MSC Divina 1/28-2/4/17 Trip Summation

[edspec]

I've read the slippery pool deck comment on several different reviews. While I normally don't own or pack water shoes I will definitely do this for our 4/15 cruise. Thank-you for the reminder.

[sjlin0121]

Thanks Kim and sorry the hear you fell down badly. Hope there is no serious injury. Would you care to post some of your cabin's photo, especially from the balcony? My room is at the same location as yours.

 

Thanks again!

[NoName]

Thanks Kim and sorry the hear you fell down badly. Hope there is no serious injury. Would you care to post some of your cabin's photo, especially from the balcony? My room is at the same location as yours.

 

Thanks again!

I don't have any pictures looking out, but have this one of the balcony. The little fella is our grandson!

 

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[NoName]

Here is a picture of him on Paradise Beach in Cozumel!

 

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[NoName]

Fellow passengers...

 

For the most part, it was an enjoyable experience listening to so many different languages being spoken throughout the week. If I take the buffet totally out of the equation (have I mentioned I HATE the buffet?), we only experienced extreme rudeness a few times, mostly around elevator etiquette. We were waiting for an elevator and had been waiting quite a while. Initially we were the only ones standing there. Right before the elevators doors opened a large group crowded around. My 6 year old grandson started to move right in front of the door. I corrected him and explained that he had to move off to the side to let guests off the elevator. He moved off to the side and the group pushed themselves onto the elevator as others were getting off. Unbelievably, we were not able to get on the elevator! I am sad to say this has happened twice on our first day. I don't care what country you are from, or what your culture is...this, in my opinion is VERY rude. My plan to combat the elevator problem was to take the stairs whenever possible, however...after my fall, this was no longer an option. So, we learned which sets of elevators were in less use and concentrated on those. There is a singular elevator car between the middle and the back of the ship.....we called this the “secret” elevator and used it all of the time with almost no waiting. If you are in the very back of the ship, you will pass the first major elevator banks and keep walking towards the front, it is before you get to the next big set of elevator banks, it is just kind of tucked into an alcove all by itself. Look for it, you will be glad you did:)

 

There was a little humor at the Americans expense by fellow French passengers that I overheard. It was obviously said for our benefit since it was stated outloud in English. My granddaughter and grandson were walking rapidly (okay, running) when a French woman said, “Look...they are probably running from their President”! We thought it was funny and moved on. (I can only imagine what the world thinks of us right now:))

 

I was amazed that at one of the shows (this was the best part!) The Captain welcomed guests in their native language. He must have done this in about 15 different languages and I really give him kudos for taking the time to learn this for the benefit of his guests!

 

After a recent discussion I had read on the forum regarding the difference in the way Americans and Europeans hold their forks, we had fun in the dining room trying to prove/disprove the difference. From the folks sitting around our table, we could definitely see the difference. These little things are very interesting to me. Weird, I know!

 

Sometimes you just want to escape from your fellow passengers. A great place to do so is the hot tub on deck 16, by the basketball courts. We had read on Cruise Critic that this was not a very popular location and was frequently empty, we found this to be true. Our family enjoyed it several times without another soul around.

 

Also, if you stay on board during a port day, it is almost like having a private yacht. These are some of my favorite days.....

[Beamafar]

i had to google this lol.

:):):)

 

sounds like a perfect "elevenses" drink ;)

 

;);)

[NoName]

Photo Package Fail:

 

I purchased the 100 photo package pre-cruise, planning family pictures. On the 2nd day of the cruise, I took my photos to the desk to be put in a folder for me. Unfortunately, I was told at that time that the photo package could only be used for our cabin. I explained that this was not included in the description of what I had purchased, and that I wanted to use the package to get pictures of my kids and the family all together....the gentleman apologized but reiterated the same.

 

I then requested a refund as I didn't want 100 photos of my husband and I. The attendant then called the manager and came back with the same answer. I then asked again about getting a refund. He at first said he couldn't give me a refund because they didn't charge us for the package, MSC America did. I told him that I didn't care where the refund came from, and to contact MSC America if he needed to. He said when his manager was available, he would discuss it with him and I should stop back later.

 

I went back the next day and was told that they would put in for a refund for me, but it may take a couple of weeks for the refund to be issued back to my bank. I said this was fine, but requested something stating this so that if the refund never showed up, I would have a paper trail. The attendant then called the manager and relayed my request while I was standing there. When he hung up he said the manager would give me a letter and to stop back tomorrow to get it......I stopped back the next day...he called the manager....I was told he was very busy....and to stop back later...I went back several more times and received the same instruction.

 

Finally, the day before the last day of the cruise I had had enough. This time when I went back, the attendant told me the manager could not write me a letter and perhaps when I returned home I could contact MSC America and request a refund. I was furious and demanded to speak with the “Manager”. He called him and then told me the manager couldn't meet with me as he was in a meeting. I said I am not leaving until I speak with him. He called him again and this time was told he would be available in 20 minutes. I stood at the desk waiting. I was sick of the run around and had wasted way to much of my vacation time on this matter.

 

I set the timer on my phone for 20 minutes.....20 minutes came and went. It was 30 minutes before he came out. Once he came out, he was very nice and OFFERED TO LET ME HAVE MY FAMILY PHOTOS! I told him it was too late....we never had another picture taken after being told that we couldn't have them included in the package! I then asked for a letter stating they had requested a refund on my behalf. The Manger explained it was against company policy to share inter-company correspondence! I stated again that I JUST NEEDED A PAPER TRAIL in case things didn't go as planned!

 

At this time, a woman standing with him introduced herself, Patricia Diez-Ghersy, Director of Operations for MSC. She said she just happened to be on board this week and usually worked in the offices. She said that she would contact MSC personally in the morning to get the refund started. again asked for a document proving this. She said she couldn't give me one. I said that when I get off the boat and the refund never comes, I have no way of ever proving that I didn't accept the photo package and received zero photos. She told me that she would send a copy of her business card to my cabin and that she very seldom interacts with guests and she would remember me. She also said she would ask if once they processed the refund that perhaps the office could send me an email. She said if I didn't get the refund I could contact her using the information on her card. She also gave me the phone number to the phone she was carrying on the ship.

 

Well, the business card never came. Before bed, I called her on the number she provided and she answered right away. She said she didn't know why the card never reached me, but she would send another. On the night before debarkation, I still hadn't received her card. This time I called the reception desk to see if it was there. It was not. They said they would contact her to ask about this. About 15 minutes later a staff member from the reception desk knocked on my door. She wanted to confirm that I had never received the business card as she said she wrote the note on the card herself. I stated again I didn't receive it. I could see her trying to peek in the room as if to look herself. She then said, “well, you have been told that you are getting a refund, yes”. I said again that I had been told that , but I needed some type of documentation proving this just in case the refund never showed up in my account. She said she would contact Ms. Diez-Ghersy. That was the last I heard of it.

 

I got off the ship with no proof what-so-ever. The whole process was ridiculously frustrating. I was sure that I would never see that $100 again.

 

However, much to my surprise, the day after debarkation, the refund was in my bank account. (I thought I had paid $100...I was refunded $98 so perhaps I simply didn't remember what I was actually charged.) I was very happy to receive this refund, but boy did I feel like I really had to work for it!

 

The moral of the story is, if you plan on photos of guests belonging to more than one cabin, make sure all pay for the photo package! I still think this is a tremendous value, but since my kids were spread out over 3 cabins, I wasn't interested in paying $300, but that is still a decent value.

 

(I must say, just writing out this ordeal of a process brought back a flashback of the frustration....the way I see it...MSC owes me about 2 hours of vacation time!-for that is about how much time I wasted on this fiasco!)

[NoName]

Debarkation:

 

We had one of the easiest debarkations ever. We were instructed to meet in the Black & White lounge at 6:45am. We were just showing up when most of the lounge had already walked off. One word of advice.....they gave us “white” luggage tags and instructed us to put them on our luggage. I almost didn't because why would I need tags on luggage I was carrying myself. At the last minute, decided to do as instructed and put them on. When we were joining the back of the line to get off a worker did approach us and asked to see the color of our tags. She then said, “white, you are good to go”. I don't know what she would have done had they not been on, but obviously they are trained to look for them.

 

We were out at the curb by 7:05am. Wonderful. We then had to wait for our rental car shuttle (Dollar) to pick us up. We were told they didn't start until 8am, but they actually showed up at 7:45. It is worth noting that the Alamo shuttle was there by 7:30.

 

Final thoughts up next......

[NoName]

Final Thoughts & Misc. Musings:

 

I did enjoy several benefits from the status match to “Gold”. I received a fruit bowl on embarkation-I really enjoyed having this handy snack! I also received a free 1 hour pass to the thermal spa. I gave it to my daughter-in-law and she really enjoyed it. I also received priority tender tickets in Grand Cayman, but since my hip was hurting post fall...I stayed on board and gave the tickets to my son and his girlfriend. They enjoyed not waiting for the tender. (By the way, they were still calling tender tickets at noon! We laughed that those getting off at the time will have to turn back around and ride back because they were out of time). I also received an invite to a party along with a gift certificate for a free photo. I didn't attend. (The photo department wasn't my favorite department by this point in the cruise:) These gifts were all appreciated.

 

I wonder why they don't sell drinks in the show lounge. No drink service at all. This was very odd to us and we always have a drink or two while watching the show. We usually get there early to have our first drink. Instead my poor husband had to trek out to find our beverages. Perhaps if alcohol had been involved, I may have enjoyed the shows more? Lol. Certainly this is a way MSC could increase revenue!

 

I wish they would lighten up on the Water slide rules. My grandson has been on water slides many times, much bigger and MUCH faster.....but to ride this slide you have to be 48 inches AND 8 years old? My grandson measured 47.5 and is age 6.5 and it was a no go. I would understand parents having to sign a waiver, but not letting them ride at all, seems a little too restrictive to me. Especially since the slide doesn't even end in a pool...so there is no need to know how to swim. Oh well.

My son is a tennis table fanatic and after receiving the advice on cruise critic, we did pack our own balls and paddles. A previous poster said getting these on board wasn't easy. I found out this is true. These are not kept near the tables. Instead, you need to go up to the formula one car station and sign them out. The sign said they charge a $30 deposit, however I can't verify if they actually charged or not since we had our own. (However, they probably do since they charged us $30 deposit for an electrical extension cord).

 

We had a wonderful family vacation. I would be happy to sail MSC again. My favorite line remains Carnival (only newer ships), followed by NCL. However, for the right itinerary and the right price, I will be back on board. For us, it was a nice vacation because we were traveling as a family and wanted family time. That is why even though the scheduled entertainment wasn't for me....it didn't matter that much. We brought a board game and had fun with that. Besides, there is always plenty to do when traveling with a 6 year old.

 

I hope this information helps someone else planning their trip on the Divina. Don't worry, the Divina is a beautiful ship (almost too big for me) and the staff are very kind and helpful (again, taking the photo department out of the equation lol ) and you will have a fabulous vacation!

 

Happy Sailings!

Kim

[Clarea]

Excellent, informative review, thanks very much!

[easyboy]

That was a great review! Glad you had a wonderful family vacation!

[CruisnDeb]

So, we learned which sets of elevators were in less use and concentrated on those. There is a singular elevator car between the middle and the back of the ship.....we called this the “secret” elevator and used it all of the time with almost no waiting. If you are in the very back of the ship, you will pass the first major elevator banks and keep walking towards the front, it is before you get to the next big set of elevator banks, it is just kind of tucked into an alcove all by itself. Look for it, you will be glad you did:)

 

Hi NoName. I am looking at Deck 9 and trying to figure out which elevators you are talking about. Does this "secret" elevator show up on here? Is it the one circled in yellow? From your description it sounds like it should be somewhere between the red and purple.

 

[mjonis]

(hopefully it quotes your post, since I clicked on the "quote" but I'm not seeing it right now).

 

And *that* is only the partial frustration we experienced on our cruise, and it's the main reason that I'll never sail MSC again unless they fix the disastrous level of disorganization.

 

Their customer service leaves much to be desired (and apparently it's been that way for a while, so I don't hold out hope of improvement). I *almost* booked the Seaside for the OBC on the ship and then we thought better of it.

 

So sorry you had to go through all that. The photo package would've been nice.

 

:(

[TravelLovingGal]

Hi NoName. I am looking at Deck 9 and trying to figure out which elevators you are talking about. Does this "secret" elevator show up on here? Is it the one circled in yellow? From your description it sounds like it should be somewhere between the red and purple.

 

 

Great question! I have been searching deck plans trying to find the "secret" elevators and can't find them.

[CruisnDeb]

Great question! I have been searching deck plans trying to find the "secret" elevators and can't find them.

 

I have read on several reviews about these "secret" elevators and I am on a quest to find them lol.

 

Looks like you are going on Divina in just a few days! What cabin and experience did you get?

[TravelLovingGal]

I have read on several reviews about these "secret" elevators and I am on a quest to find them lol.

 

Looks like you are going on Divina in just a few days! What cabin and experience did you get?

 

We are in cabin 11146 which is Fantastica.

[sjlin0121]

Hi Kim,

 

Thanks for the photos and great review. Your grandson is so handsome by the way.

I do have some questions about the kids camp. How late can the kids stay there? Can we pick them up after the evening show or it is just for the dinner time? It would be fun that most of the kids can't speak English. What about the teachers? Do they speak English or they need to speak multiple languages? Did your grandson attend the final performance? Was it in English or multiple languages? It would be nice if my son can lean some other languages too!

Your review is very encouraging for the food. I read some reviews rate the food is mediocre at best but now I can keep my expectation higher! We only sailed once and was on Carnival. I loved their food pretty much especially from the MDR. How do you compare the food between these two? Your review on the dining service is also very positive. Everything is very prompt and efficient. I wonder why some fellows mentioned about the slow service. Do you think this ship is not fully loaded or is because you were not dining at the Black Crab MDR? The embarkation and disembarkation time is very impressive. I took 1 hour each on Carnival so that is super encouraging! Lastly is the Alamo shuttle pick up location far from the cruise terminal?

Sorry for so many questions and I hope you will recover from the falling soon!

 

Sean

[CruisnDeb]

We are in cabin 11146 which is Fantastica.

 

I hope you come back here to report on the ship and offer any tips and secrets you come across. We will be cruising with MSC for the first time in November and any advice will be greatly appreciated. Enjoy your cruise.

[NoName]

Hi NoName. I am looking at Deck 9 and trying to figure out which elevators you are talking about. Does this "secret" elevator show up on here? Is it the one circled in yellow? From your description it sounds like it should be somewhere between the red and purple.

 

It looks that is it. You will see that you will probably walk by it a few times before you find it. On our side of the hall, there was only one elevator and no through pass to the other hallway, so I can't confirm a matching one on the other side. It is almost like having a private lift[emoji1]

 

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[NoName]

Here are the room service menus with prices for Bella

 

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[Beamafar]

It looks that is it. You will see that you will probably walk by it a few times before you find it. On our side of the hall, there was only one elevator and no through pass to the other hallway, so I can't confirm a matching one on the other side. It is almost like having a private lift[emoji1]

 

 

There is a corresponding one on the other side. These elevators are on both Divina and Preziosa but don't exist on their sister ships Fantasia and Splendida.

[Mattingly23]

We just disembarked from the Divina. We were with a group of over 500. At least 10% became sick, including my wife and myself. Every day at mass, more people were coughing. The stores onboard do not sell cough medicine. “Sir, you can go to the Medical center ($200 for the visit and 5 pills) or you can wait till the next port.” The line was down the hallway for the medical center.

The ship did have hand sanitizers; however, some did not work properly and there were no crew members encouraging you to use them.

We tried to eat dinner in the buffet. The food is TERRIBLE. Only 3 or 4 choices in addition to burgers and hot dogs that were on the hot table so long that the buns and fries were hard as a rock.

 

You were on Divina some time ago and spewed your alternative facts back then as well. I see your experience this time was no different.

 

Perhaps you'd like to comment as to why you would voluntarily go on a cruise you knew you wouldn't enjoy?

[Plumwine100]

Food/Dining Experiences:

 

 

We really enjoyed the food on the Divina.

 

 

Dinner: Our dining room meals were excellent. Our food was served warm and tasty. Once our waitstaff team realized that we drink a lot of water with our meals, they kept our water glasses filled with ice water throughout the meal. We really lucked out and received a great table right beside the windows at the rear of the ship. Beautiful view each night. The only complaint I could offer is that they put 7 people at a table that really should have only sat 5 or 6 max. But I can't complain since we had the Bella experience and we were not sitting in the buffet for dinner!

 

 

One of the best dining room features for us was how they handled our 6 year old grandson. The kids program offers a service to pick your kids up from the dining room at 7pm. This was WONDERFUL. We had the best of both worlds. We got to enjoy his company at our family dinners, but then once he was done with his meal, the kids program staff member would show up at the table to whisk him away to fun! In order for this to work, our waiter (Kumar...one of the best...table 802) brought his meal out when he delivered our appetizers. It made for perfect timing.

 

 

I had read that some former guests had difficulty getting bar service in the dining room. This was not a problem for us at all. Our drink orders were taken and our drinks were delivered promptly. The only little flaw in their system is they don't take payment for the drinks until the end of the meal. A few nights, we were in a hurry to leave, but had to wait around for the waiter to have a minute to process our payment. One night, we forgot to pay....and just got up and walked out. My daughter-in-law remembered and went back. Our waiter said it wasn't a problem and he would have settled up with us the next night.

 

 

Overall...we loved our evening meals in the dining room. The evening meal food was some of the best I have ever had on a cruise (This was cruise #23 for me). Lobster was only ever offered as an additional charge item, but there were plenty of other wonderful dishes, so it wasn't missed at all. Also, a couple of nights, I couldn't chose between two main entrees, so I ordered one as an appetizer and the other as the main course....not a problem at all!

 

 

Breakfast in the dining room...much of this was great. A few things twere a little weird. When we sat down, we had one person giving us our menus, another at the same time offering juices while carrying a full tray of pre-poured drinks, while another person started asking for our order, while a fourth was offering breakfast rolls..while another appeared offering coffee....wow...it was VERY prompt service, but a little overwhelming and felt quite rushed. (I lost track of how may different people participated in serving our breakfast!

 

 

However, my omelet came out of the kitchen so fresh, it was a bit too hot to eat and I had to let it cool a bit before consuming! I can't complain about that!. Subsequent breakfasts were very similar, with the entree being very warm as well.

 

 

Needless to say, with this many people assisting with service, we were in and out very quickly!

 

 

Buffet: The food in the buffet was tasty and the variety was great....however...I HATED the buffet. The crowds at peak meal times were horrendous. People were rude...not enough tables for the crowd.....I found this area very stressful....however...if you went at non-peak times, the flow was more inline with what I have come to expect on other lines. I am not sure why it is so bad....it just was!

 

 

However, the food on the buffet was surprising good. As mentioned by many previous posters, the pizza was great....best pizza at sea without a doubt. Also, the cheeseburgers were very good as well and they offered both curly fries (think Arby's) and straight fries...both good.

 

 

The deserts were the best at sea as well. Usually I find cruise ship deserts look Great but taste blah.....MSC knows how to make deserts!

 

 

Oh, the breakfast donuts are fabulous as well. They are obviously made fresh daily on-board....I am going to miss those!

 

 

Room Service: Since we had the “Bella Experience” room service items were an additional charge. The menu was on the TV and the prices averaged about $3.50 per item. Very limited menu...few sandwiches and then pizza which was priced from 10-13 dollars or so. We didn't order room service so can't comment on the taste.

 

 

SportBar: The food here was really good. The burger was one of the best burgers I have ever had! I tried the fish and chips one day as well....that wasn't any good.....there was more breading than there was fish....I would skip that! However, they have a wonderful brownie sundae on the menu that was super! I highly recommend. We only ate here twice, but I really liked the food and the atmosphere.

 

 

If I were comparing the food on the Divina cruise to the NCL cruise I completed in October of this year....I would say that there was no comparison.....MSC simply had better food!

 

 

 

 

I have lots more to come, but am going to stop here for the night. I will pick back up on Wednesday....(I have to work for 12-14 hours tomorrow....back to reality!):(

 

 

Kim

Thanks for posting about your food experience!! I'm sailing MSC Divina March 18 (Fantastica?) with my Mom and I've only sailed once prior to this (Carnival Destiny - 2012). How can I find out what food items are NOT included with this experience? I want my Mom to be able to enjoy juice and water and have the option to drink hot tea with breakfast.

[NoName]

Thanks for posting about your food experience!! I'm sailing MSC Divina March 18 (Fantastica?) with my Mom and I've only sailed once prior to this (Carnival Destiny - 2012). How can I find out what food items are NOT included with this experience? I want my Mom to be able to enjoy juice and water and have the option to drink hot tea with breakfast.

Juices in the dining room for breakfast were free. Tap ice water is also free. I didn't order tea, but I imagine it would be complimentary as well

 

 

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[NoName]

Hi Kim,

 

Thanks for the photos and great review. Your grandson is so handsome by the way.

I do have some questions about the kids camp. How late can the kids stay there? Can we pick them up after the evening show or it is just for the dinner time? It would be fun that most of the kids can't speak English. What about the teachers? Do they speak English or they need to speak multiple languages? Did your grandson attend the final performance? Was it in English or multiple languages? It would be nice if my son can lean some other languages too!

Your review is very encouraging for the food. I read some reviews rate the food is mediocre at best but now I can keep my expectation higher! We only sailed once and was on Carnival. I loved their food pretty much especially from the MDR. How do you compare the food between these two? Your review on the dining service is also very positive. Everything is very prompt and efficient. I wonder why some fellows mentioned about the slow service. Do you think this ship is not fully loaded or is because you were not dining at the Black Crab MDR? The embarkation and disembarkation time is very impressive. I took 1 hour each on Carnival so that is super encouraging! Lastly is the Alamo shuttle pick up location far from the cruise terminal?

Sorry for so many questions and I hope you will recover from the falling soon!

 

Sean

The teachers spoke English, but were bilingual. They didn't have any trouble that I observed talking with the kids.

 

The staff will take the kids to the shows, if you want. We didn't have the kids talent show. My grandson said not enough kids were there.....Not sure if any truth it that.....He is 6

 

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