MSC Divina - Aug 23 Eastern Caribbean - First time with MSC

[Laserjock]

I realize there are many reviews of the Divina, with GiantsFan and Mike giving their takes on the same trip, but I thought I would throw in my two cents on our experience on this ship and trip.

 

To set some background, my wife and I [48 and 52, respectively] have cruised a few times but always on Holland America and always in their SA class suites. We cruise to relax...get out enjoy some of our favorite places in the Caribbean and just try to restore some sanity lost in our daily lives.

 

We chose MSC because it had a decent itenerary and in order to try out the Yacht Club and see what that was all about. So here is a brief summary of what we found.

 

Negatives - I am not sure what actually to call this section because while we did find some things that I feel are probably nitpicky...none of them would prevent us from sailing with MSC and in the Yacht Club again. With that said there were some things that, based on our past cruises, were not stellar.

 

We arrived at the port around 10:45 and the taxis dropped us off right in front of the Yacht Club tent. The proceeded to remove my baggage tags and put new ones on...I tipped the porter very well and he took both bags. I dont understand how, but it was almost 8:30pm before my wife's bag was found and delivered to our room. We literally were concerned about it being lost. Mine was delivered sometime between around 12:30 and 2pm. We had to eat dinner in our traveling clothes, which the Concierge and our wonderful Maitre D Giusseppe brushed off as no issue. However I don't understand how this could happen and my wife was not impressed to start the trip this way.

 

The suite [YC1] was beautifully decorated...however small. We dont spend that much time in the room but it still felt cramped to be classified as a suite. Bathroom was also a bit small but really could have been off the list if they had just added 4-6 inches of counter space depth on either side of the sinks. That alone would have removed this from my list. The shower was great and not sure what people are doing that constantly leave the floor covered in water but we never had the issue. The balcony was ok...again, the SA suites on Holland's ships leave you spoiled with suite and balcony space.

 

Couple of nights someone on Deck 16 [we were on 15] was letting their kid run up and down and up and down and [well..you get the picture] of the hallways above us. That is not something I would expect of folks in TYC. Just annoying to be honest.

 

My biggest critique of this ship is that there are way too many employees who literally speak little to no English. To the point of not being able to communicate. One night we were walking through Deck 7 to get to Le Muse and ran across a young lady in a wheelchair with 2 small kids in her lap. One hers...the other her friends, whom she somehow had lost track of in the crowds. She was speaking to an MSC maintenance worker [assuming by the jumpsuit] asking for help and this guy just could not speak a word of English and she was very frustrated by the time we came across them. I tried to explain to him what she was asking for or if he could get someone to help her and he just walked away to the elevator and left. While everyone on the ship was genuinely nice and helpful, communication I think is a problem on the ship and I observed it several times.

 

Everything else [aka The Good] - So let me start by saying...we felt truly spoiled sailing in the The Yacht Club...it is truly everything it is built up to be. Embarkation was such a breeze. They took us to the waiting lounge and with the exception of a group that "forced" their way in to use the lounge and proceed to pack their purses with the cookies and bottles of fruit juices it was great. They escorted us to the concierge on deck 15 and setup our dinner times and table, then took us to the room. Rai, our butler, was amazing. The Top Sail Lounge on Deck 15 felt like our private lounge as it just seemed there were hardly people in it most of the trip. The One Bar and pool area on Deck 18 were fabulous. It was a big surprise when we went up there after getting on the ship and being shown the room so that we could get a drink to find a lunch buffet and some beef filet that was so tender you could eat it with a fork.

 

Le Muse was fantastic. The angus beef filets they serve are as good and well prepared as I have had anywhere. There was nothing that we ordered that was not just fabulously well prepared and the service was impeccable. Whether breakfast, lunch or dinner, it was just an amazing place to eat and relax.

 

The ship itself was gorgeous. We found it a bit of a challenge to navigate where we wanted to go at times, but she is a beautiful ship.

 

It was amazing that the bars/lounges just never seemed that busy. I know there were a ton of people on board because we thought we would try the Buffet for lunch one day and we knew where everyone was LOL. We never once heard anyone in the suites on either side of us...never once saw or heard them on their balconies or coming or going from their rooms during the cruise. My wife swears no one was in those suites but I know they were all sold out when I was trying to get one for us. It was the quietest floor we have ever been on be it cruise ship or hotel.

 

We watched a couple of the shows and echo what has been said...those performers work their tails off. I thought they were kind of redundant with the use of some of the acrobatics, which appeared to be the same across a couple of different shows, but otherwise very well done.

 

The itenerary was typical for EC cruises...we love St Martin and San Juan...was the reason we chose this cruise...and as always those lived up to their expectation. We somehow managed to NOT shop like we normally do. Spent the day at Orient Beach when in St Martin then walked around Phillipsburg and had some drinks. San Juan was hazy and hot when we got there. We did have lunch at Barrachina and enjoyed a couple of their amazing pina coladas....no trip to SJ would be complete without it. Went to Walgreens and stocked up on Ron Barralito rum [used in the Barrachina pina coladas...the 2 star is fabulous for mixing]. Here is the odd part of this whole SJ stop....we bought the rum early...before lunch time..and decided to take it back to the ship to hand over so I would not have to lug it around all day. Well, I had 6 bottles in two Walgreens bags [they have the best prices] and I got to the security point and kinda held them up and then put them on the scanner....they came out and I grabbed them and then proceeded to TRY to get someone to take them....security asked me to move along into the ship and then the MSC folks steering people around also just pointed me to an elevator after again holding the bags up asking if someone needed to check this in. Nope...took them up and to the room where they sat the rest of the cruise. I found that to be very, very weird.

 

I thought that Great Stirrup Cay was small. The beach was smaller than Half Moon Cay that HA uses. That water was not as clear, at Half Moon Cay you could stand in water to your neck and count your toes...not so much at GSC, but was still beautiful and we spent a ton of time just enjoying the place. Bartenders were a mess at the island. They ran out of rum at one bar and just in general appeared disorganized. Granted, they were very busy, but the bars were setup poorly and contributed to the chaos.

 

All that being said, we would sail with MSC in the Yacht Club without hesitation...and my wife even said that it may be hard not to sail that way again after the pampering and relaxation.

Edited September 2, 2014 by Laserjock
forgot some stuff of course!

[Mikesa1721]

I realize there are many reviews of the Divina, with GiantsFan and Mike giving their takes on the same trip, but I thought I would throw in my two cents on our experience on this ship and trip.

 

To set some background, my wife and I [48 and 52, respectively] have cruised a few times but always on Holland America and always in their SA class suites. We cruise to relax...get out enjoy some of our favorite places in the Caribbean and just try to restore some sanity lost in our daily lives.

 

We chose MSC because it had a decent itenerary and in order to try out the Yacht Club and see what that was all about. So here is a brief summary of what we found.

 

Negatives - I am not sure what actually to call this section because while we did find some things that I feel are probably nitpicky...none of them would prevent us from sailing with MSC and in the Yacht Club again. With that said there were some things that, based on our past cruises, were not stellar.

 

We arrived at the port around 10:45 and the taxis dropped us off right in front of the Yacht Club tent. The proceeded to remove my baggage tags and put new ones on...I tipped the porter very well and he took both bags. I dont understand how, but it was almost 8:30pm before my wife's bag was found and delivered to our room. We literally were concerned about it being lost. Mine was delivered sometime between around 12:30 and 2pm. We had to eat dinner in our traveling clothes, which the Concierge and our wonderful Maitre D Giusseppe brushed off as no issue. However I don't understand how this could happen and my wife was not impressed to start the trip this way.

 

The suite [YC1] was beautifully decorated...however small. We dont spend that much time in the room but it still felt cramped to be classified as a suite. Bathroom was also a bit small but really could have been off the list if they had just added 4-6 inches of counter space depth on either side of the sinks. That alone would have removed this from my list. The shower was great and not sure what people are doing that constantly leave the floor covered in water but we never had the issue. The balcony was ok...again, the SA suites on Holland's ships leave you spoiled with suite and balcony space.

 

Couple of nights someone on Deck 16 [we were on 15] was letting their kid run up and down and up and down and [well..you get the picture] of the hallways above us. That is not something I would expect of folks in TYC. Just annoying to be honest.

 

My biggest critique of this ship is that there are way too many employees who literally speak little to no English. To the point of not being able to communicate. One night we were walking through Deck 7 to get to Le Muse and ran across a young lady in a wheelchair with 2 small kids in her lap. One hers...the other her friends, whom she somehow had lost track of in the crowds. She was speaking to an MSC maintenance worker [assuming by the jumpsuit] asking for help and this guy just could not speak a word of English and she was very frustrated by the time we came across them. I tried to explain to him what she was asking for or if he could get someone to help her and he just walked away to the elevator and left. While everyone on the ship was genuinely nice and helpful, communication I think is a problem on the ship and I observed it several times.

 

Everything else [aka The Good] - So let me start by saying...we felt truly spoiled sailing in the The Yacht Club...it is truly everything it is built up to be. Embarkation was such a breeze. They took us to the waiting lounge and with the exception of a group that "forced" their way in to use the lounge and proceed to pack their purses with the cookies and bottles of fruit juices it was great. They escorted us to the concierge on deck 15 and setup our dinner times and table, then took us to the room. Rai, our butler, was amazing. The Top Sail Lounge on Deck 15 felt like our private lounge as it just seemed there were hardly people in it most of the trip. The One Bar and pool area on Deck 18 were fabulous. It was a big surprise when we went up there after getting on the ship and being shown the room so that we could get a drink to find a lunch buffet and some beef filet that was so tender you could eat it with a fork.

 

Le Muse was fantastic. The angus beef filets they serve are as good and well prepared as I have had anywhere. There was nothing that we ordered that was not just fabulously well prepared and the service was impeccable. Whether breakfast, lunch or dinner, it was just an amazing place to eat and relax.

 

The ship itself was gorgeous. We found it a bit of a challenge to navigate where we wanted to go at times, but she is a beautiful ship.

 

It was amazing that the bars/lounges just never seemed that busy. I know there were a ton of people on board because we thought we would try the Buffet for lunch one day and we knew where everyone was LOL. We never once heard anyone in the suites on either side of us...never once saw or heard them on their balconies or coming or going from their rooms during the cruise. My wife swears no one was in those suites but I know they were all sold out when I was trying to get one for us. It was the quietest floor we have ever been on be it cruise ship or hotel.

 

We watched a couple of the shows and echo what has been said...those performers work their tails off. I thought they were kind of redundant with the use of some of the acrobatics, which appeared to be the same across a couple of different shows, but otherwise very well done.

 

We would sail with MSC in the Yacht Club without hesitation...and my wife even said that it may be hard not to sail that way again after the pampering and relaxation.

 

Excellent review Laser!!! I'm glad you and your wife had a great time!!! I will agree with you on a couple of your negative points. The YC1 staterooms are a bit smaller than a suite you might find on perhaps Holland America. We've stayed in 16009 which is a YC1 and found that we will have to manage our clothing a bit differently for our 19 day sailing in October 2015 because of the limited space.

We too heard the kids running up and down the hallways,,we were on deck 16 and I believe they were running the hallway near our stateroom. I had made mention to this to our butler and junior butler so I'm not sure if the information was passed on to the butlers who service the staterooms where those children were staying.

As for the luggage,,we received all three pieces of our luggage right around the time you received yours, between 12:30 and 2:00. We weren't really sure when because we dropped off our carry ons and made a beeline right to The One Bar.

When we returned to our stateroom,,our luggage was inside our stateroom already. I'm wondering Laser,,if maybe MSC saw something in your wife's luggage that made them hold it to further examine it??? Just a thought, but an explanation should have been given I think.

As for LeMuse,,,we had the Angus fillets every night!!! The crepes Suzette, the creme Brûlée,,the chocolate muse,,AMAZING!!!! The food and service in LeMuse is simply exquisite!!!

I'm sorry we didn't get a chance to meet Laser,,I'm sure we crossed paths during our trip,,hopefully in the future we can get together for cocktails if we ever find ourselves sailing on Divina together in the future!!!:)

[Laserjock]

Mike, you have really loaded up on future cruises on the Divina LOL....I would like to try a Mediterranean cruise on her at some point. But honestly...anywhere on her would be fine by me!

 

She is a great ship and travel in the Yacht Club was quite the experience that will be hard to forget.

[Mikesa1721]

Mike, you have really loaded up on future cruises on the Divina LOL....I would like to try a Mediterranean cruise on her at some point. But honestly...anywhere on her would be fine by me!

 

She is a great ship and travel in the Yacht Club was quite the experience that will be hard to forget.

 

I was smart and purchased a future cruise credit voucher which gives me a $400.00 on board credit for our Genoa to Miami repo cruise in October 2015. Called my PVC this afternoon and cashed that voucher in!!!! Woo Hoo!!!

My girlfriend wants to do the Med as well. She's half Italian and half Greek,,so sailing an itinerary that includes both would be fantastic!!

[IJustWantToGo36]

As to the point of a maintenance worker not speaking a word of English..that is not unusual.

 

In NYC and Miami you will find maintenance workers etc that cannot speak a single, word. Their job is not customer service, they take orders from someone that speaks their language.

[MsTabbyKats]

I was smart and purchased a future cruise credit voucher which gives me a $400.00 on board credit for our Genoa to Miami repo cruise in October 2015. Called my PVC this afternoon and cashed that voucher in!!!! Woo Hoo!!!

My girlfriend wants to do the Med as well. She's half Italian and half Greek,,so sailing an itinerary that includes both would be fantastic!!

 

Do you buy these vouchers on board? What is the cost...and what is the benefit?

 

Thanks

[Mikesa1721]

Do you buy these vouchers on board? What is the cost...and what is the benefit?

 

Thanks

 

MsTabby,,,for $10.00 you can purchase a future cruise credit voucher. The voucher is only good for new bookings and must be used within 18 months of the issue date.

It may be combined with the "Early Booking" promotion and the MSC Club member discount,,it cannot be combined with other promotions and is not applicable to category YC2 or YC3 staterooms.

It can only be used for itineraries 7 days or longer, and only one can be used per stateroom.

The following On Board Credit per category:

 

$100.00 OBC when you book an inside stateroom

 

$150.00 OBC when you book an ocean view stateroom

 

$200.00 OBC when you book a balcony stateroom

 

$300.00 OBC when you book a suite

 

$400.00 OBC when you book a YC1 Yacht Club stateroom

 

You can buy these vouchers from the cruise consultant desk on deck 6 starboard aft.

[American Bear]

MsTabby,,,for $10.00 you can purchase a future cruise credit voucher. The voucher is only good for new bookings and must be used within 18 months of the issue date.

It may be combined with the "Early Booking" promotion and the MSC Club member discount,,it cannot be combined with other promotions and is not applicable to category YC2 or YC3 staterooms.

It can only be used for itineraries 7 days or longer, and only one can be used per stateroom.

The following On Board Credit per category:

 

$100.00 OBC when you book an inside stateroom

 

$150.00 OBC when you book an ocean view stateroom

 

$200.00 OBC when you book a balcony stateroom

 

$300.00 OBC when you book a suite

 

$400.00 OBC when you book a YC1 Yacht Club stateroom

 

You can buy these vouchers from the cruise consultant desk on deck 6 starboard aft.

 

 

'Great info Mike' of the OBC when you book on board!

I'd like to talk my wife into that TransAtlantic Oct. 2015!:D

You're going to be in the top category of the MSC loyalty club really quick!:)

[Mikesa1721]

'Great info Mike' of the OBC when you book on board!

I'd like to talk my wife into that TransAtlantic Oct. 2015!:D

You're going to be in the top category of the MSC loyalty club really quick!:)

 

Actually, American,,you don't need to book anything onboard. I already had these sailings booked before we left on the 23rd. You can buy the vouchers and use them whenever you decide to book another cruise,,just have to book within 18 months of the purchase date.

I was playing Extreme Texas Hold Em' with a couple of guys we met on the ship, and I was telling him about the future cruise credit. He says to me "They never said anything to me about that when I booked the Repo sailing from Genoa to Miami yesterday". I told him we had booked that sailing already and he couldn't believe we'll be on the Divina again together!!! You need to convince your wife American!!! This will be a fantastic Grand Voyage!!!