Divina the Good/Bad

[nimiq]

Hello all,

Was on the MSC Divina on March 21st and here are a few observations that I will bring for you.

 

I did way in my topic the Good and the Bad but I will not user those Woods Alain as being on vacation is never bad.

To start we are easy to please and being on 28 cruises with many different lines proves this.

 

We have never had a bad cruise as we always take the positive in all of them.

 

Let's get to the MSC Divina :

 

The WOW !!!

The ship itself is just a beauty with class and elegance.

The shows are the best at sea. Eventhough a bit repetitive they are still worth going every night.

The captain is very nice and love his speeches.

The beverage vouchers are the best idea at sea right know especially for those that like to drink but don't want to spend all that money on all inclusive drink package.

Nice cabins de or and size.

 

Unfortunately now is where MSC failed short for us.

The ship is big but sorry when it's a full capacity over 4000 people it does not work.

The crew look and seemed overwhelmed and that is why they would never make any eye contact with the clients.

The wait times in the service such as at the bar and dinner were way too long.

They food was not bad but presentation was very dul and in return made it not look as appetizing as it was really.

The adult retreat pool was never respected by anyone. It was always full of kids. Then again this ship was too small for that many family's.

The worst had to be the drill this was actually the worst chaos drill I have ever seen. No one listen to any of the announcements or the demo from the crew this was very scary to watch.

 

Overall would I cruise again with MSC probably yes but they will have to improve in many aspect especially in providing better training to the employees reaction via a vis the clients.

 

If the price is right do give them a try like we did :-)

 

For you info as well the week alter we did NCL Getaway dont like to compare but we had jo choie as it followed the Divina and lots of différences.

 

If you have any questions I am here

Thx

Sea Ya

 

Eric

[Beamafar]

Thank you for sharing your observations. As my next cruise will be on Divina, I'm taking more of an interest in opinions specifically related to her.

 

From recent experience on Preziosa I would agree that the crew are under incredible pressure when the ship is at, or near, capacity. There were very few children on the cruise so that was not the problem. The waiters in the MDR barely had time to draw breath and the area head-waiters were in constant demand to assist them.

 

I would also agree with food presentation. A little more thought in that area would make all the difference.

 

Overall, though, I think that the price of an MSC cruise offers outstanding value for money. I am very much looking forward to cruising on Divina and can't wait to see for myself how beautiful (everyone says) she is :)

[janie315]

Eric - I was on the Divina the week after you! Yes, everything you said regarding the Dvina I agree with. We "thought" there was an adult pool also. We called Guest Service and they informed us there is NO adult pool. I found many times if you asked the same question you would get various answers. Example - I called MSC prior to sailing to ask if there was a couch in my balcony cabin. The answer was YES....well, no couch just a chair - but it had a bath tub. Go figure! I loved NO smoking in the casino. We all loved the pizza and pasta and overall we did enjoy the food considering all the bashes they have been getting on this board. The drink voucher were a good value. Found the Black Crab for breakfast was like a drive thru....ten people would hit the table at once. Very tight room. We were in the Villa Rose for dinner time tucked in a corner. The table next to us was set for eight people but only 3 showed up all week so we had some extra room behind our chairs. Otherwise, it would have been very tight! We also found there were a zillion kids in strollers and also found many people pushed thier way into elevators and also when boarding the tender. No consideration for others! Like you - we would consider again if the price was right!

[Tagsalong]

Like you, we are doing the Divina and following it up with the NCL Getaway. Leaving tomorrow for the Divina and appreciated your comments.

 

Even though this is a MSC thread, could you elaborate more on the pros and cons of the Getaway? In what ways was it better, or worse, than the Divina. This will be our first time on any MSC ship and only second time on NCL. However we are experienced cruisers with over 150 cruises in the past ten years, mostly on RCI, X and Princess. Time for us to try something new.

 

We pre-bought the 18 drink voucher which should work out good for us since DW doesn't drink as much as I do. She'll get the 0.5 drink each day!

Edited April 10, 2015 by Tagsalong

[janie315]

Tagsalong - Are you doing the Bermuda cruise on the Divina? Bermunda is a beautiful island. Please let us know how you liked this cruise!

[Tagsalong]

Tagsalong - Are you doing the Bermuda cruise on the Divina? Bermunda is a beautiful island. Please let us know how you liked this cruise!

 

Yes, OK!

Edited April 10, 2015 by Tagsalong

[nimiq]

Like you, we are doing the Divina and following it up with the NCL Getaway. Leaving tomorrow for the Divina and appreciated your comments.

 

Even though this is a MSC thread, could you elaborate more on the pros and cons of the Getaway? In what ways was it better, or worse, than the Divina. This will be our first time on any MSC ship and only second time on NCL. However we are experienced cruisers with over 150 cruises in the past ten years, mostly on RCI, X and Princess. Time for us to try something new.

 

We pre-bought the 18 drink voucher which should work out good for us since DW doesn't drink as much as I do. She'll get the 0.5 drink each day!

 

 

Hello,

Will make it brief as don't want to bother or scare you before your cruise.

 

To start I think you will a total different experience as spring break is probably coming to an end. That is why I try to be objective on these two cruises as I have never cruise with that many family's with small kids.

 

The NCL Getaway was a better ship all around when full capacity as it has s better crowd control in all aspects. Lots of diverse stuff going around each time making it less crowded in one area.

 

The adult corner was also being respected which made it a big difference from the Divina.

 

The dining experience was also better on Getaway not being that the food was amazing but the presentation was much better and service was a notch superior to MSC.

 

Like I said before it might not be only the employee fault not to make any eye contact with the client it's because the seem always press for time and no room to move around.

 

You will get lots more hellos and goodbye from NCL crew.

 

We just loved the waterfront deck on the Getaway. Even just for a nice walk it was fun and relaxing.

 

Where NCL fell a bit short was to me in the entertainment area. Nothing beats Divina shows at night loved every single one of them.

 

NCL legally Blonde unbelievably boring and the rest of the entertainment is similar to other cruise line. My only exception is Burn The Floor is a must see amazing professional dancers.

 

I also prefer my balcony room on the Divina.

 

I am sure you will have a wonderful time on both ship and funny how you are doing the same thing as us.

 

I haven't been on a NCL ship in almost 8 years and saw a big improvement on the Freestyle brand the got this almost to perfection.

 

We actually walk from the Divina to the Getaway it's walkable but a long walk if it's hot.

 

If you got specific question please send them if not enjoy both cruises as we did.

 

Sea ya

 

Eric

[modes]

Thanks for your review but we totally disagree, there is no comparison between the 2 ships the Divina wins hands down. I do agree about the aft pool it should be adults only and the smoking area by the lounge chairs is very annoying and as far as the crew they were very nice and we were always greeted in a very nice way but i guess you were looking for more eye contact. Ncl nickle and dimes you for everything and you pay for alot of things that are free on MSC, Drinks and beers are cheaper on MSC, we went on NCL once and will never be back.

[Tagsalong]

Thanks for both replies. It has been often, over the years, that we have read reviews of a ship that we are very familiar with and hold completely opposite view point. We will enjoy both, I am sure. It's always nice to get some inkling of what we might run in to before boarding.

 

We are actually doing three B2Bs, on three different ships. From the NCL Getaway we will catch a van up to Ft Lauderdale to board the Caribbean Princess for a TA to England. How about that for mixing it up. We have been on the Caribbean Princess many times so have already formed an unshakable opinion of her.

[nimiq]

Thanks for your review but we totally disagree, there is no comparison between the 2 ships the Divina wins hands down. I do agree about the aft pool it should be adults only and the smoking area by the lounge chairs is very annoying and as far as the crew they were very nice and we were always greeted in a very nice way but i guess you were looking for more eye contact. Ncl nickle and dimes you for everything and you pay for alot of things that are free on MSC, Drinks and beers are cheaper on MSC, we went on NCL once and will never be back.

 

 

What NCL ship did you go on ? We had not been on NCL for the past 6 years and thought the got the Freestyle to almost perfection.

I do agree with you that the drinks cheaper on MSC but again service did not meet our expectations.

Like I said before probably not the employees fault as this ship was overbooked to my opinion.

Sea ya

Eric

[nimiq]

Thanks for both replies. It has been often, over the years, that we have read reviews of a ship that we are very familiar with and hold completely opposite view point. We will enjoy both, I am sure. It's always nice to get some inkling of what we might run in to before boarding.

 

 

 

We are actually doing three B2Bs, on three different ships. From the NCL Getaway we will catch a van up to Ft Lauderdale to board the Caribbean Princess for a TA to England. How about that for mixing it up. We have been on the Caribbean Princess many times so have already formed an unshakable opinion of her.

 

 

What that's even better than us :-)

Hope to hear back from you so we can compare notes :-).

Like I said you will have a different opinion I am sure as the ship won't be as overbooked as it was with us.

You will have a better experience for sure.

 

Go see all the shows on the Divina it's a nice night out.

Have fun

Sea ya

Eric

[American Bear]

Hello,

Will make it brief as don't want to bother or scare you before your cruise.

 

To start I think you will a total different experience as spring break is probably coming to an end. That is why I try to be objective on these two cruises as I have never cruise with that many family's with small kids.

 

The NCL Getaway was a better ship all around when full capacity as it has s better crowd control in all aspects. Lots of diverse stuff going around each time making it less crowded in one area.

 

The adult corner was also being respected which made it a big difference from the Divina.

 

The dining experience was also better on Getaway not being that the food was amazing but the presentation was much better and service was a notch superior to MSC.

 

Like I said before it might not be only the employee fault not to make any eye contact with the client it's because the seem always press for time and no room to move around.

 

You will get lots more hellos and goodbye from NCL crew.

 

We just loved the waterfront deck on the Getaway. Even just for a nice walk it was fun and relaxing.

 

Where NCL fell a bit short was to me in the entertainment area. Nothing beats Divina shows at night loved every single one of them.

 

NCL legally Blonde unbelievably boring and the rest of the entertainment is similar to other cruise line. My only exception is Burn The Floor is a must see amazing professional dancers.

 

I also prefer my balcony room on the Divina.

 

I am sure you will have a wonderful time on both ship and funny how you are doing the same thing as us.

 

I haven't been on a NCL ship in almost 8 years and saw a big improvement on the Freestyle brand the got this almost to perfection.

 

We actually walk from the Divina to the Getaway it's walkable but a long walk if it's hot.

 

If you got specific question please send them if not enjoy both cruises as we did.

 

Sea ya

 

Eric

 

As in many things cruising, a lot is to each persons opinion.

We found the food, MDR and buffet on Divina much better then the Getaway.

We also thought the entertainment on Divina was better.

We agree with you about the Getaway's adult area, Divina doesn't have one, and Getaway's waterfront deck is a plus.

Divina didn't seem crowded to us, and the staff were very pleasant to us.

We also had a much better CC group on the Divina! So much fun we missed our CC group the second week to recuperate!:D

Edited April 11, 2015 by American Bear

[nimiq]

As in many things cruising, a lot is to each persons opinion.

We found the food, MDR and buffet on Divina much better then the Getaway.

We also thought the entertainment on Divina was better.

We agree with you about the Getaway's adult area, Divina doesn't have one, and Getaway's waterfront deck is a plus.

Divina didn't seem crowded to us, and the staff were very pleasant to us.

We also had a much better CC group on the Divina! So much fun we missed our CC group the second week to recuperate!:D

 

 

I did say good things about the Divina and that we will probably give MSC an other try in the future but please be real as well, the ship is 20 thousand tons different compare the the Getaway with same amount of people. We do feel the difference in service and space wise.

[American Bear]

I did say good things about the Divina and that we will probably give MSC an other try in the future but please be real as well, the ship is 20 thousand tons different compare the the Getaway with same amount of people. We do feel the difference in service and space wise.

 

 

What's real for one may not be for another. Its opinion. Nothing wrong with that.

The Getaway is 7 thousand tons larger, and carries approx 345 less passengers, so while we can understand others might feel differently, crowding on both ships felt the same to us.:)