MSC Divina April 19, 2014 - The Worst Cruise Ever!

[CrusinCaren]

and Mom had been close to 100 as she contracted for Arts and Crafts on cruise ships back when they did that! Don't you have something better to do with your time than question my math?

 

So in 2006 the OP had the worst cruise ever on NCl Sun and had done over 30 cruises at that time. By 2013 when she posted her letter of complaint to MSC about the vegan group on the Poesia it had risen to over 200, that's some going in 7 years.

 

Suggest this latest cruise was to use up the OBC from her last complaint, coupled with bargain prices in the US at the moment.

[thraak]

Sure you were on the same cruise/island?

 

 

Hmmmm. Maybe not.

 

This is the big boat we were on:

 

 

 

This is the beach where we played in the water and in the sand:

 

 

 

Here is the nice man that made us yummy hamburgers;

 

 

 

This is where we got the yummy hamburgers from:

 

 

 

.....I wish the jerk chicken was spicy instead of mild. It was still yummy so I didn't complain.

Edited May 7, 2014 by thraak

[WhiteWineInTheSun]

Hmmmm. Maybe not.

 

This is the big boat we were on:

 

[ATTACH]311956[/ATTACH]

 

 

This is the beach where we played in the water and in the sand:

 

[ATTACH]311957[/ATTACH]

 

 

Here is the nice man that made us yummy hamburgers;

 

[ATTACH]311958[/ATTACH]

 

 

This is where we got the yummy hamburgers from:

 

[ATTACH]311960[/ATTACH]

 

 

.....I wish the jerk chicken was spicy instead of mild. It was still yummy so I didn't complain.

 

Thanks for the pictures, now I know what to expect if we do another cruise.

 

And your complaint about the jerk chicken was my complaint about the souvlaki-it seemed like the spices were 'dumbed down', but I grew up eating a lot of Greek food. The rest of it was fine, though.

[thraak]

Thanks for the pictures, now I know what to expect if we do another cruise.

 

And your complaint about the jerk chicken was my complaint about the souvlaki-it seemed like the spices were 'dumbed down', but I grew up eating a lot of Greek food. The rest of it was fine, though.

 

 

I am sure if they made it as spicy as I like, they would have had many complaints and possibly pending lawsuits.

 

Overall. I am looking forward to another MSC cruise.....Sorry for sounding like it was an "MSC Lovefest". :-)

[WhiteWineInTheSun]

I am sure if they made it as spicy as I like, they would have had many complaints and possibly pending lawsuits.

 

Overall. I am looking forward to another MSC cruise.....Sorry for sounding like it was an "MSC Lovefest". :-)

 

I hear you on that. If/when you return, they had a Samoan rice/chicken dish in a tomato base that had a really nice bite to it, the tongue was tingling afterwards.

 

At my former job, they were amused by the perpetual bottle of cholula on my desk. Hot is good. :D

[thraak]

Oh Luvvy,

 

How dare those scoundrels and scallywags not have the proper libations on our tender ride!!

I have never been on a tender ride where the offering wasn't at least Moet & Chandon!!!

 

I'll try harder next time,

 

Thurston Howell III

[Out to sea!]

Try X forum) I am really surprised :D .

 

If the X forums are worse than Carnival's, I would really be surprised. May have to check them out for a good laugh! :D

[GOLDENBONNY]

If the X forums are worse than Carnival's, I would really be surprised. May have to check them out for a good laugh! :D

 

 

LOL My next one is on X ,so I am sitting there more now) Trust me people love to complain ) ans as much as I understnand X is going with big cuts now :cool: but who is not :(

[billrco90278]

I have never sailed with MSC, but the MSC forum has been very entertaining (the negative reviews brought me here). This thread is one of the best. However, while MSC can't be that bad, I am thinking where there is smoke, there must at least be a small fire. People on this forum point out that MSC has cheap fares. However, does a few hundred dollars saved outweigh the deficiencies? How many people would prefer MSC if costs were equal? I have to admit I would like to try the infamous Divina just to see for myself (if I had the vacation time to spare). Maybe I am a cruise nightmare "lookie-loo." :-)

[Katgoesonholiday]

I think that there are fewer nightmare cruises than there are nightmare passengers.

[WhiteWineInTheSun]

I think that there are fewer nightmare cruises than there are nightmare passengers.

 

Spot on! The bad part is that many of the nightmare passengers will never see themselves as the cause for their own problems.

[bltrn]

If you want the trip of a lifetime (unless you've gone on a "luxury Cruise") check out the Yacht Club. It may cost more, but if you look at the amenities, the service and enjoyment is second to none at a cost that is at least 1/3 the price!

[neptuno]

... I am thinking where there is smoke, there must at least be a small fire. People on this forum point out that MSC has cheap fares. However, does a few hundred dollars saved outweigh the deficiencies? How many people would prefer MSC if costs were equal? I have to admit I would like to try the infamous Divina just to see for myself.....

 

You are right on, MSC is cheap for a reason. But don't let that stop you from trying for one time, the "best cheap cruise of your life". Divina is elegant but crowded, with a poor itinerary. Servers are good, but with poor training or management (read 'Diapers in the pools'). There is a reason one poster said "hundreds came off sick". Having said that, we loved MSC, for awhile, until the USA sailings tried to emulate Carnival. By lowering their standards they(MSC) will eventually lose the Italian edge.

Edited May 9, 2014 by neptuno

[windsor11green]

We were on Divina on the 4/26 sailing and I must say, it's cheap for a reason. For the savings, we had fun, but all prices equal, no way would we go MSC again. I'll do a full review soon, and I'll tell you both sides because there are some good things and the main parts of the ship are indeed gorgeous. I'm a firm believer that part of every vacation is what you make of it, but I will warn those of you that are normally Celebrity or Princess travelers, there is no comparison (except maybe in yacht club, which I can't speak for), and the few other travelers we encountered that spoke English fluently all said the exact same things, and would say it first, or completely agree. Please, whatever you do, choose the option for taking your own luggage directly off the ship and go the instant it's cleared (about 7:15 am) because they are clueless in that area. It's a total fiasco and almost made us miss a noon flight from MIA. We've cruised many different lines and I find it hard to believe that after doing this itinerary since fall of last year that they haven't made some much needed adjustments in their process, it was unbelievable.

 

 

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[CrusinCaren]

Sorry for not spelling Reply correctly, could not figure out how to go back and edit. Maybe we can crucify me for that!

 

I never expected water on a tender, but I have never before been on a ship where water is not offered before you board the tender....(usually at a table...ring any bells?)

 

 

No water on tender, poor baby. Most tenders I've been on didn't have water.

It was extremely hot and sunny. Shocker! YOU WERE IN THE CARIBBEAN, hello? Maybe you should cruise Alaska. Oh wait, then you'd complain the tenders didn't have hot chocolate.

Edited May 10, 2014 by CrusinCaren

[CrusinCaren]

Never said a word about water on a tender!

 

Oh Luvvy,

 

How dare those scoundrels and scallywags not have the proper libations on our tender ride!!

I have never been on a tender ride where the offering wasn't at least Moet & Chandon!!!

 

I'll try harder next time,

 

Thurston Howell III

[CrusinCaren]

Thought it was only me who had a less than wonderful experience!

 

 

 

We were on Divina on the 4/26 sailing and I must say, it's cheap for a reason. For the savings, we had fun, but all prices equal, no way would we go MSC again. I'll do a full review soon, and I'll tell you both sides because there are some good things and the main parts of the ship are indeed gorgeous. I'm a firm believer that part of every vacation is what you make of it, but I will warn those of you that are normally Celebrity or Princess travelers, there is no comparison (except maybe in yacht club, which I can't speak for), and the few other travelers we encountered that spoke English fluently all said the exact same things, and would say it first, or completely agree. Please, whatever you do, choose the option for taking your own luggage directly off the ship and go the instant it's cleared (about 7:15 am) because they are clueless in that area. It's a total fiasco and almost made us miss a noon flight from MIA. We've cruised many different lines and I find it hard to believe that after doing this itinerary since fall of last year that they haven't made some much needed adjustments in their process, it was unbelievable.

 

 

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[thraak]

MSC boys "Busted" for offering passengers water in Grand Cayman prior to boarding tender:

 

[thraak]

[riclop]

We were on Divina on the 4/26 sailing and I must say, it's cheap for a reason. For the savings, we had fun, but all prices equal, no way would we go MSC again. I'll do a full review soon, and I'll tell you both sides because there are some good things and the main parts of the ship are indeed gorgeous. I'm a firm believer that part of every vacation is what you make of it, but I will warn those of you that are normally Celebrity or Princess travelers, there is no comparison (except maybe in yacht club, which I can't speak for), and the few other travelers we encountered that spoke English fluently all said the exact same things, and would say it first, or completely agree. Please, whatever you do, choose the option for taking your own luggage directly off the ship and go the instant it's cleared (about 7:15 am) because they are clueless in that area. It's a total fiasco and almost made us miss a noon flight from MIA. We've cruised many different lines and I find it hard to believe that after doing this itinerary since fall of last year that they haven't made some much needed adjustments in their process, it was unbelievable.

 

 

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Geez on was at Miami airport before 8 am and had an 11:15 flight . Are you related to Karen who wrote a totally bogus review.

[Calitexar]

Lesson learned...we should have done "self assist". We, too, nearly missed our flight. Disembarkation was horrendous! But, all-in-all, cruise was a good vacation value. As others have said "you can't expect a 5-star experience for a 3-star (or less) price. At higher prices, there are many other options.

[cruisingcanadian]

Lesson learned...we should have done "self assist". We, too, nearly missed our flight. Disembarkation was horrendous! But, all-in-all, cruise was a good vacation value. As others have said "you can't expect a 5-star experience for a 3-star (or less) price. At higher prices, there are many other options.

 

LOL....I had written about my very good experience on the Divina,and almost forgot about the worst travel back to Toronto from Florida...but I feel that there was VERY little fault on the MSC side...just the first part=leaving the ship. Everything what followed had been a combination of unfortunate situations. And yes,doing self disembarkation would have helped but I had never felt a need of doing it. Well,maybe next time after sailing on a MSC ship;).

Edited May 12, 2014 by cruisingcanadian

[Mrs. Squirrel]

I'm a firm believer that part of every vacation is what you make of it, but I will warn those of you that are normally Celebrity or Princess travelers, there is no comparison (except maybe in yacht club, which I can't speak for), and the few other travelers we encountered that spoke English fluently all said the exact same things, and would say it first, or completely agree. Please, whatever you do, choose the option for taking your own luggage directly off the ship and go the instant it's cleared (about 7:15 am) because they are clueless in that area. It's a total fiasco and almost made us miss a noon flight from MIA. We've cruised many different lines and I find it hard to believe that after doing this itinerary since fall of last year that they haven't made some much needed adjustments in their process, it was unbelievable.

 

I can't speak to debarkation, because we did have the 7:15am self-assist due to a 10:35am flight out of FLL. What stumps me is that I was on the same cruise as you. There were lots of passengers who spoke English both as a first language and well as a second or more language. Everyone American we spoke to could not believe why Divina had such poor reviews! This is just the opposite of what you encountered, so I will be looking forward to your review to determine why.

[floridarosie]

Wow. What a negative review. I disagree with everything. We just completed the May 3d sailing and it was wonderful! This makes around forty cruises for me and let me tell you, this is now my favorite ship. I thought the food was great and our waiters certainly knew English and did

a great job serving us. Service was a little slow but certainly understandable for so many passengers. Service was fantastic. So many of the ships have fallen down on this as they have cut staff. Not Divina. Service was like I remember when I started cruising in the early eighties.

 

Nobody forces you to pay for the extras. Just be glad they are offered for the guests who enjoy them. Most ships do not have them.

 

I thought the food in the buffet was great. So many choices for breakfast, I can't imagine someone not finding something they liked. The lunches were great also. What a wonderful variety of food and everything I had was great. We thought the evening meal choices were not as good but was very satisfied with the dining room. I can't wait to go on her again!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

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[thraak]

Wow. What a negative review. I disagree with everything. We just completed the May 3d sailing and it was wonderful! This makes around forty cruises for me and let me tell you, this is now my favorite ship. I thought the food was great and our waiters certainly knew English and did

a great job serving us. Service was a little slow but certainly understandable for so many passengers. Service was fantastic. So many of the ships have fallen down on this as they have cut staff. Not Divina. Service was like I remember when I started cruising in the early eighties.

 

Nobody forces you to pay for the extras. Just be glad they are offered for the guests who enjoy them. Most ships do not have them.

 

I thought the food in the buffet was great. So many choices for breakfast, I can't imagine someone not finding something they liked. The lunches were great also. What a wonderful variety of food and everything I had was great. We thought the evening meal choices were not as good but was very satisfied with the dining room. I can't wait to go on her again!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

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Yep, agree with everything you say!!! And weren't the shows fantastic!!!

.....future Divina cruisers have alot to look forward to!