MSC Divina 04/19/14 Review

[Calitexar]

Summary : I’ll start with a summary, in case y’all don’t want to read all the notes. For the dirt-cheap pricing that’s currently out there, the MSC experience is a GREAT value. The ship is beautiful, the entertainment fantastic and the food is mediocre (some great – some bad). Service is a problem and one that MSC must address if they are going to compete favorably in this market at rates that will bring them a positive return.

 

The Excellent

Embarkation: Very easy. Arrived at the port about noon. Checked in immediately and was given a boarding group number. Boarding was through escalators at each end of the terminal, so crowding was minimal. We were group 19 and boarded by 12:45pm.

 

Ship: The Divina is beautiful, probably the nicest ship I’ve sailed. The ship has lots of mirrors, Swarvski crystal-imbedded stairs and very nice staterooms. The lounges are roomy and the theatre is fantastic from sound, to lighting to visibility to the stage.

 

Entertainment: Excellent! From the theatre shows to the lounge acts, all were exceptionally good.

 

Bar Service – lounges only (see “the Bad” below)

 

The Good

The buffet: Laid out well with enough options to meet the needs of anyone. Even with a full ship and over 4,000 passengers, there was always an empty table to be found. Most stations were repeated around the buffet, so crowds weren’t a problem in any one area. Certainly not the most extensive I’ve seen, but good. Standard offerings: Carving area, hot dishes, pastas, pizza, ethnic dishes, sandwiches, salad bar, fruit and desserts. Juices and iced tea are available all day. Juice selection – orange, cranberry, pineapple and white grapefruit. Missing: made-to-order eggs, fresh burgers and dogs (premade available in fast-food type boxes).

 

Entrees: Lamb, beef, fish and seafood were all good. Pasta was consistently good as well, though not technically an entrée.

 

Appetizers: Great, unusual offerings of decent proportion. The shrimp cocktail was a particular standout with very large shrimp.

 

The OK

The Thermal Spa: Great value for $79/couple for the seven days. Includes steam and sauna (gender specific) and a “relax” room with seven lounges and a couple tables, nice music and view. Wouldn’t pay the standard $99/person rate though.

 

The Bad

Service – Very inconsistent. While we had great service from our room steward and wait staff, our experience was the exception rather than the rule. I had three very minor issues come up throughout the cruise and, in each case, was assumed wrong until proven right. Additonally, in one case which involved a double charge of $12.65, the “guest relations” representative didn’t even have the authority to back-out one of the two charges. He had to call other departments, explain what happened and advise me to check the statement later that day. That’s a very bad customer service model. Finally, the bar service at the pools was generally awful. One felt like the bar staff was doing the customer a favor to SELL them a beverage.

 

Side dishes: Though entrees were good, side dishes were horrendous and presentation non-existent. “Baked” potatoes were steamed (my guess) and were only a half of a very small potato. Vegetables were overcooked and salads were horrible.

 

 

The Ugly

Lifeboat drill: Absolutely the most chaotic experience I’ve ever had. No clear direction was given as to whether/not passengers needed to put the life jackets on during the drill. So, some did…some didn’t…some bumped into others, knocked over things, etc. The instructions were given in several languages, which was fine given the demographics of the passengers, but there were 5-7 minute delays between different sets of instructions.

 

Disembarkation: I don’t know where to start. Suffice it to say, if you plan a flight before noon, then take advantage of “self-assist”.

[riclop]

Thanks for the review, some people dont like being asked every 2 min. if they want a drink. Life boat drill before they required that everyone put on there vest now its your option, so i dont see where you call it chaos and while they do it in multiple languages it was done one after the other.

[TipsyT]

The Thermal Spa: Great value for $79/couple for the seven days. Includes steam and sauna (gender specific) and a “relax” room with seven lounges and a couple tables, nice music and view. Wouldn’t pay the standard $99/person rate though.

 

First, thank you very much for taking the time to review your sailing. I always plan to write a review but never seem to get around to it once back on land. :rolleyes:

 

When was the $79/couple spa package available? I haven't seen it listed on the spa offerings on the MSC site. It sounds like a good deal since I love to take a leisurely sauna and/or steam after my pool workout and use the spa showers (they're usually bigger and have an abundance of towels). Also, the lounges you mention, are those heated thermal tile loungers by any chance?

 

Trish

[Calitexar]

riclop - Understand some people don't like drinks pushed constantly, but we experienced wait staff actually ignoring requests, walking right by. Regarding lifeboat drill - I've been cruising for over 25 years and do remember the time when all had to wear the jacket. I just found this one extremely chaotic with things being knocked down, etc. I haven't experienced that the past several years.

 

TipsyT - the $79 offer was a promotion offered once on board and, yes, I found it to be a great value. Lounges were not heated, but both my husband and I still enjoyed the facility.

[Bosjoe]

The Bad

Service – Very inconsistent. While we had great service from our room steward and wait staff, our experience was the exception rather than the rule. I had three very minor issues come up throughout the cruise and, in each case, was assumed wrong until proven right. Additonally, in one case which involved a double charge of $12.65, the “guest relations” representative didn’t even have the authority to back-out one of the two charges. He had to call other departments, explain what happened and advise me to check the statement later that day. That’s a very bad customer service model. Finally, the bar service at the pools was generally awful. One felt like the bar staff was doing the customer a favor to SELL them a beverage.

”.

 

As for removing charges and checking later, I have run into this with Celbrity and RCCL. They print of your bill take notes on it and send it off to someone else to take it off and tell you it will show up on your account later. I think this could be a standard practice. I don't think this is a big deal and call it bad service because they didn't take it off right there and then is not bad service, bad service is if they never took it off.

Now I didn't have extra charges on MSC and only dealt with CS once as my sea pass card stopped working, they were very friendly.

 

As for my cruise the pool bar service was way better then my last Celebrity cruise. They had plenty of waiters walking around and enough bartenders during busy time at the pool, sometimes at the bar with the amount of people getting drinks, thre would be 15-20 people surrounding the bar with 5 bartenders it does get backed up. I like the fact that they are not hawking drinks around the pool, you see a waiter walking by grab their attention and they come over.

 

I have seen different complaints regarding the pool service and if you sail on lines such as RCCL and NCL they are hawking their drinks, yelling out bar service, and some people get use to this and you don't see it on MSC they call it bad service because they didn't come to you and ask if you wanted something. I prefer the MSC way of things, leave me alone till I ask.

 

BTW I'm glad you had a great cruise. It has been one of my best cruises. If I judge it by a price stand point, then it was the best cruise ever. :)

Edited April 28, 2014 by Bosjoe

[moomoocow]

As for removing charges and checking later, I have run into this with Celbrity and RCCL. They print of your bill take notes on it and send it off to someone else to take it off and tell you it will show up on your account later. I think this could be a standard practice. I don't think this is a big deal and call it bad service because they didn't take it off right there and then is not bad service, bad service is if they never took it off.

Now I didn't have extra charges on MSC and only dealt with CS once as my sea pass card stopped working, they were very friendly.

 

Also - if they don't take it off immediately what does it matter? You're not going anywhere! You're a captive audience for seven days.

 

When I boarded the Armonia last month they had not got my Allegrisimo set up. So I popped to reception with a printout and left it with them. This was Saturday lunchtime. It was sorted by Sunday night and on Monday morning I popped back and got my cruise cards updated. No biggie. There was still 70 euros of drink charges on my bill so a few days later I checked with Accounting. Left it with them to do in their own time rather than hang around at the desk wasting valuable drinking, I mean holiday time. It got sorted.

 

If you earn $35 an hour and you wait 20 minutes at reception to fix a $12 overcharge you might as well not have bothered. I'd hate to think how long I would have had to stand there to sort all that out. If it's not time sensitive (eg excursion based) leave them to it. They'll fix things. :D

[papcx]

Also - if they don't take it off immediately what does it matter? You're not going anywhere! You're a captive audience for seven days.

 

 

 

When I boarded the Armonia last month they had not got my Allegrisimo set up. So I popped to reception with a printout and left it with them. This was Saturday lunchtime. It was sorted by Sunday night and on Monday morning I popped back and got my cruise cards updated. No biggie. There was still 70 euros of drink charges on my bill so a few days later I checked with Accounting. Left it with them to do in their own time rather than hang around at the desk wasting valuable drinking, I mean holiday time. It got sorted.

 

 

 

If you earn $35 an hour and you wait 20 minutes at reception to fix a $12 overcharge you might as well not have bothered. I'd hate to think how long I would have had to stand there to sort all that out. If it's not time sensitive (eg excursion based) leave them to it. They'll fix things. :D

 

 

Hi Moomoo.

 

Did you get good value from the drinks package? :devil:

[Typhoon1]

Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts.

[thraak]

Fair review. The bartenders were very busy on the pool deck (deck 14), so sometimes you had to wait 2-3 minutes for a drink, which was very acceptable. Didn't try the hamburgers onboard but the burgers that they served up on Great Stirrup Cay were quite good. We did the self assist departation, (carry your own luggage off), there was a small delay but not that bad at all.

Edited April 28, 2014 by thraak

[NCMtnBoys]

We were on the same sailing and thoroughly enjoyed it, having also paid a dirt cheap price. The dirt cheap price was the incentive to try it, and we were not disappointed.

 

Service we encountered from everyone was very good. We saw our room steward 2-3 times each day. Dining room service was slow, but acceptable. We thought we had one discrepancy on our bill so we went to guest services to try and have it removed. Turns out it was our bad, as we just couldn't remember the particular charge. When the representative was able to tell us exactly what it was for (specifically a can of coke zero - not just telling us what bar it was at), that triggered our memory and all was ok. We had two other interactions with guest services (requesting our room cards to have a hole punched in them so we could use our lanyards, and also turning in our self-assist request), and all interactions were friendly and professional.

 

As for the lifeboat drill, the lounge we were in (Black and White) seemed really crowded. I wondered how everyone would know exactly what boat they were supposed to be in, as in many other drills you're lined up underneath your particular boat. I had remembered reading in the planner that you were required to bring your life jacket to the drill, but "please do not don your life jacket" is what it said. So we didn't put ours on at all...it said not to.

 

Agree that the entertainment was the best!! I was amazed at how substantive it was - sometimes it seemed there was a show within a show in the theater performances. Loved it!

 

Ship was beautiful and kept very clean.

 

As for the bar service, we bought the Allegressimo Escape package (15 coupons for $72) and it worked well. Never once had a problem getting a drink and what's more surprising, never once had a problem getting a seat at the pool bar. People didn't seem to be hoarded around the pool bars like on other cruises we'd been on. Rarely did we see a bar waiter, and never once were we asked if we wanted a drink by one - which is ok with us, we can get our own when we want them (we only drink 2 per day, and one of those is at dinnertime).

 

Would definitely cruise MSC again if the price was right. We had gone on with little expectation because of the reviews, but were pleasantly surprised. We're not foodies, we don't care if we see our room steward or not, we don't have to be constantly entertained, we are easy to please and pack a lot of patience. As long as the ship is beautiful and clean, we have as much or as little food as we want, decent entertainment, and get to our ports of call, we're happy.

[thraak]

Yuuuuup!!!!

 

Feel the exact way. I wouldn't mind if the price is even a bit higher next time. (Which, with all the positive reviews, and its' newfound popularity, it probably will be). Oh well, I'll still return!!!

Edited April 29, 2014 by thraak

[CC Help Jenn]

Summary : I’ll start with a summary, in case y’all don’t want to read all the notes. For the dirt-cheap pricing that’s currently out there, the MSC experience is a GREAT value. The ship is beautiful, the entertainment fantastic and the food is mediocre (some great – some bad). Service is a problem and one that MSC must address if they are going to compete favorably in this market at rates that will bring them a positive return.

 

The Excellent

Embarkation: Very easy. Arrived at the port about noon. Checked in immediately and was given a boarding group number. Boarding was through escalators at each end of the terminal, so crowding was minimal. We were group 19 and boarded by 12:45pm.

 

Ship: The Divina is beautiful, probably the nicest ship I’ve sailed. The ship has lots of mirrors, Swarvski crystal-imbedded stairs and very nice staterooms. The lounges are roomy and the theatre is fantastic from sound, to lighting to visibility to the stage.

 

Entertainment: Excellent! From the theatre shows to the lounge acts, all were exceptionally good.

 

Bar Service – lounges only (see “the Bad” below)

 

The Good

The buffet: Laid out well with enough options to meet the needs of anyone. Even with a full ship and over 4,000 passengers, there was always an empty table to be found. Most stations were repeated around the buffet, so crowds weren’t a problem in any one area. Certainly not the most extensive I’ve seen, but good. Standard offerings: Carving area, hot dishes, pastas, pizza, ethnic dishes, sandwiches, salad bar, fruit and desserts. Juices and iced tea are available all day. Juice selection – orange, cranberry, pineapple and white grapefruit. Missing: made-to-order eggs, fresh burgers and dogs (premade available in fast-food type boxes).

 

Entrees: Lamb, beef, fish and seafood were all good. Pasta was consistently good as well, though not technically an entrée.

 

Appetizers: Great, unusual offerings of decent proportion. The shrimp cocktail was a particular standout with very large shrimp.

 

The OK

The Thermal Spa: Great value for $79/couple for the seven days. Includes steam and sauna (gender specific) and a “relax” room with seven lounges and a couple tables, nice music and view. Wouldn’t pay the standard $99/person rate though.

 

The Bad

Service – Very inconsistent. While we had great service from our room steward and wait staff, our experience was the exception rather than the rule. I had three very minor issues come up throughout the cruise and, in each case, was assumed wrong until proven right. Additonally, in one case which involved a double charge of $12.65, the “guest relations” representative didn’t even have the authority to back-out one of the two charges. He had to call other departments, explain what happened and advise me to check the statement later that day. That’s a very bad customer service model. Finally, the bar service at the pools was generally awful. One felt like the bar staff was doing the customer a favor to SELL them a beverage.

 

Side dishes: Though entrees were good, side dishes were horrendous and presentation non-existent. “Baked” potatoes were steamed (my guess) and were only a half of a very small potato. Vegetables were overcooked and salads were horrible.

 

 

The Ugly

Lifeboat drill: Absolutely the most chaotic experience I’ve ever had. No clear direction was given as to whether/not passengers needed to put the life jackets on during the drill. So, some did…some didn’t…some bumped into others, knocked over things, etc. The instructions were given in several languages, which was fine given the demographics of the passengers, but there were 5-7 minute delays between different sets of instructions.

 

Disembarkation: I don’t know where to start. Suffice it to say, if you plan a flight before noon, then take advantage of “self-assist”.

 

Hey we had the same boarding number as you! I bet we saw each other and didn't even know :) Looks like you had a very nice (overall) cruise experience

[DebCelebXpert]

My experience on this ship is somewhat different than the others. I too have cruised more than 40 cruises in the past 30 years.

 

POSITIVE:

On the plus side, I thought embarkation at noon was easy and relatively fast. The staterooms were ready at 2PM and my stateroom attendent went out of his way daily to make sure we were happy, despite the fact that MSC never put the right amount of towels on his cart and he had to improvise on occassion, especially with the hand towels.

I also think the ship was beautiful and quite elegant. I also commend MSC for the cleanliness of all common areas.

And, I must add that the price was right, however, if the price goes up considerably in comparison to other lines, I would NOT recommend it to others as I fail to see the value compared to other cruise lines.

 

NEGATIVE:

I found the ship very crowded in the main guest areas and the pools and hottubs were OVERRUN with children at all times of the day and night. The majority of the guests were European (not that there is anything wrong with that), however, they had their kids by their side 24/7 even in the bars at night. I am a Mom of 5 (all of whom stayed home) so I am not opposed to kids, just do not enjoy myself when I am in the lounge and these kids are running all over with no parental guidance (young children under 13).

The solarium pool is a gorgeous area as is the Zen Garden pool, however, when it is filled with children at all hours jumping in and out, it is not a pleasant adult experience.

I found I had to pay $10 per day for a quiet spot on Deck 18 where it was adults only. I think MSC should take this into consideration if they wish to market to the American market.

 

ROOM SERVICE:

Breakfast consists of cereal and bread, rolls. I was appalled one morning when I was told that breakfast ended at 10AM and if I would like a pot of coffee I would have to pay for it. Who does that? That is not the customer service I expect.

 

FOOD:

I found the food mostly inedible and the service in the dining room horribly slow. I found the waiters running all over servicing many tables with little to no help. It was difficult to get a waiter to bring you a second glass of water or tea. Eggs, were not 'real' eggs, but packaged.

 

BUFFET:

Unless you enjoy pizza and pasta, stay away from Deck 14. Cheeseburgers were served fast food style wrapped in paper. Desserts were repeated night after night. Fruit tarts on the first night are 'cute,' however, when repeated for 7 nights they no longer are appealing. Choices for dinner such as New Guinea fowl is not something I expect as a choice. Chicken breast was a thin cutlet overcooked. The roast beef was also overcooked and rubbery. When the sliced roast beef was gone, then a plate of pasta would be in its place.

 

All I can say is the old adage, you get what you pay for.

I think MSC has a long way to go if they wish to find an American following. Yes, there will always be passengers who wish to take advantage of low rates and sail, but in the end building a following will never happen unless significant changes are made.

[thraak]

Another fair review. When I booked my cruise in early March, I wanted to go to New Orleans for the great food and music during the French Quarter Fest. My wife wanted to go on a 3 night cruise on Royal Caribbean for $349 per person. We compromised and went on The Divina for 7 nights for $349 per person. In early March, the negative reviews far outnumbered the positive reviews, so my expectations for the price we paid were low. I'm ready to board the ship again and will do so even before revisiting my favorite city, New Orleans.

I did see a couple of children in the clubs at night on the Divina but think that may happen on RCCL and NCL also.

[thraak]

I would like to add that if MSC raise their prices substantially and/or discontinues or raises the price on the beverage packages, (coupons), then I would try the Allure or Oasis of the Seas or the Norwegian Getaway vessel.

But then again, living in Central Florida, I could probably get a good last minute deal on most ships.

Edited April 29, 2014 by thraak

[moomoocow]

hi moomoo.

 

Did you get good value from the drinks package? :devil:

 

allegrisimo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Edited April 29, 2014 by moomoocow

[Calitexar]

I really enjoy reading the different views on this product. That's what makes cruisecritic.com such a useful tool. We all have our preferences and are looking for different travel experiences. As long as travelers recognize what's important to them (food, budget, ship, entertainment, etc.), they (or their travel professional) can identify the right product to meet those wants and needs.

 

Happy sailing everyone and keep the comments coming!

[American Bear]

I would like to add that if MSC raise their prices substantially and/or discontinues or raises the price on the beverage packages, (coupons), then I would try the Allure or Oasis of the Seas or the Norwegian Getaway vessel.

But then again, living in Central Florida, I could probably get a good last minute deal on most ships.

 

As far as the Allure and Oasis go, you stand in line everywhere, for everything! And you'd get to pay 3x more then the Divina to stand in those lines! :mad:

Getaway's a possibility but again its double the price of the Divina!:mad:

The price for a drink on RCL is 2x the voucher price on the Divina!:mad:

We are Diamond Plus members and casino club members on RCL, and get a lot of freebies, but we're doing a B2B on the Divina and saving over $2,000.!:D

Almost enough for another B2B this fall!:D

[Bosjoe]

Can we all just agree that any mainstream cruiseline pool decks are crowded during see days, especially worst during summer and school vacations. I have not found it easy to find good spots on sea days.

Sorry its a pet peeve when I hear people complain about this. Where would you like over 2000 people to go on sea days? Thats alot of people on the sun decks.

 

As far as children running around, that is the parents fault, not the cruiseline, they are not there to babysit the kids. One thing for sure is if they speak to the kids and try to get them to stop, parents can get confrontational.

Edited April 29, 2014 by Bosjoe

[American Bear]

My experience on this ship is somewhat different than the others. I too have cruised more than 40 cruises in the past 30 years.

 

POSITIVE:

On the plus side, I thought embarkation at noon was easy and relatively fast. The staterooms were ready at 2PM and my stateroom attendent went out of his way daily to make sure we were happy, despite the fact that MSC never put the right amount of towels on his cart and he had to improvise on occassion, especially with the hand towels.

I also think the ship was beautiful and quite elegant. I also commend MSC for the cleanliness of all common areas.

And, I must add that the price was right, however, if the price goes up considerably in comparison to other lines, I would NOT recommend it to others as I fail to see the value compared to other cruise lines.

 

NEGATIVE:

I found the ship very crowded in the main guest areas and the pools and hottubs were OVERRUN with children at all times of the day and night. The majority of the guests were European (not that there is anything wrong with that), however, they had their kids by their side 24/7 even in the bars at night. I am a Mom of 5 (all of whom stayed home) so I am not opposed to kids, just do not enjoy myself when I am in the lounge and these kids are running all over with no parental guidance (young children under 13).

The solarium pool is a gorgeous area as is the Zen Garden pool, however, when it is filled with children at all hours jumping in and out, it is not a pleasant adult experience.

I found I had to pay $10 per day for a quiet spot on Deck 18 where it was adults only. I think MSC should take this into consideration if they wish to market to the American market.

 

ROOM SERVICE:

Breakfast consists of cereal and bread, rolls. I was appalled one morning when I was told that breakfast ended at 10AM and if I would like a pot of coffee I would have to pay for it. Who does that? That is not the customer service I expect.

 

FOOD:

I found the food mostly inedible and the service in the dining room horribly slow. I found the waiters running all over servicing many tables with little to no help. It was difficult to get a waiter to bring you a second glass of water or tea. Eggs, were not 'real' eggs, but packaged.

 

BUFFET:

Unless you enjoy pizza and pasta, stay away from Deck 14. Cheeseburgers were served fast food style wrapped in paper. Desserts were repeated night after night. Fruit tarts on the first night are 'cute,' however, when repeated for 7 nights they no longer are appealing. Choices for dinner such as New Guinea fowl is not something I expect as a choice. Chicken breast was a thin cutlet overcooked. The roast beef was also overcooked and rubbery. When the sliced roast beef was gone, then a plate of pasta would be in its place.

 

All I can say is the old adage, you get what you pay for.

I think MSC has a long way to go if they wish to find an American following. Yes, there will always be passengers who wish to take advantage of low rates and sail, but in the end building a following will never happen unless significant changes are made.

 

 

We are also seasoned cruisers and we know you don't cruise when the kids are out of school if its going to bother you as you did!:eek:

 

I can't remember ever getting a freshly made hamburger or hot dog in a cruise ship buffet, but I do like the idea of individually wrapping them instead of sitting in a tray of fat touched by 'I don't know how many wet pigs coming in from the pool'!:eek:

 

As these cruises in April were selling at $349. for a balcony, did you get your money's worth?

A hotel room with a view of the ocean alone would cost more then that on land, and that's not even including free shows, and free lousy food as you put it!

Edited April 29, 2014 by American Bear

[thraak]

As far as the Allure and Oasis go, you stand in line everywhere, for everything! And you'd get to pay 3x more then the Divina to stand in those lines! :mad:

Getaway's a possibility but again its double the price of the Divina!:mad:

The price for a drink on RCL is 2x the voucher price on the Divina!:mad:

We are Diamond Plus members and casino club members on RCL, and get a lot of freebies, but we're doing a B2B on the Divina and saving over $2,000.!:D

Almost enough for another B2B this fall!:D

 

 

 

Thanks for the info.

That's it.... I'm sticking with the Divina!!

 

I love beer but not to the point that I want the all you can drink, everyday package.

 

I was happy with my coupon books, (drinking Peronis, Stellas, Coronas, Heini's, Amstels at $3.75 a pop. They also had Red Stripe, Guinness, Harp, Pils Urquell...........)

Edited April 29, 2014 by thraak

[DebCelebXpert]

We are also seasoned cruisers and we know you don't cruise when the kids are out of school if its going to bother you as you did!:eek:

 

I can't remember ever getting a freshly made hamburger or hot dog in a cruise ship buffet, but I do like the idea of individually wrapping them instead of sitting in a tray of fat touched by 'I don't know how many wet pigs coming in from the pool'!:eek:

 

As these cruises in April were selling at $349. for a balcony, did you get your money's worth?

A hotel room with a view of the ocean alone would cost more then that on land, and that's not even including free shows, and free lousy food as you put it!

 

Ah, but heres the thing, the kids in the U.S. were all back in school and spring break was over. I was not expecting the ship to be full of European kids, not that there is a difference, kids are kids. I did not select this cruise because of that, but was surprised to find the ship so full of kids.

 

As far as the buffet, dont recall the burger nor the eggs being "freshly made." Most everything was bland and barely edible. No worries, the positive is all the weight I lost on this sailing!

 

I simply think for the price, yes it was a value, a poor value, but still a value. In comparison to other cruise lines, I would not recommend MSC to anyone regardless of the price differential. I would rather pay more to get better service, food, etc and enjoy myself than pay for a "bargain" and get nothing in return. I know this is a personal preference and some may not agree, but that as they say is what makes the world go round.

[Bosjoe]

Ah, but heres the thing, the kids in the U.S. were all back in school and spring break was over. I was not expecting the ship to be full of European kids, not that there is a difference, kids are kids. I did not select this cruise because of that, but was surprised to find the ship so full of kids.

 

As far as the buffet, dont recall the burger nor the eggs being "freshly made." Most everything was bland and barely edible. No worries, the positive is all the weight I lost on this sailing!

 

I simply think for the price, yes it was a value, a poor value, but still a value. In comparison to other cruise lines, I would not recommend MSC to anyone regardless of the price differential. I would rather pay more to get better service, food, etc and enjoy myself than pay for a "bargain" and get nothing in return. I know this is a personal preference and some may not agree, but that as they say is what makes the world go round.

 

There is not made to order eggs, but they had over easy eggs made and were just fine at the buffet. I usually stay away from scramble eggs, who know how they are made on any ship.

 

My only complaint about the buffet was at night it was limited, but breakfast and lunch many choices.

 

As for MDR I have found RCCL, Celebrity and MSC all the same, nothing over the top and nothing so bad. Its all banquet food and not made to order. I did notice one thing Shrimp cocktail was best on MSC, nice big chilled shrimp, not those lil things I have seen on other ships.

 

I stayed away from Hamburger and hotdogs, there were to many other and better choices to choose from, from salmon to pizza. But hot dogs and hamburgers were great on the private island.

 

I would recommend this ship so easilly if someone asked me, be it bargain basement price or a normal price as something close to Celebrity. I would choose Divina over Celebrity easily based on entertainment and my cruise experience I had on Divina over Reflection.

 

Now I am not a fan of a 1000 kids I would not go on anyship during these times. I sound like I am a kid hater, but I'm not. If Iwant a ton of kids I would take my vacations at Disney World.

[thraak]

Ah, but heres the thing, the kids in the U.S. were all back in school and spring break was over. I was not expecting the ship to be full of European kids, not that there is a difference, kids are kids. I did not select this cruise because of that, but was surprised to find the ship so full of kids.

 

As far as the buffet, dont recall the burger nor the eggs being "freshly made." Most everything was bland and barely edible. No worries, the positive is all the weight I lost on this sailing!

 

I simply think for the price, yes it was a value, a poor value, but still a value. In comparison to other cruise lines, I would not recommend MSC to anyone regardless of the price differential. I would rather pay more to get better service, food, etc and enjoy myself than pay for a "bargain" and get nothing in return. I know this is a personal preference and some may not agree, but that as they say is what makes the world go round.

 

 

I wish more people thought the way you did. Daily, I have been watching my cabin selections diminish for my fall cruise. Actually, cabins on the Divina are extremely limited through the middle of 2015. Apparently by many satisfied returning guests. Having been off the Divina for 10 days now, I need to find my exact sailing date and book it fast!!!

[thraak]

There is not made to order eggs, but they had over easy eggs made and were just fine at the buffet. I usually stay away from scramble eggs, who know how they are made on any ship.

 

My only complaint about the buffet was at night it was limited, but breakfast and lunch many choices.

 

As for MDR I have found RCCL, Celebrity and MSC all the same, nothing over the top and nothing so bad. Its all banquet food and not made to order. I did notice one thing Shrimp cocktail was best on MSC, nice big chilled shrimp, not those lil things I have seen on other ships.

 

I stayed away from Hamburger and hotdogs, there were to many other and better choices to choose from, from salmon to pizza. But hot dogs and hamburgers were great on the private island.

 

I would recommend this ship so easilly if someone asked me, be it bargain basement price or a normal price as something close to Celebrity. I would choose Divina over Celebrity easily based on entertainment and my cruise experience I had on Divina over Reflection.

 

Now I am not a fan of a 1000 kids I would not go on anyship during these times. I sound like I am a kid hater, but I'm not. If Iwant a ton of kids I would take my vacations at Disney World.

 

I agree 100%. Especially that the dinner buffet was limited. But, I can't wait to return!