FTLcruisers

when we first started cruising we would only do ship tours. But as we became more experienced with cruising, started cruising to Europe and discovered cruise critic, we began sharing private tours. We now will sometimes do a ship's tour in Europe - solely based on our comfort level of where we're going - but we mainly do private tours.

Marianne

We'd disagree, the Divina never felt crowded to us!

We always found a seat in the buffet, near the pool, in the smoke free casino, and in the show room without any problem!:D

same with us - we sailed in Oct 2014. I didn't feel it was crowded at all.

Marianne

We've done more than 50 cruises on Royal Caribbean and Celebrity and tried MSC for the first time in October on the Divina. We absolutely loved it. The entertainment was so much better and we enjoyed the fact that there were several lounges available in the evenings with good music - not the typical awful piano bar guy on RCL or X. We found the crew extremely friendly. We liked it so much that we are going on the Divina's 20 night grand voyage sailing from Miami in April. Again - it will be different than other TA's we've done since there are no more than 4 sea days in a row instead of the typical 7 sea days on RCL and X. Can't wait to get onboard again!

Marianne

My stepdaughter got married on a Carnival ship which was sailing out of New York. The ceremony was held in a very nicely decorated lounge on the ship while it was in port - 100 people attended - and then the 'reception' was held in the ship's disco with the typical things you'd have at a land wedding - first dance, cake, etc. About 50 people sailed on the cruise with the couple and those who did not disembarked the ship. The ship's photographer took all the photos/videos. A wedding planner worked with my stepdaughter to plan the event; a minister came on board to perform the ceremony.

Because so many cabins were booked for the cruise, the couple was given a 'free' cocktail hour later in the cruise. They also received a credit which they shared with everyone sailing rather than keeping it for themselves.

I cannot say enough nice things about the event.

Good luck with your planning.

Marianne

I guess for me, because I am not familiar with how easily getting off the ship is at the end of the cruise Im a bit nervous about feeling pressured or rushed. I would much rather go home the day we dock, but I also dont want to feel nervous or worried, just because Im not familiar with how it all works. Maybe somebody could fill me in? If I can save the cash and go home on our return I sure would.

I would suggest flying in a day early - especially since you can never predict what the weather would be in November - don't want any airline delays causing you to miss the ship.

As for disembarkation, it's quite an easy process. The night before, you'll put your luggage outside your cabin (keep a set of clothes and important paperwork with you in a carryon). You will have gotten tags (some lines use colors, others use numbers or a combination of both) which will identify what time you are scheduled to get off the ship. You'll need to be out of your cabin fairly early (again, depending on cruiseline) and typically you'll wait in one of the private lounges or theater. They'll let you know when it's time to get off, you'll go to the terminal, find your luggage, go through customs and that's it. Customs can sometimes take a while. Generally cruise lines want all passengers off by 10AM. It's quite an organized process so you shouldn't worry too much about it. As someone else said, unless you want to see more of Miami, there's no reason you cannot fly home that same day.

Enjoy your cruise!

Marianne

We have done numerous cruises with many pre-cruise stays in Europe and never bring the bottles. We also fly within the states quite a bit to visit family. We used to use the 7-day plastic pill cases but now use the small plastic pill bags and have never had anyone question us.

Marianne

I'd recommend Park N Fly - they do not keep your car keys, they pick you up and drop you off at your vehicle, they load your luggage onto their shuttle and take it off for you. There shuttles hold only about 8-10 people and they never crowd you in or have people stand. If they are not there when you get off the ship, a phone call will get you a shuttle in a few minutes. They are about the same distance outside the port as Park N Go.

We use them all the time and have never had an issue.

Marianne

I think you'll be out of luck. They only really do it on the Divina where passengers have heard of Cruise Critic. We had around 35 on our Armonia doll call and we had to organise ourselves for all our meet ups, lunches etc.

We are on the Divina for the grand voyage in April -- typically TAs have a lot of people posting on CC but we have just a handful. I think it has a lot to do with the passenger base.

B2B cruises are two separate sailings - they will actually close out your account on the first cruise and then again on the second cruise. You should get 250 mins as well as any other perks on each sailing.

if you have My Time dining you can eat at any time you'd like - the exact times the dining room will be open will be posted. They often suggest reservations but they are not necessary. It does make it more convenient for people who want to eat at a specific time and do not want to wait. Without reservations, you may encounter a short wait.

We did a tour to Paris from the ship - not sure it was the same one you are considering. Ours included the bus tour, lunch at a restaurant (fabulous), a stop at the Eiffel Tower with some free time and then a ride on one of the river boats. Because of the different things we did, the day did go back rather quickly.

Marianne

We just returned from FLL. I have done this 3 times now:

 

We self disembark, grab a cab to the Airport (20) and rented a car at EZ Rental for $35. If you enjoy the beach - Drive 5 miles south to Hollywood beach area and walk this nice boardwalk. There is a Public parking lot at Taylor street. Cheap food and drinks right on the beach.

 

You could also enjoy the downtown area - Drive down to Los Olas and park near the riverwalk (SE 3rd). You can walk along the river and/or take a water taxi ride.

 

No problem doing this and getting back to the airport at 1:00pm

 

We drove to Sawgrass once. Nice mall, but overcrowded. Did the airboat ride. OK but renting a car is much cheaper and we like our independence.

 

Enjoy

this works if you are flying out of FLL but the original poster has a flight out of Miami.

I would suggest the ship's airboat ride excursion - I live right across the highway from the Everglades and it is quite a unique experience for those who have never seen it.

We are aware of the vouchers, though it wasn't what he was looking for. All the other lines have a package around $57 for the week that includes unlimited sodas. Just a little sticker on the card. He didn't want to have to worry about vouchers or how many he can drink. Same with my son, who only would be drinking sodas. In the end I am paying at least $90 to do 6 sodas a day. Which on the other lines is usually a glass, if they get the whole can then my son could do 2 with each meal. Not counting any others he could drink during the day. Yes I also know that many sodas isn't good for anyone, but it is what they drink.

Vouchers are the only thing used on MSC - they do not do the stickers on the cards. They have a package called More or Less Zero Proof Pass (#539) which includes: Beverage card for 18 consumptions in bar, restaurant and self-service buffet. The package is valid for all non-alcoholic cocktails, smoothies and milkshakes, canned soft drinks, mineral water,

fruit juices, wide selection of coffee-based delights, premium teas, hot chocolate delights, as well as take-away ice cream in a cone or cup. The price pre-cruise is $42 which comes to a little over $2 per item - not sure how much it is if you wait to purchase it on-board.

Marianne

entertainment is much different than on other cruiselines. for instance, they did an afternoon matinee and they performed an opera (shortened version). They do not have guest performers come on board - the entertainment cast is quite large and each night, a variety of them perform that evening's show. We thought the shows were really good and most nights we wished the performances were longer than the standard 45-55 minutes.

Marianne

 

sorry its blurry. I tried to get a clear pic.

packages are cheaper if you buy them on-line before the cruise

Marianne

Our longest trip was 32 days (5 days in Rome and 27 days on B2B cruise) and I did not get homesick at all! Looking forward to our 20 night cruise in April!

Marianne

Since our cruises are usually 21 days and we have several before and after cruises, we do take Traveler's Checks as we do not wish to carry a large sum of money. We can cash them in hotels and on the ship.

For small purchases we use cash and for large purchases we use a credit card.

We bring traveler's checks with us to be used in case we run out of the cash we've brought with us. Most times we never use them but, when we did, we have never had a problem cashing them on our cruises. We try to use cash as much as possible with credit cards being used for any large purchases.

Marianne

My fav lounge was The Black and White Lounge. I think that was the lounge where u could see the sea and the waves through portholes when the curtains werent drawn. I may be wrong. There was a lounge like this.

 

Wow I miss her so much.

The Black and White lounge was reserved for a private jazz group during our cruise - we were able to get into it one night when they had a session that was open to the public.

Marianne

My husband and I have completed more than 60 cruises - majority of them on ?Royal Caribbean and Celebrity. We went on the Divina with friends and had read a lot of not-so-great reviews beforehand. Those folks couldn't have been more wrong. We absolutely loved the Divina. We liked that the activities staff were so involved - every night there was at least one of them in each lounge dancing with guests. And there were multiple lounges available - not just a piano bar and disco like on RCL. Maybe it's because we like Italian food, but we enjoyed the food in both the MDR and buffet. We also really enjoyed the shows - much different than what we are used to. Bottom line, we liked the Divina so much that we are sailing on her Grand Voyage in April - 20 nights - from Miami to Europe - can't wait!

Marianne

if you are on Facebook, there is actually an Elf on the Shelf ideas page - not sure they'll be of help on the cruise but you might want to check it out.

we stayed in 12123 - great location near elevators - nice, good sized cabin. Ship is beautiful, shows were great and activities team were awesome. We sailed in October and liked it so much we just booked their 20 night grand voyage sailing from Miami to Civitavecchia in April.

Marianne

We are loyal Royal Caribbean/Celebrity cruisers (60+ cruises) and sailed on MSC Divina in October - we absolutely loved it. So much so that we are doing their grand voyage (20 nights) from Miami to Rome in April. We loved the shows (much different than other cruiselines) and found the activities staff to be some of the friendliest and most involved than on any other ship we've been on. There was always a staff member in the lounges at night to dance with the guests which I thought was a nice touch. Oh, and we liked that there were so many lounges available to us - not just the piano bar like on other ships we've been on. As noted, English is the official language on the ship so no problems there. We liked the food but it could be because my husband is Italian and from NY so we loved all the pasta dishes in the buffet and MDR and that ethic corner in the buffet was my husband's favorite.

Marianne

We just got off the Divina; we are diamond plus on RCL and elite on Celebrity but absolutely loved the ship, the food and the crew. I loved the CD Andre's sense of humor and the fantastic shows. Not sure why folks complain about a lack of variety of food at the buffet but we didn't experience that issue. Not sure about beef being there but I saw pork, chicken and fish (and not the same stuff served in the dining room as someone mentioned). My husband absolutely loved the international section (all the way in the back - many folks may never have seen it) and enjoyed the fresh cheeses, meats and salads offered there. The pizza was absolutely the best - even better than what we get at home.

We will absolutely sail MSC again!

Marianne

Thanks for taking the time to write a review and answer questions. What time did you arrive at the port and was that a good time or do you have a different recommendation? Bob

We were on the same sailing - but not in the Yacht Club. We arrived at the port around 1:45 and it took us almost an hour to check in.

This was our first MSC cruise and we'll definitely cruise with them again. We loved the shows, the food was fantastic and service was great. The activities team was the best!

Marianne

thanks for all the responses. Also glad to read some recent, very positive reviews of the Divina. Really excited to check her out tomorrow!

Marianne