On the fence about the Divina? - PLEASE READ!!!

[clark92fs]

My DW and I just cruised on the Divina from August 16th to the 23rd, for the Western Caribbean Cruise. Just as a point of reference, we are from the U.S., in our mid-thirties, do not have children, and have cruised many times before with Celebrity and Royal Caribbean. This was our first time with MSC. We cannot understand all of the terrible reviews! We wrote a ship review on the main Cruise Critic page and I've included parts of it below. For those that have been on the Divina and are of a similar mindset, please feel free to comment/add to this thread - We feel like the ship needs people to speak up for her!

 

Those that have been cruising for a long time know that overall, industry-wide; standards have been lowered for the sake of cost savings and efficiency. You can’t expect filet mignon and lobster tail every night anymore. Those days are gone. We absolutely love Celebrity, but have noticed some of the same corporate cost saving measures with them lately. We also like cruising in late summer and Celebrity is not in the Caribbean then. So, when we first heard about MSC and them now being in the Caribbean, we took a look. The price for a balcony was incredibly reasonable (enough to make us worry, honestly). But we got past that and thought, let’s take a chance and try something totally new. Boy, are we glad we did!

 

 

SHIP:

 

Like most others have said, the ship is gorgeous. It’s probably the prettiest one we’ve ever been on. But for a few exceptions, it was kept spotless. There was such a large variety of bars, lounges, and places to eat that you never got bored. They all had different vibes, depending on what you are in the mood for. The sports bar was interesting. We were told that it was added to this ship when they entered the American cruise market - it was pretty empty most of the time. We did stop in for some late night wings and onion rings, though. Quite tasty! The pool area was absolutely gorgeous. Contrary to other reviews, we never had any problem finding chairs. The pool itself was crowded on sea days, as you’d expect, but on port days, it can be your own private pool! The music played at the pool was a mixture of live bands and good digital music.

 

 

GUESTS:

 

This ship had far more non-Americans than any we had ever been on. This was not a bad thing! This ship may leave out of Miami, but cruising is such an international experience anyway. I hate to say it, but the rudest guests we ran across during the week were American, hands down. Americans: as one previous poster noted, if you don't want to feel as though you've left home, this is not the cruise for you. While cruising may not be the most exotic mode of travel, we enjoy meeting people from all parts of the world and learning about what life is like outside of the suburban Wal-Mart/Home Depot bubble.

 

 

CREW:

 

During the whole week, all of our needs were met. We never ran across a rude crew member. The staff, like any other cruise line, consists mostly of individuals from countries other than the U.S. They were polite, friendly, and efficient. English proficiency was not a problem. We actually liked the fact that they were not hovering over us at the pool and restaurants, hawking drinks and saying “my pleasure” every five seconds. Maybe some cruisers think “my pleasure” and a forced smile equals excellent service... Some of the crew come from places and circumstances most of us can not imagine. Give them a break. Our room steward was very friendly and efficient. We didn’t get any towel animals or chocolates on our pillows, but who cares? I would not consider the front desk staff rude, as some other reviewers have posted. They were quick and efficient. What else do you need? Overall, the staff on the Divina seemed much happier than the staff of Royal Caribbean and Celebrity. They were not harried, sullen, or looking over their shoulder to see which boss was watching them, like we’ve experienced on those ships.

 

 

ENTERTAINMENT:

 

We thought the entertainment was quite decent, much better than other lines. The musicians and singers in the atrium, and various bars and lounges were wonderful and suited to many different tastes. The violin, piano, and cello trio in the atrium sounded gorgeous. The nightly shows, while not Broadway-caliber, were very good. I’ve always been baffled as to why so many cruisers expect such high-level performances on a ship in the middle of the ocean. It is what it is – enjoy it! The karaoke night was a blast to sit and watch – get there early to get a good seat. We’ve never experienced a more diverse selection of karaoke songs in our lives! The entertainment staff who conducted the morning show and daily activities were quite fun and witty.

 

 

FOOD:

 

This was our 11th cruise, and 3rd cruise line. The food was just about as good as any other. As this cruise line is Italian, the food was heavily Italian as well. The pizza was probably the highlight of all the food. A pizza chef was constantly making pizzas and cooking them in a huge pizza oven. And we were not just dazzled by the constant availability of pizza; the pizza itself was WONDERFUL! The buffet, like all cruise ship buffets, had some misses. There was a lot of pasta, which was excellent. The buffet also had a separate meat and cheese area, complete with a giant, industrial meat slicer. What a huge variety of meats (speck, salami, etc), and cheeses (parmesan, blue, brie, asiago, etc.). Yum. The breakfast in the buffet was on par with any other cruise line buffet breakfast. Everything you would need. The layout and flow of the buffet is different than what we’ve seen on other lines, but you get used to it very quickly. Some advice for American cruisers – not everyone in the world goes to the right to get out of the way! We didn’t eat in the main dining room at all during the week, but heard from others that it was a bit cramped and rushed. However, this is exactly what we’ve experienced on RC and Celebrity as of late, so this seems no better or worse than them. We did eat in Eatily and Galaxy, and the food/ ambience in both restaurants was wonderful - Definitely worth it. Also, eat as much gelato as you can – it’s superb!

 

 

EMBARKATION / DISEMBARKATION:

 

Many people have complained about this on the boards and previous reviews. The slow disembarkation has nothing to do with MSC. Given the large amount of non-U.S. citizen guests on the ship, the U.S. government (Customs and Border Protection) has to spend a little more time inspecting non-U.S. citizen documents than they do glancing at an American passport. Be patient. For this same reason, embarkation didn’t begin for us until around noon, as the ship could not bring on new passengers until the previous week’s disembarkation was complete.

 

 

OVERALL:

 

Booking this cruise, we thought it was going to be a total crap-shoot for us; in this case, we gambled and won big time! We booked it because the price was super reasonable, because Celebrity can be a bit pricey and are not in the Caribbean in the summer, and because we had had enough of Royal Caribbean’s high prices coupled with their cattle-car mentality when it comes to dealing with guests. Our experience on the MSC Divina was very much on par with our experiences on Celebrity Equinox-class ships, but with some added perks. This was a way more laid-back atmosphere. MSC is unknown to most Americans, but trust me, it’s worth trying. You’ll be pleasantly surprised by the Divina!

Edited September 10, 2014 by clark92fs

[moomoocow]

You can't see me but I am standing and applauding.

 

Although this does mean more people will book now and prices will increase so damn you Clark!

 

Seriously, this was my Divina experience also. The reason I didn't write a review is that it would be a review by a British MSC cheerleader and therefore not as credible.

 

Bet you can't wait to book your next one now!

 

 

From my ipad

[Cruisergal1208]

Thank you for your balanced review.

[tigger89]

Thanks for your review

[houstoncruisers2001]

You've basically summed up the cruise I hope to have in 3 weeks.

 

Thanks for the review.

[clark92fs]

"Although this does mean more people will book now and prices will increase so damn you Clark!"

 

I thought of that, but my main concern was that MSC might pull out of the Caribbean completely if the negative reviews keep coming...

Edited September 10, 2014 by clark92fs
added previous poster's comments

[evitacruiser]

Well said, we have sailed most lines and MSC is on a par with most of them in our experience.

[Mikesa1721]

Excellent Review Clark!!!!! Standing next to Moo applauding!!!!:D

[riclop]

Thanks for the review we agree with you totally.

[saphir]

have you read the last reviews of CC? I'll be on the Divina on 18 October and I'm pretty worried. :eek:

[flahagan]

Love your review, couldn't agree with you more. Our new favorite ship!

[alli]

Thanks for taking the time to write a review! We also had a great time on the Divina in May and would have rebooked for a cruise this October, but had a large OBC on another cruiseline that had to be used by the end of 2014.

 

Don't let Old Cruisetrail yanks your chains...he's spent the last year on these boards ( actually over a year now) bad mouthing MSC and Divina in particular.

[Skier52]

it's good to see someone else enthusiastic about MSC and a US citizen to boot

It may surprise you that MSC have been around in the Caribeaan for some time, I cruised on Orchestra in Apr 2009 from Miami. Also the sports bar has been on Divina since her launch and was not an addition to her for the US market, it was there when I cruised on her in the Med 3 months after she entered service

 

There has been much said about a certain review of Divina, Surfice it to say that it has an enormous amout of genuine facts and good information within it, but, there are many opinions given as facts which are at odds with reality, and some which show a distinct lack of understanding of the science behind some structural features.

 

The prime motivation behind the epic review is it is a commercial project and therefore you have to question "Who's pulling the strings". Coupled with the agenda about 4% of the guests getting the best views and best sundeck.

 

I fully expect this post to be deleted as have many others that have critised the charmed life of one who was banned because of an earlier version of the review.

 

Pete

Edited September 10, 2014 by Skier52

[moomoocow]

it's good to see someone else enthusiastic about MSC and a US citizen to boot

 

It may surprise you that MSC have been around in the Caribeaan for some time, I cruised on Orchestra in Apr 2009 from Miami. Also the sports bar has been on Divina since her launch and was not an addition to her for the US market, it was there when I cruised on her in the Med 3 months after she entered service

 

 

 

There has been much said about a certain review of Divina, Surfice it to say that it has an enormous amout of genuine facts and good information within it, but, there are many opinions given as facts which are at odds with reality, and some which show a distinct lack of understanding of the science behind some structural features.

 

 

 

The prime motivation behind the epic review is it is a commercial project and therefore you have to question "Who's pulling the strings". Coupled with the agenda about 4% of the guests getting the best views and best sundeck.

 

 

 

I fully expect this post to be deleted as have many others that have critised the charmed life of one who was banned because of an earlier version of the review.

 

 

 

Pete

 

 

Hmm this isn't but mine was.

 

I come to this board because I cruise MSC, they're my cruiseline of choice and I believe I have something valuable to say and share my experiences. Also, as a gold card MSC holder and having cruised North and South America and Europe with them I think I am in a position to help and advise others.

 

It's got to the point where my posts are getting deleted for no good reason that I can see. Clearly someone doesn't want me here.

 

 

From my ipad

[AmoMondo]

Hmm this isn't but mine was.

 

I come to this board because I cruise MSC, they're my cruiseline of choice and I believe I have something valuable to say and share my experiences. Also, as a gold card MSC holder and having cruised North and South America and Europe with them I think I am in a position to help and advise others.

 

It's got to the point where my posts are getting deleted for no good reason that I can see. Clearly someone doesn't want me here.

 

 

From my ipad

 

I'm in a similar position to you. Occasionally my posts just disappear and I have no idea why. I understand when they end up being part of a chain of bickering that gets out of hand but other times I've not said anything controversial or flouted the forum guidelines. Just disagreed with something posted.

 

MSC is still my cruiseline of choice too although their changes in pricing for solos and availability for solos means I don't cruise as much as I was when we had a few years of great deals. I don't think everything is perfect. Their website is a complete nightmare. Just found out that my Divina cruise booked via the website has expired because it was only an option???? Went through the entire process end to end including payment of deposit section. Tried again and still not registering as a fir. Booking according to MSC UK, so I have to wait to call them again at the weekend. Admin can be a complete joke too. However once onboard, it is a different story and it really suits me.

[American Bear]

"Although this does mean more people will book now and prices will increase so damn you Clark!"

 

I thought of that, but my main concern was that MSC might pull out of the Caribbean completely if the negative reviews keep coming...

 

 

Clark, I don't think that will happen, in fact with approx 4000 passengers a week going on Divina, and currently a 63% approval,(and growing) that adds up to well over a 100,000 happy cruisers already!:D

Don't forget to join the MSC loyalty club to get even more money off future cruises! That growing customer base along with Divina's great prices will only grow the number of satisfied customers!:)

From what many long time MSC followers here have been saying, Miami could be the home of the next generation of MSC ships coming out in 2017-2018!:D

[oreosmile]

Thanks for taking the time to write your review. I liked our cruise on MSC Splendida for all the reasons you give and fully expect our November trip on Davina to deliver a great experience as well.

[TickledBlue]

Great review!

 

We embarking the Divina on Saturday :p . It will be the first time for us on that ship and I'm really excited.

 

We've done 3 Poesia cruises in the Caribbean before as well as several other cruise lines in different parts of the world. The Poesia cruises really stood out from the rest since they are Italian and a refreshing change from the standard American fare.

 

I don't quite understand all of the negative reviews except that most of them are by Americans seemingly expecting an American cruise line experience or an unrealistic luxury experience. Given the price of the cruises we did on Poesia, those were by far the highest value for the money. I'm expecting the same from the Divina (maybe even more so).

[oellett]

Clark thank you so much for your review!

 

We do not have as many cruises under our belt as you do, but like you we have enjoyed Celebrity and Royal Caribbean. We are in our 40-50's and have no children.

 

We have enjoyed Celebrity since our first cruise on the Century, over 10 yrs. ago, and have experienced the new ships Equinox, Silhouette and Reflection in the last few years.

 

We booked with MSC this year due to their great prices, for us it was a way to fit in two cruises in the same year along with a few other trips within the US. Well, we booked then started reading reviews and got worried! :eek:

 

After reading reviews from happy cruisers like you, we feel we made the right choice. We take a cruise to be completely disconnected from the everyday routine, we enjoy spending time in our balcony with a nice glass of wine and going to dinner depending on the mood or activities of the day. If we do not make it to the MDR, there is always the buffet or a specialty restaurant. Go with the flow!

 

After reading many wonderful reviews, I am very excited about our cruise in October.

 

Thank you!!:)

[KSTAZMAN]

Really liked the review. After cruising on several lines we knew what to expect. The chance to step away from what we know and try something new brought us to MSC. We hope that it will be a great adventure. And not too "Americanized". Price didn`t hurt either!

 

John