FTLcruisers

Just got back, and am booked again for early next year. Just get off the ship and go explore. Hire an old car on the spot, or a taxi, if you need to go far. Good food, great beer. Loved it.

Thanks!

1st day, go ashore have dinner and find a bar to relax in.

I didn't realize that was something we can do on our own (you can tell I have more research to do!)

Thanks

Marianne

I have read through many of the threads and appreciate all who have posted about their experiences with private tours. Our ship will arrive at 1PM and then stay overnight, leaving the next day at 5PM. We haven't contacted any of the companies yet (our cruise is in January) but we already know we want to book one of the private vintage car tours on the 2nd day but then what can we do on the 1st day? The few ship tours available are pricey (we're on MSC) and really don't look that interesting. Any recommendations??

Marianne

We have gone to the Galaxy a few times and we selected from the regular menu but were limited to one appetizer, entree & dessert. If I remember, its the same in the other restaurants on board. Don't forget that if you are travelling with a spouse - or someone else who is also a black member - that you EACH get a specialty restaurant visit so you get the opportunity to try 2 different restaurants if you want.

Marianne

We met Captain Massa at a meet and mingle on a Divina Caribbean cruise last July and he and my husband became close due to their rivalry over their soccer teams. He was probably the most personable captain we have ever met. He had told us he'd still be on for the Divina's grand voyage in March and we were so disappointed to get on the ship and find he wasn't. (My husband had even bought a soccer jersey for Captain Massa's team!)

Marianne

glad I saw this thread - we did buy 2 18-drink packages and they show on the documents for our Seaside Dec 1st Grand Voyage. Hopefully I'll have no issue getting them. Will definitely bring a copy of my paperwork with me just in case!

Marianne

EricM --- we've been to Barcelona many, many times and saw that you mentioned visiting City Hall. But it looks like it is only open on Sundays - is that the case????

Enjoyed reading all your posts/responses - thanks

Marianne

you'll have to bring your own

Everything is loaded onto your account so not much you have to do. You can only book restaurants once on board - you'll be able to call or sometimes go directly to the restaurant you want if there is staff there. Just be aware that, in my opinion, the specialty restaurants are not as good as on other cruiselines. We've only been on the Divina (going for the 4th time tomorrow) and we think the best is the Galaxy. The picture you'll get as being at the black level is one that must be taken on a certain night - you don't just get a choice of any picture you take during the cruise. We were only at the black level on our last cruise but what they did was take the picture and put a border around it indicating the name of the ship and the sailing date.

Nothing to do with black status but we usually book our internet ahead of time but that's just for our convenience. Not sure about insurance since we've never gotten it on our Caribbean cruises and on our grand voyage, we used our TA.

I'm sure you will enjoy MSC - they have the best entertainment around! Just keep an open mind and know that they may do things a little differently than what you are used to. For some reason, folks often say they don't like MSC for that reason which I don't understand since each cruiseline does something different than another.

Marianne

Can't answer all your questions since we don't cruise Carnival. We've done more than 70 cruises - most on Royal Caribbean & Celebrity - we recently started using Princess too. We love MSC and have been on the Divina 3x and are going on again at the end of this month. We love Italian food so we really like their food since we tend to go for the pasta dishes. The buffet has a great selection of all kinds of food and some great desserts!! Pizza is the best!! There are really no free eating places that I can think of around the ship like on other cruiselines. Our favorite specialty restaurant is The Galaxy. In my opinion, specialty restaurants are not one of the strong points of MSC. There are 3 lounges on deck 7 so, based on what performers are in there, you should be able to find somewhere to dance. There is typically music in the atrium and also in the lounge near the casino (small dance area). The entertainment in the theater is the best we've seen on any cruiseline - no need to make any reservations. Your drink tickets will basically get you a drink from any bar or restaurant on the ship - here's the description from their website for the "More or Less Escape Pass" and I believe your vouchers are the same as that: consumption of a wide range of drinks from the Bar and Wine list including wines by the glass, draft, bottled or canned beer, canned sodas, fruit juices, mineral water, a wide selection of coffee-based drinks, premium teas, hot chocolate delights, a selection of call-brand spirits, cocktails, as well as take-away ice cream in a cone or cup.

Not sure you know about their loyalty match program - since you have cruised on Carnival, you can submit info regarding your status on that line and they will assign you what they consider to be an equal level on MSC. Because we were elite on Celebrity, we were slotted into MSC's black level (their highest) so we get some nice perks. If you didn't do it before booking, just go to their website and search loyalty match - you submit the info on email. Once you find out your level/member #s just call and have them add it to your reservation.

I'm sure you will love the Divina - she is a beautiful ship.

Marianne

Keep an open mind - things may not be done the same on MSC as you've experienced on other cruiselines. My friends' main complaint was that it was too "European" but MSC is a European cruiseline!! But their entertainment outshines any other cruiseline and their food is great (especially the pizza and pasta). We are long-time Royal Caribbean and Celebrity cruisers and are going on our 4th Divina cruise at the end of the month and are booked on the Grand Voyage of the brand new Seaside on Dec 1st. We already know that when the Seaside is in Europe, it may be more European than we like (i.e. allowing smoking in the casino, lack of English TV channels) but we do not plan on letting that in any way spoil the overall experience.

And, as mentioned, definitely look up the info on 'loyalty matching' - some of the perks are pretty nice!

Enjoy!

Marianne

I only had 1 small issue on a Divina cruise but found that the folks on the ship seem to have little power to fix problems - especially if money is involved. I had purchased a drink package - got a soda in the solarium bar and brought it back to the room. I'm guessing that because the can was in the cabin's trash, it was assumed I took it from the mini bar. Guest relations did not have authorization to credit our account!

Marianne

thanks for review. We haven't been on the Divina in a while but are booked for July 29th. You were able to provide me with some good info about 'black' status (this will be our 2nd sailing in that category). It also looks like they have added some things since our last sailing like the captain's corner and free ship tour. Looking forward to sailing her again.

Marianne

we used their loyalty match program and became 'black' members right before our last MSC cruise. It was only a 5 night cruise so some of the perks were not provided (like a welcome backparty). In any case, we got 2 of any item delivered to the room - so 2 baseball caps, 2 plates of chocolate covered strawberries, 2 bottles of prosecco, etc. There was basket of fruit in the cabin & robes and slippers. We were able to pick out a free photo and they put a border around it with the name of the ship and the date. And those are only the things I can remember we got - I was very impressed with all the goodies we received on this short cruise and can't wait to get on the Seaside when it sails from Venice to Miami in December.

Marianne

Add us to the folks that love Celebrity but just recently went on 2 Princess cruises with another coming up in April. We cruised Princess for the first time back in the 90s and had a horrible experience on one of their new ships - never went back since their response to our complaints was 'things happen on cruise ships'. We had sailed RCL a few times and found 'things weren't happening' on their ships so continued until we discovered Celebrity. About 2 years ago we were given a free 5 night cruise on a Princess ship and had a nice time, food and shows were good, service was good so decided to give them another try and went on a 21 day TA - had an excellent time, again food, shows & service were very good. Of course, things are done differently on the 2 cruise lines but what has us going back again is the ability to combine OBCs. Celebrity restricts you to 1 - we are stockholders but often can't use that OBC if we have gotten another deal. We will be going on our next Princess cruise with $1,200 OBC - $250 because my husband was in the military, $600 because we booked a balcony during their recent sale, $300 since we booked a 'future' cruise on our last sailing and $60 travel agent credit. Will we become exclusive Princess cruisers - no - but if we get the right deal and/or itinerary, we'll certainly be booking with them.

Marianne

I know you already booked but we have stayed in Hotel Alimandi Vaticano 3 times and would highly recommend it. It is directly across the street from the entrance to the Vatican Museum. The neighborhood behind the hotel is non-touristy so there is a local market, lots of shops and restaurants there and it is very safe. From hotel, it's only a short walk to metro.

Marianne

we have been on the Divina twice - a 7 day Caribbean and a 21 day transatlantic. We just booked a 7 day on their new ship, the Seaside, for Feb 2018. We are seasoned cruisers - diamond plus on RCL and elite on Celebrity and we loved the Divina. Their entertainment is superb and we thought the food in the MDR was very good - as was the service.

Before sailing with them the first time, we had also read good and (mostly) bad things but we gave them a try anyway and glad that we did. Each cruise line has their own 'feel' and I think some folks get so used to one cruise line that they have difficulty accepting that things on MSC aren't exactly what they are used to. So go with an open mind and I think you will find that you will enjoy an excellent cruise.

Marianne

sounds like you can easily self-disembark if you want and have an early flight. And, yes, a taxi is the way to go

Marianne

we are elite on Celebrity - diamond plus on Royal Caribbean and cruise almost exclusively on these 2. We did a 7 day Caribbean on the MSC Divina with friends and all of us absolutely loved it. We thought the food in the MDR was very good, we had terrific service, loved the variety of items in the buffet and thought the entertainment was steps above what Celebrity or Royal Caribbean offers.

However, we did a TA on the Divina and found that a lot changed once the ship changed into their 'european' mode. The biggest issue was that more and more smoking areas were allowed on the ship. Some food items in the buffet also changed (i.e. no cartons of milk provided in the buffet).

Bottom line - definitely try them for a Caribbean!

Marianne

We are elite on Celebrity and diamond plus on Royal - have always sailed almost exclusively on these 2. But we recently did a 4 day on Princess (which was a gift) and liked it enough to do a 21 day TA. We were extremely happy with Princess - felt their food in the MDR was better than Celebrity. Of course, we had to adjust to the way a different cruiseline does things but we did not encounter any big issues. We have even booked another cruise with them in 2017.

BTW Princess allows you to combine credits - on our 2017 cruise, we will get $250 military OBC plus $125 each OBC for booking a 'future cruise' while we were on our TA.

Marianne

OOOPs...I'm on the same sailing and I believe that we are sailing on Sunday, March 27th. We will want to try those crepes as well. Does the Bistro on 5 charge for those crepes?

Bistro on 5 does more than crepes - soups, salads, etc. They are open most of the day so you can get breakfast, lunch & dinner there. There is a $5 charge per person - totally worth it.

Marianne

we haven't traveled through Port Everglades in a while - when did they get GE???

Marianne

we have been cruising for 20 years - have never traveled with our meds in their original bottles (we use the small individual plastic pill bags). We have never had a problem at any airport or cruise port.

Marianne

from the state dept website - The U.S. Passport Card can be used to enter the United States from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Bermuda at land border crossings or sea ports-of-entry and is more convenient and less expensive than a passport book. The passport card cannot be used for international travel by air.

If you should have an emergency and have to fly home, a passport card is not valid. The book is more expensive but worth it.

Marianne