Divina dining issues

[KEN31VA]

We were just on the Divina.  We booked one year ahead requesting early dining.  We were booked in "Fantastica" which is advertised as providing priority in dining seating.  Without any advance notice, the ship had a group that occupied ALL the early dining seating, thus there was only late seating availability.  The worse part was the indifferent and totally non-responsive attitude of of the dining and customer relations staff.

[cruiseguyinorl]

You must have been on the "Holistic Cruise". The whole main dining was vegan with separate chefs and menu. I guess if you're into that kind of thing it would have been okay. MSC has advised that for privacy reasons, they are not allowed to disclose what groups are onboard. But with you having Fantastica, they could have at least let you know your dining preference was not available. Communication has never been one of their strong points.

 

Bret

[rkacruiser]

Many years ago, on the original Royal Princess, my Mother and I was booked on a San Juan to Acapulco cruise.  Requested--and confirmed--for 2nd seating dining.  Upon embarking, we discovered that we had been assigned to 1st seating dining.  We made a visit to the Maitre d' and asked that we be seated as we had been confirmed.  His response:  "You don't want 2nd seating dining this cruise."  I asked, "Why?"  His response was:  "Believe me, you don't want 2nd seating dining".  We acquiesced.  

 

As it turned out, there was very many guests of a particular nationality that HAD to have 2nd seating dining.  They were often rude.  (My Mother said that "if one of them steps on my feet again when I am in the shops, I am going to punch her.  That was not my Mother's usual attitude.)

 

Our assigned 1st seating dining companions were great, our service was great, we enjoyed our dining experience probably much more than if we had been seated as we requested.

 

OP, I understand your disappointment in not having the dining arrangements that you expected.  Not experiencing the staffs' response to you, it's difficult to respond to your complaint about their attitude.  But, there may have been a reason why they seemed so unresponsive.