How I was trying to cruise on MSC. A REAL story step by step in pictures & video.

[cruisingcanadian]

It's time to cruise!

Prices are from $350 in April.

 

Hi cruisetrail,are you going to try the Divina? I am,even though my first experience with MSC had not been the best...but it's been several years already,and in Europe. I love to cruise in the Caribbean,and the price we got in January for April booking was extremely tempting.

Looking forward to this sailing,and will be interested in your opinion,if you are going as well:).

 

PS. I do not belong to the camp of your haters;)

[moomoocow]

PS. I do not belong to the camp of your haters;)

 

I don't think anyone hates a random internet stranger who posts eccentric additions to threads about cruise lines they've never been on.

 

Hate is too strong a word.

[cruisetrail]

Hi cruisetrail,are you going to try the Divina? I am,even though my first experience with MSC had not been the best...but it's been several years already,and in Europe. I love to cruise in the Caribbean,and the price we got in January for April booking was extremely tempting.

Looking forward to this sailing,and will be interested in your opinion,if you are going as well:).

 

PS. I do not belong to the camp of your haters;)

 

Hi Cruisingcanadian,

Not firm plans yet, but the Divina is on my radar.

It depends on other plans. Other options seem to be Carnival, so MSC has a good chance again.

Enjoy your cruise!

[cruisingcanadian]

Hi Cruisingcanadian,

Not firm plans yet, but the Divina is on my radar.

It depends on other plans. Other options seem to be Carnival, so MSC has a good chance again.

Enjoy your cruise!

 

Thank you,and enjoy YOUR cruise which ever you choose:D!

[cruisetrail]

Thank you!

I am working on dates and some good prices for our party. :)

[bltrn]

To me the ship is the destination. We have been on numerous cruises and now we just like to get out of the cold and into warm. I loved the Divina when we went last year and as soon as I got back, I rebooked to go in the opposite direction. I don't care where it goes - We LOVED the Divina!!

[houstoncruisers2001]

fascinating. I guess I'd take deck 10.

 

Me too…….and i did for October 4th.

[houstoncruisers2001]

To me the ship is the destination. We have been on numerous cruises and now we just like to get out of the cold and into warm. I loved the Divina when we went last year and as soon as I got back, I rebooked to go in the opposite direction. I don't care where it goes - We LOVED the Divina!!

 

I totally agree. i need at least 3 or 4 sea days on a 7 day cruise.

[mom2tcdx2]

When it comes to the Caribbean I book for the ship and price, not the ports. I could care less about getting off the ship anymore in St. Thomas, St. Maarten and the Bahamas. So unless I am looking at some place new we book more for price and the ship. Though at least for our MSC cruise we did book the Western Caribbean which for some in our party they are new ports they haven't been to before.

[houstoncruisers2001]

I could care less about getting off the ship anymore in St. Thomas, St. Maarten and the Bahamas. .

 

That's how I feel about Belize & Roatan.

[jkgourmet]

It's time to cruise!

Prices are from $350 in April.

 

;Lower than that for a bit later in the year.

 

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Forums mobile app

[neptuno]

...Not firm plans yet, but the Divina is on my radar.It depends on other plans. Other options seem to be Carnival, so MSC has a good chance again....

 

Please let us know which CCL ship you are comparing Divina to, and at what price? You do much research, but I have never found a new ship at such attractive prices as Divina. While food and service opinions are personal, the sheer elegance of design found on Divina should tip the scale. And, at similar pricing, I would vote for MSC over CCL any day, having sailed both lines more than once. For now, Divina is a cruisers dream come true.

[cruisetrail]

I agree about prices.

 

Not sure about "the sheer elegance of design found on Divina".

She has a nice silhouette from a distance.

But "the elegance of design" is getting worse as you get closer...

[neptuno]

I agree about prices.

 

Not sure about "the sheer elegance of design found on Divina".

She has a nice silhouette from a distance.

But "the elegance of design" is getting worse as you get closer...

 

 

Being a newer ship, Divina is much more elegant than any other in her current price range. From the crystal inlay stairs in the atrium to the Roman mosaics, you will not be disappointed. Are you comparing Divina to CCL Breeze?

[Danbee46]

I agree about prices.

 

Not sure about "the sheer elegance of design found on Divina".

She has a nice silhouette from a distance.

But "the elegance of design" is getting worse as you get closer...

 

Not for those of us who have sailed on her.

[cruisetrail]

Being a newer ship, Divina is much more elegant than any other in her current price range. From the crystal inlay stairs in the atrium to the Roman mosaics, you will not be disappointed. Are you comparing Divina to CCL Breeze?

 

I see you are talking about decor that is a part of ships design.

Design (or even decor as a fraction of the whole design) cannot be "within price range". It's for lifetime, or until a major reconstruction. Design (decor) is what it is.

 

Design and decor. Take a human face. Before we talk about decor (small details, colors, makeup...) we see the principal "design features": two eyes, one nose, one mouth, two ears.

 

A person with one eye (no promenade deck), one ear (no observation deck), missing teeth (no principal lounge)... hardly is a model of beauty.

By design it's a handicapped ship.

This is cheap design regardless cruise prices - $199 or $1199 pp.

"Missing body parts" is objective assessment, not subjective.

Please don't start telling me that promenade deck, etc. may not be important to Mr. Smith. No one cares of Mr. Smith and his preferences. He might be happily married for decades (Mrs. Smith has one eye and one ear).

We are talking about the ship.

 

As we look at internal design, I would pay attention to ship planning first of all - what amenities are available and how they are arranged. In my strong opinion, ships this size and capacity must have axial planning.

Assessment of this area may have some greater component of subjectivity. Even though, it's quite obvious what is good and what is not.

 

 

Now we are finally approaching decor. This is the most subjective part.

It's plain obvious that it's better to have promenade deck than not to have.

Not every cruiser but experts would agree about the benefits of axial planning. It's not as obvious for everyone (many even don't know what it means) - nothing wrong.

But colors - who would say that this color or ornament is definitely better than another one?

I have a preliminary impression of the Divina decor. I will tell more when I see it.

Newer decor is not necessarily more elegant.:) Why so???:eek:

The most elegant ship ever sailed was built 1930s.

Crystal staircase - why not? Some will say it's good. Some will say it's not.

Some will say it's kitsch. Some will say that kitsch is a form of art and if it's done properly....:)

I have nothing against Roman mosaics. I assume they are very well in place.

 

As to the Carnival Breeze....

It's not the best design under whale tail funnels.

She has pluses and minuses in comparison. Both products are closest competitors.

Edited March 28, 2014 by cruisetrail

[The_Big_M]

A person with one eye (no promenade deck), one ear (no observation deck), missing teeth (no principal lounge)... hardly is a model of beauty.

By design it's a handicapped ship.

...

But colors - who would say that this color or ornament is definitely better than another one?

.

 

Honestly, I have a preference for promenade decks.

 

However, the major flaw in your above argument is that you classify things that you deem unimportant as subjective, and things that you deem important as objective and major.

 

Many ships have been VERY successful without promenade decks and the other features you deem major and are critical about.

 

All you have given above is your opinion, dressed up as though it is authoritative and more significant than it is.

 

If it's not your preference, that's fine. But that's all it is. It doesn't mean that the lack of a promenade deck is any better or worse design than any other feature you consider subjective or fashionable.

 

And, yes, neptuno's statement about being "within a price range" is quite valid as it stands (whether the assessment is fair or not).

Edited March 29, 2014 by The_Big_M

[cruisetrail]

I did not classify anything as "unimportant".

I have no intention to persuade you as you refuse to understand what is being said.

 

I requested and underlined it specifically - forget about Mr. Smith and his preferencies.

Look at the ships.

It has been repeated 100 times - all ships "are successful" - including Carnival Ecstasy - because cruising is a pleasure.

Edited March 29, 2014 by cruisetrail

[The_Big_M]

So if your statement that "Design (or even decor as a fraction of the whole design) cannot be "within price range"."

 

does not mean that you are saying "Design cannot be "within price range"

Then you are communicating very poorly. It's nothing to do with refusal, but your communication.

 

No, you did not say "unimportant" but you talked about certain "design" features you view as "principal," "objective" and "plain obvious." You then categorised the features neptuno spoke of as "décor" and these are "subjective" and a whole bunch of adjectives saying different people have different views and they change over time, hence not "principal" as you called the other features.

 

My rebuttal stands: you are classifying as suits you, as though definitive and authoritative, but that does not apply to everyone, nor is absolutely correct.

 

For some, the features you view as "principal" are not, and the other features may be assessed more positively than you do.

[neptuno]

I see you are talking about decor that is a part of ships design......A person with one eye (no promenade deck), one ear (no observation deck), missing teeth (no principal lounge)... hardly is a model of beauty.

By design it's a handicapped ship.

This is cheap design regardless cruise prices - $199 or $1199 pp......

 

'Design' or 'decor' ???? You are using semantics to spin the debate. Divina is not cheap or handicapped as you say, but today she offers best value available in a newer ship. Once you have sailed her you will not be as harsh. But as long as we are discussing naval architecture, could you help us calculate the available floor area in the main dining rooms with respect to guest capacity? Divina's main flaw seems to be in the MDRs, which were crowded and poorly planned with respect to sight lines and views. Some, but not all of the tables were too close to each other,or so it seemed. Please let us know if you can calculate the floor area ratio. Thanks.

[cruisetrail]

You don't understand the difference between design and decor?

Case closed.

 

What do you need "the floor area ratio" for? :D

[neptuno]

You don't understand the difference between design and decor?Case closed. What do you need "the floor area ratio" for? :D

 

As a question of design, the MDRs seemed overly crowded over Christmas with a full ship. Dinner seating is all assigned, so there must be a seat for every passenger. If there were 4300 guests, how does the square footage of the MDRs per passenger compare to that of other ships?

[cruisetrail]

This is time consuming calculation. You will do it yourself.

 

It would be interesting to see what changes were made on the Divina (vs the Splendida) to accommodate some 200 extra passengers.

Edited March 29, 2014 by cruisetrail

[cruisetrail]

There have been questions about Divina open deck space issues related to the number of passengers, separated Yacht Club class area and extra charge sun deck 18 vs other ships.

 

This is the whole picture at a glance.

Feel free to ask questions if any.

 

 

[The_Big_M]

Of course, there are a whole lot more activities on the top ship below deck as well

 

I'm yet to see a cruise where every single passenger is on top deck.

 

Furthermore, the diagram accentuates the length but ignores the width (beam). Divina is a whole 20ft/6m wider, which is almost 20% more.

 

Further, the bottom picture is misleading as the forward balconies - and bridge! - are all shaded blue, which indicate public area when they are not.

 

Put together, the diagram appears design to mislead to a certain viewpoint, rather than giving a balanced comparison of any overall effect. Funny that.