Caribbean Princess or MSC Divina?

[cruisetrail]

Thank you very much for sharing these pictures with us, especially people like me, first time cruisers! We booked balcony 11230 (on MSC Divina), do you have any pictures for this cabin to show me? I'm not sure if it's big enough for four of us (DH, DD 4, DS 18month). Do you think we need to upgrade to suite?

 

Right now we are having a hard time to decide if we should go with Caribbean Princess (5 days west Caribbean, mini suite with balcony, total 2300) or MSC Divina (7 days west Caribbean, balcony, total 2800). CB as I heard has good food great service but need some renovation. The mini suite is a big plus. Divina I'm sure is in good shape but I'm worried about the food and the service.

 

Thank you again for all the info provided!

 

Hi Michelle,

Thank you for your comment on my review.

 

Not a trivial question you asked.

 

Pros and cons

 

CB can be a little "tired" at the moment. Not an issue though.

 

CB pros:

Mini suites on this class of Princess ships are incomparably better than a regular balcony on the Divina. More space, larger balcony, walk-in closet, spacious bathroom with a tub.

Food on Princess again uncomparably better. You can try traditional venues like restaurant and buffet, and also International cafe (food included, beverages extra), proper afternoon tea (included), not sure if they offer pub lunch (included) on this ship - on other ships they do.

 

The price is surpisingly less (??).

 

Unlike the Divina, Princess has spectacular wrap-around promenade, observation deck and amazing Skywalkers Lounge.

Princess clientele in general is more mature.

 

Divina pros

 

They will offer more entertaining shows. I am not sure you'll be able to attend all of them (I would skip 2-3 of them actually) with two small kids.

But 3-4 shows are really spectacular. Unfortunately all shows are based on canned music.

 

Central pool on the Divina is more suitable for kids - there are splash areas around.

There is a good kids club.

 

5 days is not enough (for me :)).

Short cruises are less restful. They may have a kind of "weekend trip" flavour - not always though.

 

A suite on the Divina (I believe) will be expensive. There just a few suites outside Yacht Club - extra comfort enclave.

For the price of a suite I would take a cruise on a different ship.

The Divina is for saving.

 

 

Itinerary is very subjective.

I would prefer to have two stops at nice beach islands. But that's just me.

 

Enjoy your cruises!

Edited August 13, 2014 by cruisetrail

[michelle.zhang.90]

Hi Michelle,

Thank you for your comment on my review.

 

Not a trivial question you asked.

 

Pros and cons

 

CB can be a little "tired" at the moment. Not an issue though.

 

CB pros:

Mini suites on this class of Princess ships are incomparably better than a regular balcony on the Divina. More space, larger balcony, walk-in closet, spacious bathroom with a tub.

Food on Princess again uncomparably better. You can try traditional venues like restaurant and buffet, and also International cafe (food included, beverages extra), proper afternoon tea (included), not sure if they offer pub lunch (included) on this ship - on other ships they do.

 

The price is surpisingly less (??).

 

Unlike the Divina, Princess has spectacular wrap-around promenade, observation deck and amazing Skywalkers Lounge.

Princess clientele in general is more mature.

 

Divina pros

 

They will offer more entertaining shows. I am not sure you'll be able to attend all of them (I would skip 2-3 of them actually) with two small kids.

But 3-4 shows are really spectacular. Unfortunately all shows are based on canned music.

 

Central pool on the Divina is more suitable for kids - there are splash areas around.

There is a good kids club.

 

5 days is not enough (for me :)).

Short cruises are less restful. They may have a kind of "weekend trip" flavour - not always though.

 

A suite on the Divina (I believe) will be expensive. There just a few suites outside Yacht Club - extra comfort enclave.

For the price of a suite I would take a cruise on a different ship.

The Divina is for saving.

 

 

Itinerary is very subjective.

I would prefer to have two stops at nice beach islands. But that's just me.

 

Enjoy your cruises!

 

 

Thank you so much cruisetrail! Then CB it is for our first cruise! Thanks again!

[JF - retired RRT]

If you would like to see photos of a mini-suite, I posted here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1959727

This is the "non-standard" mini-suite, but the size is the same. The main difference is no bathtub. (Didn't miss it at all). The sofa opens up into a bed. The balcony was tremendous. Anyway, you can see how much space would be available.

[michelle.zhang.90]

Thank you for sharing the pictures! The cabin does look like old and need a renovation. The space is big! I love the balcony, it's so spacious!

 

Thanks again!

 

If you would like to see photos of a mini-suite, I posted here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1959727

This is the "non-standard" mini-suite, but the size is the same. The main difference is no bathtub. (Didn't miss it at all). The sofa opens up into a bed. The balcony was tremendous. Anyway, you can see how much space would be available.

[boca7]

Cabins on Divina are small, same as NCL. We have sailed extensively on both, suites on Divina are comparable to mini on Princess. Divina is much larger & attracts families with children with more activities for them. Divina prices onboard are higher & has a big following of Europeans. My choice, not having children is Princess, but 4 in a regular cabin is very tight, even for 2.

Comments on entertainment are correct, pools are overloaded with kids with no supervision.

[Colo Cruiser]

Cabins on Divina are small, same as NCL. We have sailed extensively on both, suites on Divina are comparable to mini on Princess. Divina is much larger & attracts families with children with more activities for them. Divina prices onboard are higher & has a big following of Europeans. My choice, not having children is Princess, but 4 in a regular cabin is very tight, even for 2.

Comments on entertainment are correct, pools are overloaded with kids with no supervision.

 

 

That small? Wow. We had a few small cabins on NCL year. :(