either they found it, or got a new one to replace it.

 

 

 

 

I have never seen that before.

 

 

[gambee]

The tender area was chaotic, it was so disorganized that a fight almost broke out over a spot in the line.

 

It all went down to a lack of organization. There was no clear line, and you really did not know where to go. Half of the space inside the shaded area was empty and most of the people were piled up outside being rude to each other.

 

One person here organizing and guiding everyone would be great!

 

 

 

It was then that my mom said to me that some people with the priority tickets were going another way. Thankfully I had saved one of my tickets and we went there.

 

 

The one employee that they had, was the one checking for priority tickets. The priority tickets pretty much allowed us to go to the front of the line with a few other people.

 

Look how far the line went. I think another factor was that most of us, were very tired after a long day exposed to the sun. Everyone was just eager to get back on-board.

 

 

The main problem is that there was no one here directing people. That is the only reason why this was so chaotic.

 

 

 

[gambee]

Once the tender got there it was like a stampede! The tender official kept yelling “There is room for everyone”. The funny thing is that first he said the tender had room for 150, that number went all the way up to 400 by the time he gave up trying to calm everyone.

 

When they released the ropes my only concern was my mom, people were pushing like maniacs. Once again, I became a human shield and stood behind her until the chaos broke through.

 

 

 

The line on the other side was really long.

 

 

By now most were calm.

 

 

It was just very hot, I fully understand the desperation of all of us. The funny thing is that the official was right, there was room for everyone in line. The must of been over 300 of us there.

 

[gambee]

The sight of AC was very welcomed at that time. I could feel it already :D

 

 

 

 

 

Since we were on the deck below, we were among that last ones to get off the tender.

 

 

 

[gambee]

GSC should have showers near the entrance of the tender area. I only saw the ones with the long line by the restroom area.

 

 

 

 

Back inside mom and I relaxed for a little while. My aunt was in the room taking a nap and my uncle had gone for a walk around the ship.

 

 

 

My mom noted that most tenders came in less than full. Maybe we just got unlucky and boarded the one on rush hour. The ship still had over 1:30 left in GSC.

 

 

 

[gambee]

My uncle told me that his tender trip was really smooth and there were no issues.

 

 

Mom called me and told me they were heading to the buffet, I was a little hungry. To be quite honest that burger was not the best, I think the only reason it tasted any better than the ones on the ship was because I was starving.

 

We went up to the buffet to get a grub.

 

 

 

[gambee]

 

 

 

 

 

[gambee]

 

The fish and chips were really good!

 

 

 

 

I went to the room and took a nap, I rarely take naps. But I was worn out.. It actually ended up being like a 2 hour nap. After that mom came to the room and packed my bag, I was still worn out. She said they were going to the buffet for dinner. I was pretty full by then, but decided to go and see what they had.

 

How Ironic is this, set after set about food, lol.

 

That swai fish smelled so bad that no one would go near that section. I am not sure who in their brightest mind decided to even put that fish out. There was only one piece missing on that tray…

 

 

[gambee]

 

Here is mine.

 

 

Mom’s

 

 

Aunt’s

 

 

Like I said most of us were pretty full. I am not entirely sure where my uncle was.

 

[ssnewbie]

Gambee you are just amazing!!!!! Your reviews are so detailed and thorough, it feels like I went on vacation with you! :D Thank you for all you do! When I need something to tie me over until my next cruise, I read a Gambee review.

 

My first cruise and first port was GSC in 2011. It's awesome to see how far they've come since then.

 

Truly thank you for your time energy and effort. I'm sure that it takes more than we could ever imagine, and we just appreciate you and your work.

[gambee]

I went back to the room and just relaxed on the balcony. At one point a big storm was building up straight ahead of us. We were actually following a Carnival ship that made a very sharp turn! Next thing I know we were making just as sharp a turn as they did. Granted the ship did not lean or anything, but you could definitely feel a very sharp turn. This is the very first time that I have experienced something like that.

 

There was thunder everywhere and heavy rain, but no waves whatsoever. It was a very odd storm. I think it reminded me of the movie pirates of the Caribbean, when everything was extremely calm, but in the distance there was a nasty storm brewing.

 

 

We were traveling very slowly.

 

 

 

That night's show was an Opera show, none of had an interest on it. I also did not talk to anyone about it, so I cannot shine in with info about the show. We did go to guest services to close out one account that had a problem with it and to check something on the final bill. It's kind of funny because I have the notes about this, but no pictures about it.

 

Later on, my uncle went to the casino and my mom went and got the happy hour drinks in the casino bar. Personally, I took a long stroll on the Lido deck to say goodbye to a wonderful vacation on a truly divine ship! It had started drizzling again so I retreated to the my balcony to work on my computer.

 

I finished the cruise by the balcony enjoying the calming rain, it was a really nice way to conclude our first Eastern Caribbean cruise.

 

I went to bed rather early that day, I think GSC really took it out of me.

 

 

Day 7, End.

 

 

[gambee]

Day 8, Disembarkation

 

I woke up fairly early and the ship had already docked. I called mom and she said that they had no plans on eating breakfast, I am not sure why but that was their decision.

 

 

 

 

 

We decided to get off the ship early, around 8am. The process was fast and efficient, we were waiting for our shuttle in a matter of minutes. Keep in mind that we always bring our bags with us. Ever since Celebrity lost my bags, I am not willing to go through that process all over again.

 

We waited for the shuttle for a little while, but grew impatient. My uncle said that he would pay for a cab to get there. So we got into the cab line and go on a mini van. We lucked out and went through the new tunnel.

 

 

This was my first time ever in the tunnel, very neat. Although I heard that it already flooded once, lol.

 

 

[gambee]

 

We got to the parking lot and I went to get the car, they waited by the curb for me.

 

 

Overall a very efficient process. Just wish the parking lot shuttles ran more often. I can honestly say that I would use this parking garage in the future.

 

 

[sharonsorlie]

I wish the cabanas were located closer to the water, or maybe even some of those over the water ones. Although I can only imagine the maintenance that those require. Still seems to me like paying $200+ to be so far from the water is just not ideal. I actually considered renting a cabana for this cruise, but once I realized that they were located so far away from the water I decided not to.

 

 

 

I told mom to wait there, I could see that she was already worn out and it seemed like a good resting spot for her. I kept on walking a little further.

 

 

 

Here is a very nice little beach with much less crowds. The only thing to consider is the longer walk there.

 

 

 

Gambee, I notice that the Carnival Ship in the background - were they on the island as well?

[gambee]

 

Conclusion, Rating and Final Thoughts

 

 

Food 6/10

 

We had a fairly good experience with the food during our voyage. Here are some of the issues that account for the lower score of this section. There is a lack of variety in the buffet for breakfast; you won’t find items like smoked salmon or eggs Benedict. There are about four stations with the same eggs and items just repeating themselves. Since there are really three options for breakfast—room service, MDR, and buffet—this is kind of a bust. The MDR did offer those items, but with the poor service and long waits, we tended to avoid the main dining room as often as possible.

 

For lunch the main dining room offers a nice selection and good delicious food, but again keep in mind the problem stated above. The buffet for lunch offers decent food, but nothing really stood out to me. There is also a lack of seafood that is very hard to ignore. You will only find shrimp in the children’s section, in the form of popcorn shrimp. Also on day 6 of our voyage I noticed grilled calamari for 3 hours. Other than that you will see plenty of pastas, some of which are good and other which are not. The pizza is excellent, but one cannot go on a 7-day cruise and eat just pizza.

 

As for dinner, I wish I would have gone more to the main dining room, but 2-hour meals are not my thing. Many will criticize me and say that this is the European way, but as I have stated before this ship was Americanized and given to the U.S. to try to make more of a presence here. This is one aspect that will irritate many of us who are used to faster meals. The food for dinner was ok; a few great items, but most fall under the average category. Nothing terribly bad or anything like that, but again the end result is that we avoided the MDR because of the service and ended eating in the buffet, which has lower-quality dinner food when compared with the MDR.

To me it seemed like MSC is purposely pushing people away from the MDR, so that they can save money on the more expensive items like seafood and better meats. Just a thought …

 

 

Cabin 9/10

 

MSC Divina rooms remind of the staterooms aboard the Silhouette; they are adequate with nothing major to complain about. The only thing that did bother me was where the closets were located and how obstructive the doors were once they are opened. It is near to impossible to do anything once you open them.

The bathroom is nice with good water pressure; everything looks nice and clean as can be expected on a newer vessel like this one. The balcony is a nice size, and furnished appropriately.

 

We were all very happy with our rooms, and of course the added benefit of getting a handicapped room was the extra space.

 

 

Cabin TV System & Internet 6/10

 

The Internet system is by far the best that I have ever used on a cruise ship. It was very fast, and the best feature is that you are allowed to break connection on the exact second without charging for the entire minute like every other cruise line. This is something that every cruise line should look into implementing. I read that new Quantum of the Seas will be the most connected ship; I would love to see something like this on that ship.

 

The TV system was pretty lousy; most channels were news channels and there were only a few channels that offered TV shows. Not only that, but there was an abundant number of channels in different languages. In our case it was not an issue since there were a few in Spanish, but for the U.S. traveler this could be an issue. I was not able to find any channels that offered free movies, either.

The last thing to note is that you’re not able to check your onboard account on the TV system until 24 hours before getting off the ship. Quite honestly that does not make any sense to me at all.

 

 

Pools, Jacuzzis, & Adult-Only Area 7/10

 

MSC calls the aft pool the Zen area; unfortunately they do not enforce this rule and you often find children in there. There are also no dedicated children-free Jacuzzis unless you pay for the solarium. The Zen pool is absolutely amazing—well, it is actually called the garden pool. But the overall area is something out of a magazine. If MSC gave made this area adult-only and enforced the rules, this would be without a doubt my favorite part of the ship.

 

That said, I think that Divina has a good number of pools and Jacuzzis aboard the ship. Even though I found them extremely crowded at times, it seems like the three main pools took up most of the space of the lido deck.

 

There are a few smaller pools around the main pool, they are supposed to be the children’s pools. The water temperature in the pools is very pleasant. Also keep in mind that all pools are salt water, and they are drained each night.

 

The indoor pool is fantastic, surrounded by tables and plenty of shade for those who fear the sun. However there is a major issue in this area. The floors are incredibly slippery, and dangerous. I encourage you to be very careful around this area, it is just an accident waiting to happen.

 

We also found our piece of heaven in those two hidden aft Jacuzzis, so all in all it worked out well for us. The only thing I wish that they would do is to place a roof over the Jacuzzis. I am starting to think that most cruise lines leave them open to try to get people to stay there for only a few minutes.

 

 

Activities (for Adults) 5/10

 

This is by far my major complaint about this ship. MSC has a gorgeous vessel; it is a shame that the cruise director is not exploiting the true potential of the ship. Andre does not do a good job at scheduling activities, or at the very least not how I am used to.

 

Until my Divina cruise, the Celebrity Silhouette had the fewest number of activities, but X had much more than Divina. I believe that if MSC really wants to tailor to the U.S. market, and even more so to the group of people in that price range, they need to bring on a U.S. CD, maybe one from Norwegian or Carnival. I know that sounds odd, but if you’re selling cruises in the price range, you need to appeal to that market.

 

The main problem I see is that MSC is trying to appeal to many cultures at the same time, and that can be a very complicated task. But it can be done, just do like every other cruise line and schedule smaller events and not just three huge ones per day.

 

 

Shows 7/10

 

We enjoyed some of the shows aboard Divina. The Italian show was great, as was the Michael Jackson show. It was a true shame we missed the Frank Sinatra one, they should consider scheduling it on another day.

 

As far as the Cirque-style shows goes … quite honestly they are not my type, nor any of my party’s type. They tended to be slow and just boring. I remember someone saying that it seemed like they just changed the outfits and the music. I think that describes it perfectly. Then again this is nothing more than my opinion. Personally I don’t think that I enjoy Cirque-style shows, and on Divina they are almost half of the presentations. That said, a lot of people love them and claim that Divina has some of the best-produced Cirque shows at sea.

 

I think this is a valid rating; we would have actually loved half of the shows.

 

 

Bars & Lounges 7/10

 

There are plenty of bars on Divina, and by far the most comprehensive drink lists that I have ever seen on a cruise! But nothing really stood out, like a floating bar, or an Ice bar, or the amazing entertainment from the Silhouette martini bar. The staff are rather on the dry side, not a lot of entertainment factor to them.

 

 

Ship Decor & Elegance 10/10

 

The ship decor is fascinating! The staircase is unlike anything you have seen before, those 20K Swarovski crystal steps are incredible! The theme continues throughout the ship. I would dare to say that the ship is on par with the Silhouette and the Disney Dream. The vessel is also kept impeccable inside and out; you will struggle to find any kind of rust forming on the outside of the ship.

It would be really amazing if the rest of the ship was on a par with the appearance on the ship. I found really hard to match such an amazing ship with just ok food, and poor activities.

 

 

Unique Area—Aft Pool, Formula 1 Simulator 7/10

 

The aft pool of this ship is very unique. I absolutely loved sitting by the glass and staring down at the ocean. I wish that the pool was kept completely full at all times; otherwise it goes from being an endless pool to a regular pool. But overall the entire area is very enjoyable, I just wish that MSC kept their word and kept the children out of the area.

 

The Formula 1 simulator is a full-blown simulator that moves around. I really wish that we got to try it out, since I have not seen anything like this on any ship before. Actually I have never seen a simulator like that ever, period! I would have scored this area higher if the simulator were not broken during our entire sailing.

 

 

Service 6/10

 

MSC really needs to improve in this area if they want to succeed in the U.S. market. Some of the staff just look like they are miserable, while others try to do their best at all times. Our room steward was fantastic; I only wish that we had at least one towel animal. My mom made a point of how much she missed having the towel animals when she arrived in the room late at night.

 

The main dining room service wasn’t my thing; like I said, 2-hour meals really turned me off. And just the overall service in the ship is lacking when you compare it with all the other cruises that I have sailed on. And do not forget the very rude “gold by the inch” salesman that immediately assumed that my family was poor, telling my mom that it was too expensive for her to afford and then ignoring her while he yelled at an employee.

 

The overall feeling is a disconnection from the crew and the ship, almost as if they just did not care about absolutely anything about the ship. But like I said, there were a few exceptional crew members.

 

 

 

Score & Conclusion 70 out of 100

 

We had a great time aboard MSC Divina! It was a very enjoyable family vacation and one that we will never forget. However, as a reviewer it is my job to point out my overall opinion on the ship. I think I rated the ship fairly and gave ample points where she deserved them. I am afraid that Divina could have scored much higher than this, and deep inside I wish it had. I think MSC has had more than enough time to adjust to the U.S. market, and there are many factors that have gone ignored by the company. We now know that MSC is pulling the ship from Miami and sending it back to Europe for the summer, I believe they plan on bringing her back for winter 2016, but I could be wrong.

 

I think MSC finds itself in an odd place; they have an incredibly gorgeous and elegant ship. One that does not fit the price range they are in. But by having subpar food, service, and activities, they have been forced to market the ship in that way. They should add more activities to make everyone on board happy.

 

All that said, would I sail in Divina again? You bet I would! But only at the right price. Well, that is unless they start addressing several of the issues mentioned above.

 

Just a quick recall of scores:

 

Disney Dream 89%

Allure of the Seas 86%

Breeze 83%

Breakaway 78%

Silhouette 77%

 

As you can see, Divina is my lowest-rated ship of this class. The Sky scored lower, but that ship is in another category. I sure hope that the product does improve with time. I hate to see such a gorgeous ship score low, when you well know the potential is there to have an amazing product. Some minute changes like making one of the pools strictly for adults. Changing the gratuity system to encourage the crew to work happier and more efficiently. Making one of the main dining rooms into “anytime time.” And last but not least, scheduling more activities that engage the passengers in separate areas of the ship, to dissipate the crowd. Those should be fairly inexpensive to change.

 

The food is another story. For this price range the food is ok. I understand that the price of the cruise might need to rise slightly if we want better food all around the ship.

 

I think that encompasses my overall opinion of the ship. As of now I am not sure when my next cruise will be, possibly next year.

 

 

Thank you everyone who was a part of this review.

 

 

 

Until Next time! ^_^

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 8, 2014 by gambee

[gambee]

Gambee you are just amazing!!!!! Your reviews are so detailed and thorough, it feels like I went on vacation with you! :D Thank you for all you do! When I need something to tie me over until my next cruise, I read a Gambee review.

 

My first cruise and first port was GSC in 2011. It's awesome to see how far they've come since then.

 

Truly thank you for your time energy and effort. I'm sure that it takes more than we could ever imagine, and we just appreciate you and your work.

 

You're truly welcome, I am glad that all the hard work goes appreciated. Thank you for following I kindly appreciate it. I know many have no plans on sailing aboard Divina, but it is very nice to see a good crowd in here :)

[gambee]

Hi Gambee,

 

OMG! You are not kidding there sure has been a lot erosion on this beach since we were there March 2014. I am inserting a picture from my Celebrity Equinox visit mid March 2014 for a comparison.

 

I wonder if this erosion is a normal thing and they just fix it for the high tourist season in the winter? Because if it erodes this fast I could see it infringing on the runway very soon.

 

Gambee has a way of attracting people to a forum who would normally not view the forum. Enjoying this review. Thanks!

 

One Question did you bring your Sony RX100 with you on this trip? I would love to get the RX100 MIII for our next cruise on Celebrity Silhouette still quite pricey.

 

Regards,

Kevin Reid

 

Hello Kevin, I am not sure about Maho. Maybe they fix it for the season, who knows.

 

I actually sold my RX100. I really preferred the product that the NEX lineup produces. I am not entirely sure I could justify the price of the RX100 III. For that amount of money I much rather the A6000. While I do realize that it is a much larger camera, the end results are in a completely different league.

 

Thank you for commenting and following. I am actually very happy with the views that I got for this review. It is actually now the most viewed and commented thread on the MSC forum. I am very happy that all the hard work is enjoyed by many :)

Edited September 8, 2014 by gambee