My little review of the Divina 9-6 thru 9-13

[dogchopper]

Just got off the Divina yesterday and figured I'd write a short little review. There are now so many good long ones that I won't bother going into major details but I will be happy to answer any questions.

 

A little about me. I am 52 yrs young -of today, happy birthday to me!!- and my husband is the exact same age.. -yep his birthday is today too- . We have been on 6 carnival cruises and 2 royal Caribbean cruises so far. So we are not what you would call the upper class cruisers. We usually book interiors or ocean views, and occasional balcony if the price is right. And we have never had a BAD cruise. In fact I have LOVED every Carnival cruise and strongly liked the RC cruises.

 

Ok, now this cruise. The cruse was ok for the money and we got it at a very low price $349.00 for a balcony, the price was great!! Had I paid more money for the cruise I'd be very VERY disappointed .

 

The ship is beautiful, no one can argue that. The wait staff in the Villa Rosa dining room were excellent. lievu and Windi we the BEST!! The shows were fabulous! Best I've ever seen, the singers were amazing and the dancers and acrobats were just terrific!! I have to throw in that that I think they have a bit too much opera and they are planning on adding another opera show to the lineup... But they were great shows. And one thing I really enjoyed was the entertainment staff 'entertaining us' before the show. They were so funny to watch !! The itinerary was great. Had a good time in St. Maarten , Bernard's tours is great!! San Juan is a great port to wander around in!! And instead of stirrup cay we ended up at Grand Turks and Caicos due to bad weather and it was a lot of fun!!

 

The rest of the cruise.. Eh, not so great. The buffet food I thought was pretty good, the pizza was good but the station was always a huge mess. I thought they had a pretty decent choice of food. Really lacking on deserts and if your a chocolate lover like me it's not the ship for you sadly. The problem with buffet is it's about impossible to get a place to sit and trying it get to the food is next to impossible!! I recommend you eat in the main dining room for breakfast and lunch. Not as much selection but at least you can sit down without a fight.

 

The main dining room food was sad. And I am by no means a picky eater. I love McDonalds and I love Red Lobster, Carrabbas. So I'm not used to fancy foods but I eat ok (and my waistline shows it sadly) but when you order a prime rib and it's so thin you can see thru it, something is wrong. Our waiter said they slice it on a meat slicer like you would slice up sandwich meat at a deli .. And the pasta?? This is an Italian cruise ship and everyone who ordered the lasagne thought it was horrible . I'm not just talking about people at our table. The people at the table next to us returned theirs and got something else. The next day when we were on out tour with Bernard's the other people in the van were talking about it, on the way to our car from the port (we parked at premier parking .. Also not so great) the other people in the shuttle were talking about how bad the lasagne was!! My husband will eat ANYTHING and he didn't finish it. I didn't order it but I did taste his, the pasta was mushy, which I thought was odd cuz I ordered most every pasta dish on there and usually the pasta was a bit under done.

So.. The food in the main dining room was really kind of pitiful .

 

The rest of the cruise could just be summed up as dull. Like I said I'm used to carnival and RC and compared to them this was a boring cruise. Not much going on. Mostly just relaxing and maybe a get together or two.

On the 2nd to last night they had Karaoke, it was SO much fun to watch. It was packed, standing room only. The way they did it was great! So, why on earth only have that one night ?? It was the best night of the cruise! a great show and then awesome karaoke ..

 

And one more thing I just really REALLY didn't understand about this ship, this beautiful ship... Why on earth make the main drag, level 7, be the same level you hang all the life boats on. You have all these beautiful windows to look out of and instead of seeing ocean you see life boats?? What a waste of beautiful windows .

 

Would I ever sail on the Divina again, nope, not unless I got a freebie to convince me it's changed. But honestly I got the impression from the cruise director at the cruise critic meeting that they had no plans on changing. They liked their European style of cursing and wanted to share it with us lowly Americans who are in need of culture ...

 

I was REALLY wanting to love this cruise!! I was very excited about going. Even invited 2 friends who had never been on a cruise to go with us. They liked it, said the food was terrible too and we a bit bored but they were older than us so they were ok with being a little bored. But like I said, I won't be sailing with them again and if they plan on raising the price of the cruise they need to buff up the food and make it a bit more exciting ...

[Aussiegrlfl]

Thank you for your review.........so the food and the lack of activity were the most problem it seems.....for me this cruise is about relaxing, my job is frantic and I am 51 but plan to relax so that works fine for me, and as I love to cook wonderful flavourful meals, I was already expecting to be under whelmed...I'll live on salad and be happy.....so hopefully with good weather....we will have a good time...maybe I'll take a stroll back to the kitchen and show the chef a thing or two:D

[dogchopper]

Thank you for your review.........so the food and the lack of activity were the most problem it seems.....for me this cruise is about relaxing, my job is frantic and I am 51 but plan to relax so that works fine for me, and as I love to cook wonderful flavourful meals, I was already expecting to be under whelmed...I'll live on salad and be happy.....so hopefully with good weather....we will have a good time...maybe I'll take a stroll back to the kitchen and show the chef a thing or two:D

 

They did have a wonderful salad bar in the buffet so you will enjoy it. And the shows are wonderful !! Enjoy your cruise :)

[Aussiegrlfl]

They did have a wonderful salad bar in the buffet so you will enjoy it. And the shows are wonderful !! Enjoy your cruise :)

 

Thankyou I surely plan on it.......any day that isn't at work......is tops......:)

[alexkrn46]

thank you for your review, how did you find the buffet?

[dogchopper]

thank you for your review, how did you find the buffet?

The buffet was pretty good. Very crowded but the food was good. Better than in the main dining room!

[Bra_BE2014]

Just got off the Divina yesterday and figured I'd write a short little review. There are now so many good long ones that I won't bother going into major details but I will be happy to answer any questions.

 

A little about me. I am 52 yrs young -of today, happy birthday to me!!- and my husband is the exact same age.. -yep his birthday is today too- . We have been on 6 carnival cruises and 2 royal Caribbean cruises so far. So we are not what you would call the upper class cruisers. We usually book interiors or ocean views, and occasional balcony if the price is right. And we have never had a BAD cruise. In fact I have LOVED every Carnival cruise and strongly liked the RC cruises.

 

 

Happy birthday to you both!

[dogchopper]

Happy birthday to you both!

Thanks you very much !!!

[riclop]

Thanks for the review and we go to breakfast we go around 7am, if you go 830 -900 you will find it very crowded, we had no problem with the food in the MDR or buffet and like aussiegrifl said we go to relax and enjoy the pool and the shows at night along with the music in all the lounges.

Edited September 14, 2014 by riclop

[maureencruiser]

I'm sorry you didn't like it better. That's disappointing to hear, at least I know now to avoid the lasagna. I hope I enjoy it better, will write my review when I get back.

[andrewjb1]

One thing I've noticed on MSC is that the food is no where near as salted as the food on NCL and RCI. Maybe that is something to do with reports of blandness. Ive always struggled with the amount of salt in cruise food, never had that issue on MSC.

 

The pasta is always a contentions point on MSC. Ironically Italian pasta dished are different to US, they even cook the pasta differently. Every cruise buffet I've ever eaten in has been a car crash. I avoid them at all costs. I don't go on vacation to wait on myself. lol

 

I won't be having a quiet. i'll entertain myself, whist being waited on. There is a reason I don't choose RCI or Carnival. :-/

 

Thanks for your review, you have confirmed that my expectations of MSC are 'on the ball.'

[CruiseScrooge]

if op is right about the way the prime rib is prepped and served should i skip it or order 3?

[headstalkn]

thanks for your review. We have just booked our first with them and are going in aware of what mostly to expect but like you could not pass up the chance to try them out based on the price.

Did you go to the spa at all? We enjoy using the heated ceramic loungers in the thermal suites but we cannot tell if this ship has them or not.

thanks

[andrewjb1]

thanks for your review. We have just booked our first with them and are going in aware of what mostly to expect but like you could not pass up the chance to try them out based on the price.

Did you go to the spa at all? We enjoy using the heated ceramic loungers in the thermal suites but we cannot tell if this ship has them or not.

thanks

 

no loungers.

[riclop]

One thing I've noticed on MSC is that the food is no where near as salted as the food on NCL and RCI. Maybe that is something to do with reports of blandness. Ive always struggled with the amount of salt in cruise food, never had that issue on MSC.

 

The pasta is always a contentions point on MSC. Ironically Italian pasta dished are different to US, they even cook the pasta differently. Every cruise buffet I've ever eaten in has been a car crash. I avoid them at all costs. I don't go on vacation to wait on myself. lol

 

I won't be having a quiet. i'll entertain myself, whist being waited on. There is a reason I don't choose RCI or Carnival. :-/

 

Thanks for your review, you have confirmed that my expectations of MSC are 'on the ball.'

Very good point Andrew, we don't cook with salt therefore the food on the Divina is fine with us. Most people on a cruise will even add more salt to the already salty food.

[oellett]

Thankyou I surely plan on it.......any day that isn't at work......is tops......:)

 

My sentiment also, I will add that spending time with my husband away from the day to day activities is always so enjoyable, even if we are just looking out at the beautiful ocean together.

 

Looking forward to exploring the ship and enjoying a bit of R&R. :)

[riclop]

My sentiment also, I will add that spending time with my husband away from the day to day activities is always so enjoyable, even if we are just looking out at the beautiful ocean together.

 

Looking forward to exploring the ship and enjoying a bit of R&R. :)

 

You have the right attitude so I know you will enjoy your cruise.

[gumbeaux58]

I found the food in the dining room to be barely tolerable. The buffet was better but nothing to get excited about. I found the salad bar lacking. I don't eat meat so I'm more dependent on a good salad bar and it was meh. The pizza was good when it was fresh. I found the breakfast the best meal of the day in the buffet. I have only gone on theme cruises though so the activities and entertainment were for the music themes. 27 musical acts on the last cruise. I'm going on a Celtic theme cruise in November. Other than that I kind of like the relaxing part too. I have to agree on the point about the view on deck 7. Makes no sense. Best views are from the disco and sports bar on 15. I think I'll try the specialty restaurants this time around to see if it's any better. Thanks for your thoughts. I have three more cruises on Divina coming up but all are theme cruises, Celtic, Monsters of Rock, and the Prog Cruise to the Edge. I do have to give props to the spa and the Indonesian ladies with the magic hands. Awesome. Expensive but awesome. :) :cool:

[dogchopper]

if op is right about the way the prime rib is prepped and served should i skip it or order 3?

yes order 2 or 3!! That is the way to go.

 

thanks for your review. We have made just booked our first with them and are going in aware of what mostly to expect but like you could not pass up the chance to try them out based on the price.

Did you go to the spa at all? We enjoy using the heated ceramic loungers in the thermal suites but we cannot tell if this ship has them or not.

thanks

we didn't go to spa but I heard it was nice! We did pop in and look at it, it's beautiful !

Have fun! ,

[Aussiegrlfl]

My sentiment also, I will add that spending time with my husband away from the day to day activities is always so enjoyable, even if we are just looking out at the beautiful ocean together.

 

Looking forward to exploring the ship and enjoying a bit of R&R. :)

 

It is amazing isn't it how LIFE gets in the way of the important stuff..........after 32 years of marriage.....it is a pleasure to be at sea together just enjoying the whole experience...........just being together.........it's a new honeymoon each time...........:D

[dogchopper]

I found the food in the dining room to be barely tolerable. The buffet was better but nothing to get excited about. I found the salad bar lacking. I don't eat meat so I'm more dependent on a good salad bar and it was meh. The pizza was good when it was fresh. I found the breakfast the best meal of the day in the buffet. I have only gone on theme cruises though so the activities and entertainment were for the music themes. 27 musical acts on the last cruise. I'm going on a Celtic theme cruise in November. Other than that I kind of like the relaxing part too. I have to agree on the point about the view on deck 7. Makes no sense. Best views are from the disco and sports bar on 15. I think I'll try the specialty restaurants this time around to see if it's any better. Thanks for your thoughts. I have three more cruises on Divina coming up but all are theme cruises, Celtic, Monsters of Rock, and the Prog Cruise to the Edge. I do have to give props to the spa and the Indonesian ladies with the magic hands. Awesome. Expensive but awesome. :) :cool:

. Theme cruises would probably be better. I'm sure there are theme activities involved.

 

As for food, I found the MDR to be great for breakfast and lunch, which is why it was strange it wasn't good for dinner??

 

I am not saying I had a BAD cruise, it was ok. And do agree that any day on a cruise ship is better then being at work !!

[Aussiegrlfl]

. Theme cruises would probably be better. I'm sure there are theme activities involved.

 

As for food, I found the MDR to be great for breakfast and lunch, which is why it was strange it wasn't good for dinner??

 

I am not saying I had a BAD cruise, it was ok. And do agree that any day on a cruise ship is better then being at work !!

 

 

And do agree that any day on a cruise ship is better then being at work !!

AMEN......AMEN....AMEN..............well of course unless it was the Titanic................:O Edited September 14, 2014 by Aussiegrlfl

[dogchopper]

And do agree that any day on a cruise ship is better then being at work !!

AMEN......AMEN....AMEN..............well of course unless it was the Titanic................:O

Ha good point !!

[American Bear]

Just got off the Divina yesterday and figured I'd write a short little review. There are now so many good long ones that I won't bother going into major details but I will be happy to answer any questions.

 

A little about me. I am 52 yrs young -of today, happy birthday to me!!- and my husband is the exact same age.. -yep his birthday is today too- . We have been on 6 carnival cruises and 2 royal Caribbean cruises so far. So we are not what you would call the upper class cruisers. We usually book interiors or ocean views, and occasional balcony if the price is right. And we have never had a BAD cruise. In fact I have LOVED every Carnival cruise and strongly liked the RC cruises.

 

Ok, now this cruise. The cruse was ok for the money and we got it at a very low price $349.00 for a balcony, the price was great!! Had I paid more money for the cruise I'd be very VERY disappointed .

 

The ship is beautiful, no one can argue that. The wait staff in the Villa Rosa dining room were excellent. lievu and Windi we the BEST!! The shows were fabulous! Best I've ever seen, the singers were amazing and the dancers and acrobats were just terrific!! I have to throw in that that I think they have a bit too much opera and they are planning on adding another opera show to the lineup... But they were great shows. And one thing I really enjoyed was the entertainment staff 'entertaining us' before the show. They were so funny to watch !! The itinerary was great. Had a good time in St. Maarten , Bernard's tours is great!! San Juan is a great port to wander around in!! And instead of stirrup cay we ended up at Grand Turks and Caicos due to bad weather and it was a lot of fun!!

 

The rest of the cruise.. Eh, not so great. The buffet food I thought was pretty good, the pizza was good but the station was always a huge mess. I thought they had a pretty decent choice of food. Really lacking on deserts and if your a chocolate lover like me it's not the ship for you sadly. The problem with buffet is it's about impossible to get a place to sit and trying it get to the food is next to impossible!! I recommend you eat in the main dining room for breakfast and lunch. Not as much selection but at least you can sit down without a fight.

 

The main dining room food was sad. And I am by no means a picky eater. I love McDonalds and I love Red Lobster, Carrabbas. So I'm not used to fancy foods but I eat ok (and my waistline shows it sadly) but when you order a prime rib and it's so thin you can see thru it, something is wrong. Our waiter said they slice it on a meat slicer like you would slice up sandwich meat at a deli .. And the pasta?? This is an Italian cruise ship and everyone who ordered the lasagne thought it was horrible . I'm not just talking about people at our table. The people at the table next to us returned theirs and got something else. The next day when we were on out tour with Bernard's the other people in the van were talking about it, on the way to our car from the port (we parked at premier parking .. Also not so great) the other people in the shuttle were talking about how bad the lasagne was!! My husband will eat ANYTHING and he didn't finish it. I didn't order it but I did taste his, the pasta was mushy, which I thought was odd cuz I ordered most every pasta dish on there and usually the pasta was a bit under done.

So.. The food in the main dining room was really kind of pitiful .

 

The rest of the cruise could just be summed up as dull. Like I said I'm used to carnival and RC and compared to them this was a boring cruise. Not much going on. Mostly just relaxing and maybe a get together or two.

On the 2nd to last night they had Karaoke, it was SO much fun to watch. It was packed, standing room only. The way they did it was great! So, why on earth only have that one night ?? It was the best night of the cruise! a great show and then awesome karaoke ..

 

And one more thing I just really REALLY didn't understand about this ship, this beautiful ship... Why on earth make the main drag, level 7, be the same level you hang all the life boats on. You have all these beautiful windows to look out of and instead of seeing ocean you see life boats?? What a waste of beautiful windows .

 

Would I ever sail on the Divina again, nope, not unless I got a freebie to convince me it's changed. But honestly I got the impression from the cruise director at the cruise critic meeting that they had no plans on changing. They liked their European style of cursing and wanted to share it with us lowly Americans who are in need of culture ...

 

I was REALLY wanting to love this cruise!! I was very excited about going. Even invited 2 friends who had never been on a cruise to go with us. They liked it, said the food was terrible too and we a bit bored but they were older than us so they were ok with being a little bored. But like I said, I won't be sailing with them again and if they plan on raising the price of the cruise they need to buff up the food and make it a bit more exciting ...

 

 

 

If you moved the life boats to another level, you'd have obstructed view cabins as you have on Carnival! I'd rather have an extra level of unobstructed cabins!

Thanks for your review, but I think if you can get another balcony at $349. compared to over a $1000. on a RCL/Carnival comparable ship, you'll be back!:eek:

The shrimp on the Divina is terrific, one night I ordered 3 for my meal! The lunch has coconut shrimp, again terrific, and I did the same there!

PS happy birthday to you both!

Edited September 15, 2014 by American Bear

[IJustWantToGo36]

Thanks for your review, but I think if you can get another balcony at $349. compared to over a $1000. on a RCL/Carnival comparable ship, you'll be back!:eek:

!

 

.Not necessarily true.

 

Carnival has number of cruises in the $400-$430 balcony range in the next few months.

 

In addition, many of us took inside guarantee and got upgraded.

 

on September 6th Divina… There was a 48 hour balcony guarantee plus $100 future cruise certificate for $299. Rarely was anyone talking to the future cruise consultants. On most ships there is always a line for future cruises.