TheSoccerCoach

We will be there in May on Divina. How is Orient Beach now? The last time I was there was the mid 90's. Anyone been to the nudist part? Worth going? Any extra cost? Thanks!

Interesting thread...

...people complaining about the Status Match program kind of feels like the people in Heaven who followed Christ from an early age complaining about the folks that got into Heaven with death bed conversions...

...at the end of the day, we all get to experience the amazingness of an MSC Cruise, right!?

If someone getting a few free cocktails and a lapel pin an "easier" way than you puts you off...I feel a bit sad for ya...

...life really is far too short to worry about such things...isn't it?

Yes!!! I also friended a number of the staff we met on board Divina on Facebook and have been in touch with them since our cruise. Their regular Facebook shares help ease the pain of not being on a ship... a little bit...

Your wife texts you the following and asks if you see it?!?!

I am following this as we have been a bit confused about the Voyager Club numbers as well.

My wife did the match thing and is now Silver with her #.

I have my own number, but it is at Classic level.

We want to be sure we both benefit from her Silver. We were wondering if MSC would combine our numbers...do away with my lesser one...etc.?

Thoughts?

We got on after 12 noon on our cruise and were in our cabin by 230pm

Thanks, Mike!

Hello MSC Friends!

So, my wife just got an email advising that we are now Silver with MSC. Yay!

But, will we get actual cards in the mail? Will our cruise cards be different on our May cruise?

How will this work?

Thanks!!!

Loved the review and pictures. I sure am glad I'm not the only one smelling sewer at the infinity pool. It happened on both my Divina cruises. They need to fix that in drydock this fall.

 

PS: I survived the Divina both YC and non-YC and thought each trip was lovely :).

 

PSS: Absolutely no adults only pool. MSC is missing the mark here because the solarium pool (or infinity) is perfect for adults only.

Oh wow, we did not smell a sewer smell at the infinity pool. Interesting! I think the infinity pool would be a great adults only pool, especially with the smoking area and bar in close proximity. The solarium pool seems to be a better fit for kids. But, my goodness, is it ever hot in there! We could not stay in there due to the heat. And, I wish they could find an air conditioned place for the ping pong tables as well. We played one game one afternoon and I was drenched...and we are ping pong players...NOT...table tennis players. I should not have been in need of a clothing change and IV after one game...

Cheers!

Thank you for one of the most enjoyable, reassuring, picturesque cruise reviews ever... we are sailing the Divina in Feb '17 and have been looking to learn all we can about her and the options (food, bev, pool, etc) on board. Your review is greatly appreciated!!

 

P.S. Is there really no adults-only pool? Why do I feel like I read otherwise elsewhere? I'm kinda surprised!

 

Thanks again!

There does not appear to be an adults only pool. We cruised on Divina July 5th. We enjoyed the infinity pool. There were some kids, but the pool attendant did not allow them to jump in. So, it was still relaxing. We were not YC, so we can't comment on their pool area. But, we did enjoy deck 18, renting a rattan bed for the day. There were no kids and the hot tub was lovely. And, the showers were great for cooling off. One is much colder than the other, so be prepared. :-) Have a great cruise!

Wondering what methods of communicating on board MSC ships that people have found to be most successful?

There are plenty of Fantastica adjoining balcony staterooms starting on deck 9. You will have to book an adult and a minor in each stateroom then go to guest services once onboard and request extra keys for each of the two cabins.:D

Nice! Thanks!

Question, friends.

We are going back on Divina in May, but were thinking of bringing our youngest daughter and her best friend. Both will be 17 at the time of cruising. Yacht Club is not an option for us.

Not sure if there are adjoining cabins in the Fantastica level that would allow for the girls to have their own cabin and us to be next door?

Appreciate your help, suggestions, etc!

No, the comment you referenced was made by someone else in response to another person's response to one of my posts. It actually didn't have anything to do with my review. How's that for a confusing answer?!?

Sorry, Hollon! I started the confusion. Apologies. Someone mentioned how the only way they make it through MSC Cruises is staying in the Yacht Club, which I found to be an ironic statement, having worked for four years on ships and loved it, and having recently cruised for the first time as a passenger ever ships on MSC Divina and absolutely loved it.

PART 7

 

 

 

On the second night we ate at Ristorante Italia, one of Divina’s specialty restaurants which only has five or six tables. We have enjoyed many specialty restaurants on several other cruises, so we were looking forward to this meal in particular. I had pre-paid for the dinner in advance on the MSC website, but was not given the opportunity to make a reservation until onboard. This was tricky. I called the restaurant after we arrived in our stateroom the first afternoon and made the reservation for the second night. The lady spoke broken English, and after I hung up I realized that she never confirmed my name or stateroom number. So, the next day I decided I would swing by the restaurant and talk to someone in person to confirm our reservation. Even after multiple attempts of going into the restaurant, I never saw another person there. After we returned from the pool around 3:30, I decided to call the restaurant. Surprise—when you read the very fine print in the “Daily Program” that is left in your room each night, you see that calls to the specialty restaurants can only be made between 12:00 and 3 PM and then again between 6 PM and 9 PM. So, if you wake up in the morning and decide you want to make a reservation for a specialty restaurant before heading out the door for the day, no luck. Or, you get back to your room in the late afternoon and want to see if any last minute reservations are available-no luck. I thought, “Surely, this can’t be right,” so I called anyway. No answer. Finally, at around 5 PM, I stopped by the restaurant again and there was actually somebody sitting behind the counter. This man, too, spoke very broken English, and when I asked to confirm my reservation, he told me not to worry—“it will be fine…8 o’clock—dinner for two.” I replied, “You haven’t even asked my name or looked me up in the computer.” Again, “It will be fine….8 o’clock.” As I stood there somewhat bewildered, he finally said, “Let me write down your stateroom number so you don’t have to worry.” He scribbled the number on a ripped piece of paper—again, no name—and sent me on my way. So, what do you think happened when we arrived at the hostess stand at 8 PM that evening? No reservation; no record of us in any way. Again, we were told not to worry, and the hostess took us through the Steakhouse to the small room around the corner, Ristorante Italia, where there happened to be one open table for two.

 

 

 

Once we were seated, however, there was a big huddle of several employees in the corner—all whispering and looking over at our table. Finally, the head waiter took charge and everything seemed to be resolved. We were handed menus with all sorts of al a carte pricing, so I explained to the hostess that we had pre-paid. Another huddle. Luckily, the head waiter knew how this worked, and he came over to show us what our options were within the menu we received. We were each able to choose one appetizer, one pasta, one entrée, and one dessert. We also were given a glass of Prosecco to start things off. Additionally, we opted to order bottled water for a fee instead of tap water.

 

 

The food was delicious and beautifully presented.

 

 

 

 

Although we chose different appetizers and pasta dishes, we both opted for the filet as our entrée, and it was quite delicious.

 

 

Dessert was delicious, too!

 

 

 

At the end of the meal, a third huddle took place, but still they seemed perplexed about how to settle our bill. We didn’t say a word, but just watched with amusement as they met and then met again over a span of what must have been 20 minutes. Finally, my wife said, “Here he comes with the bill.” I replied, “This should be interesting.” I opened the folio to find a bill for $0.00. They didn’t even charge us for the bottled water, and there was no place to sign to add an additional tip. We left the restaurant just after 11 PM completely satisfied, but wondering if most of the employees were working there for the first time.

 

Side note—I happened to have the confirmation e-mail from MSC on my phone that I was able to pull up and show that I had pre-paid for the meal. This was especially helpful to have when we first arrived and no one seemed to know who we were or how we could have already paid for our meal. Since you can’t make your reservation in advance when you pre-pay, I would strongly recommend you bring proof of your purchase to the restaurant.

 

To be continued...

Thank you so very much for this wonderful review! We were actually on the same cruise with you! Really appreciated the insight on the specialty restaurants, as we did not find time to visit them, but are booked on Divina for May 2017 and will be looking to visit some of them. Cheers!

At least we know they are feeding the dancers well!

We used Safe Cruise Parking for our July MSC Divina cruise. (Five day) It was close to the port, gated and walled. Timing was perfect when we arrived, as a large family arrived a head of us. We got on the shuttle and were taken straight to the port and walked right onto the ship. However, after the cruise, it took close to an hour to finally get picked up and returned to our car. Our car was fine. No, I did not like leaving my keys with them. But, all their staff were friendly. It was a bit over 40.00 for the five days.

Miksa1721, we are also sailing the Seaside on the 21st. See you in the lounge!

 

IMHO, Yacht Club is the only way to survive MSC. Even then the food is so-so.

We will all pray that God gives you the strength to survive another challenging cruise on MSC... especially within the confines of the Yacht Club...the struggle is so very real...

Anyone else notice that someone with the initials DH gets to go on a lot of cruises?! Must be good to be them! ;-)

I think we all could debate the subtle nuances and differences of an MSC Cruise vs. other lines "till the cows come home." :-)

Is it different than other lines? Yes! A difference many of us enjoy and a few find hard to adapt to.

But, I do feel that, within the differences, are the solutions to some of the things people find to be negatives.

We found some of our fellow travelers to be overwhelming (Why do families of 50 insist on traveling together wearing their matching t shirts?!)...but, we also found that for a small fee we could escape the crowds and luxuriate on deck 18.

As many have stated the buffet's are delicious and the further aft you go, the fewer people are around you.

I really found the staff to be warm and friendly. Not TGI Friday's fake...but genuinely nice!

We did a lot of research before we booked on MSC Divina and we loved it! The negative reviews are confusing and feel like outliers to me and in many cases seem to have been created by the passenger themselves and the attitude they brought on board.

Hello friends!

So, we just got off MSC Divina and loved it!

But, now that we are home, we are suddenly remorseful that we did not buy any of the bath products to take with us, which we loved! Or one of the MSC Doremi stuffed toys, back packs, etc.

Does anyone know of where such items could be purchased on land?

Thanks!

If you want decent seats plan to be there early as well. We were warned by the CD, Andre, of this for the MJ show and I am glad we listened. We were there 90 minutes early with our cocktails, gelato, and playing cards and got third row center. And, seats continued to fill up fast!

Having been on the other side of the table, having worked as a cruise staff on ships, I find the negative responses to Divina interesting in the way that a professor must find failing student's complaints regarding a test when so many other student's "got the material" and aced said exam.

And, what I am finding is that many of my fellow, but unimaginative North American travelers want MSC to be just like whatever else they are so very used to...Carnival, Royal Caribbean, etc. and when there are not towel animals and bar waiters parading constantly up and down the pool deck and 500 activities going on at once, they do not know how to respond.

I was on Divina a few weeks ago and loved it! No, it was not perfect. NOTHING is perfect. Three things I wish had been better? 3) The food in the Black Crab...it was decent, but I wanted more pizazz. 2) The pillows in my cabin...a bit lumpy. 1) The behavior of my fellow North American passengers, who often times were loud and rude and then had the nerve to be surprised when the Divina staff did not fully suck it up and take it like a poor North American would.

We, on the other hand, treated the staff with respect and sweet Georgia hospitality and received the same back 100 fold! A few examples would be our cabin attendant bringing five more pillows to our cabin to give us more to choose from. Many of the bartenders pouring generously for our drinks. The Entertainment staff going out of their way to spend time with us.

So, I honestly believe the negative reviews are due to the negative energy the reviewers brought with them on board. Bless their hearts...life must be real hard where they come from...

We were on this cruise! First on MSC for us. For disembarkation, we learned that the ship will want to zero out your account before you depart, in person. We started the morning with $20 owed to us and then ended up going $9 over the amount we had pre-approved to be charged to our card. We got stopped at the gangway when they read our card and sent us back to a desk on deck 6 by the gangway where I paid the $9 in cash to zero things out. People who were owed money were paid so in cash. We asked and the purser advised they do not charge or credit after the cruise. So, we had to get to zero before we could go. Now that we know, we will be sure to do this ahead of departure on embarkation day.

We just experienced Fantastica on the Divina this past week. The cabin was an interior, midship, Deck 10 cabin and was great! Big cabin, big bed, with a chair, table, and ottoman/seat. We thoroughly enjoyed it!