janchor

Ok. We were in 9121 which shows up as the same colour as the one you have booked on the-deck plans, so I assume it is the same size as the cabin you have booked. But I am not 100% sure about it!

We found it to be fine. The bed is facing you as you go into the cabin. There is a mirror above the bed which makes the room feel bigger. There is room to move around at the foot of the bed where there is a small chair, table , desk. The closets are opposite the bathroom door so a bit crowded in that area if both are opened at the same time. Th shower has solid walls and while we found it fine, it could be a bit small for a pretty big person. The toilet is right next to the shower and you can push the shower doors into the shower to make more room there.

Does that help?

We chose a later walk off last November. There was a choice of a variety of times on th form in the cabin. We were able to have breakfast with friends who were staying on for another cruise. Then we walked off around 9:30 AM, through customs with no questions asked! It was very easy!

We had an inside cabin on the Feb 7 sailing. #9261 very close to the aft area. It was nice. I have only ever been in one other inside cabin on th Caribbean Princess so not a lot to compare to. It was very quiet, roomy enough for two. Did not feel cramped or claustrophobic to us. It had a lot of storage and our luggage fit under the bed. There was a small chair, footstool, desk, TV etc.

We would go inside another time, too.

A couple of our dining companions did the tour and said it was great! I would probably do it another time!

I am looking out at the Gulf in St. Pete's and th fog is going back out to sea. It has brightened considerably. Of course, it can come back in at any moment!

There were excursions for Miami on the Feb 7 sailing. I saw the brochures at the excusuion desk. But did not look at them as we were driving from the port. I think there were several. You can check when you board.

We had shampoo and body wash in the shower and Soap pump at the sink. There were no bars of soap. We were in the Bella category, perhaps it makes a difference??? The only other thing was two shower caps! I always carry my own toiletries so not sure what they were like. We also took some small soap bars ie from a hotel, which my husband used.

Just did a little research ! The CDC has strict rules for salt water pools on cruise ships including emptying the pool in port and not running the flow through system within 20 miles of shore. Other info said pools are often drained every night . So for clean swimming , go early !

We thought it was a beautiful ship as well when we were on it last week! And we had a fantastic cruise. I heard somewhere that they drain the pools frequently since they are salt water. I heard every night but not sure if that is true or not. Were the pools going to be out of commission for the next cruise or just that day for cleaning and upkeep?

We certainly enjoyed Divina in May. Especially the diverse passengers and learning of their customs. It had a European cruise atmosphere and we travelled with baseball greats provided by MSC which was much entertainment for us Americans. I hope MSC does not abandone USA because they are a great value and a welcome addition.

We plan to travel on Divina again!

They had three or four baseball greats on the Feb. 7 /15 cruise as well. My husband planned to attend some of the events with them but we were so busy, he never had time! And I wanted to take the Italian lessons but same problem!

The whole cruise was a lot of fun!

Sorry - another question - you mention booking sunchairs for the day - is this an option for anybody? Can you do it in advance?

 

Thanks

Yes , anyone can book in the Solarium. We took a look around and it is very quiet, adults only. Not a lot of shade. It was less expensive on port days or later in the day.

The Crab Shack was set up in part of the buffet one evening. The other part of the buffet was still open for casual eating. One thing that we enjoyed that did not cost any extra was the English pub lunch in the Crown Grill. I think it was on the first day at sea. Outstanding steak and kidney pie for those that like it ( my Italian born husband loved it). I had the Ploughman's cold plate lunch and friends had the fish and chips. It was very good and very popular.

We got that price about three weeks before the cruise. I had signed up with MSC for email specials and saw it for $299.00 in the timeframe we wanted. We checked an online travel agency and it was $10.00 less so went with that one! We chose an inside cabin but our friends went with an inside guaranteed room and ended up with a handicapped balcony room!

Re smoking. First there is no smoking in the casino or anywhere inside the ship except for the cigar room which is fairly well sealed off! There is smoking on the port side of the open areas although not every where ; for example not in the area where the pool with the the retractable roof is located.

We did not find it to be a huge problem to get a seat on the non smoking side although seats were hard to find if you went up too late! I think they reduced the smoking area for the Caribbean cruises versus the European ones.

For the Divina in the Caribbean last week, documents including luggage tags were emailed! You have to print them off yourself.

One more question - in the coffee bars do they have "to go" cups or do you have to have your coffee there? I sometimes like to get a coffee and walk around! Thanks again!

I took my coffee mug from the buffet out of the area. Never used the coffee bar as the coffee was good in the buffet and always available. Was able to make a latte with the hot milk they provided. I don't think it would be a problem to take your coffee with you but not sure about the type of cup.

Hi - were there robes in the cabins? Thanks!

We didn't have them in our inside cabin. And we didn't ask so not sure.

Great thanks for the review...strange that the OP says the age group was in the 60ies when MSC tries to cater to families with the kids sail for free promotion.

 

Eric

We are in our early 60's and were the oldest at our table for 8. The late dining time definitely had younger people. We went to the early shows before dinner and there were lots of small kiddies and lots of very high heels. I felt it was a younger crowd than on a recent Princess cruise.

thank you both for your reviews. how was the pricing for the cruise?

Last minute booking price of $289.00 plus taxes. We had an inside cabin. Our friends did an inside guaranteed cabin and got a mid ship balcony and a handicapped cabin! We all enjoyed that!

How was the hair dryer? Still wrestling with bringing my own.

I have short hair so it was fine for me. It was hot enough but you have to hold down the power button the whole time. I would imagine if you have long hair to dry, that would be a bit of a pain!! For me it worked and I would not bother with my own dryer if I went again.

And we were on the same cruise. Second seating in the the Black Crab upper level. We always got coffee just before or with dessert, always had water glasses filled without asking , did not feel crowded at our table ( we were overlooking the lower level and no one was behind us , so it was a good table)and were served hot food. Portions were more than adequate for me and my husband just ordered a second appetizer or the cheese plate if he wanted more. Since we had usually eaten breakfast and lunch in the buffet, the smaller portions were appreciated!

I have read complaints that dinner was too slow and too rushed. It took about 90 minutes each night which we felt was fine. Enough time to get to know our table mates and have some good conversations.

We though the average age was in the low 50's as there seemed to be a lot of families with quite young children on board. Probably not a lot of teenagers, however.

The ship definitely has a European feel, despite the decoration in the buffet which we thought a bit strange! There are places where you feel as though you are in Italy. But except for a few a announcements the first day, everything was in English only so easy to know what was going on. we did enjoy it. Probably the best cruise ship experience we have had yet and will go again if the itinerary appeals and I see they have some interesting ones for January 2016!!!

No. My husband does not drink so not really worth it for us. I did buy a few glasses of wine a la carte at dinner and prices were reasonable. A Couple at our table used them for wine each night. But I do not know anything about them really!

All the shows! They were quite outstanding. They even did a mini version of La Taviata one afternoon. We enjoyed all the shows very much . And each evening , they teach a different dance in the Piazza del Doge ( I think). Lots of fun! There is a white night where you are supposed to wear white and it ended with a party on the top deck. It was lots of fun. We enjoyed the Balck and White lounge where they had a flower power night and another night a dancing with the

Dancers contest.

My husband did the 4D experience which he seemed to like. We did two ship excursions. One was better than the other ! In St Maarten we took a taxi to Maho beach to watch the big planes land in the afternoon. Quite impressive!

I wanted to do the Italian lessons, the ship tour, and play cards but we did not have time. Our days flew by.

That is difficult as everyone is different. My Italian husband LOVED the pasta choices in bothe the dining room and the buffet. And I did too. My favourite appetizer was the frito misto -- Fried shrimp, calamari and fish served with a marinara dipping sauce. We only ate fish and pasta in the dining room. The salads were very good and they had olive oil and balsamic vinegar on the table so I used that instead of standard dressings. Soups were a bit hit and miss with some better than others. Desserts were great. I loved the creme caramel, gelato and tiramisu.

In the buffet the selection was amazing. They have a station with a roast such as beef, lamb, Turkey at lunch time. It was all good. Pizza--yes! Salads--you put your own together with all the choices offered. Lots and lots of fresh fruit at lunch and breakfast. Fresh croissants including little brioche and pain au chocolat which I loved. The cheese omelette was hot and tasty for breakfast. There was porridge and museli. The choice was almost overwhelming ! At lunch there was Indian food one day and Thai the next at the ethnic corner?

Re soup: the lentil soup in the buffet was really very good!

And the list goes on. We tried a lot and most of it was very good . I did not get anything that I thought was horrible or nasty! Hope that helps! PS they also had hot dogs, hamburgers and fries which we did not try them.

The coffee in the buffet was the best I have had on a cruise ship . Nice and strong and they offer hot milk so I was able to make a latte.

I couldn't find it at first. It was inside a drawer in the desk. And it has to be used from the drawer. You cannot take it out. Not a problem, however, I just sat on the stool at the desk and dried my hair sitting down !! Not sure if it is in the drawer in all cabins but it was in our inside cabin!

Just returned from a 7 day cruise on Divina. Early dinning was at 5:45 and late was at 8:30. There were definitely tables for two but not sure how many. There was one near our table.