Virgin Divina Cruise 09/20/2014....it was way more fun than my first time...:O..

[Aussiegrlfl]

I am an incredibly blessed person to have been introduced to cruising in 2001 and thanks to living in Florida (OMG I said thanks to living in Florida.........ok there is one perk).....I have amassed greater than 30 cruises....:D

 

Last March our best mates from Australia were over visiting and we were docked next to the Divina whilst on the Celebrity Reflection.....and she looked so very nice that when I got home I decided to "investigate"....and let me tell you for $299 gty inside.....I was IN LIKE FLYNN....(btw anyone know where that bloody line comes from) :eek:.....so I had started a new job (with an old company sort of - long story) and I was disgruntled and rethinking my choice LIKE MAD...and this looked like a plan to escape the normal and spend my evenings and spare time chatting with fellow MSC cruisers............I really enjoy that so much about cruising....being able to chat with fellow cruisers with Cruise Critic is an amazing experience.............the good, the bad and the enlightening.....

 

Ok so that's a start......very chatty a bit like me..........(well except for this trip- more on that later)...ok I'm not much into mystery....so I'll get that out of the way now...........so my granddaughters come to our house every morning before school/daycare and my hubby takes them to school and the youngest had a cold and cough for a bit so I started taking Airbourne at least 1 1/2 weeks prior to the cruise............I was SOLID..........or so I thought...........two days before we left I awoke with a sore throat.......(what horrors......DISASTER) so I went to the doc I work for and told her........she said take ZICAM....ok so I boosted up with that and echinecea.....to make a long story short.......it didn't work and Sunday morning awoke with NO VOICE.........me really.....it was .....not good..........anyway.....I just wanted to say this to let you know that I am usually so outgoing and spontaneous that I know a lot more of what is going on than what I did this cruise..............however...................

 

Awoke Saturday am....so excited for our getaway with our friends celebrating 35 years of marriage............and I did my exercise routine...because well I always stop at McDonalds and get a Egg McMuffin on route to the cruise....it's tradition.....and I felt better.....even though I knew I was going downhill fast...:D....starting with the chilling champers for the ride over the "alley"....it's long, it's boring and I hate tractor trailers..............so we get to our friends house and load up the "CUBE"...now this little car is very BIG....it fits way more than you would imagine.........4 adults, 4 big suitcases, 2 garment bags, 3 carry on bags and a cooler with the champers..........hey lets make sure our priorities are in there..............

 

So we are off and it starts to rain...........and I wish I could say it was a little shower, but no I was wondering if God had rescinded His proclamation of no more floods..........just saying...........more on this later too....

 

Well for anyone that may be interested.....they have finally reopened the "what I used to call the "red roof restrooms" on 1-75....can't give you a tour of this because for once we didn't need to stop there.............I think it's because after the last few rides over and having to bypass the knocked down spot....my bladder had been retrained to make it to the "green roof restrooms"....so all was well there and we took care of business and were well on plan with our arrival for 11 am in Miami............

 

So we took our usual trek....it's a bit long winded...(I know you are saying just like you)....it's true....but we go to 595 east to 95 south.........it's a thing....get in the HOV lane and when the orange sticks run out you know the next exit left is the one to the POM....well now instead of having to do some crazy jigging and jagging..........they have a tunnel that is open and you just stay on 395 and follow the signs to the tunnel...keep left and viola...........you go under the bay and are in POM...........never venturing onto Biscayne Blvd..........it saved a lot of time .....really a nice perk coming and going..............

 

Ok ...so Oh dear we aren't even on the ship yet and this is how many pages long......:D......we pulled up dropped off our bags and a few $$$ to the very helpful porter and off we went to park............the garage is outside the RCCL entrance and MSC is directly behind them so it is only a short walk....we arrive to check in at 11:30 with no wait we went straight to a cubicle and got all the necessary paperwork dealt with and were given #6 to board..............and told 12:30...well we sat down....waited almost 5 minutes and they started boarding.......we were the 3rd group called....so absolutely no time elapsed and we were in the buffet before 12:15 and after reading many cruise critic posts we went straight to the back and got an awesome table aft with the amazing view........we were ECSTATIC.....and then we started to eat and DRINK...ok so I had read so many reviews about the food so I was prepared to be underwhelmed..........I LOVE to cook and use fresh ingredients and make my own dressings and stay fresh as much as I can...........except when it isn't possible like cruising.............I say all this because.........the food in the buffet was totally edible and the fish I had was not dry.........a huge complaint I had read about...and the fennel sausage was divine and I made a salad and one of the pasta dishes complimented it so well with sage and peas........it was good........I went back for more.......:D...we had purchased the premium allegrissmo drink package and let me tell you this is the way to go..........ok so I need a trip to the "loo" sure you all do too...............

[AVACTION]

I believe that this expression is from the habits of that famous Tasmanian, Errol.

[Aussiegrlfl]

Seriously now that makes it even funnier....because maybe the americans have never heard of that expression before..............I just thought everyone knew it........oh dear one of my offishims.......(that means something I say that those around me don't know)....it helps me a lot.........even at work.......:D

[Aussiegrlfl]

I must now confess after my trip to the "loo"...I became engaged by my incredibly terrible habits of tv addiction.............and I have to confess that I'm probably one of the worst............tonight was Hells Kitchen. Survivor and Criminal Minds.................now I have to confess that my foodie in me keeps me engaged in the culinary stuff and my kid being an FBI agent.............keeps me engaged in that other stuff even though I don't know why because it scares the crap out of me.........and it's not like I can learn any skills to protect her............and lets be honest her speciality is political corruption..........."shes got a shoe in for life"....:D....don't give up on me guys....I'm going come back for more Divina..........promise....

[maureencruiser]

We're waiting patiently, and, yes, we Americans know In like Flynn. :D

[Bra_BE2014]

Seriously now that makes it even funnier....because maybe the americans have never heard of that expression before..............I just thought everyone knew it........oh dear one of my offishims.......(that means something I say that those around me don't know)....it helps me a lot.........even at work.......:D

 

Ah, you are a '........' kind of person..... I like it :D

[Aza1972]

I must now confess after my trip to the "loo"...I became engaged by my incredibly terrible habits of tv addiction.............and I have to confess that I'm probably one of the worst............tonight was Hells Kitchen. Survivor and Criminal Minds.................now I have to confess that my foodie in me keeps me engaged in the culinary stuff and my kid being an FBI agent.............keeps me engaged in that other stuff even though I don't know why because it scares the crap out of me.........and it's not like I can learn any skills to protect her............and lets be honest her speciality is political corruption..........."shes got a shoe in for life"....:D....don't give up on me guys....I'm going come back for more Divina..........promise....

 

 

Some more similarities we share....You are an Aussie/American as am I, love to cruise and your daughter is an FBI Agent and I am an Australian Federal Agent. Queue the twilight zone music....how bizarre.

 

Now get on with the review. I have been eagerly awaiting it :p

[Aussiegrlfl]

Wow work sure gets in the way of having fun...:)

 

Anyway I am a firm believer of following the rules.....well the ones that involve being on this side of the law and no doing anything to hurt anyone....but some rules are meant to be bent a bit....so after eating lunch we went in search of our cabins....they weren't supposed to be ready until 3pm....but well we just thought it wouldn't hurt to try and low and behold they were ready and our rooms steward was very friendly.....when we opened the door we discovered our beds were separated.....:D it happens a lot my name can be either a boy or girl so I think they just aren't sure sometimes....anyway I explained to the room steward that even though we have been married 31 years....my husband still expects hanky panky occasionally and he got so red and couldn't stop laughing.....well everytime he saw us he would just start laughing..........maybe we look funny......he was a delight and our room was very nice and clean. I loved how they planned the shower so that the doors go inside it when not it use, it gives so much more room when getting ready.......our room steward even noted what we drank from the mini bar and kept it stocked with "extras".......he deserved a nice $$ thankyou and he got it...

 

Then we ventured on up to the Garden Bar and pool area.......all I can say is wow.....this pool is so nice.....it has seats around the more shallow part of the pool and then the deeper part in the middle it was so nice to sit in the shallow water and see the ships wake behind you.....very relaxing and a nice way to get some sun while keeping cool too.....there was a 27 person capacity.....I never saw it enforced and at times it was triple that count if not more......only had a few children in the pool and they were toddlers so their parents were with them all the time.....never a bother....actually enjoyed watching their antics and incredibly jealous that I was 39 before my first cruise...the bartenders at the bar were friendly, chatty and always smiling....I for the life of me never saw a miserable crew member......I always try to smile to people when I see them, so maybe that is why....we hung out there for quite a while and then an intense storm blew up and it seemed like a fog engulfed the ship the buildings in the Miami skyline totally disappeared for a good 1/2 hour......but it cleared up for sailaway and it was nice to see the buildings lit up as we left...........then it was off to have a bit of a rest (from drinking) and get ready for late seating dinner.

 

We were in the Black Crab restaurant it was nice and our wait staff were always pleasant and after the first night always brought our drinks to us without being asked...the maitre'd, Guiseppe was the hardest working one I have ever seen, clearing tables, bringing drinks, always stopping and talking to guests.......he was an asset to his team...big time.....and the food was always good, if not always as advertised.....the sea scallops were actually bay scallops but still tasted good and one night the risotto was made with instant rice.............but 90% of the food was good and that is on par with other lines and above some too.

 

Our cabin was aft and we found that if we went down to Deck 7 we could walk the entire length of the ship and access the other entertainment areas on 5 and 6 at the atrium area......a very pretty ship and the different areas that you walked through were so nice and it never seemed crowded....well except in the photo area.....that would do better moved to an area with more room....and not with a thoroughfare marching through it.....although from a marketing stand point it is likely well placed.

 

They have lots of specials onboard Divina.....spa prices, dinners etc and one night we went to Eatley and I had the $19 fillet mignon with a glass of wine ...the sides were alacarte but we got a couple to share between the four of us there was plenty of food with the appetizers we also shared, one a meat plate and a cheese plate these were reasonable....my hubby had the T-bone and thoroughly enjoyed his....mine was slightly overdone but it was still very good not dry at all.....our total was $65....definitely less than dinner out here. Our friends did the Galaxy dinner with 7 courses and accompanying wine pairings for $50 each for their anniversary and enjoyed it immensely.

 

Most of the wines onboard are Italian....go figure...:) and I tried some new ones and was impressed.....I really like Pinot Grigo and I wasn't a big fan of the choice we had but hey I tried so many other drinks thanks to my "all I could drink card" I was happy.

 

We ate at the dining room for breakfast on the sea days it was just more relaxing and on the last sea day at lunch their also. The choices were good and except for one morning when they appeared very frazzled and the food came out wrong....I think we just got someone else's order it was quite a comedy of errors....I felt bad for the staff.......the natives were getting restless and I didn't quite understand why as they had no where to go.........we were sailing all day..........and I was on vacation..........what's the rush.....

 

I awoke on the first sea day without a voice.....my mildly sore throat I had a few days before sailing had decided to try and put a damper on my vacation....well it gave my hubby's ears a rest......and to be honest I spent the first few days resting a lot and was extremely grateful for the balcony upgrade......I actually found that relaxing made the cruise pace slower and last longer than my usual "whirling tizzy" I usually do trying to fit in everything and see and do it all..............I think I prefer the laid back approach although it would have been better if I could have spoken....it's really tiring not being able to talk............it kept me out of trouble though:D

 

I'll be back to finish later....

[keyskelly]

Keep it coming... enjoying your review!

[maureencruiser]

..anyway I explained to the room steward that even though we have been married 31 years....my husband still expects hanky panky occasionally and he got so red and couldn't stop laughing....

 

..I actually found that relaxing made the cruise pace slower and last longer than my usual "whirling tizzy" I usually do trying to fit in everything and see and do it all...

 

Lee, Have mercy on the poor steward, he's been at sea for 7 months, he doesn't need to hear about your hanky panky. :D:D

 

Well, folks, she is from Australia, so, I suppose this is what she normally looks like on a cruise.

 

[modes]

Come on now put your drink down, we want to read more.;)

[Aussiegrlfl]

I'm sad to say that because of the "dreaded lurgy" I had, that I didn't participate in a whole lot of the goings on onboard during the sea days........I did try to drown it at the Garden bar on occasion....but who knew the bloody thing had navy seal training......oh well I tried.....

 

On the first formal evening we went to the Captains "gala" in the theater...I was wearing my very expensive "mother of the groom" dress that I didn't get to wear on the actual day because "it didn't match the color scheme"........and so I have taken it on every cruise since to get my moneys worth out of it.....and I always get tons of compliments and it makes me feel like a million dollars.......so that is always fun....now I was quite amused to find out that they do not allow food and drinks in the theater........this came in handy as it turns out because my friend needed a bit of a breather....if you know what I mean :D........they played and replayed to death the movie about MSC and the Divina christening etc.......so my advice don't get there early..............now the Captain is quite the comedian.....he was charming and spoke in many languages..........at one point he asked the gentlemen to look at their wives and if they were even more beautiful that night than even when they met to give them a kiss and then said now turn to the woman on the other side and if she is pretty give her a kiss too....and this adorable little old man looked at me and gave me a kiss on the cheek.............it was so sweet :)

 

Anyway the Wonderland show was right after the Captain's address and so we stayed even though it's not something that my hubby is usually interested in......but it was captivating and very bizarre......he decided he'd watch others as he enjoyed it so much....but the Witches of France was to be honest not that good and I didn't return to see any others.....sorry guys.....but it's not for everyone.....

 

The casino......it was rather nice that it was non-smoking and it was more crowded than I thought it would be having banned the smokers, but they had a really large and well done cigar room just outside of it that lots of people were using and I think they probably just went in there if they wanted to smoke and then returned to the tables.....the first two nights I'm afraid that they robbed me blind....but I made it back and then some....I love roulette and I found the dealers to be quite charming.....at first they were quiet, but I found when you interacted with them they liked to have fun too.............most people seemed to take it way too seriously......when I gamble...it is with $$$ I know I can afford to lose.....not a high roller by any means, but it is a form of entertainment for me.....so I like to laugh and muck about......now I know on black jack that is a no no....so that is why I don't play that.......and the slots well this one machine was my friend, not my bestest friend in the whole world, but kept me entertained and apparently had no problem with me pushing it's buttons because I was rewarded nicely.....

 

We went to the sports bar because my hubby just wanted some fish and chips....the items on the menu there have an additional charge....he liked the fish and chips so he was happy to pay extra for them.....I tried the onion rings but they were too greasy for me.........you win some, you lose some...they have two bowling lanes there but they are not regulation size and we watched a dad play with his kids and they had fun...this is also an additional charge....lots of big screen televisions in there and they were playing lots of international sports....but only played two NFL games on ESPN, the Sunday and Monday night games..my friend was miffed because she wanted to watch her Dolphins play.....my husband said they were trying to spare her as she was on vacation and she can watch them lose every week...it was actually funny because the next day they were showing a cricket match....and of the teams was the Dolphins and they lost too.....my hubby had lots of fun with her about that.....there was only one bar tender in there anytime we went, but he was always nice and talked a lot with you....

 

One review I had read stated that Andre the cruise director wasn't very good but I found he very nice and he was often about at night in one of the bars chatting with fellow guests....I have been on many a cruise where the CD seemed unapproachable, but not this fellow.....and he was quite entertaining.....he was funny and quite honest at times, which was very funny....

 

We went up to the white party but alas I was not feeling great so didn't participate in the activities but they had a large conga line and got everyone dancing to different dance crazes from different nations.....everyone seemed to have fun....

 

The weather on this cruise was just perfect......it is something that is not predictable but other than an occasional passing shower, which most times was extremely welcome......it was very nice. My friend and I never had trouble finding a lounge chair when we wanted to lay out in the sun.....we mostly found ourselves at the Garden bar and pool area....it was just so pretty there....the main pool also was very well done but I rather liked the more laid back theme at the aft pool......we never made it down the slide.....we kept meaning to but something else always came up.....the screams from the kids sure made it sound like they were having fun......

 

The gelato was awesome.....I only had it once even though it was free on my drink plan.....again....proof of sickness..........I'm going to have to have a "do-over" on the Divina......

 

One thing that actually amazed me and I had to take pictures was the day we were in San Juan......I was miserable and my hubby went into San Juan in search of a CVS to get some ammunition to try to take down the "lurgy".....and as I sat on the balcony relaxing the crew were doing lots of drills.....the alarms would go off and announcements were made...even into the cabins as they would should there be a true emergency....it would always happen just as I was nodding off.......it was quite funny actually....anyway they had a life boat drill....now in the past I have seen where they have taken one boat down and patrolled it about a bit, but they took them all down on the water side...........it was quite funny and they had a crew member act like a passenger in each one also.........it was a little parade of life boats.........it's nice to know they are totally operational and hopefully the only time they will be used is during the drills.............but I've often wondered if they are like rusted into place from non-use.............not so on Divina.....

[Aussiegrlfl]

Lee, Have mercy on the poor steward, he's been at sea for 7 months, he doesn't need to hear about your hanky panky. :D:D

 

Well, folks, she is from Australia, so, I suppose this is what she normally looks like on a cruise.

 

 

 

 

Maureen you are so funny.............the picture is quite accurate.....:D and I often love to say things just for the "shock" factor......:eek:

[maureencruiser]

.I'm going to have to have a "do-over" on the Divina......

 

..it was quite funny and they had a crew member act like a passenger in each one also.........

 

When you do, I want to come with....

 

I was trapped inside during the drill and there was a crew member running around with a very thick Italian accent saying, I lost my people, I lost my people.....:D:D

[Aussiegrlfl]

When you do, I want to come with....

 

I was trapped inside during the drill and there was a crew member running around with a very thick Italian accent saying, I lost my people, I lost my people.....:D:D

 

Oh dear...well hopefully he'll never have to have real people to lose.....:eek:

 

Absolutely Maureen......and the next time we'll actually get to meet up.....:)

[Aussiegrlfl]

We have been lucky enough to have been to St. Maarten several times and have enjoyed some wonderful excursions...Captain Bob's was a favourite for sure....we have also rented jeeps and driven around the island hitting hot spots but this time our friends really wanted to see Maho beach.....so I researched and found that the KLM 747 arrives at 11:15 and departs at 12:25 so we took a cab from the port.....they have vans and if you get 6 or more people it is $8 pp each way.....cheap enough...$20 for two with a nice tip....so off we went and I have to say I had been warned that there was only a little bit of beach left, but I was surprised how much was gone.....mostly rocks now.....I'm afraid that by next time there will be no beach.....it was lovely though and the water was beautiful....once you navigated the rocky terrain...the current was a bit strong so children need to use caution....definitely be with an adult.....an able bodied adult.....so we were in the water to see it come in, now I've seen this video on you tube countless times but being there really does make a difference and the take off....well I was well off to the side and still got blown about and lots of sand whipping up.....probably explains the loss of beach...:D....the prices at the sunset bar are a little steep especially when the drinks onboard were free:eek:....so I only had a couple and waited patiently to get back onboard.........we did a little shopping at the port, well I should say my hubby shopped and I kinda grumbled because I needed to get some more medicine and a nap.....my fever was back.........ugh....

 

In GSC we had rented a cabana......it was nice....not as nice as the ones on HMC but still very nice and I had wanted to invite Maureen up as she had mentioned she was lilly white and was concerned about the sun....but seeing as I never met up with her.....it didn't happen....sorry Maureen...I will have to say that I wish MSC would reverse the cruise path because a laid back day in GSC for day one with two sea days to unwind coming back would be oh so much better....it was so hard to leave GSC and know I had to go back onboard and pack..............it was very wrong..........the tendering process on MSC is a little less than desired but it was still a fun day......

 

All in all I would say we enjoyed this ship and the crew and the food. I will definitely sail on her again.....I'm sure there are always little things that could have been better in most of our daily lives as well as vacations, but I find going with the flow and just being nice to people usually has a positive outcome....I honestly couldn't find the many negative things I had read about....so do yourselves a favour and try her out........

[alexkrn46]

thanks for your review, glad you had a good time.

[rad798]

Hey Aussiegrl, with the cabana, what was the tendering process? Were you given priority? Or did it really matter when "the herd started".

 

Also, what were the minimum bets for the roulette table? Like you, we love to play roulette (yeah, we know it is the worst odds game ever). With the right crowd, and you seem like a hoot, the roulette table can be really fun.

[Mikesa1721]

Great review Aussie!!!!! Our cousin would love to play roulette with you. He won $1200.00 the last night playing,,now he's hooked!!! So when is the next Divina sailing Aussie?? We're going on the 3 day sailing in January just for a weekend getaway,,,I think you need to join us!!! :p

[Aussiegrlfl]

Hey Aussiegrl, with the cabana, what was the tendering process? Were you given priority? Or did it really matter when "the herd started".

 

Also, what were the minimum bets for the roulette table? Like you, we love to play roulette (yeah, we know it is the worst odds game ever). With the right crowd, and you seem like a hoot, the roulette table can be really fun.

 

You were given priority boarding passes so you could go whenever but it was still a long wait coming back....but they have a little "station" kinda like being in Disney with the lines but you are out of the sun for the most part......and one part actually has air conditioning.....for some crazy reason at 3:30 they were only running one tender...it didn't make sense as no one was coming onto the island everyone was leaving or in the process to.....it was a nice day though...

 

Roulette.....$5 minimum and you could play it anyway you wanted to.....although I sometimes play directly on a number I often split my bet and the odds are surprisingly much better....:D

[Aussiegrlfl]

Great review Aussie!!!!! Our cousin would love to play roulette with you. He won $1200.00 the last night playing,,now he's hooked!!! So when is the next Divina sailing Aussie?? We're going on the 3 day sailing in January just for a weekend getaway,,,I think you need to join us!!! :p

 

I would love to join you guys in January, but healthcare in "season" is practically impossible to get time off...I'll definitely look into it.....

[maureencruiser]

In GSC we had rented a cabana......it was nice....not as nice as the ones on HMC but still very nice and I had wanted to invite Maureen up as she had mentioned she was lilly white and was concerned about the sun....but seeing as I never met up with her.....it didn't happen....sorry Maureen..

 

Dang, I lose out again! Thanks for the thought, though! :D

 

I would love to join you guys in January, but healthcare in "season" is practically impossible to get time off...I'll definitely look into it.....

 

I'll look into the one in January as well. I made a friend on the ship and he wants me to come back. :)

[Aussiegrlfl]

Dang, I lose out again! Thanks for the thought, though! :D

 

 

 

I'll look into the one in January as well. I made a friend on the ship and he wants me to come back. :)

 

Oh do tell:D

[maureencruiser]

Oh do tell:D

 

I'll never tell, but, I do have the pictures, though.......

[Aussiegrlfl]

I'll never tell, but, I do have the pictures, though.......

 

You crack me up............damn that flu of mine...........wish we had met up..........and partied..........we would have set that ship onfire.........:D

 

Can't pull off Jan....we have a very strict policy of time off in "season" and there is one other person off that time for Disney with her granddaughter...........so I'm not able to swing it............but I never say never.............things can change...........and my goal is to work for myself again............and that can change EVERYTHING...