Best Cat Mom

Just now, mnocket said:

How do you convert OBC to cash?

When you are in the casino, load money into a slot machine (or buy chips at a table) by charging to your room. Play a bit if you want, then cash out at the cashier to get cash for whatever is left.

Day 7 Daily Programs...

Day 6 continues...

After lunch, we made our way back to TSL and found ourselves in an empty lounge. I had a few espresso martinis and BCD had a few Woodford Reserves.

At some point, BCD went up to the One Pool deck to take some panoramic images of Cartagena:

We eventually changed for dinner, arriving in Le Muse just after 8pm. It was packed! I guess since all aboard was late and the day so hot, people were moving slowly to find their way to dinner.

We perused the menus and enjoyed our champagne and told Glenn and Ryan to not worry about us until they were less frazzled:

BCD chose the shrimp for his starter (no, they did not short him 2 shrimp -- he dug into it before we remembered to take a picture):

I also wanted to order the shrimp. We'd smelled it going by our table and it certainly smelled delicious. Unfortunately, when Glenn asked the chef if it was GF, he found out that the butter has flour in it. So I had to be content with the burrata:

BCD ordered a filet for his main, drinking Oberon with it:

I chose the sole and stayed with my old friend champagne:

We shared the risotto:

Dessert was coconut ice cream with Kahlua -- and a surprise when it arrived to our table. What a nice touch from Glenn and Ryan!

We found ourselves back in TSL for a few rounds of sidecars and old fashioneds and then headed to our cabin. The treats for tonight:

Day 7 is next...

Withdraw it from your on board account and use the cash to tip whoever made your trip memorable -- I guess that means you could tip yourself. 😉 

Day 6 -- Cartagena, Columbia

Today our arrival time was scheduled a bit later than most -- at 10:30am -- so we did not feel the need to be up early to watch the ship arrive in port.

We still had Baileys and coffee at 7:30am:

Then, taking our time, we made our way up to the One Pool deck for breakfast around 9:30am. The area seemed quite busy, so we figured a lot of people were doing the same as us.

We each had an egg white omelet with cheese and bacon and helped ourselves to some fruit and bacon from the buffet. A few mimosas for me and coconut rum with orange juice for BCD rounded out our breakfast. I also ordered a cappuccino, which I quickly regretted as we began to slide into our spot in port and the wind died down. It was getting crazy hot outside and we knew it was supposed to top out at 100+ plus degrees Fahrenheit (~38 degrees Celsius). That heat plus bright and sunny skies made us glad of our decision to not go out today.

By 11am when we returned to TSL, the tables were packed with guests waiting to be called for their excursions.

We found a good spot to watch the harbor from TSL and soon it was nearing the time for lunch to end in Le Muse. Having had breakfast so late, we were not starving but still wanted to have a nice air-conditioned lunch. We made it to the restaurant just a few minutes before service ended at 1:30pm.

We sipped champagne and ordered from the menu:

BCD started with the Parma ham:

I chose the niçoise salad since it is one of my favorite salads. I hadn't ordered it when it first was on the menu for dinner on day 3 because that night I really wanted the vitello tonatto more -- such are the dilemmas of Le Muse:

For his main, BCD ordered the schnitzel:

I chose the Parma ham for my main:

We had continued drinking champagne with the starters but to accompany our mains, we opted for the Mirassou pinot noir we had once before.

When we chatted a bit with Mehmet, he told us that his last day on Divina will be on 13 May. When the ship ports in Turkey that day, he will disembark.

Day 6 continues...

We're on Divina now (with @Cathy in Boston). We just happened to stroll past the Cigar Lounge about 4 hours ago and were surprised to see that it still exists. I just checked the Daily Program and today's hours are listed as 5pm to 12:30am.

(I'm posting all the Daily Programs in my live thread if you want to check hours for other days.)

Day 6 Daily Programs:

Just now, cruisebeachgirl703 said:

Bright for a casino. I always thought they kept it dim.

We are only there a few times and usually during the day -- we try to avoid crowds that might contain smokers. I guess it could be dim in the wee hours of the morning. Maybe someone else can share their experiences here?

We spent some time in TSL before dinner. I enjoyed 2 espresso martinis and BCD had an old fashioned and a Woodford Reserve.

We returned to the cabin to change for dinner and arrived at Le Muse at around 8pm.

Champagne was served and we examined the menus:

We both started with the duck:

BCD chose the pork as his main:

I ordered lamb for my main:

We shared the risotto:

We both chose Gabbiano chianti to accompany our mains:

Here again is our exceptional server team of Glenn (right) and Ryan (left):

After dinner, we returned to the YC and TSL for some nightcaps. After one round, we realized that we were tired and chose to turn in. Hubert was aghast but we assured him that this would not become a habit.

Day 6 next...

More Day 5...

On the way back from lunch at Le Muse, we stopped by the casino to "retrieve" some of our OBC. The bar was not yet open but guests were beginning to hover around there since the scheduled opening time of 2:30pm would be in just a few minutes. The gambling, however, would not be allowed to begin until the ship was in international waters.

We had heard of some MSC ships that had banned smoking in the main casino and instead moved some of their slot machines to another location of the ship where smoking was allowed. Not so on Divina, at least not for this sailing. There is a smoking section containing slot machines in the main casino right now. The casino is mid-ship, and the smoking section of the casino is the forward area on the port side:

A bit aft of the smoking section is the cashier, with a few slot machines between there and the smoking section:

As you move towards the starboard side, there are more non-smoking slots:

Across from those is the center of casino bar:

Across from the bar forward is the stairs going both left and right up to La Luna bar:

To the starboard side of the stairs is a craps table:

Then on the starboard-most side of the casino are all the other gaming tables, including two roulette tables (on the right side of this image), and slot machines lining the wall:

When we were on Divina last year, the only tables were for cards (blackjack, poker, etc.). We're not gamblers -- we only go in there to retrieve our OBC -- but I saw a lot of discussion about how people wanted other table games. Now that there are two roulette tables and one craps table, I would think that some folks will be happier.

Day 5 dinner next...

We tip each person separately, based on the service they've provided for us. On the last full day, we stop by the YC concierge desk and ask for some envelopes -- they have always expected this and had a supply ready. The concierges can also help you with the spelling of names, even when you might just have a description of a particular person. They are extremely helpful.

We give out the envelopes on that last full day, usually beginning with the concierges that have been most helpful -- especially the one who gave you the envelopes and names.

If you need cash for the envelopes, you can retrieve your OBC via the casino. Load the money to your cruise card, play for a bit (if you want) then cash out and bring the ticket to the cashier to get your money. If you get bills too large, the YC concierge can change them for you.

If you have a tough time locating people to give them their tip envelopes, the YC concierges will also assist with that. They know why you're looking for someone on the last day -- and the people you're looking for know why they should find you as well.

For us, the whole process is very much facilitated by those oh-so-helpful concierges!

Day 5 continues...

We headed to Le Muse for lunch. Just before closing at 1:30pm -- also all aboard time -- YC guests started arriving, as they were returning from excursions.

We chose to drink champagne throughout our lunch.

Menu:

We both chose the chef's salad to start, BCD's with dressing and mine without (to keep it GF):

Then we both chose the sole for our mains, with mine altered to be GF:

We stopped at the casino on the way back to our cabin.

A little about the casino to follow...

Day 5 - Aruba

When we read that Le Muse closed a half hour earlier today, at 8:30am, we figured that was because were arriving early to Aruba at 7am.

Instead of getting up at our usual time for breakfast, we decided to sleep in. We changed our Baileys and coffee to be delivered an hour later at 8:30am and planned to eat up on the One Pool deck, which is open until 10am.

At 8:42am, they called Mike Echo over the public address system (PA). Most of you probably know that Mike Echo is ship code for Medical Emergency. I said to BCD that at least we were in port and that could be a good thing for whoever was in cabin 9012 this morning.

We arrived at the One Pool deck at 9:45am and ordered 2 coconut rums with orange juice. No mimosas you say? Well, it was very windy and we were concerned about tall glasses so...

BCD helped himself to the buffet:

I ordered an egg white omelet with bacon and cheese and grabbed some bacon from the buffet:

I think that they must expect more Americans at the pool buffet since the omelets there are more "American style" than in Le Muse. Le Muse seems to be European style, which is fine too. The styles are different and we like them both.

We walked back to the room and BCD used the Pano (panoramic) setting on this iPhone to take this image of the port:

By around 11am, we were back in TSL enjoying an espresso martini and a Woodford Reserve. We chatted with crew and they commented that they enjoy the sailings in North America the most because the passengers tend to be more friendly and talkative. They said that in Europe the guests treated crew more like servants. We were a bit disheartened to hear that perspective.

There have been lots of crew drills this morning. Over the PA we've heard about fires on board, orders to abandon ship and other various disasters -- all just drills thankfully. They do announce that these are drills but if you've missed the beginning of the announcement, it might not be obvious at first.

I asked about the ME this morning, hoping that it was part of the drill as well. Unfortunately, we found out that it was a true ME.

We also found out that Rudy expects to be off Divina in June. He's not certain where he'll be when he returns in ~September but he does believe he'll be in the Caribbean.

Day 5 lunch coming next...

Just now, Fogfog said:

How did your sailing go?

We had Ryan and Susmita in Le Muse as well a few sailings before yours

It is going great! 🙂

Antonio is still chef in Le Muse. We have Glenn and Ryan for our server team and Dwi and Richard for our butler team. We're on until 18 April. Today we're in Colon, Panama.

On 4/11/2024 at 8:16 PM, Cathy in Boston said:

how nice it was to meet you!

It was great to meet the two of you as well. I'm so glad you're enjoying YC as much as we are. It's nice to know that we're not exaggerating how good this cruise has been. Sometimes I worry that we overlook all the "misses" that others wind up pointing out. I've never thought that we're easy to please, but reading some reviews makes me wonder if maybe we are.

Just now, Dock B said:

PS: got any photos from the auto garage yet?!?

I was perplexed by the PS. Then BCD kinda nudged me and reminded me of the cars he's been building. How could I forget? Mi dispiace!!

He's made 4 so far and given away 3 of them. Now he is working a Gen 3 design with a bigger body. I will post an image when he deems his design ready for the public. 😉

Meanwhile, here are the cars BCD completed after we returned home with the remaining supplies from our transatlantic:

Just now, Dock B said:

Our cabin is 2 doors aft from yours, 15026. Anything we need to know about the location (noise, interlopers…anything positive or not-so-positive).

Here is the plan for deck 15 on Divina:

I think your room is in a great location. Your bed and bathroom will be on the left when you enter the cabin, if that matters to you. This is our preferred configuration, though we've had Future Cruise Consultants tell us that most people prefer the bed on the right. The crew accesses the area to maintain the cabins (sheets, towels, etc.) via a door at the area marked in yellow. We've never heard any noise from that doorway, rest assured. The path marked in red will take you from the public elevators (on the left) to the entrance to YC across from cabin 15030 to the entrance to the TSL (all the way to the right). You can also enter TSL via the blue path through the Concierge Area. We like to pass by the concierges and say hi several times a day. If we ever need their assistance, I like that we've established a sorta happy relationship with them in advance.

Hope that helps. And enjoy your cruise -- buon viaggio!

21 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

Please tell Hubert that John misses his New Fashioned !

I showed Hubert your post and he was flattered. 🙂

Day 5 Daily Programs:

Day 4 conclusion...

After an enjoyable afternoon in TSL, we returned to the cabin to change for dinner. We've only had one non-casual dress day per MSC since boarding; that was the first Gala night. We still like to change our clothes for dinner and usually dress up, though we do occasionally dress more "business casual" for dinner. We've done that once so far on this cruise, with probably 2 more total for the 11 dinners. We have joked that we would LOVE to know how unsophisticated does our attire have to be for the photographers to leave us alone. Dodging them on deck 7 could be a new Olympic event.

We arrived in Le Muse around 8pm. Champagne and menus were forced upon us and we accepted just to be polite.

For our starters, we both chose one of our favorites -- beef tartare. We dove into them so fast that no pictures were taken, though.

For our mains, we both ordered the short ribs. We are not lovers of the pumpkin flavor, so we did not want the risotto. Instead we asked Glenn -- and he said yes! -- if we could have a plate of the truffle mashed potatoes (those scoops are not ice cream).

We had Oberon cabernet sauvignon to accompany the main course and Ryan graciously left the bottle on our table:

We indulged in some of our favorite coconut ice cream with Kahlua for dessert at Ryan's suggestion. (He can be a bad influence -- and we gladly allow it!)

After dinner, we enjoyed 2 rounds of Hubert's libations in TSL. When we arrived back in the room, we found some goodies:

Day 5 is Aruba...

Day 4 -- Sea Day

We set the clocks back one hour last night so we lost an hour of sleep. But we soldiered on, and still had the coffee and Baileys delivered at 7:30am. Holidays can be so challenging!

When we walked to the aft on deck 15 to Le Muse, we were shocked at how windy it was today. Whitecaps were on the ocean but we'd seen them other days and never had quite this much wind. We did not make it to the restaurant walking outside and had to duck in just after the pool to walk the rest of the way inside.

We each had a mimosa and a cappuccino:

BCD had eggs benedict with 5 slices of crispy bacon:

I had 2 six-minute eggs with grilled ham:

We returned to our cabin and it had already been serviced. Richard is a wonderful junior butler. He is so efficient. Our bathroom always smells like it has be thoroughly disinfected.

For anyone who is considering our 15022 cabin, one thing to note is that our balcony can only be opened to join with the balcony on our left. To the right is a small passthrough but it does not go all the way to the floor of the balcony.

Left side of 15022 balcony:

Right side of 15022 balcony:

The "cannot open to the right" situation seems to coincide with the emergency door in the corridor to the right just outside of our cabin:

This does not matter at all to us, but I'm pointing it out in case someone wants to open that balcony. It is not at all indicated on the floor plan and could be an unwanted surprise:

Once we collected my laptop and BCD's car supplies from the cabin, we headed back to TSL for some quiet time.

Before we knew it, lunchtime was upon us. We walked (inside) back to Le Muse to accept some champagne and do some reading:

I started with the pea soup:

BCD opted for a chicken caesar salad:

Then he moved on to a Heineken and a burger with extra onion rings:

When BCD orders a Heineken, they always request a cruise card to go the Garden Bar to "purchase" it for us. There is no charge, of course, but I guess the bar needs a cruise card to record the cabin number and reduce it from inventory. They usually get more than one at a "just in case." They know my BCD pretty well by now.

I chose to have merlot with pork:

I had not had the pork -- called "pork feather" on the menu, must be one of those weird translations, like when we see "shrimps" on menus in Venice -- previously. It was a really nice Asian glaze that I was pleasantly surprised to be GF. I'm so used to having my preparations with no sauce, no dressing, no pizazz but not this time. 🙂

Day 4 conclusion coming next...

12 minutes ago, NYHartChapp said:

We’re boarding Divina for the sixth time next week for our first transatlantic crossing.

We brought Divina back from Europe just 5 months ago for our first transatlantic crossing. We had a great time. As far as I know right now, there are only a few YC staff who won't be on for your cruise -- Hubert in TSL and Susmita, Assistant Server in Le Muse. If I find out about any others, I can let you know. We definitely recommend Glenn and Ryan for your server team in Le Muse. We had them for the crossing and for this cruise and they will take great care of you. Of course, there are many other teams that work just as well. You'll get to know most of the servers since they rotate around for breakfast and lunch.

Day 4 Daily Program:

The Welcome Back party for Voyagers Club is today:

More on Day 4 to come...

Oops -- Day 3 Daily Programs first...

Plus a time change:

Now Day 4 can begin...

Day 3 continues...

We went up to the One Pool Deck to watch the final approach to the James Bond pier (thanks @Essiesmom!). BCD taught the bartenders there how to make a Dirty Girl Scout, a minty drink we like that is a grown-up liquid version of America's popular Girl Scout Thin Mint cookie. We've also heard the drink called a Girl Scout Cookie.

Combine 1 shot each of Baileys, Kahlua, coconut rum and crème de menthe. Shake with ice and serve in a high ball glass.

One Pool bar only had mint syrup so they substituted that for the crème de menthe. Also, they don't have glass up there so they put it in their biggest plastic cup:

The drinks were pretty good, but would have been better with real crème de menthe. Nice and refreshing since I like mint. And I like alcohol.

We went back to TSL and it was quite crowded with people waiting to be escorted down to their excursions. Rudy told us that ~80 people out of the ~140 people in YC for this sailing were going out today. We were surprised that there are ~140 guests in YC because it has never really seemed crowded here. We also heard that there are just under 4K on the entire ship for this voyage. Again, when we've been walking around -- mostly to and from Le Muse -- it has not seemed too crowded overall.

We did notice that there are lots more YC people having lunch in Le Muse than we've experienced before. Seems like there are not as many pool people in YC.

By around 11am, all the excursionists (is that a word?) had departed TSL and all was peaceful. We went to Le Muse just a few minutes after noon and it was nearly empty compared to the day before.

We had champagne and examined the menus:

BCD started with the wellness salad:

I had the duck legs, since I wanted to finish the full duck after having the breast the night before:

For his main, BCD ordered fish and chips with Heineken:

I was tempted to ask for another serving of the duck (it was very good), but stuck with the shrimp caesar salad I had originally ordered and continued with champagne:

For dessert, we went back up to the One Pool bar and had another round of Dirty Girl Scouts.

We went back to TSL to relax in the air conditioning and found a few very loud guests at the bar complaining to each other about MSC. We tried to tune them out at a table not near the bar, but some words stuck out -- casino and Carnival most notably. It's too bad that they're not having a great time, but it also is too bad that they're not talking to someone in YC management that can help them (or at least try to help them) have a better time.

By around 4pm, the bar area was empty and people returning from excursions had started trickling back in to TSL. We had 2 rounds of Woodford Reserves and shiraz and then went back to the cabin to dress for dinner. We watched the ship pull away from the pier and then walked to Le Muse.

We sipped champagne as we decided what to order:

I intended to have the cioppino so I ordered some gluten free (GF) bread for the first time on this cruise. Since I've been GF, I usually only order bread when I know that I have a dish with a lot of sauce to make the bread more palatable. GF bread is just "okay," especially to a former bread lover like me.

We both started with a favorite of ours, the vitello tonnato, and had more champagne to accompany it:

We switched to a pinot noir to accompany our mains:

I enjoyed the cioppino:

BCD ordered salmon off the Classic Favorites section of the menu, which Glenn graciously skinned for him tableside:

And we shared the oyster risotto (from the Deliciously Healthy section of the menu, but we would have ordered it even it was labelled unhealthy LOL):

We proceeded to TSL for some nightcaps. Tonight, we wanted to try the Espresso Martini, which we had seen someone order in TSL in the afternoon. Here's an action shot of Hubert preparing them:

We started with 1 round of those and decided that we really liked them. They were not too sweet, but had a nice punch of caffeine. We thought those would be helpful during those afternoons in TSL when we were sleepy from our busy days on the ship (busy? yeah, right). Then we had 2 rounds of our usual sidecars and old fashioneds and called it a night.

Here's a sidecar moving into the on deck circle:

Day 4 coming next...