Divina 12/6/16 - 10-night Exotic Cruise Review

[mjonis]

Oh, one more thing, although fairly obvious to myself:

 

Every sailing can be highly variable. Even if the same ship is used. so a good/bad experience on one cruise line/ship doesn't mean necessarily the same experience on the same line or same ship.

 

So for those of you who've booked and are "anxious", I'd say, just make sure you read the what to expect, set your expectations a little lower, and be pleasantly (hopefully) surprised. As long as you don't get sick and the weather is good, and the ship doesn't get stranded/sink, I'd say there's no such thing as a "bad" cruise. (Now, if you were on that Carnival Poop ship or the Costa, then you can say you had a bad cruise).

 

If you don't try something, you'll never know. And if you like it, try it again, if you don't, then give it a while and either re-try or move on to something else.

 

:)

[primadonut]

Thank you for your honest review. I'm sorry that so much went wrong...I understand how important the customer service is when things go wrong, I'm going to set my expectations lower in that regard. We had a bad cruise on Carnival a few years ago that was one of those "perfect storm" cruises where many many things went wrong for us. Sounds like you also had a "perfect storm" of sorts. Do you think there is anything we can do in advance to prepare ourselves for the disorganization and ensure we have the best trip possible? Should I print out records of things like OBC and prepurchases?

[cruisingcanadian]

I definitely recommend you print ALL records related to your bookings and purchases.

How can you prepare yourself for possible disorganization etc? It is good to know you can EXPECT it....and if you are lucky and everything goes without problems you are going to have a good cruise.

 

I was on the same cruise,and still thinking about posting my experience...but do I want to write a novel of many pages?:confused:

[KeywestK]

Oh, one more thing, although fairly obvious to myself:

 

Every sailing can be highly variable. Even if the same ship is used. so a good/bad experience on one cruise line/ship doesn't mean necessarily the same experience on the same line or same ship.

 

So for those of you who've booked and are "anxious", I'd say, just make sure you read the what to expect, set your expectations a little lower, and be pleasantly (hopefully) surprised. As long as you don't get sick and the weather is good, and the ship doesn't get stranded/sink, I'd say there's no such thing as a "bad" cruise. (Now, if you were on that Carnival Poop ship or the Costa, then you can say you had a bad cruise).

 

If you don't try something, you'll never know. And if you like it, try it again, if you don't, then give it a while and either re-try or move on to something else.

 

:)

 

I really appreciate your honest appraisal of your experience. I happen to agree with you that there is no such thing as a bad cruise (Carnival Poop ship notwithstanding....lol,) and even our one Carnival cruise, much as we said we'd never do another one for many reasons, wasn't horrible. We are so used to RCI, and we know what to expect, and there's a comfort level that goes with that. We now live in South Florida, have very easy access to multiple cruising options, and we want to start to take advantage of that.

 

One of the reasons I'm feeling particularly anxious now about our Divina cruise is that several other couples are joining us, and none of them ever heard of MSC, so they are taking my word for it. I feel the weight of responsibility sitting squarely on my shoulders. Certainly no one will blame me if things go wrong, but I will feel badly.

 

Well, I will be reading upcoming reviews very closely, and hope that there will be improvements over the next year.

 

Thanks again for all of your input:)

[primadonut]

One of the reasons I'm feeling particularly anxious now about our Divina cruise is that several other couples are joining us, and none of them ever heard of MSC, so they are taking my word for it. I feel the weight of responsibility sitting squarely on my shoulders. Certainly no one will blame me if things go wrong, but I will feel badly.

 

 

This is what happened to me with ours.I felt awful and embarrassed for recommending a cruise...our friends were all first timers :-( Your friends will understand, maybe just emphasize that it is a different cruising experience, so they don't have specific expectations? And hopefully you get a problem free cruise! :-)

[KeywestK]

This is what happened to me with ours.I felt awful and embarrassed for recommending a cruise...our friends were all first timers :-( Your friends will understand, maybe just emphasize that it is a different cruising experience, so they don't have specific expectations? And hopefully you get a problem free cruise! :-)

 

Fortunately we are all experienced cruisers, but I have been talking for a while about "trying something new and different." When I suggested MSC, everyone looked at me like I grew another head! None of them even heard of MSC prior to that conversation. Yet based on my recommendation, they all booked. My anxiety level right now over this cruise is quite high. I'm sincerely hoping that whatever the issues are on Divina currently will be worked out. We're not sailing until next December:) Fingers and toes crossed!!:eek:

[NoName]

 

I was on the same cruise,and still thinking about posting my experience...but do I want to write a novel of many pages?:confused:

 

I vote YES! Details please:) Kim

[KeywestK]

I vote YES! Details please:) Kim

Lol, me too!

 

Sent from my SM-T713 using Forums mobile app

[cruisingcanadian]

I vote YES! Details please:) Kim

 

Thanks Kim,give me some time....too much to do these days:D.

[All-ready2cruise]

I definitely recommend you print ALL records related to your bookings and purchases.

 

<snipped>

 

I was on the same cruise,and still thinking about posting my experience...but do I want to write a novel of many pages?:confused:

 

Yes, please add your two cents worth. It doesn't have to be a novel, maybe just add what your views are on some the hot spots. We all know we're getting on a ship, right? :p

[primadonut]

Fortunately we are all experienced cruisers, but I have been talking for a while about "trying something new and different." When I suggested MSC, everyone looked at me like I grew another head! None of them even heard of MSC prior to that conversation. Yet based on my recommendation, they all booked. My anxiety level right now over this cruise is quite high. I'm sincerely hoping that whatever the issues are on Divina currently will be worked out. We're not sailing until next December:) Fingers and toes crossed!!:eek:

 

I understand that anxiety...have you checked to see what ports the Divina is visiting the week prior to your trip? It might be a good idea to check and see if Columbia is on the itinerary, at least then you will be able to warn your friends that your embarkation may be delayed. I am sure they read in these forums and will work to fix some of the issues that people have been having, December is a long way away still :-)