MSC DIVINA: Without Rose Tinted Glasses

[cruisetrail]

Background: we are travel professionals that have cruised with all major cruise lines.

After a few attempts finally decided to try MSC Divina a last month as circumstances were favorable.

 

MSC Divina is a new mega-ship that can accommodate 3,500 passengers in double occupancy ( 4,345 total).

With near 140,000 GRT she is among the largest cruise ships afloat.

 

Design

Positive things about MSC Divina design: external appearance and some beautiful examples of internal decor.

For such a massive ship her silhouette is well proportioned, sleek. Some areas (not all of them) inside the ship show the taste and talented fantasy of their decorators. A nice piece of art deco at sea - the La Luna Piano bar really stands out.

Interiors in general: quite glitzy. A ship of glass and mirrors.

The Divina could be rightfully called “MSC Reflection”.

The lights in many cases are direct (eye irritating), not reflected. This effect is worsened by overuse of mirrors, reflecting floors – even reflected lights become direct lights.

 

We spent a lot of time exploring ship’s décor. Tons of pictures will be in my detailed review later.

 

Unfortunately, negative things about MSC Divina design will populate a much longer list.

Where to start..

Just a few to mention.

Internal planning - no central axis planning, no divided engine uptakes (all largest ships follow this method - Cunard, RCI, NCL).

Therefore: crooked narrow passages, bottlenecks, dead ends.

Many public rooms are dark with low ceilings; sea views are often thoroughly ruined by lifeboats.

Stylish interiors are full of dark corners and wall-to-wall tinted mirrors. It’s pretty easy to ram into a glass wall instead of an open passage. There are lot of “precarious steps” everywhere on the ship.

Elderly people should utilize extreme caution navigating MSC Divina.

 

Interiors are stylish but…. no fresh flowers anywhere on the ship – including YC!

All paper and plastic.

Even those small orchids on tables in the restaurants – paper and plastic as well.

The only place where we unexpectedly noticed a live plant was Galaxy.

 

The Divina lacks real promenade deck. The area that is supposed to have been one of the most attractive parts of the ship looks like a factory backyard clustered with lifeboats. Only small open parts of the boat deck (aft) remind you of what a cruise ship should look and feel like.

There is no observation deck on this ship.

Most part of the open upper decks is surrounded by full height fence that blocks sea views.

There are more and more “kinks” as we go further into details…

 

The ship features two-class system that is marketed as so-called “ship within a ship” concept.

“First class” is called "Yacht Club" (YC).

Although the number of YC clients is as little as about 4%, the space allocated for them is large.

In fact, the YC takes up premium part of the ship leaving the rest of 96% guests without forward observation lounge.

The YC also occupies the forward part of upper deck space – something that is at a premium on the Divina. This ship is one of the most crowded at sea.

There is a dedicated dining room (breakfast, lunch, dinner) for YC guests only – Le Muse (136 seats).

 

Pools

There are four pools on the ship (including the small and shallow one on the YC deck).

The second pool area (counting from the bow) has sliding roof. The pool itself is standard size and depth. This area provides no loungers at all.

The main pool area occupies the central part of the ship. The pool is also standard size and “adult” depth. Splash areas for small kids surround the main pool.

The pool #4 is nicely located on stern. Although inadequately small and extremely crammed, the area provides beautiful scenic views.

The pool itself is relatively small and shallow. Ads call it “infinity pool”.

The trick is that the tiled area of the pool extends to the edge of the stern – where a “watertight” glass barrier is placed.

If the water level in the pool covers the tiled area, there may be an impression of the pool surface going far to the horizon. This is how the pool is presented on promo pictures.

In fact, the pool was never filled to that level during our cruise (MSC does not take the risk ?). The tiled area remained dry and hot – just wasted space considering the lack of loungers in aft pool area.

There is a waterslide (enclosed tube) on the Divina.

 

Cabins

Good news. MSC Divina does feature standard size balcony cabins. There is no squeezing in width like you see on Celebrity or NCL.

Storage space is adequate

The bathroom is as compact as it can be - but it’s OK.

Décor is nice, “contemporary”, a bit dark (my subjective opinion).

On the negative side: terrible lumpy pillows (bring your own!), no reading lights.

 

The Divina cabins and balconies vary greatly in size and value. The “standard size” balcony are only those on the “old” hump (before additional cabins were added to the Divina vs the original Fantasia design).

It’s important to do your homework well as different cabins now can be seen in the same category on MSC deck plans. They are in the same price category (important for the cruise line), but in fact they are in different value categories (important for us consumers).

 

I will post a detailed cabins review in a dedicated MSC Divina thread.

 

Unlike other mega-ships, the Divina has just a few cabins that can be attested as suites.

All of them are located forward, mostly in the YC.

Most of “YC suites” are in fact standard balcony cabins that are made slightly longer to accommodate walk-in closets. These nicely decorated cabins have tubs in place of shower stalls. In cruise industry cabins like this can be ranked not higher than mini suites.

However, eight larger balcony cabins in the YC are perfect mini suites.

 

Dining

The worst part of cruising experience on MSC Divina is dining.

The choices in MDR are limited (four main courses vs 6-7 on other cruise ships).

I will post menus in my detailed review later – that will be 100% objective information.

How did MDR food taste? Tastes differ. Here we are on more subjective part. I would say: nothing to write home about. Rather boring, with pasta being the worst part.

We did not expect authentic Italian cuisine on this ship.

Don’t be fooled by ads and cheerful reports. If you want Italian food – visit Italy or go to a nearest Italian café in your city. Mind you, that will be more “authentic” Italian food.

 

No anytime dining available in the Divina MDR.

 

Buffet – crowded at peak hours that is normal for a mass market cruise ship.

What is abnormal – how crowded it was.

The amount of awkward, unnecessary furniture and narrow passages between decorative obstacles reminds me of the buffet on Costa Destiny Class ships.

Go to the very aft of the buffet for less crowds and nice aft views.

The dining space is totally enclosed.

Al fresco dining unfortunately did not find its way to the Divina.

 

Buffet food – a boring, repetitive, tasteless, cheap interpretation of what is called “regular buffet fare on a cruise ship” with the omission of omelets cooked to order, eggs benedict, smoked salmon, berries of any kind, mango, kiwi, sea food, anything freshly prepared in your presence.

This buffet forced us to go to MDR for breakfast several times – something we never do on cruise ships.

Orange juice – cheap quality.

Coffee - very good, very strong. Note that if strong coffee is not recommended for you.

Desserts – good looking but.. Most of them are those based on “something whipped” with added color and flavor. You know what it is.

What was good – old reliable éclairs.

There are no poolside junk food stations on the Divina. All the junk stuff is inside.

There you find hamburgers (premade and wrapped!) and salty slices of rubber called pizza.

 

Alternative free dining options are nonexistent on the Divina.

 

Specialty (extra charge) dining..

There are two venues called Galaxy and Eataly (with an addition of a small room called Ristorante Italia).

Both venues lack atmosphere.

They were empty most of the time.

We tried one of them and decided not to go back.

“Specialty pizza” was a joke – more in my Divina review.

 

MSC is switching now from “provincial model” to follow cruise industry standards of cruising. But it looks like they still have to learn how to organize specialty dining (and other services) on cruise ships.

 

Service

Before we rank this part of cruising experience we need to carefully distinguish service provided by service personnel (stewards, waiters) from the concept and standards of service established by the cruise line.

As consumers, we pay for and experience both parts as a whole thing.

 

Sevice people – charming hard workers, well trained, attentive, all speak/understand English. Dinner at MDR never took more that 1.5 hour total. Service was prompt. Waiters remember you preferences. Just a glance is enough to draw attention and be served.

So, everything service-wise was as …. on a cruise ship operated by any expert cruise line.

One thing that seemed (to both of us) – they look less happy with their life on board that we usually “feel” on other ships.

For their work I would put solid 5 of 5.

 

Service as it arranged by the cruse line

Solid 2 of 5.

We mentioned absence of free dining options and anytime dining.

Add unbelievably crammed MDR, low standards of food variety, poorest buffet dinner at sea (after Costa where it does not exist at all).

Small things like canned milk for coffee in MDR instead of fresh milk.

 

Buffet food seats on trays. Replenishing food goes under the counters first and stays there until the food on the top of the counters is taken – a “stale food guarantee” model.

There are scones in the buffet between 4 and 5 pm but no whipped cream.

There is mozzarella but no basil pesto sauce (on the Italian ship!).

“Whipped cream” for premade waffles looks and tastes like non-diary product.

 

No proper afternoon tea.

The gym is too small for the number of passengers.

Spa amenities – no hydropool, no heated beds. The relaxation room is a joke.

Thermal rooms go beddy-bye at… 8:45 pm!

A “serene” sun deck 18 for fee on a ship that lacks open sun deck space… Never else at sea!

 

The Yacht Club

Thanks to our friends, we had a good opportunity to experience YC.

More details in the Divina review.

 

 

Entertainment

The most positive impressions – two or three shows in the theater.

Very good.

Spectacular.

Excellent costumes.

High energy cast – dancers, athlets.

 

In a few words: all shows (except “operas”) are combinations of singing, dancing and “cirque on the stage” stunts.

The performers actually do the same things in different shows and in different costumes.

 

The annoying thing is the lack of live music on the stage.

Only canned music.

Some shows are good match to canned music. “The Withes of Paris” – outstanding show. Full of energy. This is a funny parody, so canned music that is also a parody itself was right in place. Beautiful show!

“Michael Jackson”(impersonator) show was interesting due to personality of the main artist. An excellent performer.

“Pirates” were colorful but repetitive. So-so.

“Wonderland” we liked the least. Childish costumed performance (like Royal Promenade Parade on RCI) and the same stunts.

 

We were not impressed by the “opera” attempts.

It was just painful to listen – classic live voices & amplified canned music enhanced by some effects.

 

Overall entertainment program was good with a couple of outstanding shows.

Did we see better entertainment at sea? Yes, we did.

Entertainment program previews on youtube saved us a lot of time – we knew what to expect.

Various performers could be seen in various bars and lounges – as usual on cruise ships.

The only really solid musical performance – a classic trio – unfortunately was placed in the atrium. It’s the same as playing classic music in a department store during sales time or on a railway station at peak hours.

We simply could not enjoy the music due to much noise.

 

Children on the ship

Unfortunately MSC failed to maintain order.

On sea days pools become a zoo with kids allowed in all pools that is unacceptable.

There must be a dedicated adult only pool area on the ship.

 

 

All in all – did we have a good time?

Yes, we did because we know how to do it - cruising ITSELF is a pleasure.

We are grateful to a few posters here who posted thoughtful, factual, critical reviews – the most helpful ones.

How do we rank this cruise?

The worst cruise we ever had. Even the worst cruise is a cruise and it’s better than days at work.

Would we recommend this cruise?

I would say that the Divina can be conditionally recommended.

This is cruise and booze concept first of all – allegrissimo, allegrissimo, allegrissimo – 18 or so bars on the ship!

The ship is very crowded; food is below average, service concept is poor, crew members are charming, prices are cheap, some shows are not to be missed.

Choose what is important to you.

If you are interested - read my detailed review thread later (design, cabins, balconies, menus, daily programs, Yacht Club and more).

 

A few pictures as a preview:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[thraak]

Wow, I can't believe how annoying this venture was for you. I loved it. Anyways, since I respect your professional opinion, could you tell me what Caribbean cruiseline or ship that was your favorite?

Thanks!!!

[Mrs. Squirrel]

I don't even know where to start.

 

I will start with the positive. Your pictures are beautiful!

 

Other than that, I have no idea what you mean by, "We are travel professionals." Since you purposely choose not to clarify this statement at the beginning of your review, it appears that its intent is to elevate your status, and thus your opinions, above the rest of us. Your review begins in condescension that climaxes with your statement, "We are grateful to a few posters here who posted thoughtful, factual, critical reviews – the most helpful ones."

 

I can only guess you intended the use of the word critical to mean characterized by careful evaluation and judgement. The fact is, your review reads as if you value only reviews that are critical as in marked by a tendency to find and call attention to errors and flaws.

 

Do you then believe the opinions of reviewers, like myself, who sailed and liked Divina, are shallow, lying, impetuous, and useless? This is frankly offensive, so I really hope I am wrong.

[alexkrn46]

cruisetrail, I agree with your comment about inconsistency, you should have never been allowed in the YC. why did you waste your money since you had a perceived notion of the Divina.

 

if I do not like a product I avoid it .

[thraak]

I can't believe how many untruths there are in your review. It's borderline criminal!!!

Even right down to the "lumpy pillows". THAT is definitely a first!!!....,I guess everyone else just got lucky with their pillows!!! Sheeesh'

[Katgoesonholiday]

I see you swapped your rose tinted glasses for a nice pair of blinkers. :p

 

I got about halfway through this review and lost interest because I found it too subjective (i.e. ships should have fresh flowers and a wrap around promenade and if they don't then this is terribly poor) and full of statements that weren't backed up with facts (i.e. the gym was too small ... with no indication of how many people could it accommodate at a time; how many people were generally using it; were there queues to use equipment; what time of day was this observed etc etc).

 

I'm glad you took the chance to try the product but the result was a foregone conclusion because you had made up your mind long before you even booked the tickets.

 

I hope you enjoy your next cruise better!

[toes_in_sand]

I can't believe how many untruths there are in your review. It's borderline criminal!!!

Even right down to the "lumpy pillows". THAT is definitely a first!!!....,I guess everyone else just got lucky with their pillows!!! Sheeesh'

 

My pillows were just perfect. Far from being lumpy

[cruisingcanadian]

I can't believe how many untruths there are in your review. It's borderline criminal!!!

Even right down to the "lumpy pillows". THAT is definitely a first!!!....,I guess everyone else just got lucky with their pillows!!! Sheeesh'

 

thraak,did you have good pillows? If yes,you sure were lucky. I enjoyed my cruise on Divina very much but had the WORST pillows of all my 17 cruises. I just did not mentioned it in my mini review as several other small issues. Must admit that the pillows were so bad that I shouldn't have considered it a "small" issue. Would be interesting to find out what was the filling in them:eek:.

[thraak]

thraak,did you have good pillows? If yes,you sure were lucky. I enjoyed my cruise on Divina very much but had the WORST pillows of all my 17 cruises. I just did not mentioned it in my mini review as several other small issues. Must admit that the pillows were so bad that I shouldn't have considered it a "small" issue. Would be interesting to find out what was the filling in them:eek:.

 

 

 

I stand corrected. I guess I was fortunate. They were amazing!!! I guess they treated me well in my $369 inside cabin. It is good to know because I intend to board the Divina in the future and if they are not acceptable, I will request better ones. I'm not one to complain, but like the cruise director said, if there are any discomforts or issues, to bring it to their attention so that they have a chance to rectify the problem.

Edited May 22, 2014 by thraak

[Giantfan13]

WOW

 

Should I cancel my reservation ASAP, or go and try it out for myself.

 

Myself, not being a snob and usually satisfied with decent service, decent food and a place to sit and watch the days go by, figure to have a grand time on the Divina.

 

Sorry.

 

Cheers

 

Len

[thraak]

WOW

 

Should I cancel my reservation ASAP, or go and try it out for myself.

 

Myself, not being a snob and usually satisfied with decent service, decent food and a place to sit and watch the days go by, figure to have a grand time on the Divina.

 

Sorry.

 

Cheers

 

Len

 

 

I wouldn't cancel if I were you. The past few months, alot of people have been sailing the Divina and loving it, including myself. When my W. Caribbean ended (April19th), I said that I didn't want to cruise on any other ship. I have since booked two upcoming cruises on NCL Getaway and NCL Sky because of the buy one get one free offer, offered earlier this month.

So next Fall I will be hopping back on the Divina and looking forward to it.

Edited May 22, 2014 by thraak

[cruisingcanadian]

I stand corrected. I guess I was fortunate. They were amazing!!! I guess they treated me well in my $369 inside cabin. It is good to know because I intend to board the Divina in the future and if they are not acceptable, I will request better ones. I'm not one to complain, but like the cruise director said, if there are any discomforts or issues, to bring it to their attention so that they have a chance to rectify the problem.

 

Yes,thraak,I should have done that:o;I,too,am not one to complain,so after little morning exercise to relieve my stiff neck I forgot about it as I was very happy to be at sea on a beautiful ship:D.

[Katgoesonholiday]

Just so y'all aware I'm not a professional in any walk of life (except possibly sarcasm and vodka) so don't apply any weight or value to my comments. :p

 

How interesting! Turns out you and I share a profession! :p

[bachcruise]

I'm impressed you're reviewing a ship that you actually stepped foot on. Congrats..?

[thraak]

OP:

I do not feel as though your MSC Divina review follows the guidelines that you set forth yourself while reviewing cruise ships.

 

Below are the guidelines that you have set forth at an earlier time in your career:

 

 

 

 

 

 

MS Eurodam & Nieuw Amsterdam - The GRAND TOUR of SIGNATURE class - Pics and Video

Preface

 

Hi everyone,

This will be a longer thread devoted to Holland America Signature Class ships - MS Eurodam and MS Nieuw Amsterdam.

I am going to share with you what I know about these ships, what I have seen on these ships, what I feel about these ships.

The Video Review is ready (please see my signature), now the picture review is following.

 

I wasn't sure if I should post this in a blog rather than on Cruise Critic message board.

Finally I decided to post it here.

Let this board have a little bit more colors...

 

My target audience are first time cruisers and cruisers with some experience not related to HAL Signature class ships, and of course all of you friends who like sea travel.

 

Cruise Critic is an amazing resource for everything cruising.

Tons of valuable info can be found here.

It's exciting, entertaining, educating.....

However, this is a public forum - everyone can post here.

So no one should be surprised to see posts mmmm... not very informative (a polite phrase).

 

So here is a few necessary tips for first timers.

 

 

How to read cruise reviews?

 

This question is worth a separate article, however...

 

1.Do your own research:

look for facts in reviews (or from elsewhere), measurable things, pictures, videos, deck plans, menus, statistics, detailed descriptions.

Putting them together will get you a picture.

 

What will you get if you add "stunning"+"beautiful"+"wonderful"?

Nothing but the fact that someone likes something.

It's not a fact that the ship is "beautiful".

The only fact is that someone likes it.

It's encouraging but can be misleading.

Think of Carnival Ecstasy - 76% like it.

Get more facts.

 

2. Facts vs Opinions

Some posters come up with nothing more than opinions and believe that others do the same. Ask follow up questions.

Ask for facts.

You'll see them disappearing or switching topics.

 

3. Different strokes for different folks.

Most typically said when the poster has nothing to say on the topic.

 

4. How can you know that before you actually take a cruise on this ship?

Sent this poster back to elementary school.

Experienced cruiser know how.

 

5. There is so much to do on this ship.

Translation: I really don't know what to impress you with...

 

6. Cruise line fanatics on message boards.

You'll get most objective information from posters that cruise on different cruise lines and have diverse experience.

This is natural.

Seeing the one and the only cruise line in poster's cruising history is an alarming factor.

There are so many charming people in those groups that are able to share some rare details about cruise ships and and their long time experience with a particular cruise line.

But be careful.

Most aggressive fanatics on message boards are likely to be from these groups.

They specialize on personal remarks, they won't hesitate to post insults or lie directed to those who does not pray to their god. They will twist and bend facts and topics, they will shamelessly come back over and over just to trash your thread.

Have your recycle bin ready. Don't argue with them.

 

7. How can you compare these two cruise lines?

A silly question because cruise lines have many different ships. Sometimes the difference between the ships of the same cruise line is more dramatic than between different cruise lines!

Don't ask this silly question.

We don't cruise on cruise lines, we cruise on cruise ships.

Ask about the ships you are going to cruise.

 

8. Food is subjective.

Another old mantra.

Make food discussion less subjective.

Take a closer look at dining options.

Which cruise ship offers better food:

the one with MDR (Main Dining Room), one specialty restaurant and no buffet

or that one - MDR, 3 specialty, buffet, atrium cafe, pub lunch, afternoon tea?

Can the food on the fist ship taste better?

Theoretically - yes.

Practically - not.

How do I know?

From practice!

Now you too know for sure which one offers better food.

Even before you taste it, even before you "set foot on board".

Well, there may be more complex examples ....

 

Happy cruising and let's go back to our topic.

__________________

Cunard * Holland America * Princess * Royal Caribbean * Celebrity * Carnival * NCL * Costa * MSC

 

MS Eurodam & Nieuw Amsterdam Detailed Review: design, cabins, balconies, public rooms, well-being at sea, dining, menus, daily programs...

RMS Queen Mary - Transatlantic

MS Eurodam & MS Nieuw Amsterdam Video Review - The Ultimate View New!

Princess "Super Grand" Class - Video Cruise

Allure of the Seas - The Ultimate View Most popular!

Allure Of the Seas -The Ultimate View INSIDE New!

Liberty of the Seas - Video

The Splendor and Misery of Celebrity: Eclipse and S-Class Ships Review in Pictures - Part 1

The Splendor and Misery of Celebrity: Eclipse and S-Class Ships Review in Pictures - Part 2

Celebrity Solstice - Video

Celebrity Eclipse - Video

Costa Favolosa - Departure from Venice!

Last edited by cruisetrail; August 11th, 2013 at 04:37 PM.

[AmoMondo]

Definition of professional:http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/professional

 

So which is it? Do you belong to a professional and accredited travel association or is it number 2 you are paid to travel, if so by whom? HAL?

[cruisetrail]

So how much did your friends let you experience the yc?

 

Enough to be an expert on the yc I bet.

 

(

 

Yes. Except for Sophia Loren suite. :)

[legion3]

Yes. Except for Sophia Loren suite. :)

 

 

Now I know your expert review on the yc is going to be a depressing exercise in pre determined bias.

 

Sigh :(

 

If you were in the yc more than an hour you were in there to long without paying for the, what was the term you used in your previous Divina posts? Oh yes Faux Luxury.

 

Whats the opppsite of rose colored glasses?

[legion3]

Also if I may ask,

 

Why did you post a picture of an advertising banner for the Vienna state opera house?

 

I like Verdi as much as the next composer and Vienna is a great city but what do they have to do with a Divina "review?"

 

Or does this picture validate you as an opera expert, thus giving weight to you post about not liking the "opera" attempts?

 

Will there be a picture of the the Ritz in London in order to validate "no proper afternoon tea?"

[moomoocow]

I don't even know where to start.

 

I will start with the positive. Your pictures are beautiful!

 

Other than that, I have no idea what you mean by, "We are travel professionals." Since you purposely choose not to clarify this statement at the beginning of your review, it appears that its intent is to elevate your status, and thus your opinions, above the rest of us. Your review begins in condescension that climaxes with your statement, "We are grateful to a few posters here who posted thoughtful, factual, critical reviews – the most helpful ones."

 

I can only guess you intended the use of the word critical to mean characterized by careful evaluation and judgement. The fact is, your review reads as if you value only reviews that are critical as in marked by a tendency to find and call attention to errors and flaws.

 

Do you then believe the opinions of reviewers, like myself, who sailed and liked Divina, are shallow, lying, impetuous, and useless? This is frankly offensive, so I really hope I am wrong.

 

You're not wrong Jayne. It's one thing for someone to post a review like this. It is quite another to eradicate opposing views. And what is really offensive is the supercilious responses suggesting they are clearly superior as you chose MSC.

 

Congratulations on remaining in the thread. I agree 100% with your post.

[legion3]

Others, please note all the positive comments and compliments, and qualified recommendation Cruisetrail has offered (before you flame him further).

 

 

Which ones were these?

[sidari]

where a “watertight” glass barrier is placed. .... I am guessing that remark was tongue in cheek ?

 

In fact, the pool was never filled to that level during our cruise (MSC does not take the risk ?). They know better after the Transatlantic to Miami.

Cruisetrail and myself rarely agree on MSC items but having read all of the original post there are things he/she mentions that was in my review of the Transatlantic to Miami, others have also posted reviews which mention the same issues.Those issues are not made up though i can only guess that since the TA some have been made better or cleared up and some clearly remain.

 

Many people said that CT should not respond to MSC posts having never been on an MSC ship! well now that he/she has and posted a response people are attacking the mini review because they want to believe that everything in the MSC garden is rosy.

 

If that is how you see it, all well and good, but do not knock people for having an opposing view, it seems to me that many cruising on Divina think it is great because of the very low cost they are paying which appears to sway their thoughts when it comes to posting a review.

 

The last thing i want is to read hundreds of glowing reports only to find that there was no truth in many of them, if people point out things that they believe are issues at least you are forewarned in advance of sailing and are aware of them.

 

Sadly some see these as being negative rather than informative and want to wear their rose tinted glasses.

[neptuno]

Which ones were these?

 

Please read the entire mini-review carefully. There is as much positive as negative. Please, let's debate the ship, not the poster. Thank you.

[legion3]

Please read the entire mini-review carefully. There is as much positive as negative. Please, let's debate the ship, not the poster. Thank you.

 

OK

 

Positive things about MSC Divina design: external appearance and some beautiful examples of internal decor.

For such a massive ship her silhouette is well proportioned, sleek. Some areas (not all of them) inside the ship show the taste and talented fantasy of their decorators. A nice piece of art deco at sea - the La Luna Piano bar really stands out.

Interiors in general: quite glitzy. A ship of glass and mirrors.

The Divina could be rightfully called “MSC Reflection”.

The lights in many cases are direct (eye irritating), not reflected. This effect is worsened by overuse of mirrors, reflecting floors – even reflected lights become direct lights.

This appears a 50-50 negative to positive review, looks good in some areas, lights suck, sort of muted praise for design. A mixed paragraph at best.

 

Unfortunately, negative things about MSC Divina design will populate a much longer list.

Where to start..

Just a few to mention.

Internal planning - no central axis planning, no divided engine uptakes (all largest ships follow this method - Cunard, RCI, NCL).

Therefore: crooked narrow passages, bottlenecks, dead ends.

Many public rooms are dark with low ceilings; sea views are often thoroughly ruined by lifeboats.

Stylish interiors are full of dark corners and wall-to-wall tinted mirrors. It’s pretty easy to ram into a glass wall instead of an open passage. There are lot of “precarious steps” everywhere on the ship.

Elderly people should utilize extreme caution navigating MSC Divina.

But now the design is slammed, clearly the negative is greater than the positive now in the next paragraph. One full negative paragraph.

 

Interiors are stylish but…. no fresh flowers anywhere on the ship – including YC!

All paper and plastic.

Even those small orchids on tables in the restaurants – paper and plastic as well.

The only place where we unexpectedly noticed a live plant was Galaxy.

Stylish but... those pesky buts :cool: Another negative paragraph.

 

The Divina lacks real promenade deck. The area that is supposed to have been one of the most attractive parts of the ship looks like a factory backyard clustered with lifeboats. Only small open parts of the boat deck (aft) remind you of what a cruise ship should look and feel like.

There is no observation deck on this ship.

Most part of the open upper decks is surrounded by full height fence that blocks sea views.

There are more and more “kinks” as we go further into details…

Chalk up another negative paragraph.

 

The ship features two-class system that is marketed as so-called “ship within a ship” concept.

“First class” is called "Yacht Club" (YC).

Although the number of YC clients is as little as about 4%, the space allocated for them is large.

In fact, the YC takes up premium part of the ship leaving the rest of 96% guests without forward observation lounge.

The YC also occupies the forward part of upper deck space – something that is at a premium on the Divina. This ship is one of the most crowded at sea.

There is a dedicated dining room (breakfast, lunch, dinner) for YC guests only – Le Muse (136 seats).

Unless you are in the YC there seem little positive in this paragraph too. chalk up another negative paragraph.

 

So the design section is clearly not overly positive.

 

Lets see the pools!

 

There are four pools on the ship (including the small and shallow one on the YC deck).

The second pool area (counting from the bow) has sliding roof. The pool itself is standard size and depth. This area provides no loungers at all.

The main pool area occupies the central part of the ship. The pool is also standard size and “adult” depth. Splash areas for small kids surround the main pool.

The pool #4 is nicely located on stern. Although inadequately small and extremely crammed, the area provides beautiful scenic views.

The pool itself is relatively small and shallow. Ads call it “infinity pool”.

The trick is that the tiled area of the pool extends to the edge of the stern – where a “watertight” glass barrier is placed.

If the water level in the pool covers the tiled area, there may be an impression of the pool surface going far to the horizon. This is how the pool is presented on promo pictures.

In fact, the pool was never filled to that level during our cruise (MSC does not take the risk ?). The tiled area remained dry and hot – just wasted space considering the lack of loungers in aft pool area.

There is a waterslide (enclosed tube) on the Divina.

Umm, I guess the pools are OK and are mostly positive? Small and shallow seems to be the overall view. not sure this is a positive paragraph or not. its tone seems iffy. A mixed review?

 

On to cabins!

 

Good news. MSC Divina does feature standard size balcony cabins. There is no squeezing in width like you see on Celebrity or NCL.

Storage space is adequate

The bathroom is as compact as it can be - but it’s OK.

Décor is nice, “contemporary”, a bit dark (my subjective opinion).

On the negative side: terrible lumpy pillows (bring your own!), no reading lights.

This is high praise in this review. Even with the lumpy pillows I will give this a positive check mark.

 

After some sage advice about doing your homework on which cabin/balcony to choose we move on to further review.

 

Unlike other mega-ships, the Divina has just a few cabins that can be attested as suites.

All of them are located forward, mostly in the YC.

Most of “YC suites” are in fact standard balcony cabins that are made slightly longer to accommodate walk-in closets. These nicely decorated cabins have tubs in place of shower stalls. In cruise industry cabins like this can be ranked not higher than mini suites.

However, eight larger balcony cabins in the YC are perfect mini suites.

Again this is a mixed bag of a review. the tone suggest a negative point of view. Call this a wash, sort of.

 

Dining

this entire section was all negative. nothing was good. Literally 4-5 paragraphs of negative stuff. EVERYTHING!

 

Entertainment

The most positive impressions – two or three shows in the theater.

Very good.

Spectacular.

Excellent costumes.

High energy cast – dancers, athlets.

this was the only part of the review that was unqualified positive.

 

But then...

 

The annoying thing is the lack of live music on the stage.

Only canned music.

Some shows are good match to canned music. “The Withes of Paris” – outstanding show. Full of energy. This is a funny parody, so canned music that is also a parody itself was right in place. Beautiful show!

“Michael Jackson”(impersonator) show was interesting due to personality of the main artist. An excellent performer.

“Pirates” were colorful but repetitive. So-so.

“Wonderland” we liked the least. Childish costumed performance (like Royal Promenade Parade on RCI) and the same stunts.

 

We were not impressed by the “opera” attempts.

It was just painful to listen – classic live voices & amplified canned music enhanced by some effects.

Another mixed bag

Overall entertainment program was good with a couple of outstanding shows.

Did we see better entertainment at sea? Yes, we did.

Entertainment program previews on youtube saved us a lot of time – we knew what to expect.

Various performers could be seen in various bars and lounges – as usual on cruise ships.

The only really solid musical performance – a classic trio – unfortunately was placed in the atrium. It’s the same as playing classic music in a department store during sales time or on a railway station at peak hours.

We simply could not enjoy the music due to much noise.

OK, mostly positive on entertainment? or a mixed bag?

 

Children on the ship

Unfortunately MSC failed to maintain order.

On sea days pools become a zoo with kids allowed in all pools that is unacceptable.

There must be a dedicated adult only pool area on the ship.

Negative

 

finally the most telling two lines of the whole thing.

 

How do we rank this cruise?

The worst cruise we ever had.

 

 

OK so I re read it and in the end I have come up with,

 

Only two positive things, both in the entertainment realm. Canned music even made this section qualified.

 

4 mixed reviews - and that depends if you can stretch the pool and suite sections to the middle.

 

and finally a solid 5 negative paragraphs + another huge section on food completely negative. I assigned it 4 full negative paragraphs and some single biting partial sentences. which if thrown together makes 5.

 

So 9 solid negative paragraphs.

 

 

So I must disagree that this review was

was fairly balanced, not overly negative

It was in fact extremely negative both in substance and in tone.

 

But no one is surprised really. It was quite predictable.

[legion3]

Oh I missed the service section.

 

Sevice people – charming hard workers, well trained, attentive, all speak/understand English. Dinner at MDR never took more that 1.5 hour total. Service was prompt. Waiters remember you preferences. Just a glance is enough to draw attention and be served.

So, everything service-wise was as …. on a cruise ship operated by any expert cruise line.

One thing that seemed (to both of us) – they look less happy with their life on board that we usually “feel” on other ships.

For their work I would put solid 5 of 5.

 

OK, good service was provided by the rank and file. And despite the feeling they are less happy this is another positive.

 

But then the service took an inevitable turn.

 

Service as it arranged by the cruse line

Solid 2 of 5.

We mentioned absence of free dining options and anytime dining.

Add unbelievably crammed MDR, low standards of food variety, poorest buffet dinner at sea (after Costa where it does not exist at all).

Small things like canned milk for coffee in MDR instead of fresh milk.

 

MSC is a negative not its people! Another negative.

 

Buffet food seats on trays. Replenishing food goes under the counters first and stays there until the food on the top of the counters is taken – a “stale food guarantee” model.

There are scones in the buffet between 4 and 5 pm but no whipped cream.

There is mozzarella but no basil pesto sauce (on the Italian ship!).

“Whipped cream” for premade waffles looks and tastes like non-diary product.

 

Another food negative.

 

No proper afternoon tea.

The gym is too small for the number of passengers.

Spa amenities – no hydropool, no heated beds. The relaxation room is a joke.

Thermal rooms go beddy-bye at… 8:45 pm!

A “serene” sun deck 18 for fee on a ship that lacks open sun deck space… Never else at sea!

 

an assorted section but solidly in the negative.

 

So if added to the previous count we add one more positive (for a total of three items) and 3 negatives ( for a total of... well a lot more than 3)