Review of MSC Divina sailing with kids age 7 and 9. 3-18 to 3-25-17. any questions?

[OneParticularHarbour 71]

Sorry but we did not take the kids to the specialty restaurant. Since the kids club took the kids to meals we took full advantage of that and did not really eat many dinners with them. The main dining room did offer us a kids menu but we did not take it. My nine-year-old daughter ordered items off of the main dining room menu. Our son never ate dinner with us in the dining room. I felt a little bad about it but he seemed to be having fun with the other kids in the club so we let it slide.

When they take the kids to the Buffet they make their plate for them and just give them a little selection of each thing off of the kids buffet menu. If the child is older you can get them a certain wristband which gives them the Liberty to walk through the buffet on their own and make their own plate. You also have the option when registering the kids to give them the Liberty to check themselves in and out of the kids club. We did not feel our kids were quite ready for this so they got the red wristband which meant they could only leave with my wife or I.

The kids Buffet consisted of fish sticks macaroni and cheese hamburger hot dog french fries spaghetti excetera. My nine-year-old said it got a little repetitive and she didn't love all of the stuff. My seven-year-old boy however was perfectly content with it.

 

Thank you! My kids are 2 teens and a tween and two of them have never eaten off kids menus but my middle son is so very picky. He has gotten a little better as he has gotten older but is still pretty limited in what he will eat (he could live on plain chicken breast, rice pilaf and carrots every night). I am more relaxed with his eating when we are on vacation and one of his favorites is chicken fingers. I was hoping to hear they are offered on the kids menus. From what I have read they are sometimes offered at the kids buffet but I am not sure if they will let him have them as I know it is meant for younger kids.

[bombcat9]

Seriously? Rude? Do you know your ancestry? Are you native American?

 

If there was one thing I could change, it would be the fact that so many people don't know or understand the different cultures and what to expect when being met with the different cultures. I understand that some things seem to be seen as rude but if you're not familiar with their culture, you will think that something totally acceptable and not rude at all in their culture is rude.

 

We expect things to be all American but guess what, you may very well be seen as Rude to others, especially Europeans. Accept that we are all different and try to learn from your experience... yeah I know I sound like I'm preaching but I've done my DNA and Ancestral background and I know I'm European. The Americas are made up of Europeans, Asian, Africans, and all other Ethnicities.

 

Try to learn their cultures before you judge them as rude, you'll be surprised what you will learn.

 

Rant over.

 

Learn to love le difference. (flame away I have my flame retardant suit on)

 

My DH is the OP on this thread so I'm going to chime in. He told me not to stoop to your level but I can't help myself. I'm stooping! He is taking the high road.

 

First, I think it is incredibly rude that you attack someone who took the time to write a detailed, multiple paragraph review in the hopes to give others some insight about HIS experiences with the cruiseline, ship, ports, etc...

 

Yes, the cultural differences are what causes us to perceive them as rude. It has nothing to do with being familiar with the culture though. In our OPINION they are rude. We realize it is their way of life but to US it is rude. No one culture is right or wrong and expressing an opinion doesn't make anyone ignorant.

 

Ancestry has nothing to do with it. If we were 100% Italian but raised in America, to us they would still be rude. We knew going into this cruise there were going to be a lot of Europeans. We knew their temperaments, schedules, etc... are different then ours. We expected that we would get irritated at them due to cultural differences. Guess what, we did get irritated and many people on the ship were rude...IN OUR OPINION. This isn't a judgement, it's an opinion.

 

Also, wait....America isn't made up of only Americans??? There are other ethnicities, cultures and religions here? Wow...12 years of school, a Bachelor's degree, and some common sense never clued me in to that. I was always wondering what everyone meant when they spoke of immigrants. When I went to Ellis Island I was thoroughly confused too (this is sarcasm, not sure if it would translate through our cultural and age gaps, don't judge my sarcasm though, just learn to love it).

 

Lady - You posted here to get on your soap box and make yourself feel better. Do you know what my husband's culture is? Maybe it is the norm for he and his "ancestors" to post their personal opinions on cruise message boards. You should really become familiar with his culture and learn to expect it and love it (this is again sarcasm, did you learn to love it yet?).

 

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[bombcat9]

I will be on the NCL Epic soon and can't wait to see how the 'standardized american' behaviour compare to us rude europeans [emoji23]

 

 

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I'm pretty sure you'll find the standardized American behavior will be different from the standardized European behavior. Neither is right or wrong, just different and due to the differences on both sides, perceptions and opinions will be formed.

 

Things that are rude to us...not waiting your turn in line, not letting others out of the elevator before you walk in, not saying thank you when someone holds the door for you, these things might not be considered rude in your culture. To us they are rude no matter what ethnicity or nationality the person is.

 

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[FIREFIGHTERCRUISER]

I think we are getting a little off topic . So back to the OP review...

 

First thank you for posting . There is not much posted about the kids club , and I sincerely appreciate your input .

 

My question is, is there some way of the kids club staff contacting the parents (like a pager, or beeper type device ) other than using the in cabin phone ? For example, if there's an emergency and the parents are pool side , how would they contact them .

 

We are sailing in July with our 5, 7 and 8 yr old grand babies . TIA

Agreed Gram. Let's try to get back on the kids info. They did offer a pager /phone system for children under 5(I remember seeing a sign and five is the number I remember, dont kill me if im wrong on the age though).. As we did not use it I can't give you a whole lot of info but I can tell you the service is available on board. I'm not sure if there is a charge for this or if it's just something they do for all children under a certain age. I did see them giving another family instructions about this and showing them the device once as we were dropping our kids off though.

[FIREFIGHTERCRUISER]

Hello. Where did you pick up the life vest for your Children? We will be on the divina next month with a 7 year old.

We had the two kids vest's waiting for us in our room when we first got on board. They were sitting on the bed and ready for us when we went to the muster drill. Our Room Steward also had us sign a form stating that we had received them and would be liable for a $200 fee each if they were lost.

[helen haywood]

To those of you have sailed on the YC: Is the rudeness prevalent here as well?

 

 

I've sailed in the YC three times in Divina. The Top Sail Lounge and One Pool area were never crowded so not much interaction. No one was rude at all. Worst experience was your Butler trying to kill you with kindness. [emoji253]

 

Thank you, OP, for your helpful review!

 

 

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[FIREFIGHTERCRUISER]

The main rudeness we came across was the sun bed hoggers and we were led to believe they were actually South Americans. But this was a relatively minor thing.

 

 

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The sunbed Hoggers are definitely on this boat as well. I think they are pretty much on every cruise boat. That's just the way it is. If you want a good seat at the pool you pretty much have to be out there by 6 a.m.

[Tapi]

From what I have read they are sometimes offered at the kids buffet but I am not sure if they will let him have them as I know it is meant for younger kids.

 

 

Ooooh we saw plenty of adults grabbing food from the kids section at the buffet. They were never stopped. The only challenge for adults may be stooping to go through the kid entrance. [emoji23]

 

 

 

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[Reds4life]

Things that are rude to us...not waiting your turn in line, not letting others out of the elevator before you walk in, not saying thank you when someone holds the door for you, these things might not be considered rude in your culture. To us they are rude no matter what ethnicity or nationality the person is.

 

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Amen. That lady attacking your husband was uncalled for. Manners and decency to fellow passengers should be expected no matter where someone comes from.

[FIREFIGHTERCRUISER]

 

Not sure if this will work. Sorry I didn't get any more of the dailies to keep. This was a list of the scheduled events and times for the juniors club which was age 7 through 11.

 

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[Reds4life]

 

Not sure if this will work. Sorry I didn't get any more of the dailies to keep. This was a list of the scheduled events and times for the juniors club which was age 7 through 11.

 

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So does the kids club still have the Smurfs?

[Tapi]

So does the kids club still have the Smurfs?

 

 

We saw Smurf decor at the kids club but the main partnership is with Legos. Several activities are Lego themed and they even have a sailor character making the rounds around the ship with MSC's mascot, Doremi.

 

 

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[hummer88]

Thank you for your review and posts.

 

We are contemplating the MSC Seaside next year. Our only experience in the MSC PReziosia in Europe and the NCL Escape this past month. Our biggest concern vs NCL is 1) the kids club, which you have helped curb that. When we were in Europe, North American/native english speaking people were only about 10% of the cruisers and the kids club was not fun for our daughter due to the language barrier. I was concerned a caribbean itinerary would still have dramatic european influences and the kids club would not cater to a predominately english speaking child.

 

2) the drink packages - on NCL they have the all inclusive type package which we were fond of. Can you comment on the alcoholic drink packages that were availalbe to you?

 

Also when looking on the MSC website there are the different experiences, bella, fantastica, wellness and aurea. which one did you pick?

 

Thanks

[FIREFIGHTERCRUISER]

So does the kids club still have the Smurfs?

 

Like Tapi said, the main theme is Legos but some of the decor does still reflect the surf theme. The little kids play area has the smurf mushroom house for them to play in. The kids area still looks the same as the pics on the main cruise critic review with all the pics if you wanna reference that.

[FIREFIGHTERCRUISER]

Thank you for your review and posts.

 

We are contemplating the MSC Seaside next year. Our only experience in the MSC PReziosia in Europe and the NCL Escape this past month. Our biggest concern vs NCL is 1) the kids club, which you have helped curb that. When we were in Europe, North American/native english speaking people were only about 10% of the cruisers and the kids club was not fun for our daughter due to the language barrier. I was concerned a caribbean itinerary would still have dramatic european influences and the kids club would not cater to a predominately english speaking child.

 

2) the drink packages - on NCL they have the all inclusive type package which we were fond of. Can you comment on the alcoholic drink packages that were availalbe to you?

 

Also when looking on the MSC website there are the different experiences, bella, fantastica, wellness and aurea. which one did you pick?

 

Thanks

 

Our kids didn't seem to have any problem in the kids area. There were tons of English-speaking kids. Even most of the foreign kids speak English as well so there was no issue. Even if they couldn't speak to each other they didn't seem to have any problems playing Legos or dancing or doing any of the other activities.

 

MSC also has the all you can drink package. I believe it is 70 or $80 per day. They also have a drink package that is only available for dinner time or meal times and they also have an upgraded all you can drink package where you can get the really expensive liquor. We don't drink that much so we opted to just go with the vouchers. The vouchers were a good deal and were more than enough for us. They have a bottle beer package as well as a cocktail package. All are listed and available on the MSC website. I recommend purchasing them before so you don't have to pay the 15% gratuity on board. I also believe if you get the all-you-can-drink package everyone in the cabin, including the kids ,has two have one as well. The kids is a little cheaper because it's not for liquor of course. But, That would get very pricey still.

 

We were just in a Bella balcony. We do not see any reason to pay the extra just to possibly get a higher balcony. I believe starting in the summer the fantastica comes with a drink package which would make it worth paying the extra for. However, for our cruise that was not included. I also believe with the fantastico you get room service included and they claim more flexibility on your dining time. We had no issue with our dining time and we even changed it 2 Days In from the early sitting to the late sitting without any issues.

[rojoand8]

Kudos to you Bombcat9. I agree with you wholeheartedly. Rudeness is rudeness in whatever language you speak.

 

 

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[nikkiw60]

Thank you for your review and posts.

 

 

 

We are contemplating the MSC Seaside next year. Our only experience in the MSC PReziosia in Europe and the NCL Escape this past month. Our biggest concern vs NCL is 1) the kids club, which you have helped curb that. When we were in Europe, North American/native english speaking people were only about 10% of the cruisers and the kids club was not fun for our daughter due to the language barrier. I was concerned a caribbean itinerary would still have dramatic european influences and the kids club would not cater to a predominately english speaking child.

 

 

 

2) the drink packages - on NCL they have the all inclusive type package which we were fond of. Can you comment on the alcoholic drink packages that were availalbe to you?

 

 

 

Also when looking on the MSC website there are the different experiences, bella, fantastica, wellness and aurea. which one did you pick?

 

 

 

Thanks

 

 

Next years drink package as booked on Saturday for MSC Divina out of Miami for 10 days. Think the Seaside will be the same.

 

 

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[nikkiw60]

I used to be the manager of a small London hotel and we had guest from a tour company in Scandinavia who brought new guests to us every week. On the coach transfer from the airport to the hotels the people were told to remember to use please and thank you as it was expected by people in the U.K.

We also had one occasion of a young Texan guy (wearing a Stetson) staying with his little daughter, he came back to the hotel very upset because he had stood up on the tube to offer his seat to someone and they basically gave him a whole lot of verbal abuse because of his kindness.

 

 

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[OneParticularHarbour 71]

Ooooh we saw plenty of adults grabbing food from the kids section at the buffet. They were never stopped. The only challenge for adults may be stooping to go through the kid entrance. [emoji23]

 

lol, thanks, good to know!

[mombg20062009]

Thank you so much for the information on the kids club and the schedule of events. I'm hoping my kids will take part in the kids club, and now I can give them an idea of what to expect.

[GOLDENBONNY]

For my opinion no one cutting the line. In America if one person standing by the soup for 5 min and can not decide what to take, all others will stand behind her and wait, even they don't need the soup. Europeans will just move ahead and grab what they need and for me it's a correct thing to do. Why create the line and wait for something you don't even want to take?

[thegraminator]

Thanks for sharing this activities sheet for the Kids Club . I thrive on every thread of information !

 

One more question , please . . . Are there any type of regulations or rules about the children choosing to only participate in certain activities ? I do realize the registration day is necessary and I would think the welcoming /orientation session would be extremely helpful . But I also hope to have some family time with the kids .

 

I truly appreciate your help ! Thank you !

[TrinaLC]

To those of you have sailed on the YC: Is the rudeness prevalent here as well?

 

First of all, we did not find the same level of "rudeness" described, but we did spend most of our time in the YC so perhaps that is why.

 

There is so much more personal space in the YC that you shouldn't have the same issues. We certainly never felt anyone was being rude. Having said that, there can always be a few jerks!

[Pnut78]

The $60 package includes the F1 race car simulator, the 4D theater, and the bowling alley,. The $60 is for the cabin. We had four in our cabin so it was definitely well worth it. Otherwise the bowling alone was $8 per person per game. The other things were both about the same between 7 to $10 per person per item. Those add up quite a bit when you play three back-to-back games of bowling with 4 people. A lot of people don't really know about the deal either so none of the items were that busy during our cruise. Some people spoke of the bowling alley being broken quite a bit however we never had an occasion whe're both lanes were broken. Occasionally one would be down but they were very quick to get it fixed. Also you cannot book the $60 package before getting on board, this was an item you had to get once you are on the ship.

Great review and pretty spot on. I have cruised with MSC DIvina in Sept 2014, April 2016, and now this weekend. I have never heard of the $60 entertainment package. Where did you go to get this? Did you get cards or bracelets? We have 9 cabins in our group and 3 are with kids (mine included). The kids range from 6-11. Thanks in advance for any info!

[Pnut78]

Thanks for sharing this activities sheet for the Kids Club . I thrive on every thread of information !

 

One more question , please . . . Are there any type of regulations or rules about the children choosing to only participate in certain activities ? I do realize the registration day is necessary and I would think the welcoming /orientation session would be extremely helpful . But I also hope to have some family time with the kids .

 

I truly appreciate your help ! Thank you !

You check them in daily. You get an itinerary of all the days events so yes, you can choose to pull them out and sign them back in whenever you want. Just remember that a lot of times you would have to try and meet the staff at whatever event they are at. They are pretty punctual so just keep that daily itinerary handy to know when you want to pull them out or check them in. The kids club staff always has the sign in sheet with them. Hope that answers your question!