Our Divina Cruise, the good and the bad

[Giantfan13]

We have just returned from our Divina cruise and I thought I might add some other opinions on this ship and this sailing.

 

First, we are experienced cruisers. This was our 15th cruise, and first on MSC. We are very budget conscience, usually booking inside cabins and rarely going to other dining venues other than the MDR. Ourselves, we are seniors, mid 60and we cruise for relaxation and good food. We like to think of ourselves as just average cruisers and not very critical of all the little things, we just want to enjoy our cruise. During our cruising background we have had excellent cruises and poor cruises. We feel it's many of the little things that usually make or break a cruise, so here is my description of our week on the Divina.

 

We arrived at the cruise terminal about 10AM, and we were checked in by 10:30. You are given a number card to determine in what order you will be allowed on board. On the Divina, they ask that you vacate your stateroom by 7:00AM on the day you have to leave, but the last group called to leave the ship is after 11:00. We saw people still getting off at 11:30. At 12:30 they started allowing people onto the ship. We boarded, headed to the buffet and enjoyed lunch. After lunch we headed to our stateroom to 'check it out'. We were on deck 10, and since I am slightly handicapped, I was offered a handicapped stateroom. It was a very nice room, larger than normal staterooms and we enjoyed it very much. On going over the room, my DW noticed, in the shower, a used bar of soap. On cruise ships, they don't use bars of soap, so this was left by the last users of the cabin and not cleaned up. I looked for our room steward, but no one was around. I called guest services since the phone doesn't have a line to housekeeping. I was put on hold and that hold lasted 30 minutes. When I finally got some one, they took down the info and said they would contact some one to clean it up. We went out, toured ship and returned to get ready for dinner. The soap was still in the shower. This time I went to guest services myself and once again they said some one would address the matter. On retuning to my cabin an officer knocked on the door and I showed him the soap, plus a hair clip that we found under the bed. He assured us, after we returned from dinner the cabin would be perfect. He was correct, but was an omen of things to come?. TO MSC's credit, they did follow up two days later to make sure everything was now satisfactory.

 

I won't go into details about every day, but just a few topics that I have read on this board and just felt I needed to offer another first hand opinion.

 

Service:

I felt the service on the ship was adequate. We found many of the people we dealt with were friendly, but never overly so. It just seemed like a job to them and they didn't embrace it with a passion as we have found on other cruise lines. They smile and wish you a good day etc, but maybe it was us, but we just didn't feel the sincerity in it.

Are we being foolish, maybe, but when we cruise Carnival their service is spectacular, and MSC should go out and steal many of Carnival's workers. The waiters know you by name. and address you that way. Here, at dinner, the waiters were nice, tried to be friendly, but just seemed a bit out of it. Second, communication was definitely a problem. We didn't understand them and they didn't understand us. English is a very foreign thing to them. WE became friends with one of the assistant Maître 'D's and he did tell us this was a problem and MCS is working on it, but for now, we just though it needed mentioning. Don't get me wrong here, the entire staff worked very hard, everyone, trying to make you feel comfortable, but we just found something lacking.

 

Food:

I did a write up on this on another thread, but it really needs repeating. We ate in the MDR every morning and every night. We did eat in the buffet for several lunches, and late night snacks. We are of the Jewish faith and we try to maintain Kosher laws when we travel. We do not eat meat, and only certain seafood (no shellfish). We do eat vegetarian and pastas, and most fillet fish. We were excited about this cruise, a new menu and a European flare to our dining experience. To say we were terribly disappointed would be putting it mildly. We order the fish meal several nights and we also ordered Salmon on nights when we couldn't eat the regular fish dinner. Except for the Mahi Mahi most of the fish was poorly prepared, dry and once, even inedible. It is pretty hard to ruin a simple piece of Salmon, but they did it three different times. We were served a piece of Salmon that was dry, we sent it back, told the waiter to have the chef undercook it, only to be given another dry piece. The next night we again ordered Salmon, again told the waiter to have it undercooked. The Salmon that was put in front of me was inedible. it was dry, chewy and just not very good. After dinner I complained to the Maître 'D and he assured me this would be corrected. On the lobster night we again ordered the Salmon. The Maître 'D, himself brought it out, and we ate it. It was better than any of the other Salmon we had ordered, but still, not very good. I am a decent cook. I make Salmon at home at least once a week. I know what a fresh piece of Salmon is like. This was so far from that. If this was a restaurant, I would not pay for the meal. I've already read the excuses people want to make for this. People, this is simple cooking, a piece of Salmon, and in 3 tries they couldn't get it right. Most of the other fish was about the same, but we ate it anyway. My own personal opinion, the fish was already pre cooked, almost till it was done, and then, when ordered, broiled or whatever and then served. That double cooking just drains the life out of any fish.

Now that that is out of the way. We always enjoyed breakfast. The omelets were fresh and well made. I like strong coffee and this was just that. One point I want to make. They do not offer coffee or tea after dinner, which I found strange. Is that an American thing? Plus, my DW only drinks tea. When she asked for tea, she was poured a cup from a carafe of hot water. My DW has excellent taste for tea and she said the carafe was probably used for coffee also, and she could taste the coffee flavor in the hot water. She never attempted tea again after dinner.

The desserts were wonderful, we had a different flavor gelato every night plus other scrumptious things. Several of the pasta dishes we enjoyed, but all the pasta is served El Dente, a bit hard, and we were just not used to it. If you like you pasta that way, you will enjoy those dishes more than we did.

The few times we ate in the buffet, we found the food fairly good. We both enjoyed the pizza very much especially late at night.

Just so anyone knows, after the buffet closes, (and all the time) they offer several varieties of pizza, also an area where they have tuna, egg salad and a some other things that you can make a sandwich. In the afternoons they also have yummy chocolate chip cookies. (they should have something sweet also at the late night area, but they do not).

 

Entertainment:

I have to say, this cast and crew worked their butts off on all the entertainment. We really like the cruise director, Andre. We nicknamed him Frazier, as he bore a striking similarity to the TV character of that name. He sounded just like him also. He was very amusing. As for the shows, we enjoyed most of them. My only critique is that it seems that they think more is better. Like in the Pirate show, they had a man singing on the stage, while Pirates are running around in the audience (the spotlite was on the Pirates), while an other man as doing some gymnastics on the stage in the background. This was a constant theme in just about every show. The people were fantastic, but why include a juggler, and a magician in the middle of a Pirate show?. Also, the shows are very short, usually about 30 minutes long. After Andre does his thing for 10 minutes or so, then the show starts and it is usually over in about 30 minutes. We also attended the Opera show (just so anyone knows, it is done in the afternoon, on a sea day). It was our first experience with Opera. Our problem was we came in a few minutes late, and missed the explanation of what was going on, so we really didn't enjoy it fully, but the two leads had tremendous voices and all who we spoke to, loved it.

I do have to add one thing here. For every show (we always went to the late show) they had 4-5 of the very front rows roped off every night for the young children from the camp or where ever they go. Maybe I'm wrong, but I find that bad. They usually reserve rows in the balcony for kids, but here it was in the best seats in the house and the theater was packed every night. The children would have been perfectly content in the balcony, leaving those rows for paying customers.

 

I also have to make note of the Captain of the Divina. I think he was on stage more than some of the performers. I really got to like him. On his first appearance, he greeted the audience in 12 different languages. Amazing. He was constantly making announcements over the loud speakers, even warning us of an oncoming rain storm and we should take cover. We met him for a 'Meet the Captain' thing and I brought him a NY Giants cap, which I hope he likes and wears. He also does a question and answer thing one sea day, which we attended. In all my years cruising, I have never seen a Captain do this and he was simply wonderful. He only answered sort of technical questions about the ship, cruise line and other things, but he never gave a quick answer and always expanded on the topic to really inform us of the ship, the crew and how it performs. The day before we had this session, the Captain mentioned that the ship had a surprise inspection and passed with flying colors. At this Q&A I asked him about this, what they look for, and how often it is done. His answers were precise and very informative. I would suggest that people who want to learn about things like that, attend this wonderful chance to ask a cruise ship Captain, several things.

 

This cruise was for our 40th wedding anniversary. We received a card in our room, inviting us to a 'private' cocktail party with the Captain. We were excited about this. When we arrived for the 'Cocktail Party' I think half the ship was also there. There had to be a good 400 people crammed into that room, and lo and behold it was the only cocktail party I have ever attended that didn't serve any cocktails. What we got was some sort of alcohol free punch or some white wine. My DW sampled an canope and spit it out. The Captain finally made an appearance, made a toast to all who were there and left. This entire thing was a farce. Why say it is a 'cocktail party' when they do not serve any cocktails?

 

My last thoughts are just about us, and will probably not pertain to many others, but for us it was the deciding factor, in if we would ever cruise the Divina again. In my life I have had skin cancer, melanoma twice. Both times caught early enough to be cured, but I try and avoid sitting in the sun as much as possible. Ourselves, and we may be in the minority, we like to find a quiet place, out of the sun, to just sit, relax and watch the ship sail the ocean. On the Divina, this is IMPOSSIBLE. You may find some shade for a while, but it is in noisy areas, by the pool, by the waterslide by bars, but that evaporates as the sun shifts and you are forced to move every hour. The only place you can find something that we like is on the Promenade deck and you are not allowed to sit there. Just a very poorly designed ship for what we like. Again, this is our wish on cruising and I'm sure we are in the minority, but the ship is noisy, basically trying to squeeze 3800 people who want to be out, onto 3 decks, 14, 15, and 16. You cannot even stand and look at the front of the ship on any deck. The Yacht Club has it's own 1/2 a deck forward on deck 17, I believe, and deck 18 is what is known as the Solarium, where you have to pay a fee to go there. What is there, is nothing that isn't on any other deck, no shade, but it is more quiet. Myself, I think this is an insult to passengers making them pay to just wanting to sit on a higher deck. Just very poor on MSC's part.

 

Some of the good things we really liked, no one pesters you to buy anything, from drinks to photo's and art to anything. That is a major plus. AND, a hidden gem that they do NOT tell people about. The night they have the 'Meet the Captain' in the daily bulletin, they mention the Captain's something at the bars, from 5:15-6:00. What they do not tell you is that all the drinks are FREE then. YES, I said it right, FREE drinks for those 45 minutes at all the bars.

 

Would we sail the Divina again, only if we had a balcony, otherwise definitely not. It wasn't our worst cruise and far from some of the people who posted that it was the cruise from hell. It just wasn't our cup of tea, for many of the above reasons. I'm sure others who sailed the Divina will have different opinions, having a great time. I know Mike posts rave reviews on the Divina. Maybe for Yacht Club people it is a better experience, but us, who just want to relax and enjoy quiet and some good food, this just wasn't for us. We tried it and now we know. I know this has been long, but I tried to present an honest assessment of our cruise. If anyone wants to email me any particular questions, it's Giantfanlen@msn.com

 

Cheers

 

Len

[alexkrn46]

sounds like the dreaded overhang is your ticket to happiness, I thought your review was fair for your experiences. Thanks for your review.

Edited September 1, 2014 by alexkrn46

[riclop]

Thanks for your review, it sounds like you may like X, we have been on it once and thought it was very boring so we will never return. Good luck on your next cruise.

[IJustWantToGo36]

Thanks for the review.

 

On friday nite was their a Shabbat Service? Was wine and challah provided?

[American Bear]

This is not meant to criticize but point out some things you may have overlooked in your summary!

You stated you are 'budget conscious' cruisers who usually cruise in an inside cabin!

1)Would it be worth cruising again on the Divina when it goes on sale (recently $349. balcony)where Divina Balconies are the price of other cruise lines inside cabins?

2)Would you really rather cruise another ships inside cabin then a Divina balcony?:confused:

3)Have you looked at MSC's loyalty Club, and how it works, (adding cruise points by counting on board spending), how quick you can reach their top tier which would give you '20%' off already super low balcony sale prices?:eek:

Imagine a future $349 balcony sale, and then get 20% off in loyalty club savings, you'd really still rather go on another cruise line in an inside cabin?

 

As the old saying goes, you get what you pay for, and in our opinion,,,

1) there is no better bang for your buck then cruising, and

2) the Divina is the best overall bang for your buck in the Caribbean right now! Balcony cabins on a beautiful ship routinely on sale for the price of inside cabins on other cruise lines!:)

We'd agree with RICLOP, if food is most important to you, the Celebrity might be a better overall fit, but you'll pay a lot more!

Edited September 1, 2014 by American Bear

[MsTabbyKats]

OP

 

This is not a critique but (I am Jewish also):

 

Did they offer the prepackaged kosher meals?

 

You said you are budget conscious, so I am assuming you paid less tha $50/pp/day. If you go out for a salmon dinner in a decent restaurant, it would probably be about $20 before tax/tip/beverage/dessert....so you would expect a bill for that meal to almost total your cost for an entire day at sea!

 

On the criuise you're paying for a more economical method of food preparation than a restaurant on land.

 

Again...you don't get what you don't pay for.

[IJustWantToGo36]

OP

 

This is not a critique but (I am Jewish also):

 

Did they offer the prepackaged kosher meals?

 

You said you are budget conscious, so I am assuming you paid less tha $50/pp/day. If you go out for a salmon dinner in a decent restaurant, it would probably be about $20 before tax/tip/beverage/dessert....so you would expect a bill for that meal to almost total your cost for an entire day at sea!

 

On the criuise you're paying for a more economical method of food preparation than a restaurant on land.

 

Again...you don't get what you don't pay for.

 

I will be cruising MSC for first time next week.

 

there is no excuse for Salmon to be inedible. Does not matter if paying $10 or $50

[IJustWantToGo36]

This is not meant to criticize but point out some things you may have overlooked in your summary!

You stated you are 'budget conscious' cruisers who usually cruise in an inside cabin!

 

3)Have you looked at MSC's loyalty Club, and how it works, (adding cruise points by counting on board spending), how quick you can reach their top tier which would give you '20%' off already super low balcony sale prices?:eek:

Imagine a future $349 balcony sale, and then get 20% off in loyalty club savings, you'd really still rather go on another cruise line in an inside cabin?

 

!

 

Budget conscious cruisers generally do not run up large on board tabs.

 

Not sure how big an 1 point=$200 incentive is for people that don't spend on cruise ships.

 

That does not take away from Divina's great prices. There is no competition.

[MsTabbyKats]

I will be cruising MSC for first time next week.

 

there is no excuse for Salmon to be inedible. Does not matter if paying $10 or $50

 

In his opinion it was inedible. Maybe it just wasn't prepared the way he's used to.

 

If it was so bad...why did he continue to order it? There had to be other options other than meat.

 

I"d go into all the "people trying to keep kosher in a non-kosher environment" I've had over the years....but it's way off topic. :)

[jimw]

We saw the balcony bargain on travelzoo and cruised Divina a couple of weeks ago in a balcony cabin for $299. plus all the usual fees, etc. The cabin was very nice and quiet and we enjoyed the balcony immensely. But our onboard spending was $193. so ever getting perks is unlikely..........it IS a good way to reward those not so economically minded however. Our circumstances are much like the OP's in that we are retired and usually look for the bargains. For us, on vtg to start. We like to scuba dive and do that on port stops. We typically don't drink much, so usually have only those offered free onboard. I bought a bottle of Sangster's Rum Cream in Falmouth, Jamaica during our port stop. Taking it back aboard, they didn't give it a look even though it was in my hand. They didn't even seem to have a place to turn it in for the duration of the cruise. Still haven't tasted it, but it's sounding pretty good!

[IJustWantToGo36]

OP

 

This is not a critique but (I am Jewish also):

 

Did they offer the prepackaged kosher meals?

 

Y.

 

I was seeing some conflicts online, re: kosher mails.

 

MSC website says "needs 2 months advance notice

 

VTG- says kosher meals are $20 and needs 14 days notice

 

I found this MSC Kosher menu, online, but don't know if expired:

http://cleditorial.s3.amazonaws.com/article/cruising101/cheat-sheet/kosher/msc-kosher-menu.pdf

 

I assume a ship that departs and arrives on Saturday does not have a huge demand for Kosher Only.

[JSnow789]

It is very easy to mess up salmon. It's not a very forgiving fish (Tilapia) and if it's not super fresh will be fishier then most. You cannot cook away the taste and smell of 'fishy'. I'm a Salmon snob and will only eat it when I know it was caught that day so I only get it when I'm in the Pacific Northwest. Others have said that seafood is really not good on this ship-so I'll just skip it (except for the Mahi and popcorn shrimp! ) :)

 

I too don't like to be in the sun and was concerned about the lack of shade. But I love people watching so I'll manage to hang out in the shade near the pool. :)

 

Thanks for the review! It's great to hear from everyone and their different perspectives! Cheers!

[andrewjb1]

Service:

I felt the service on the ship was adequate. We found many of the people we dealt with were friendly, but never overly so. It just seemed like a job to them and they didn't embrace it with a passion as we have found on other cruise lines. They smile and wish you a good day etc, but maybe it was us, but we just didn't feel the sincerity in it.

 

There are those that would argue the style of service on MSC is actually more sincere, maybe just lacking the saccharin veneer of the US lines?

Edited September 1, 2014 by andrewjb1
typo

[Mikesa1721]

It is very easy to mess up salmon. It's not a very forgiving fish (Tilapia) and if it's not super fresh will be fishier then most. You cannot cook away the taste and smell of 'fishy'. I'm a Salmon snob and will only eat it when I know it was caught that day so I only get it when I'm in the Pacific Northwest. Others have said that seafood is really not good on this ship-so I'll just skip it (except for the Mahi and popcorn shrimp! ) :)

 

I too don't like to be in the sun and was concerned about the lack of shade. But I love people watching so I'll manage to hang out in the shade near the pool. :)

 

Thanks for the review! It's great to hear from everyone and their different perspectives! Cheers!

 

Even for us in the Yacht Club,,we have no shade either, unless you sit on the bench near the pool, or sit in the One Bar:

 

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[maureencruiser]

Thanks for the review, I do find it amusing that it took 6 people, 30 minutes on hold, etc to put a bar of soap in the trash. I think I would have done it myself in 2 seconds. :rolleyes:

[Katgoesonholiday]

Thanks for the review, I do find it amusing that it took 6 people, 30 minutes on hold, etc to put a bar of soap in the trash. I think I would have done it myself in 2 seconds. :rolleyes:

 

I did wonder the same thing. But I've read of many people doing similar (on different lines) including one memorable thread where the woman hustled her daughters out of the cabin and kept them away until a pair of boys underpants was removed from the back of the closet - because it would have traumatized them and ruined their holiday. :D

[Mikesa1721]

I did wonder the same thing. But I've read of many people doing similar (on different lines) including one memorable thread where the woman hustled her daughters out of the cabin and kept them away until a pair of boys underpants was removed from the back of the closet - because it would have traumatized them and ruined their holiday. :D

 

 

Are you serious Kat????? OMG!!! I wished I was on the MSC boards when that little gem of a thread came along. I'd want to read it just for the replies alone!!

[Mikesa1721]

Thanks for the review, I do find it amusing that it took 6 people, 30 minutes on hold, etc to put a bar of soap in the trash. I think I would have done it myself in 2 seconds. :rolleyes:

 

Maureen,,,I remember you had asked me to check on the Nutella crepes for you. I never seen anyone in the little booth they had set-up at the AquaPark so I wasn't able to get that info for you. I noticed on Friday that the stand has completely disappeared from the pool deck and I haven't seen it since. While I'm thinking about it,,FLAMOM is cruising this week,,they only had 8 jars of Nutella left and the clerk in the store didn't think they would be getting anymore in. I'm thinking FLAMOM may scoop up the remaining jars!!

Edited September 1, 2014 by Mikesa1721

[SMSACE6]

Thanks for the review, I do find it amusing that it took 6 people, 30 minutes on hold, etc to put a bar of soap in the trash. I think I would have done it myself in 2 seconds. :rolleyes:

 

I would have done the same.

[camofwilliamsburg]

You can request bar soap. Also, we had ta or coffee each night after dinner so I am not sure why the OP could not. Cookies were in the buffet at night if you want something sweet. You could always ask for the fresh pasta each night without the meat. If you told them of the special diet someone would give you the menu the night before and you would pre order anything without the meat. They have the best lasagna( you could have asked for meatless), and their egg plant parm is fantastic. You could have asked for any appetizer as a main dish. I have found MSC to be very accommodating for anything asked of them. As far as the 30 minutes on hold... a bit long but it was the first day and they are always busy and the room stewards are all busy getting luggage to each cabin ( earlier than any other cruise line).

Also, your wait staff may not have been as good as someone elses, does not mean they are all like yours. We had horrible wait service on our X cruise and on HAL. It was our server not everyone.

All shows are now as short as they are on MSC. Part of their niche is the full stage production with the acrobatics and all the other most unusual talent woven into the main production.

You did not mention all the live music all over the ship. Did you get to enjoy that? Did you go to any of the dance lessons? Did the wonderful entertainment team dance with you or you wife and engage in conversation with you like the golden age of cruising? All these elements make MSC different and very unique. Did you go to any of the games? They are always fun, and did you notice the wonderful cruise prizes given out are not like the other cruise lines that give out a pen?

If there is a next time, pls contact msc beforehand and let them do a special diet for you. It will work out well and you will not have the extra stress. Did you enjoy their wonderful salad bar in the buffet? We also love their pizza. Hope you give them another try, they are worth it!

[maureencruiser]

Cam, Were the lasagna and the eggplant parm on the buffet or in the MDR? This is the first I have heard of them, two of my favorite things! Three, if they have chicken parm!

[maureencruiser]

I did wonder the same thing. But I've read of many people doing similar (on different lines) including one memorable thread where the woman hustled her daughters out of the cabin and kept them away until a pair of boys underpants was removed from the back of the closet - because it would have traumatized them and ruined their holiday. :D

 

A recent thread on RCCL involved a man who stood in line for over an hour outside the locked buffet on embarkation because they didn't open on time. They had a surprise inspection, so, they couldn't open. Instead of exploring the ship, having a drink, etc. he stood on line and posted on CC about it. :confused::confused:

 

Maureen,,,I remember you had asked me to check on the Nutella crepes for you. I never seen anyone in the little booth they had set-up at the AquaPark so I wasn't able to get that info for you. I noticed on Friday that the stand has completely disappeared from the pool deck and I haven't seen it since. While I'm thinking about it,,FLAMOM is cruising this week,,they only had 8 jars of Nutella left and the clerk in the store didn't think they would be getting anymore in. I'm thinking FLAMOM may scoop up the remaining jars!!

 

Well, obviously, I'm gonna have to man the stand myself. I'll order a few of those 11 pound jars of Nutella. :D

[Mikesa1721]

A recent thread on RCCL involved a man who stood in line for over an hour outside the locked buffet on embarkation because they didn't open on time. They had a surprise inspection, so, they couldn't open. Instead of exploring the ship, having a drink, etc. he stood on line and posted on CC about it. :confused::confused:

 

 

 

Well, obviously, I'm gonna have to man the stand myself. I'll order a few of those 11 pound jars of Nutella. :D

 

 

If you can find it Maureen!!!

[American Bear]

Budget conscious cruisers generally do not run up large on board tabs.

 

Not sure how big an 1 point=$200 incentive is for people that don't spend on cruise ships.

 

That does not take away from Divina's great prices. There is no competition.

 

You must remember that gratuities are part of your on board spending, so getting to $200. isn't that hard!:eek:

[American Bear]

We saw the balcony bargain on travelzoo and cruised Divina a couple of weeks ago in a balcony cabin for $299. plus all the usual fees, etc. The cabin was very nice and quiet and we enjoyed the balcony immensely. But our onboard spending was $193. so ever getting perks is unlikely..........it IS a good way to reward those not so economically minded however. Our circumstances are much like the OP's in that we are retired and usually look for the bargains. For us, on vtg to start. We like to scuba dive and do that on port stops. We typically don't drink much, so usually have only those offered free onboard. I bought a bottle of Sangster's Rum Cream in Falmouth, Jamaica during our port stop. Taking it back aboard, they didn't give it a look even though it was in my hand. They didn't even seem to have a place to turn it in for the duration of the cruise. Still haven't tasted it, but it's sounding pretty good!

 

Was that $193. you spent including 'pre-booked' drinks, and gratuities? It really isn't that hard to hit $200.!:)

Edited September 1, 2014 by American Bear