funinthsun

so, for those of you that have been there...

What is complimentary on Perfect Day....and what do you need to pay for?

Can we use the pool, beach and burgers, etc?  Or do you have to by the waterpark pass.  I am not a thrill seeker, but I would like to use the pool maybe, and the beach.

Thanks in advance. (we are going in Nov. )

On 4/29/2019 at 6:57 PM, linga said:

Hi Joan,

 

The internet was definitely a challenge.  I needed to be in contact, so I had the Internet Package as well as a package with AT&T for on board and in ports.  The WifI internet package on the ship was very in and out and they had issues on a few days.  One day the system wiped out most peoples minutes, so I did have to make a couple of trips to see the Internet expert on Deck 6. He was great to work with.  

I had a similar problem with the internet.... 2 days ....no internet.  He was really nice about it and did end up crediting my account..But I really DID need it for work.  NBD....I used wifi in ports (Iike the old days..LOL) but it was frustrating.

1 hour ago, kboltwkreations said:

Thanks for the review!! Finally glad to hear someone say the walk from the Aft suites to the Haven isn't THAT bad! We board on Sunday and cannot wait!!

2 hours ago, linga said:

Just got off the Breakaway yesterday!  Had a great week. 

 

I've cruised mainly with Carnival & done Princess too.  This was my 3rd NCL cruise, 2nd time in Haven.  A few thoughts:

 

Haven was fantastic!  Our butler and concierge were wonderful.  I continue to say that the Haven restaurant is the best restaurant on the ship, especially for dinner.   We were in an Aft Haven suite and didn't mind the walk up to Haven in the front of the ship.  

 

FOOD:

Had specialty dinners at Teppanyaki, Moderno and La Cucina.   All were excellent food, especially the Teppanyaki!  I will say that the service was super slow at Teppanyaki and La Cucina.   

 

Went by the buffet to grab snacks a few times and the food was good with a lot of options.  Went to grab a snack and always ended up with a large plate of food :).

 

Had a burger in O'Sheehans and it was good!  Didn't get a chance to do Shanghai, Wasabi or Ocean Blue 😞

 

SHOWS/ENTERTAINMENT:

 

Burn the Floor was fantastic!

Rock of Ages was a little boring, and I love Rock.

Dueling pianos was great, went several times!

The band in Syd Normans was also great.

 

Overall, I thought the entertainers were top notch and there was a really good selection entertainment.  

 

SHIP:

Overall, I liked this ship more than the Epic (although I like the layout of the Haven on Epic more) and about the same as the Dawn.  The Breakaway has outside areas that you can walk around on ( like other lines), so that was much better than being closed in.  The ship was very clean and the staff was friendly!

 

BARS:

oh my, it was crazy trying to get a drink the first and second day.  After that, it was still very hard at some places, but if you walked around to different bars, you could find some with lesser waits.  I'm thinking that with so many people having the Beverage Package, the bars are busier.    The Haven bar was always good and Rod was a great bartender for the week.

 

POOL:

I can't quite figure out what NCL was thinking when they designed the Pool and pool deck.  It seems tiny compared to how many people are on the ship.  The pool in the middle of the ship is small and people were crammed in and around it like sardines.  They were having a great time, so it wasn't bothering them.  I was so grateful to have the Haven pool.  

 

CASINO:

played some and had a good time.  Yes, it was smoky, but not to where I couldn't stand it.

 

PORTS:

Roatan:  Went to Little French Key in Roatan.  Absolutely loved it!  It's not an NCL excursion, you have to book it on your own, but it's a wonderful, beautiful place to hang out for the day.  

 

Belize:  I had already done cave tubing in Belize, so we just hung out at NCLs port by the pool.  I know people say it's not the "real" Belize, but it is a nice resort that they've developed and fun to just hang out for the day.

 

Costa Maya:  took a taxi to Mayahual beach and hung out for the day.  I enjoyed it and would go back.  Lots of beach, restaurants and shops.  Yes, the vendors do bother you a lot here, but once you say, No, thank you, they leave.  Food and drinks are good and inexpensive.  The beach restaurants all have lounge chairs you can use and other freebies.

 

Cozumel:  Just couldn't get it together to book an excursion, so did a little shopping and had a drink then back on the ship.  I've been there many times, so that was fine this time.  If you haven't been before, there are so many good excursions and places to go in Cozumel, so take advantage if you go.

 

Overall, it was a great cruise and we had a wonderful time!  If you have any questions, I can try to answer them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for taking the time to review...  We are boarding on Sunday.....and I was wondering if you had any experience with the internet, while onboard.  I (unfortunately) need to have access to it and hope that it is fast and efficient.  
Thanks again

Joan

On 4/13/2019 at 3:53 PM, Laszlo said:

The Spa on the BA is great, here is a video I did of it...  

 

THANK YOU... Very helpful!  steady hand....lol

I'll be on Breakaway in May, after she relocates to Miami. Can anyone tell about the spa?  In particular, the thermal pass.

We got so spoiled on MSC Seaside.. (fantastic thermal suite area).. I'm thinking of getting one, but I would really like to hear a little feedback...

Is there a salt room, sno room?   Thanks in advance.

6 minutes ago, lifeasme123 said:

Isn't this more than the $10 back as ready2cruzagain posted?

How is that? $5.00 is less than $10.00....confused...(my quote was per person)

On 12/3/2018 at 9:20 AM, ready2cruzagain said:

$20 to city and $10 back.

Negotiate with them.. We went for $5 (pp) each way.....Loved the old City!

21 hours ago, NCTribeFan said:

Interesting.  Thanks for sharing.  Boarding on Sunday.

 

Am actually very much looking forward to something a bit different and if that means Europeans, I'm all for it.  What is rude in one culture isn't in another.  It's just different.

 

Someone in our Roll Call has been on the ship doing B2B2B, so boarded when you did.  They're loving it.  As I posted in his thread, people on the same sailing can have very different experiences.

 

I don't typically "do" buffet meals, but it seems that if there was lots of various items, it wouldn't really matter if it was the same each day.  There should be enough variety to try different items on different days, yes?

 

I also don't usually hang around the pools, so I'm hoping that there will be seating in other areas.  I like to try to away from the noise and activities on sea days and read and relax.

 

The ship is going to be more ship than I like (prefer something considerably smaller), but she looks beautiful.  I've been known to study deck plans prior to sailing, but I expect that I'll be lost for a few days. 

I am sure you will enjoy the trip.  My philosophy is that the cruise is what you make it. Period.  Don't sweat the small stuff and remember that you are on a ship with thousands of others of all different needs wants and desires!   My kindness does not take a  vacation  I like to greet people and crew with a warm hello,  I like to make eye contact. I actually talk in elevators !  In my opinion.  some people seem to think they are the only ones that are on the ship/vacation.  (i. e. shair hogs)   I love the diversity on MSC which is one of the reasons we booked again after SEASIDE.  I was just sharing my observations.  Hope it didn't come off as complaining.  Some things were just annoying.....that's all.. Overlook them and Have a great trip. 

1 hour ago, sidari said:

Fun ... Thanks for your thoughts on Divina, we will be back on the ship over Xmas for our second cruise on it having sailed on some of the others including Seaside. With regards to the buffet and this is not meant as being derogatory but how much choice do you have at home when deciding on what to eat? I have heard many say that it was the same everyday, well yes it's a buffet and just like our trip on Voyager of the Seas back in September the buffet each day was the same, in fact not as good as MSC, plus there is also the Dining room for lunch. I do know that some people do not go all the way around the available food on both sides of the buffet.

 

M & V ...    Though MSC do need to start to do something about the chair hog issue.

 

FLseagal ... Paula, when you register your card it will usually ask who else can be covered by your card, if there is a problem go to Guest services who can do it for you. Have you signed up for the Meet and Mingle and the gift exchange ?

Please do not misunderstand me regarding buffet and food selections.  The food was good and very plentiful! NEVER a lack of food and choices.  I was just referring to the buffet as it was the same every day ....VS... many other ships and cruise lines that I have been on have different buffet and selections through out the week.... (for example, our trips on Princess.)....I looked forward to seeing what "surprises" would show up on lunch buffet.....some days it was sushi (lots of it)...some days... shrimp, mussels, etc...)  Just sharing my observations, not complaining at all......and it  was a nice trip!

2 hours ago, flseagal said:

I have a question having never sailed MSC but most of the other cruise lines.  I will be using my CC for my sons cabin.  We will probably not check in together. Will that be a problem?  I read somewhere that you swipe the card once on board.  What is the check in process?  We are sailing the Divina over Christmas.  Thanks,

Paula 

Not a problem for CC on your son's cabin...On MSC...you activate your cc account after boarding , with 24 hours... at little machines...that look like atm machines in lobby area.  It is very easy to do and you can use your card for each room.

Just back from Divina Cruise for Thanksgiving vacation.  If you have any questions not addressed here, please feel free to ask.

I will start this review with  my feeling that there really is no BAD cruise, but some are better than others. I sailed on MSC SEASIDE in May and was for the most part, very impressed, as that was my first time on MSC.  The promotion that tempted me  for this trip was just too good to pass up, so we decided to give Divina  shot.  Regrets, no. Bad cruise, no…Others were better, however.

This is a very nice, large (a little older) ship.  In my opinion, it was very confusing to get around.  It took me several days to begin to get some bearing.  There are MANY elevators and some of what I referred to as secret elevators.  You really need to study the layout and explore this ship to get around effectively.  You WILL probably get lost in the beginning.  Don’t worry, you aren’t alone.  That being said, I did not experience long waits for elevators throughout the week, as I had expected. They were pretty fast. It just took time to get from point a to point b as some of the public decks do not connect with each other. (and I dare you to try to find the jogging track!) 
Initially, I felt the ship very confusing,  due to the above reasons… after a few days, I felt it to be more annoying!  This was due to the fact that the majority of the 3600 passengers were from all over the world and very few were from USA (maybe 20% on this trip, I was told).  That made for communication and some cultural differences, which are tolerable, but the people were just many times rude!  Cutting in line, pushy, bumping into you without an acknowledgment or excuse me…and no concern what so ever, mostly just stopping where ever they happen to be at the time, to have a conversation….even if it is in the middle of the buffet traffic flow, which happened everyday!.
The next most annoying feature on this trip though is the chair HOGS…not savers, because mostly they just NEVER showed up……but towels were out on ALL available chairs by 7:30 AM  on sea days……every time, even when the weather was not good!   The worst part is that I literally saw these chars empty for most of the day. It’s  Just plain rude and pointless.  There are plenty of chairs and spaces on the ship, and people come and go. I do not understand the “entitlement” of some people.  There was NO enforcement of their lax policy of not doing this on this ship. 
These are the things that I could not “get past” on this trip, because they don’t need to be like this….

 That being said, I am on vacation and not going to sweat the small stuff.  If this behavior bothers you, think carefully before booking on Divina.  
Divina is clearly still a European ship, alternating with Med and Caribbean seasons;  while the Seaside which  has been built for US market, and year round Caribbean “gets it” more so, in my opinion.    
This was a longer trip for me; 11 days over Thanksgiving holiday.  The demographic was all ages, and we had a good itinerary to break it up.  I love cruising, but for me, even with the excursions and diversions, I was getting kind of bored towards the end…not so much of being on the ship for too long, but mostly because it seemed to be the same thing (on board) day after day.   The cruise staff was energetic and tried to engage people, but on this ship, the variety of languages is and will remain their biggest downfall.  Crew and staff speaking, trying to engage and get involvement;  and passengers just not listening or understanding…… So,  not much staff could do about it.   I would think with today's technology that it could be a simple fix of an app on your phone with a translator and head phones….it seems to work at UN and would be a great improvement on a multi cultural ship like this one.  
Mostly though, it seemed to be the same thing every day…..Even and especially with the show at night. .   I was really looking forward to the shows because on SEASIDE they were fantastic, every night.   On Divina; not so much. The singers and dancers were  very talented and worked hard but every night it was the same thing……singing with some back up dancers (weird and distracting choreography) and ZERO sets.  For 10 nights we saw stairs on the stage. That is all; just stairs.  Finally, the pirate show…which was great. It was a show, not just song fest, and it is what I would have expected for each night, or at least a couple.  I skipped the Opera and walked out on a couple of others…just got bored.  The “ pre show” however was very entertaining. Go early, it’s the best part of the show.  Cukoo!   The entertainment around the ship through out the evening was plentiful….La Luna Piano Bar (never saw the piano being played one time the whole trip) but an nice duo each night.  The Golden Jazz Club (never was any jazz in there) but high energy Latin music each night, The piazza had piano and dance music nightly.  Lots of venues throughout the ship. Many Theme nights and typical trivia and karaoke.  
I do miss the comedy shows.  I imagine it is impossible with the language diversity. (that could be a great comedy show in itself!)
With spent time (and money) in the casino. Actually won a little in the long run. BlackJack , slots, roulette but sadly NO CRAPS on MSC. I really miss that.
The food and service was good.  Had the drinks on us package.  NICE touch! Food plentiful…but again boring . The buffet, although HUGE; was literally the same thing every day. Lots of food and variety,  but the same  each day. Period…..The dining room was nice and service was very good, food was ok too.  The pizza was GREAT!  (People were annoying….no flow of traffic, stopping in the middle  of lines to talk WITH strollers!) Oblivious.
Ports were good. We did two excursions and only one complaint.  The tour was supposed to be English; There was a 2nd one of the same for multilingual, however, out tour guide instructed us that there were many Germans and she was told to be bi lingual. So there was constant translating and not enough “tour info”  Actually much was spoken in German and I found myself tuning out. That was disappointing and my complaint fell on deaf ears. We received chocolate dipped strawberries for our inconvenience!  I thought maybe partial credit would have been more appropriate and I would NOT have booked this  tour had I known about the language.  
All in all, the ship is pretty and clean. The cabin in nice and spacious, and clean. The staff is nice, efficient and friendly. The price was right and we enjoyed our vacation.  Would I sail Divina again, probably not. There are too many other ships to experience.  It is a nice cruise, nice ship....not too much "wrong" or bad, just nothing special....but I've been on many cruises.  For novice and first timers, you won't even know what I'm talking about.  Don't over think it and have a GREAT trip. Ask away.  I know I have missed alot of detail.....
Oh by the way, there is much confusion about the free drinks package because they did just recently change it.  The crew was confused as well about that as well because it just happened on our trip.. Now the upgrade to Classic is 35 per day, I believe.......instead of 18........

Fun ... The current itinerary showing for this cruise is as follows ... Jamaica, Aruba,Columbia, Panama, Costa Maya and Cozumel!

The previous itinerary was Jamaica, Columbia, Panama, Costa Rica, Costa Maya and Ocean Cay.

Cozumel is the change not Colon.

Sidari,

Are we talking about the same trip? 11/18/18 on MSC Divina? My booking and the current itinerary from booking site says nothing about Aruba (never did) and does show Colon etc..

Which one are your on? Where are you seeing that?

itinerary: Miami (Florida), Ocho Rios (Jamaica), Cartagena (Colombia), Colon (Panama), Puerto Limon (Costa Rica), Costa Maya (Mexico), Cozumel (Mexico), Miami (Florida)

Ship: MSC DIVINA

Departing From: Miami, Florida

Departure Date: 11/18/2018

Duration: 11 NIGHTS

The original itinerary for this cruise included Costa Rica which has for some strange reason been replaced with Colon!

We are still going to Costa Rica....LIMON is Costa Rica!

Colon is in Panama. I am still looking for excursions there. I see none posted (11/18 Divina)

Wondering if they allowed people to visit/walk thru the Thermal area on the first day as other cruise lines do? I've bought the week pass and will want to use it daily. Thanks for your review

You will love this spa. We used it everyday! Plus the sundeck just for spa was a really nice quiet place.

Get a. Spa pass! Great showers.....by the way, the showers in balcony cabins were same size as carnivals...just the actual bathroom that was a little smaller.

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For those who used the Thermal Spa facilities can you please tell me if wives and husbands are together or are all the facilities separate. Thank you for any info!

Together......

The Spa is awesome on Seaside. you will love it. Used the thermal suites every day. I'm from Florida and I even used the snow room!!

Thanks for the post. As I'll be going on her in 4 weeks I'm trying to get as much info on what to do and see on board.

I actually was trying to upload the planners, but it wasn't working. . Lots to do on board. you will not be bored, for sure .

I enjoyed reading your review.

 

What category cabin were you in?

We were in Bella balcony, 11039...

I wanted to ask about cabin 8065 on Divina.... Do you know if this is a "Hull" balcony or normal one......and also, if it has lifeboat view or unobstructed?

Please and thank you

This was a 7 day "Eastern Caribbean sailing" ...Many stayed on for the 7 day Western leg.

First let me start by saying, this is not my first cruise, but my first experience with MSC cruises. It won't be my last! I was apprehensive because of the "negative" reviews I have read so I am compelled to share my experience. This ship is a little different from your "traditional" mainstream mass marketed cruises. It has a distinctive International flair, which I actually liked for the most part. It was enjoyable speaking with people from all over the world. What I did not like was the repetition of announcements in several (at least 5) languages, each time. I would think, with the technology today and the "bracelets" that do everything for you they would come up with a translator app and maybe an earpiece! problem solved..think UN...that was just an annoyance for me, deal breaker?....NO....time waster YES.

We got on the ship a little later than usual, and it was overcast, so our mission was to explore this beauty. And that is an understatement. Every where I looked there is artwork, comfy sitting spaces, beautiful public areas and tons of mirrors and open spaces to the sea! . LOVED the "deck 8 boardwalk" and the main hub Piazza connected by 2 sets of 3 decked Swarovski Crystal staircases. The ship is laid out, and spread out so you really do not feel the impact of 5000 passengers. It is huge though. The PIAZZA is gorgeous. We were on an "off" week of sailing; no holiday or summer vacation, so I imagine during those times some may have a different experience with so many children on board. There were lots of children on this sailing as well and did not experience too much of them. Multi generational passengers...all ages on this ship. There are 4 pools, and a designated children's area, in fact it's a water park!. One of the pools has a retractable roof,for inclement whether, too. The SPA is one of the best I've seen. The entertainment was GREAT. Each night better than the next. I cannot fathom how they manage to perform 3 shows per night and 7 different shows for the week . BRAVO to the entertainment staff. Speaking of which...Steve the Cruise director and Kevin his assistant are hilarious; and certainly "click". Loved their morning show. (Looped throughout the day.) Steve could be a stand up comedian. Very funny and very personable. The cabin was very spacious, much like most balcony cabins I've been in, except for the closet. The size of the closet was fine, but the location was awkward. In our case, along a short wall with about 12 in' of space between the sliding doors and the the bed. We had to take turns there. Not a lot of drawer space either,..so don't over pack!. You can stash suitcases under the bed. The bathroom was typical and small...but fine. (no conditioner, only shower gel and shampoo). Our cabin steward was very efficient and always responsive. As a matter of fact, I found all of the staff to be efficient and friendly. (opposite of the reviews I have read) Maybe people should remember these people work 7 days a week for about 7 months with almost zero time off to make sure WE have a wonderful trip. I find a friendly greeting or smile goes a long way.

Food...everyone's favorite topic.....I am a foodie. Love to try new things and love the main dining room experience....I will admit, I was a little disappointed. It was NOT bad, just not very exciting menu selections. There are the every night standbys if you do not like the choices though. The dining room was pretty and service was inconsistent. Mostly good, but sometimes disorganized. The languages can be an issue and I did feel like i was being "yessed" alot and they may have had no idea what I was even talking about. Deal breaker NO...did I go hungry..OF COURSE NOT. There is so much food on board. . I am sure this will improve with experienced crew. We did enjoy Ocean Cay, as a specialty dinner, and VENCHI Chocolate was really hard to pass on. Breakfast and lunches in buffets (2 buffets, by the way; deck 8 and deck 16) plentiful, lots of variety and consistent each day. For me, selections were kind of boring. PIZZA IS FANTASTIC, though.Many people got bogged down and said lots of lines, but it is a complete circle with pretty much 4 stations for everything. So, if there is a line, just keep walking to the to the next station. Plenty of seating always available inside and outside. Good desserts all day. Also homemade Gelati was available throughout the ship...for a small fee. It looked great.

The entertainment arcade area is fantastic. bowling. F-1 simulator, 5D movies, and on and on...I loved the ship. The good most definitely outweighed any bad...... I am sure I will be able to update you on any improvements, as I do not think this was my only trip on the beautiful MSC SEASIDE. Arrivaderci

ASK AWAY....

Hi Pete, you have helped me in the past. I am already booked for a12-day Panama Canal Trip on the Divina. We just saw an advertisement and called MSC, and to save $1000.00 they offered me a Bella Package for $1999.00 drinks included. Could you tell me about Stateroom 8224 when you have a moment? Thank you so much.

I booked the same one...(11/18/18) Great price/promo!!

Any thoughts on 8165 on Divina??

The spa was amazing on this ship. We used the thermal suites every day. Large, clean and so serene.

I too was on this sailing an will hopefully have time to post a more in depth review. I agree that this was a great cruise. There were some minor annoyances, but nothing like the negative reviews I had read before sailing... The ship is absolutely gorgeous at every turn. The staff was very friendly and attentive. I attended every show and was thoroughly blown away each evening. They were fantastic..and I cannot imaging the hard work of 7 different shows, 3 times a day. Bravo to them. Yes, this is a different cruies experience if you are a main stream (mass market) cruiser, but the differences were actually things that I liked.

I agree with the poster about the SPA...Wonderful, large, and so relaxing. Possibly the best part of my trip. I do not want to hijack so I will post my review later in the week and I have all of the dailies to post as well.. Still recovering and catching up....lots of pictures on my fb page, too! PhoneJoan!

If you only knew! It was a last minute discision to cruise because friends of mine all of a sudden got a fantastic casino deal and decided to cruise 2 weeks before I booked. I would have booked right then but I was waiting for my daughter to commit to the sailing. As a matter of fact I had seen a mini suite for $1299/pp duringthat time that I was dying to book but still hadn't gotten the commitment from her. So by the time she said ok, that deal was gone and only balcony guarantees remained.

So please don't tell me that I waited to book to save money...that was not the case, at least this time and you can't presume to know why someone books when they do. I can't imagine how you would know what my motivation to book a cruise might be?

What is a Casino Deal? How do you find those. Do you know if SEASIDE has Craps tables? I did not see that in the casino description.....only roulette, BJ, and Baccarat...

They are or at least should be available under your booking on the website. $90 ...... Have you checked ?

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