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

[BayAreaBC]

Everyone is entitled to their opinion and I personally find the bad reviews informative.

 

The gripe about the MSC food seems to be a common complaint in other reviews I've read.

[thraak]

Going to try the NCL Getaway in Sept. The food may be better, but then again the cost of the cruise is twice as much. I had no gripes and enjoyed the Divina food!

[PathfinderEss]

Thanks for your honest review.

[American Bear]

Going to try the NCL Getaway in Sept. The food may be better, but then again the cost of the cruise is twice as much. I had no gripes and enjoyed the Divina food!

 

Met 3 families off the Getaway during our 2 weeks on the Divina(2 in St Martin, 1 in Nassau), and they were all sour about the food and the entertainment on the Getaway! Look forward to you comparing the Getaway with the Divina's food and entertainment!:)

[American Bear]

Everyone is entitled to their opinion and I personally find the bad reviews informative.

 

The gripe about the MSC food seems to be a common complaint in other reviews I've read.

 

 

Common?

I'll disagree!

The Food, and Service in the Restaurant, Buffet, and even Room Service was great during our 2 weeks on the Divina!

We ordered Room Service every day of our 14 days at 630am. They were quick, and the order was always correct! The Divina coffee is the best at sea for regular free coffee!

Then we went up to the buffet for a late breakfast around 930am, the buffet selections were huge, hot, and tasty!

At our late Lunch, we either chose the buffet, or the restaurant open that day, and it was always good!:D

At dinner we mostly used the restaurant where our meals, and service were excellent! (Mika our server, and his crew were great, as was the maitre d' Giovani) A few lazy days we chose the buffet for dinner, and again the selections were plentiful, hot, and very tasty!

The only thing we could see the 'negative foodies' getting upset about was that the evening buffet had only water, ice tea, hot tea, and coffee to drink! No other beverages, so after the first time, we just brought along a few beers!:D No big deal! We'd rather enjoy ourselves then complain!:D

One day at lunch in the restaurant, they had coconut shrimp for an appetizer, and my waiter seeing how quickly I ate them up, asked me, 'would you like another'? So much for the 'negative foodies' on this forum stating service was bad, or they couldn't get seconds, etc.!

We normally ate only 2 or 3 of the courses each night in the restaurant, and because of this we were always leaving the dining room after about an hour, again, so much for the 'negative complainers' about how long it took to eat, maybe if they weren't pigs eating up everything in sight, and then complaining there wasn't more, they'd have gotten out sooner!:eek:

The only nights we stuck around longer was on the parade nights, tiramisu, and flaming Alaska!;)

The 'negative foodies' probably hated that too!

And don't miss the cheese cake with berries and whipped cream, that seemed to always be available in the restaurant, YUM, and definately added a few pounds to my Bear Belly!:D

Edited May 20, 2014 by American Bear

[thraak]

Common?

I'll disagree!

The Food, and Service in the Restaurant, Buffet, and even Room Service was great during our 2 weeks on the Divina!

We ordered Room Service every day of our 14 days at 630am. They were quick, and the order was always correct! The Divina coffee is the best at sea for regular free coffee!

Then we went up to the buffet for a late breakfast around 930am, the buffet selections were huge, hot, and tasty!

At our late Lunch, we either chose the buffet, or the restaurant open that day, and it was always good!:D

At dinner we mostly used the restaurant where our meals, and service were excellent! (Mika our server, and his crew were great, as was the maitre d' Giovani) A few lazy days we chose the buffet for dinner, and again the selections were plentiful, hot, and very tasty!

The only thing we could see the 'negative foodies' getting upset about was that the evening buffet had only water, ice tea, hot tea, and coffee to drink! No other beverages, so after the first time, we just brought along a few beers!:D No big deal! We'd rather enjoy ourselves then complain!:D

One day at lunch in the restaurant, they had coconut shrimp for an appetizer, and my waiter seeing how quickly I ate them up, asked me, 'would you like another'? So much for the 'negative foodies' on this forum stating service was bad, or they couldn't get seconds, etc.!

We normally ate only 2 or 3 of the courses each night in the restaurant, and because of this we were always leaving the dining room after about an hour, again, so much for the 'negative complainers' about how long it took to eat, maybe if they weren't pigs eating up everything in sight, and then complaining there wasn't more, they'd have gotten out sooner!:eek:

The only nights we stuck around longer was on the parade nights, tiramisu, and flaming Alaska!;)

The 'negative foodies' probably hated that too!

And don't miss the cheese cake with berries and whipped cream, that seemed to always be available in the restaurant, YUM, and definately added a few pounds to my Bear Belly!:D

 

UHHHH, you had to remind me of the coffee. It really was VERY good. Pizzas were also very good. Wife loved the cream puffs. Urgh, I miss the Divina so much!!! I know I will be back on in 2015!!!

 

I brought home a "souvenir" coffee mug and it always reminds me of the great time on board. Can't quite match the taste though.

Edited May 20, 2014 by thraak

[alli]

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.

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

 

Raises hand...normally Celebrity or Princess travelers...it is comparable. Very. Well at least the Celebrity and Princess we used to know a decade ago.

 

Our last two cruises on Princess were lacking in food quality, service and entertainment. Anytime Dining on Princess is an absolute nightmare and the maitre'd s are a breed of rude I have never encountered before at sea ( or ahore for that matter). Celebrity has made changes recently that have me leery of booking with them in the near future.

 

MSC provided us with a great alternative to the current American market!

[WhiteWineInTheSun]

You had to remind me of the coffee, American Bear.

 

Just got confirmation today, we'll be on the Divina again in 2015, probably early November. Now I just need to figure out an excuse to get aboard before then-the gelato is calling me.

[boca7]

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.

I was on the 04/26 cruise also & disembarkation was extremely slow, nor off until 12 noon. This was not MSC`s fault, the hold up the port`s security. Seems that whenever the ship stops in Jamaica there are delays.

[American Bear]

I was on the 04/26 cruise also & disembarkation was extremely slow, nor off until 12 noon. This was not MSC`s fault, the hold up the port`s security. Seems that whenever the ship stops in Jamaica there are delays.

 

 

Can't speak about why 4/26 was slow, but can tell you our disembarkation after 14 days which ended with the Western Caribbean/Jamaica stop included was a breeze!

Walked off the ship at 8am, walked out of the building to the pier sidewalk at 815 am, was at our off port parking garage at 820am, and driving on the highway by 830am!

[cruiseclues]

Thank you for your straightforward review...too bad about the way you felt about the food...and it being your worst cruise ever. :):):):)

[resstation]

We were in the YC in March. You just can't beat that experience. I would have to say that even with the very low prices, if there was no YC I wouldn't step foot on that ship. The general pool area was a complete madhouse. I thought the buffet was good but always felt overcrowded during mealtimes. If you can afford it, the YC is a terrific option. Otherwise, other ships, IN MY OPINION, offer a better mix of service, dining and spots to relax than the non-YC Divina. (I posted a rather long review, a link to pictures and a link to a video of our YC2 cabin - you can look them up on my previous posts).

 

I have never sailed the same ship twice since I started cruising in 1978. We are booked on the Divina again in June. Could not pass up the YC3 availability and Europe itinerary. It will be our first European cruise, celebrating my 50th a few months early. Can't wait. (Hope they are not out of limes on that one!!)

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[crbonfiber]

Caren is a buzz kill...glad I was not on the ship with her. Perhaps if she paid more attention to things she would not have had so many problems. I have seen tragic cruise passengers time and time again. They need to pull their heads out of you know where.

[thraak]

We were in the YC in March. You just can't beat that experience. I would have to say that even with the very low prices, if there was no YC I wouldn't step foot on that ship. The general pool area was a complete madhouse. I thought the buffet was good but always felt overcrowded during mealtimes. If you can afford it, the YC is a terrific option. Otherwise, other ships, IN MY OPINION, offer a better mix of service, dining and spots to relax than the non-YC Divina. (I posted a rather long review, a link to pictures and a link to a video of our YC2 cabin - you can look them up on my previous posts).

 

 

 

I have never sailed the same ship twice since I started cruising in 1978. We are booked on the Divina again in June. Could not pass up the YC3 availability and Europe itinerary. It will be our first European cruise, celebrating my 50th a few months early. Can't wait. (Hope they are not out of limes on that one!!)

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

 

 

Yep, getting ready for my NCL Getaway cruise in 50 days,(balcony stateroom).

I did sail on the Divina on April 12, (smallest inside stateroom).

I wouldn't hesitate for a second to get back on the Divina!!!...even in an inside stateroom.