Divina review b2b 9-6-14 from rccl loyalist

[crbonfiber]

I just returned from B2B east and west Caribbean cruises on MSC Divina. 9-6 thru 9-20. It was fantastic.

 

A little about myself:

 

I am an avid cruiser with over 150 sailings all over the world. Most of my trips have been on Royal Caribbean. I am a Pinnacle member in their loyalty program. This would be my first cruise with MSC.

 

Embarkation: Great, I arrived at the port around 1:30 pm plenty of folks to check you in. The line moved quickly, the staff was very friendly, and I was on board in around 20 minutes.

 

 

Cabin: I had a very nice balcony cabin on deck 12. The layout was great, beds by the entrance and then a large couch. The bathroom was perfect size with glass shower doors. No nasty curtain to stick to your body. The bed was extremely comfortable and on the firm side.

 

 

Pools: There are 3 pools on the Divina. They are some of the nicest pools on any ship. The forward pool has a retractable dome for inclement weather. The main pool is open to the air with plenty of loungers available even on sea days. The aft pool is really nice with great ocean views off the stern. These areas, like the entire ship are kept perfectly clean. There is one thing MSC could do here to make the pool experience even better. Make the aft pool adults only, free of charge with a towel station. That would really make things perfect.

 

 

Service and Crew: On first impression I thought the crew was not very happy or forthcoming with anticipating service needs. But then I realized, the real issue is language. They don’t understand quite a bit, and it makes it hard for them to engage with the passengers. They try very hard and still do a great job. However, this is one area I feel MSC could use some help. If the crew spoke better English it would be a more pleasurable experience for everyone, crew included.

 

 

Dinning: I thought the food was very good. Not great, but I was not expecting great. It was on par with all the other major cruise lines. Service was excellent and quick. I enjoyed my dinner time.

 

 

Entertainment: I’m not a big fan of singing and dancing shows. However, on the Divina, they were fantastic and I was thoroughly entertained. Great singers and dancers, amazing acrobats. I would have to say that MSC has the best production shows at sea. Pirates was my favorite show.

 

 

Ports: I wont get into this as they have all been reviewed to death. However, I would like to say that the private island, Great Strirrup Cay was a very pleasant surprise. They have made several improvements and it really shows. They have some really nice Cabanas for rent and plenty of space on the beach. MSC does a very good job with tendering.

 

One other note: We did not make it to GSC on my first week due to a low pressure system in the Bahamas. The Captain told us rather than spend a day in the rain we would be going to Grand Turk instead of GSC. I know this took quite a bit of effort on MSC’s part. I have been in this situation many times with RCCL. RCCL, for the majority of the times would have slowed the ship down and spent an extra day at sea. I was really happy with MSC “going the extra nautical mile”. This made the cruise even better for everyone on board. Kudos to MSC for this quick change.

 

 

Debarkation: Excellent very well done with no announcements. One of the best I have seen. Carried my own bags off at 7:00am. No problems at all. Made my flight from MIA at 9:40 am with plenty of time to spare.

 

 

Overall Opinion: It was my first time on MSC, but it wont be my last. The Divina is kept so perfectly clean it looks like it just left the shipyard. There was always plenty of staff around to keep me happy. There is no hard sell for booze every 5 minutes by the pools. Food was good and plentiful.

Casino was great and NON smoking. There are so many lounges with great themes and entertainment. You can always find some action or a quite place to chill. The shows are amazing.

 

Another thing I really enjoyed was being with passengers from all over the world. It was great to hear their experiences with life. Quite refreshing and eye opening!

 

Im happy to answer any specific questions anyone may have.

[helen haywood]

Thanks for the wonderful review! We're sailing her, also our first cruise with MSC, in November. I'm sure I'll think of more to ask...but right now, tell me about water in the MDR. Was it free or did you need to buy bottled water?

[crbonfiber]

Thanks for the wonderful review! We're sailing her, also our first cruise with MSC, in November. I'm sure I'll think of more to ask...but right now, tell me about water in the MDR. Was it free or did you need to buy bottled water?

 

Water in MDR is free. They keep refilling as much as you can drink. Have a great time!

[skyking]

Thanks for the review, I cant wait to sail Divina in just 24 days!!!!

[joybaby]

We were on the second leg of your voyage and also loved the Divina. We have been on the Opera and the Poesia and they were wonderful as well. I see the Divina catering to the American market and I have to say I loved it more in the European fashion. Still wonderful though.

WE are booked on the Divina for the April 11 sailing to Bermuda. Come join us.

[Cruisin MarcnFran]

This is great! We head out on Saturday - also our first sailing with MSC.

 

Thank you!!

[Cruise a holic]

I just returned from B2B east and west Caribbean cruises on MSC Divina. 9-6 thru 9-20. It was fantastic.

 

A little about myself:

 

I am an avid cruiser with over 150 sailings all over the world. Most of my trips have been on Royal Caribbean. I am a Pinnacle member in their loyalty program. This would be my first cruise with MSC.

 

Embarkation: Great, I arrived at the port around 1:30 pm plenty of folks to check you in. The line moved quickly, the staff was very friendly, and I was on board in around 20 minutes.

 

 

Cabin: I had a very nice balcony cabin on deck 12. The layout was great, beds by the entrance and then a large couch. The bathroom was perfect size with glass shower doors. No nasty curtain to stick to your body. The bed was extremely comfortable and on the firm side.

 

 

Pools: There are 3 pools on the Divina. They are some of the nicest pools on any ship. The forward pool has a retractable dome for inclement weather. The main pool is open to the air with plenty of loungers available even on sea days. The aft pool is really nice with great ocean views off the stern. These areas, like the entire ship are kept perfectly clean. There is one thing MSC could do here to make the pool experience even better. Make the aft pool adults only, free of charge with a towel station. That would really make things perfect.

 

 

Service and Crew: On first impression I thought the crew was not very happy or forthcoming with anticipating service needs. But then I realized, the real issue is language. They don’t understand quite a bit, and it makes it hard for them to engage with the passengers. They try very hard and still do a great job. However, this is one area I feel MSC could use some help. If the crew spoke better English it would be a more pleasurable experience for everyone, crew included.

 

 

Dinning: I thought the food was very good. Not great, but I was not expecting great. It was on par with all the other major cruise lines. Service was excellent and quick. I enjoyed my dinner time.

 

 

Entertainment: I’m not a big fan of singing and dancing shows. However, on the Divina, they were fantastic and I was thoroughly entertained. Great singers and dancers, amazing acrobats. I would have to say that MSC has the best production shows at sea. Pirates was my favorite show.

 

 

Ports: I wont get into this as they have all been reviewed to death. However, I would like to say that the private island, Great Strirrup Cay was a very pleasant surprise. They have made several improvements and it really shows. They have some really nice Cabanas for rent and plenty of space on the beach. MSC does a very good job with tendering.

 

One other note: We did not make it to GSC on my first week due to a low pressure system in the Bahamas. The Captain told us rather than spend a day in the rain we would be going to Grand Turk instead of GSC. I know this took quite a bit of effort on MSC’s part. I have been in this situation many times with RCCL. RCCL, for the majority of the times would have slowed the ship down and spent an extra day at sea. I was really happy with MSC “going the extra nautical mile”. This made the cruise even better for everyone on board. Kudos to MSC for this quick change.

 

 

Debarkation: Excellent very well done with no announcements. One of the best I have seen. Carried my own bags off at 7:00am. No problems at all. Made my flight from MIA at 9:40 am with plenty of time to spare.

 

 

Overall Opinion: It was my first time on MSC, but it wont be my last. The Divina is kept so perfectly clean it looks like it just left the shipyard. There was always plenty of staff around to keep me happy. There is no hard sell for booze every 5 minutes by the pools. Food was good and plentiful.

Casino was great and NON smoking. There are so many lounges with great themes and entertainment. You can always find some action or a quite place to chill. The shows are amazing.

 

Another thing I really enjoyed was being with passengers from all over the world. It was great to hear their experiences with life. Quite refreshing and eye opening!

 

Im happy to answer any specific questions anyone may have.

 

Never sailed on MSC and may consider someday. Do they offer unlimited drink packages? What is the size of the staterooms/suites compared to RC or(and if you have sailed on) Celebrity? What about the price of the actual cruise?

 

Thanks

Edited October 1, 2014 by Cruise a holic

[riclop]

Thanks for your review and I agree with all your points especially that they should make the aft pool adults only and enforce it.

[DENIE]

Thanks for your review! We are on the 11/12 sailing and looking forward to it.

[Mikesa1721]

Thanks for your review and I agree with all your points especially that they should make the aft pool adults only and enforce it.

 

Yeah Riclop,,there's one woman security officer,,,she was a wench!!! That's who I would station there. I was sitting at the One Bar one morning and she came walking by so I said good morning to her. She looked at me,,gave me a half grin,,and kept walking,,,what the h*** is that??? So the One Bar bartender told me that she was ex-Israeli military and that they are all mentally broken!!! :eek:

[crbonfiber]

Never sailed on MSC and may consider someday. Do they offer unlimited drink packages? What is the size of the staterooms/suites compared to RC or(and if you have sailed on) Celebrity? What about the price of the actual cruise?

 

Thanks

 

They do offer several drink packages. Staterooms are similar in size. Check out MSC's Website they have all the pricing.

[stormynow]

thanks for the review. Exactly what we're expecting next week. Depart Sat Oct 4th, will report back.

[American Bear]

I just returned from B2B east and west Caribbean cruises on MSC Divina. 9-6 thru 9-20. It was fantastic.

 

A little about myself:

 

I am an avid cruiser with over 150 sailings all over the world. Most of my trips have been on Royal Caribbean. I am a Pinnacle member in their loyalty program. This would be my first cruise with MSC.

 

Embarkation: Great, I arrived at the port around 1:30 pm plenty of folks to check you in. The line moved quickly, the staff was very friendly, and I was on board in around 20 minutes.

 

 

Cabin: I had a very nice balcony cabin on deck 12. The layout was great, beds by the entrance and then a large couch. The bathroom was perfect size with glass shower doors. No nasty curtain to stick to your body. The bed was extremely comfortable and on the firm side.

 

 

Pools: There are 3 pools on the Divina. They are some of the nicest pools on any ship. The forward pool has a retractable dome for inclement weather. The main pool is open to the air with plenty of loungers available even on sea days. The aft pool is really nice with great ocean views off the stern. These areas, like the entire ship are kept perfectly clean. There is one thing MSC could do here to make the pool experience even better. Make the aft pool adults only, free of charge with a towel station. That would really make things perfect.

 

 

Service and Crew: On first impression I thought the crew was not very happy or forthcoming with anticipating service needs. But then I realized, the real issue is language. They don’t understand quite a bit, and it makes it hard for them to engage with the passengers. They try very hard and still do a great job. However, this is one area I feel MSC could use some help. If the crew spoke better English it would be a more pleasurable experience for everyone, crew included.

 

 

Dinning: I thought the food was very good. Not great, but I was not expecting great. It was on par with all the other major cruise lines. Service was excellent and quick. I enjoyed my dinner time.

 

 

Entertainment: I’m not a big fan of singing and dancing shows. However, on the Divina, they were fantastic and I was thoroughly entertained. Great singers and dancers, amazing acrobats. I would have to say that MSC has the best production shows at sea. Pirates was my favorite show.

 

 

Ports: I wont get into this as they have all been reviewed to death. However, I would like to say that the private island, Great Strirrup Cay was a very pleasant surprise. They have made several improvements and it really shows. They have some really nice Cabanas for rent and plenty of space on the beach. MSC does a very good job with tendering.

 

One other note: We did not make it to GSC on my first week due to a low pressure system in the Bahamas. The Captain told us rather than spend a day in the rain we would be going to Grand Turk instead of GSC. I know this took quite a bit of effort on MSC’s part. I have been in this situation many times with RCCL. RCCL, for the majority of the times would have slowed the ship down and spent an extra day at sea. I was really happy with MSC “going the extra nautical mile”. This made the cruise even better for everyone on board. Kudos to MSC for this quick change.

 

 

Debarkation: Excellent very well done with no announcements. One of the best I have seen. Carried my own bags off at 7:00am. No problems at all. Made my flight from MIA at 9:40 am with plenty of time to spare.

 

 

Overall Opinion: It was my first time on MSC, but it wont be my last. The Divina is kept so perfectly clean it looks like it just left the shipyard. There was always plenty of staff around to keep me happy. There is no hard sell for booze every 5 minutes by the pools. Food was good and plentiful.

Casino was great and NON smoking. There are so many lounges with great themes and entertainment. You can always find some action or a quite place to chill. The shows are amazing.

 

Another thing I really enjoyed was being with passengers from all over the world. It was great to hear their experiences with life. Quite refreshing and eye opening!

 

Im happy to answer any specific questions anyone may have.

 

 

Happy to hear you had a good time, we did the same back to back on Divina in May as you did, and we totally agree with your review, your comparisons to other cruise lines, and that the 'aft pool should be adults only'!

ARE YOU LISTENING MSC?!:eek:

 

The major difference we saw between RCL and MSC (both good products)was the lower prices on the Divina! We would have paid over a $1000. more to go on RCL. and even with out Plat+ benes., it wasn't worth it! The Divina's drink pkges. are also much better then RCL's!:D

 

The bar near the aft pool was a perfect spot for our 'pre meet and greet Cruise Critic group party', and a great place for sail away!

Happy cruising to you and yours!:)

[AmoMondo]

Yeah Riclop,,there's one woman security officer,,,she was a wench!!! That's who I would station there. I was sitting at the One Bar one morning and she came walking by so I said good morning to her. She looked at me,,gave me a half grin,,and kept walking,,,what the h*** is that??? So the One Bar bartender told me that she was ex-Israeli military and that they are all mentally broken!!! :eek:

 

They are almost all Israeli and some are even ex Mossad. Some are friendlier than others. One took 18 days to wear down until he eventually cracked a smile and spoke other than a grunt. Can't take the credit for that either, it was my friend who wore him down - she was relentless!

 

They may not all be the most friendliest but they are seriously on the ball when it comes to safety and security. So do not under any circumstances bring a knife with you, regardless of why you think you may need it. Most of them don't give a monkeys about enforcing drink policies though.

Edited October 2, 2014 by AmoMondo

[Mikesa1721]

They are almost all Israeli and some are even ex Mossad. Some are friendlier than others. One took 18 days to wear down until he eventually cracked a smile and spoke other than a grunt. Can't take the credit for that either, it was my friend who wore him down - she was relentless!

 

They may not all be the most friendliest but they are seriously on the ball when it comes to safety and security. So do not under any circumstances bring a knife with you, regardless of why you think you may need it. Most of them don't give a monkeys about enforcing drink policies though.

 

They're definitely not the most approachable bunch on the ship Amo,,but if their services were ever required,,I have full confidence in them handling their business!! It's funny how it took 18 days to finally wear one of them down though!!! Your friend was on a mission,,,or was it a friendly bet between you two to see if one of you could crack him???:)

[riclop]

Yeah Riclop,,there's one woman security officer,,,she was a wench!!! That's who I would station there. I was sitting at the One Bar one morning and she came walking by so I said good morning to her. She looked at me,,gave me a half grin,,and kept walking,,,what the h*** is that??? So the One Bar bartender told me that she was ex-Israeli military and that they are all mentally broken!!! :eek:

 

Interesting Mike I guess they have all types, I don't recall someone like that and we always hang out in the aft pool area. I will look out for the "wench" at the end of the month, although maybe not?:D

[Mikesa1721]

Interesting Mike I guess they have all types, I don't recall someone like that and we always hang out in the aft pool area. I will look out for the "wench" at the end of the month, although maybe not?:D

 

I saw her in the morning walking around the One Pool area in The Yacht Club when I greeted her Riclop. That was the only time I ever saw her or any security officer for that matter.

[riclop]

I saw her in the morning walking around the One Pool area in The Yacht Club when I greeted her Riclop. That was the only time I ever saw her or any security officer for that matter.

 

Ok you saw her in the YC, rub it in .:cool::cool::cool:

[maureencruiser]

Ok you saw her in the YC, rub it in .:cool::cool::cool:

 

Down in steerage, we don't get security guards or crispy bacon. :D

[Tatka]

We were on the second leg of your voyage and also loved the Divina. We have been on the Opera and the Poesia and they were wonderful as well. I see the Divina catering to the American market and I have to say I loved it more in the European fashion. Still wonderful though.

WE are booked on the Divina for the April 11 sailing to Bermuda. Come join us.

I agree. Divina lost some European flare that Poesia had. Still a great experience though.

 

OP thank you for the great review. I agree with you on all points. :)

[alexkrn46]

thanks for your review, another big difference was the lack announcements. rccl always has announcements.

 

did you try any of the speciality dining!

[crbonfiber]

My Pleasure.

No on the specialty dinning.

I was having too much fun in the MDR!