Do you have any MSC Divina questions?

[jillbur]

Jillbur: I do believe they were delivering alcohol on Friday evening. In fact, I'm nearly certain that they were allowing guests who purchased alcohol in the duty free shop onboard Friday Evening actually just walk right out of the door with it. This was a bit later, maybe around 10:00 p.m. But I made a mental note of it because it was right before Quest lol.

 

 

 

Thank you so much!

[mafig]

Would you do it again?

[BermudaBound2014]

Would you do it again?

 

We paid $989 per person (TOTAL-including all taxes) for 7 days in a Yacht Club balcony room on deck 15. Apparently there was a glitch in the pricing system and MSC honored the price I found. I look for the best value for my dollar. This wasn't my cheapest cruise, nor was it my most expensive but it was probably the best value for the dollar. In other words, for less than $1,000 a week all in, I would sail MSC YC exclusively for the rest of my life and die a very happy cruiser.

Edited June 28, 2016 by BermudaBound2014

[SeeUsoon@Sea]

Thank You for the nice review! I can't wait to hear about your upcoming Med Cruise. I booked MSC Seaside Europe/TA cruise. I'm been voraciously reading on all things MSC and the YC.

 

 

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[BermudaBound2014]

Lets see if I can get in some food photos quickly. We ended up eating most breakfasts in topsail lounge. They also serve breakfast in one pool, but I'm not a fan of powdered scrambled eggs as my protein, so we skipped there most days. I also ate breakfast in Lemuse which offers things like eggs Benedict in addition to standard breakfast fare. Unfortunately, lemuse could not cook an egg over easy :(.

 

Another slightly frustrating item for breakfast was the inability to get café mocha consistently. Some waiters understood it, and some did not. I tried ordering and mocha latte also which didn't seem to help. When I did get someone to understand me it was delicious and the perfect way to start my mornings. Otherwise, even coffee Americano is incredibly strong on MsC.

 

Every morning in topsail there was fresh fruits and nuts to add to Greek yogurt. This proved to be my most favorite breakfast and my go to for the last part of the cruise.

 

here are some breakfast pictures from yacht club:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[BermudaBound2014]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[BermudaBound2014]

 

Above was perfect breakfast: mocha latte- fresh squeezed orange juice, berries, almonds, and Greek yogurt- YUM

 

 

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[BethV114]

Two quick questions if you don't mind:

 

1) Is there any outdoor seating located near/convenient to the buffet? Our group of 3 adults and 3 children really enjoyed being able to get lunch/snacks at the buffet on Celebrity Summit and then taking them out to the aft bar area to enjoy in the fresh air and sunshine.

 

2) What is acceptable in terms of attire to enter the buffet area? I know the children in our group are not going to run back to our cabin to change every time they want to grab a snack and we typically spend a lot of time out near the pool on sea days and sometimes in the afternoons after our excursions. Is it acceptable for the girls to wear cover-ups (sundresses or terry cloth zip-ups)? What about the boy in our group? Would a t-shirt with bathing suit trunks be acceptable?

 

3) Dressing for dinner. On Celebrity Summit, my husband was able to get by with a polo shirt or button down shirt and nice khaki shorts (he will literally wear shorts all year round at home even though we live in NY!). Will he be able to do the same on Divina or will he be required to wear slacks to dinner every night?

 

Thanks so much for your help!

[mafig]

We paid $989 per person (TOTAL-including all taxes) for 7 days in a Yacht Club balcony room on deck 15. Apparently there was a glitch in the pricing system and MSC honored the price I found. I look for the best value for my dollar. This wasn't my cheapest cruise, nor was it my most expensive but it was probably the best value for the dollar. In other words, for less than $1,000 a week all in, I would sail MSC YC exclusively for the rest of my life and die a very happy cruiser.

 

OK, would you do it again if the price was $1500 p/p give or take (still lots cheaper than Haven or even jr. suites on some lines).?

[sfaaa]

 

I know that some have inquired about the new policy and OBC for booking future cruises on-board. I'll be sure to grab any specific information I can on that.

 

 

Hi, were you able to find out more info on this? Thanks.

[mafig]

Thank you for your very helpful review. Haven't clicked on all the pictures, but I will soon.

 

I especially appreciate that your review did not state the cruise was 100% perfection. You did mention LeMuse dining wasn't always the best, the pool was crowded at times and it seems like drink service around the pool was poor. There were, of course, so many other things you loved.

 

The fact that your review was so well-rounded makes me read it over and over and I'll use it to decide whether I will book Divina Yacht Club. ;)

[BermudaBound2014]

Two quick questions if you don't mind:

 

1) Is there any outdoor seating located near/convenient to the buffet? Our group of 3 adults and 3 children really enjoyed being able to get lunch/snacks at the buffet on Celebrity Summit and then taking them out to the aft bar area to enjoy in the fresh air and sunshine.

 

2) What is acceptable in terms of attire to enter the buffet area? I know the children in our group are not going to run back to our cabin to change every time they want to grab a snack and we typically spend a lot of time out near the pool on sea days and sometimes in the afternoons after our excursions. Is it acceptable for the girls to wear cover-ups (sundresses or terry cloth zip-ups)? What about the boy in our group? Would a t-shirt with bathing suit trunks be acceptable?

 

3) Dressing for dinner. On Celebrity Summit, my husband was able to get by with a polo shirt or button down shirt and nice khaki shorts (he will literally wear shorts all year round at home even though we live in NY!). Will he be able to do the same on Divina or will he be required to wear slacks to dinner every night?

 

Thanks so much for your help!

 

Are you staying in Yacht Club or 'regular' experience? My answers will change based on your response :)

[BermudaBound2014]

OK, would you do it again if the price was $1500 p/p give or take (still lots cheaper than Haven or even jr. suites on some lines).?

 

For $1,500 pp (including all taxes) I'd would sail YC again depending on what I was looking for in a vacation. I would need to comparison shop pricing for an Aft balcony. In April I sailed in an aft balcony that was large enough to hold a lounge chair so I had lots of privacy. The price was $749.00pp all in. With an $84.00 18 coupon drink package, it was all inclusive also. At $1,500 that's double the price of an aft balcony, but YC would be worth additional depending on what I was looking for in that particular vacation. At today's market prices for the industry at a whole, It would be highly unlikely I choose YC over the 2K mark as the value declines comparatively.

[BermudaBound2014]

Hi, were you able to find out more info on this? Thanks.

 

Yes I did, sorry: Here are the obc's offered:

 

$200 pp YC

$100 pp Auera

$50 pp Fantasia

$25 pp Bella

 

There were some very strict guidelines attached which included knowing your exact sailing date and cabin. You could change this only once. The biggest glitch was that the prices they were quoting me for Seaside were SIGNIFICANTLY higher than I could purchase from an agent back home and my agent back home is offering more OBC ::shock:::.

 

My very strong recommendation is that if you planning on pre-purchasing, do you shopping immediately before you leave, Get your offers in writing and take them with you onboard (or purchase internet package to shop online while you are onboard). This is the only way to do a true comparison price. For me, on-board booking held zero value.

[BermudaBound2014]

Thank you for your very helpful review. Haven't clicked on all the pictures, but I will soon.

 

I especially appreciate that your review did not state the cruise was 100% perfection. You did mention LeMuse dining wasn't always the best, the pool was crowded at times and it seems like drink service around the pool was poor. There were, of course, so many other things you loved.

 

The fact that your review was so well-rounded makes me read it over and over and I'll use it to decide whether I will book Divina Yacht Club. ;)

 

Thank you mafig, your comments are much appreciated. I really try my very best to write from both perspectives. I feel that MSC deserves passengers who board with realistic expectations and I have never found much value in the reviews that written behind rose colored glasses as they have the potential to set-up guests for disappointment.

 

Of course, well-rounded means different things to different people and sometimes the cruise line loyalists don't appreciate my approach :).

 

It's true, the YC has some areas where they can show improvement. While I"m not a butler sort of gal, I've been fortunate enough to travel on many vacations where a butler was appointed. I can honestly say that Victor was EXTREMELY KIND and very personable and I have ZERO complaints! We didn't ask for anything additional, and didn't receive anything additional. In fairness to Victor, there was one scooter and 2 wheelchairs parked in the cabins in our area and I believe they were taking Victor up on his offer to escort them everywhere so that is probably why we didn't see him for a few days :).

 

IMO; YC service pool side was very much lacking. YC service in top sail was hit or miss. YC service in LeMuse was exceptional. I loved the concierges more than the butlers, as they both greeted us by name and always inquired about our day. The YC room was not much bigger than the Fantasia room, although it did have a full tub and a semi-walk in closet. Both rooms were equally clean. In YC, our fridge was restocked twice most days.

 

The best thing for us about YC was lack of noise and crowding. The treats set up in Top sail were also very good most days and the light breakfast was appreciated. Basically, it is like a ship within a ship and an excellent choice for those who wish peace and quiet on vacation. We had a unique experience of arriving back in port several hours late due to a medical emergency. The non-YC areas were a mad house with super long lines and not much organization. A Butler walked us to the front of the debarkation line~ I can honestly say that was the first time the entire trip that having a butler was a big advantage for me personally :).

[oregoncruiser1952]

Hi :

 

I have a shuttle to FLL at 10 am Is that to early to to try to get off the MSC DIVINA or should I change it to 11AM for the shuttle to FLL Thanks

 

Chet

[BermudaBound2014]

Hi :

 

I have a shuttle to FLL at 10 am Is that to early to to try to get off the MSC DIVINA or should I change it to 11AM for the shuttle to FLL Thanks

 

Chet

 

HI Chet, This question is tricky. NORMALLY, the 10 am would work fine, however on my second trip on the divina we had a medical emergency which made us a few hours late into port. Yacht club was escorted off at 10 a.m., but the rest of the ship was not so lucky. I don't think they cleared the last passengers until well after noon which meant lots of missed flights :(*. Mind you, this is a unique experience, but just something to keep in the back of your mind.

 

On my first trip, I was off the ship and at MIA airport before 8:00 a.m. Both embarkation and debarkation where much faster for me in Fantastica class, but I'm certainly in the minority as I had a fluke security buzzer malfunction at embarkation and the medical emergency at debarkation.

 

If you are non-yacht club you are asked to leave your cabin by 7:00 a.m. If you are a non-yacht club black card carrier you can stay in your cabin until 8 a.m. If you are yacht club, there is an 8 a.m. printed evacuation time, but when we asked at the concierge they stated it did not matter when we left the cabin as long as it was before 10 a.m. Since we were late getting into port, we left the cabin around 8:30, had breakfast, then at 10:00 we were escorted off the ship.

 

Under normal circumstances, MSC does an excellent job with embarkation and debarkation regardless of whether you are in YC or not.

 

Do you have a lot of time to wait at FLL? You won't be able to check in luggage until three hours before your flight so if you have a late flight you can check in your luggage to the valet in the airport ($7.00 per piece) and take the free trolly from the airport to downtown fort Lauderdale for a nice lunch along the boardwalk or even beach time. Just a thought since it seems like you aren't in a rush to get to FLL.

 

Happy Sailing :)

[oregoncruiser1952]

HI Chet, This question is tricky. NORMALLY, the 10 am would work fine, however on my second trip on the divina we had a medical emergency which made us a few hours late into port. Yacht club was escorted off at 10 a.m., but the rest of the ship was not so lucky. I don't think they cleared the last passengers until well after noon which meant lots of missed flights :(*. Mind you, this is a unique experience, but just something to keep in the back of your mind.

 

On my first trip, I was off the ship and at MIA airport before 8:00 a.m. Both embarkation and debarkation where much faster for me in Fantastica class, but I'm certainly in the minority as I had a fluke security buzzer malfunction at embarkation and the medical emergency at debarkation.

 

If you are non-yacht club you are asked to leave your cabin by 7:00 a.m. If you are a non-yacht club black card carrier you can stay in your cabin until 8 a.m. If you are yacht club, there is an 8 a.m. printed evacuation time, but when we asked at the concierge they stated it did not matter when we left the cabin as long as it was before 10 a.m. Since we were late getting into port, we left the cabin around 8:30, had breakfast, then at 10:00 we were escorted off the ship.

 

Under normal circumstances, MSC does an excellent job with embarkation and debarkation regardless of whether you are in YC or not.

 

Do you have a lot of time to wait at FLL? You won't be able to check in luggage until three hours before your flight so if you have a late flight you can check in your luggage to the valet in the airport ($7.00 per piece) and take the free trolly from the airport to downtown fort Lauderdale for a nice lunch along the boardwalk or even beach time. Just a thought since it seems like you aren't in a rush to get to FLL.

 

Happy Sailing :)

 

 

Thank you very much for the Info . I had the same experience about 12 years ago but it was a custom problem and we didn't get off the ship until 1330 and allot of missed flights . You don't see this that often as the Cruise company's gave customs a ultimatum either you fix this or we are out of Florida ETC. Guess who won :-) look at the the jobs, hotels etc. that could have been affected by this . On the lighter side I'm looking forward to my FIRST cruise on MSC this will be my first on this line and it will be my 41st overall Again thanks for your input

enjoy !

 

Chet

[musik07]

We were on the cruise after yours in YC and we arrived at port at around 10:45. Check in was speedy but we were then kept in the terminal concierge lounge until 12:30 or 12:40. They provided snacks and drinks but the room was so full that there were no more seats. The butlers started to seem worried about what to do. They kept whispering to one another, and someone from MSC came in and apologized to us about the delay in disembarking passengers more than once! I actually just did my online survey today and listed this as a negative, however now I feel bad if it was due to a medical emergency.

 

HI Chet, This question is tricky. NORMALLY, the 10 am would work fine, however on my second trip on the divina we had a medical emergency which made us a few hours late into port. Yacht club was escorted off at 10 a.m., but the rest of the ship was not so lucky. I don't think they cleared the last passengers until well after noon which meant lots of missed flights :(*. Mind you, this is a unique experience, but just something to keep in the back of your mind.

 

On my first trip, I was off the ship and at MIA airport before 8:00 a.m. Both embarkation and debarkation where much faster for me in Fantastica class, but I'm certainly in the minority as I had a fluke security buzzer malfunction at embarkation and the medical emergency at debarkation.

 

If you are non-yacht club you are asked to leave your cabin by 7:00 a.m. If you are a non-yacht club black card carrier you can stay in your cabin until 8 a.m. If you are yacht club, there is an 8 a.m. printed evacuation time, but when we asked at the concierge they stated it did not matter when we left the cabin as long as it was before 10 a.m. Since we were late getting into port, we left the cabin around 8:30, had breakfast, then at 10:00 we were escorted off the ship.

 

[sandebeach]

Welove2cruise: I did not see a sign excluding cigars from the exterior smoking areas. The only smoking area available in YC is on deck 18 port side. This worked out fine for my travel companion with the exception of the evening it poured. There is no shelter on 18 so she had to resort to the inside smoking area on Deck 7. The deck 14 outside area does provide partial shelter.

 

Susanrobert: We were told no ice cream or geleto in top sail (which is why they couldn't make ice cream drinks :(. There is positively gelato offered in LeMuse during lunch and dinner hours. There is a special geleto of the day, but I would imagine they would serve any flavor. The geleto from the stand on deck 14 and doge on deck 7 and is actually very reasonably priced as well, plus stands have much better hours of operation.

 

Hope that helps! :)

Thanks for the info on the smoking areas, my hubby likes to have an evening cigar when cruising, and I like to have a cigarette with him.

[BermudaBound2014]

We were on the cruise after yours in YC and we arrived at port at around 10:45. Check in was speedy but we were then kept in the terminal concierge lounge until 12:30 or 12:40. They provided snacks and drinks but the room was so full that there were no more seats. The butlers started to seem worried about what to do. They kept whispering to one another, and someone from MSC came in and apologized to us about the delay in disembarking passengers more than once! I actually just did my online survey today and listed this as a negative, however now I feel bad if it was due to a medical emergency.

 

WELCOME BACK! If they got you on the ship at 12:40 that was remarkable! We ran into a couple in FLL that told us they were still on the ship at noon. It was a definitely a medical emergency, but based on my observations and reviewers accounts from our roll call, MSC could have done a much better job organizing the non-YC debarkation which amplified the delays. Of course, people could follow directions better also, but human nature is what it is. It still amazes me that the crew can say goodbye and hello with heartfelt smiles each and every week.

[BermudaBound2014]

Thanks for the info on the smoking areas, my hubby likes to have an evening cigar when cruising, and I like to have a cigarette with him.

 

You will have no trouble at all :). HAPPY SAIL!

[musik07]

We have pictures walking to Le Muse for lunch on the first day and there was NO ONE on board. The pools, decks and facilities are empty. We were actually sitting at Le Muse remarking that no one was allowing around. It took until we were being served desert until we saw people walking by. I think the second the ship was cleared we were walking towards the gangway!

[GRANNYOFSIX]

Hi BermudaBound........Can you or someone else answer a question regarding the air conditioning on the Divina. I read on a review that the ship doesn't have refrigerated air conditioning. The review said the ship has an evaporate cooling system that fills the areas and cabin with humid air?????? Can this possibly be the case? I sure hope not!!!

 

Thank you.

 

PS I also posted this same question on Radio LIVE May 28th thread but wanted to post here as well....

 

[Mikesa1721]

Hi BermudaBound........Can you or someone else answer a question regarding the air conditioning on the Divina. I read on a review that the ship doesn't have refrigerated air conditioning. The review said the ship has an evaporate cooling system that fills the areas and cabin with humid air?????? Can this possibly be the case? I sure hope not!!!

 

Thank you.

 

PS I also posted this same question on Radio LIVE May 28th thread but wanted to post here as well....

 

 

MSC Divina has 115 stainless steel air conditioning units onboard all supplied by Novenco Marine And Offshore. They most definitely use a refrigerant,,,

http://www.novenco-marine.com/en/Downloads/Documentation/~/media/Downloads/Brochures/HMO/SCU%20C%20mu14062%200608.ashx

 

http://www.bolidt.com/downloads/en/pdf/nieuws/msc_divina_brings_more_capacity_and_advanced_technology.pdf