Divina December 28- January 4, 2014

[heeb]

Thanks denandben for responding and providing a lot better info on your cruise and to help with my decision making whether or not to cruise on the MCS Divina.:cool:

[zip55]

Thanks for the info. Glad to hear the teen club is 12-15yo, I will be traveling w/ 12yo and 14 yo, they want to be together. Where do I get these drink vouchers? We dont drink much but it would be nice to have a few. What time did you board? Do they allow you to bring any food/drink on board?

Thanks!

[Boytjie]

We were told the gratuity was included in the price of the voucher, which comes in a booklet. But as one would expect, cash tipping is alway appreciated.

 

I was lucky to be on a tour of the Divina in December 2013 and picked up some flyers, one of which is the drinks packages available on the ship. In small print it does state; "A 15% bar service charge is automatically added to all purchases". I just noticed that tonight.

[Bosjoe]

I was lucky to be on a tour of the Divina in December 2013 and picked up some flyers, one of which is the drinks packages available on the ship. In small print it does state; "A 15% bar service charge is automatically added to all purchases". I just noticed that tonight.

 

If you purhase the vouchers on the ship as the flyers says there will be a 15% service charge. If you pre-order them prior to the cruise there is NO 15% SERVICE CHARGE.

[Kelownabccan]

I sure like children and grand kids but...1200 kids running about on the Diva is not my cup of tea.....we want to do the Diva again but boy will I stay away from holiday times....on the 18 day transatlantic there were about 20.....and they were on show in the bars at night....what was 1200 like?????

 

and this comment...wow....MSC sure will ruin their image with this going on...too bad....

 

Sad to say kids in the dining room had shorts, t-shirts and baseball caps at dinner. Sadder still was that men had bathing suits, tees and flip flops. No dress code was enforced.

 

Glad your overall experience was fine....

[Mrs. Squirrel]

OK,

Sad to say kids in the dining room had shorts, t-shirts and baseball caps at dinner. Sadder still was that men had bathing suits, tees and flip flops. No dress code was enforced. :p Yuck! I live in an area where it's common to see folks in their pajamas out shopping. Always hope for a better view when I vacation. Oh well, at least I requested a table for two!

 

One thing I think needs serious improvement... the tender service on Grand Cayman was awful. Upon return the last tender was 3:30. W arrived about 2:15 and the line was over an hour wait. We shopped around and got on line at 3:40 when it was shorter. It still took us almost 1 hour to get back to the ship. If it makes you feel any better, we were just on the NCL Pearl in Grand Cayman in mid December. Both NCL and Carnival, tendering right next to us, had long, hot waits in the sun. I think it's the nature of the beast in GC. Everyone must want to stay until the late afternoon.

 

OP, thanks for your review!

[Maksim]

We were on the same cruise. I couldn't help but read this whole thread. I wrote a review in the review section, not sure where it appears, but in a nutshell, we were not very pleased with this cruise. It was extremely crowded, you can feel and see all 4,300 passengers. Kids were out of control, parents didn't watch them. Couldn't even come close to pools, no chairs available. You have to push your way in the buffet, not tables. It is long and narrow. The whole design of this ship, although very beautiful, not very functional. All walkways are narrow, yet there are a lot of wasted spaces. Dining room tables and chairs are so close to each other, can't even go in between. Where we sat, there was supposed to be a table for 6, but it was a poor excuse for this size table. It was rectangular with the small couch and 2 chairs. We were not comfortable there, plus no air. Food came in cold most of the time. Fish was OK, lobster good, meets so so. Rack of lamb was terrible. Our cabin was on deck 8 balcony, mid ship. Never I have seen it before sitting right on top of life boat. It doesn't show anywhere that it's the case. DO NOT BOOK this! On a positive side, we had a full bath, not just a shower. ALl shows and music in lounges was superb. The best I have ever seen on cruises. Again, beautiful ship, but not built for 4000 passengers in mind. One thing I can say: this is our first and last time with MSC.

[Bosjoe]

We were on the same cruise. I couldn't help but read this whole thread. I wrote a review in the review section, not sure where it appears, but in a nutshell, we were not very pleased with this cruise. It was extremely crowded, you can feel and see all 4,300 passengers. Kids were out of control, parents didn't watch them. Couldn't even come close to pools, no chairs available. You have to push your way in the buffet, not tables. It is long and narrow. The whole design of this ship, although very beautiful, not very functional. All walkways are narrow, yet there are a lot of wasted spaces. Dining room tables and chairs are so close to each other, can't even go in between. Where we sat, there was supposed to be a table for 6, but it was a poor excuse for this size table. It was rectangular with the small couch and 2 chairs. We were not comfortable there, plus no air. Food came in cold most of the time. Fish was OK, lobster good, meets so so. Rack of lamb was terrible. Our cabin was on deck 8 balcony, mid ship. Never I have seen it before sitting right on top of life boat. It doesn't show anywhere that it's the case. DO NOT BOOK this! On a positive side, we had a full bath, not just a shower. ALl shows and music in lounges was superb. The best I have ever seen on cruises. Again, beautiful ship, but not built for 4000 passengers in mind. One thing I can say: this is our first and last time with MSC.

 

 

Sorry for your bad time, but I bet if there were 1200 less children on board your review would have been quite different. This is the problem when cruising holidays, its more the parents fault then the cruise lines, not that all parents are bad. Its once you get that many children involve it can get bad especially on cruise lines that cater to families.

 

What were the thoughts of the rest of your group of 14?

Edited January 10, 2014 by Bosjoe

[neptuno]

 

Yes, we would agree. We sailed the week before you, the Christmas week cruise, and the dining areas were very crowded, buffet and MDRs. Narrow aisles and too crowded tables, not well designed for a full ship. Also, you are correct about Deck 8 balconies, they look at the tops of the life boats, better to book Deck 9 through 12. We are big fans of MSC as for value for our family, but are disappointed that the functional architecture of Divina falls short. But, we will sail again on a less popular week. Overall, Divina is stunningly elegant and sophisticated in her finishes.

Edited January 10, 2014 by neptuno

[Maksim]

Sorry for your bad time, but I bet if there were 1200 less children on board your review would have been quite different. This is the problem when cruising holidays, its more the parents fault then the cruise lines, not that all parents are bad. Its once you get that many children involve it can get bad especially on cruise lines that cater to families.

 

What were the thoughts of the rest of your group of 14?

 

The rest of our group feel the same. I do realize it was a holiday cruise with kids on winter break, however, it should not effect the total cruise experience by that much. I also forgot to mention that they don't provide lotion and hair conditioner. This is the first time we encounter it on any cruise line. I bought lotion in the ship's store, no big deal, but still, a small thing that counts. I use my own conditioner, so it didn't bother me, but those that count on it were out of luck.

[Bosjoe]

. I also forgot to mention that they don't provide lotion and hair conditioner. This is the first time we encounter it on any cruise line. I bought lotion in the ship's store, no big deal, but still, a small thing that counts. I use my own conditioner, so it didn't bother me, but those that count on it were out of luck.

 

Neither does RCCL unless your in a suite. My last few cruises none. Cruise lines have cut back and those were some of the things to go, like chocolates on turndown, pens, lotions, ice unless you ask to name a few.

 

On your balcony that you need to blame yourself and not the ship for locations, with all the new ships today there are a lot of bad balcony rooms. On celebrity solstice class ship deck 6 you can step onto the life boats. With the newer ships it better to be higher now.

Edited January 12, 2014 by Bosjoe

[DavidMcG]

Incredible that people are complaining about kids wearing shorts and t-shirts for a meal. I can almost understand the baseball caps but come on guys, it's not the 1950s here. What does it matter if someone is in shorts and t-shirt? What should a kid wear on holiday in a boiling hot country?

[Tatka]

The rest of our group feel the same. I do realize it was a holiday cruise with kids on winter break, however, it should not effect the total cruise experience by that much. I also forgot to mention that they don't provide lotion and hair conditioner. This is the first time we encounter it on any cruise line. I bought lotion in the ship's store, no big deal, but still, a small thing that counts. I use my own conditioner, so it didn't bother me, but those that count on it were out of luck.

 

I noticed that you cruised a lot with Princess. We love this line too.

However, we cruised on MSC Poesia this past March from Ft Lauderdale. We had reasonable number of children... I'd say under 400, but Caribbean Princess docked next to us had 700, and people who sailed on her said it was horrible experience... they (kids) ran everywhere without much of control. Holidays on family lines are not the best time to cruise. Especially holidays like Spring break, Christmas vacation, Thanksgiving week.

 

About lotion and hair conditioner, we did not have then on Royal Caribbean.

[Tatka]

Incredible that people are complaining about kids wearing shorts and t-shirts for a meal. I can almost understand the baseball caps but come on guys, it's not the 1950s here. What does it matter if someone is in shorts and t-shirt? What should a kid wear on holiday in a boiling hot country?

 

Well, there is a buffet.

Also there are lines that allow this - NCL for example.

 

It is not hot inside of the ship. It is not hot in say ... dockers. ;)

[denandben]

Thanks for the info! I'll be on the Divina in May and I am really looking forward to this cruise! I have an interior on deck 5...cruising solo and I don''t need a lot of room!

 

Can you tell me a little bit more about room service? What is offered for breakfast and then lunch and dinner....and then late night. When does the charge for room service kick in?

 

I only used room service for the breakfast. Yogurt, muffins, cereal, coffee etc. I believe the charge is like 11pm-6am. I didn't pay much attention to the room service menus beside brkfst but recall, fruit and cookies.

[denandben]

Thanks for the info. Glad to hear the teen club is 12-15yo, I will be traveling w/ 12yo and 14 yo, they want to be together. Where do I get these drink vouchers? We dont drink much but it would be nice to have a few. What time did you board? Do they allow you to bring any food/drink on board?

Thanks!

 

We had a great embarkation. We arrived at 12:00 from the airport. We figured we had a couple of hours to wait but actually walked right on. They said they changed the time, but no one was notified! We bought the vouchers before we cruised (by phone). We picked them up on the ship. We bought each child 1 set of soda (15) and one set of DoReMi (10) coupons. It was too much. My kids didn't drink much soda. The lines were long and they opted for water. Next time they will share one pack of each. They say nothing is allowed on board but we did bring drinks from ports in our backpacks no problem. One baggage guy said if you put a case of water in the suitcase no one will bother you, next time.

[denandben]

Incredible that people are complaining about kids wearing shorts and t-shirts for a meal. I can almost understand the baseball caps but come on guys, it's not the 1950s here. What does it matter if someone is in shorts and t-shirt? What should a kid wear on holiday in a boiling hot country?

 

My daughter wore shorts one night to dinner. Nice shorts with a simple lace top, and pretty fsandles not drab athletic shorts, faded tshirt and dirty sneakers. Big difference

[m2dd's]

How was the nightly entertainment? We sailed on the Poesia and didn't care for the European entertainment. Hoping now that the Divina is U.S based it will be different?

 

As for the other post about kids over the holidays and behavior, we sailed on the IOS on Royal Caribbean over Christmas which hold over 4000 pass. and we had close to 1500 kids on board and it was just as crazy as the Divina sounded so I don't thing kids behavior on cruise doesn't just pertains to MSC I think its wide spread over holidays when most families can travel:)

[denandben]

How was the nightly entertainment? We sailed on the Poesia and didn't care for the European entertainment. Hoping now that the Divina is U.S based it will be different?

 

As for the other post about kids over the holidays and behavior' date=' we sailed on the IOS on Royal Caribbean over Christmas which hold over 4000 pass. and we had close to 1500 kids on board and it was just as crazy as the Divina sounded so I don't thing kids behavior on cruise doesn't just pertains to MSC I think its wide spread over holidays when most families can travel:)[/quote']

 

We saw only a few shows. The ones we saw were very very good. I think better than other ships I have been on.

[reno3]

Just walking around the ship at night, can you wear jeans?

Can you tell me what the cost was for the soft drink package (14 soft drinks)?

What type of movies did they have on the big screen on deck at night?

[Bosjoe]

Just walking around the ship at night, can you wear jeans?

Can you tell me what the cost was for the soft drink package (14 soft drinks)?

What type of movies did they have on the big screen on deck at night?

 

Yes you can wear shorts and jeans at night and in the dinning room. I did wear shorts one night in the dining room, GASP!! but I did it with respect to my tablemates, I went in to tell them I would not be joing them tonight as I was wearing a nice pair of shorts and a Polo shirt, but they said your on holiday and said we don't mind, so I stayed. Jeans are ok also.

 

As for movies this week was, Pacific Rim, R.I.P.D, and Grown Ups 2.

 

Soda package is 15 vouchers for $30.

Edited January 28, 2014 by Bosjoe

[neptuno]

Yes you can wear shorts and jeans at night and in the dinning room.....

 

There is a dress code for a reason, and jeans and shorts are not proper attire for dinner in the MDRs, even if it is not always enforced. Imagine someone wearing jeans or shorts to dinner at a fine restaurant in Europe. That would be totally disrespectful and rude. There is a nice buffet for those who can't or won't dress properly for dinner in the MDRs.

[Cruise-A-Hoy]

OK I though I would jump in.

We sailed the Divina Dec 10, 11-night cruise. Have been on over 55 cruises to date. With that in mind I can honestly say taht the Divina exceeded my expectations.

 

Entertainment was excellent with the exception of the last night.

 

Like original post said food very good, not only in taste but quality.

 

My cabin steward along with the other crew members were better than most other ships.

 

In Jamaica I found through my travel agent a tour company (Johns Tours) who will pick you up at the pier (any of them) take you on a tour of the plantation or Dunns River falls, and let you spend the day at a resort including all food and drinks, on the beach.

 

I think from Falsmouth they use Relax Resort using Doctor Cave beach

 

Price is less than cruise lines.

[Bosjoe]

There is a dress code for a reason, and jeans and shorts are not proper attire for dinner in the MDRs, even if it is not always enforced. Imagine someone wearing jeans or shorts to dinner at a fine restaurant in Europe. That would be totally disrespectful and rude. There is a nice buffet for those who can't or won't dress properly for dinner in the MDRs.

 

Oh god, warning warning. Fashion police. Honey we are not in Europe. Also this thread is not about dressing up. And jeans are allowed in the dress room, their Europe cruises may not allow it, but many and I mean many wore jeans, even my English friends in dining.

 

read my statement. I asked my table mates, if it bothered then I would have left. It's suggested attire.

Edited January 28, 2014 by Bosjoe

[neptuno]

Nothing personal. It's not about fashion, it's about respecting those (other than at your table) who come to dinner in the MDR for elegant and fine dining. There is always room in the buffet for casual dining.