MSC Divina really THAT bad????

[styxfire]

if you are in America and want a triple or a solo, your reservation won't be allowed. /quote]

 

Book a double and have your "companion" be a no-show. ;)

 

Are there any repercussions of doing that? And, can I just make up a name & passport #, or does it have to be a true existing passport? It's a European cruise and I wouldn't want to be denied boarding on embarkation day because a person is "missing"...

Edited January 15, 2016 by styxfire

[sfaaa]

 

Are there any repercussions of doing that? And, can I just make up a name & passport #, or does it have to be a true existing passport? It's a European cruise and I wouldn't want to be denied boarding on embarkation day because a person is "missing"...

 

Bad idea. Providing fraudulent info especially passport is not something you want to do. Not worth the risk for the little money you save.

[styxfire]

 

Bad idea. Providing fraudulent info especially passport is not something you want to do. Not worth the risk for the little money you save.

It's a quandary...

When I called MSC Cruises several times with this dilemma, they told me twice to book a 2-person cabin and then only show up with 1 person. It was the American office of MSC. They said they can't offer any triples or solos because the European office was restricting them.

[AmoMondo]

It's a quandary...

When I called MSC Cruises several times with this dilemma, they told me twice to book a 2-person cabin and then only show up with 1 person. It was the American office of MSC. They said they can't offer any triples or solos because the European office was restricting them.

 

It's true I'm afraid. You will see from my signature that I was sailing 2-3 times a year with them but haven't sailed since April 2014, when they adopted their anti solo stance. Previously they had been b

Very good offering many cruise with no supplement at all (during the credit crunch). Prior to this it was pretty much the same as other companies with an extra 80% for insides and outsides and 100% extra for balconies and cabins.

 

Then enter Giles Hawke onto the scene and numerous cruises were blocked for solo traveller's. You could not book at any price. Even had the ridiculous situation on the Lirica in Arabian Gulf where they still had lots of cabins unsold 3 weeks out and they would still not sell to a solo, preferring to sail empty instead!

 

It has improved slightly since then but there are still some sailings in peak season in the Med where you can't book. lAst time I checked it was mainly the Fantasia class ships we were not welcome on.

 

I would not risk booking an additional frictions person. Even if it works, you're likely to be the only solo passenger onboard.

 

Try a Musica class ship or a different line would be my advice.Coast are very similar to MSC and they still take bookings from solos. Often only with a 30% supplement.

[MsTabbyKats]

My take on the Divina:

 

If you like pizza you will be in heaven....the buffet had endless varieties all day long

 

Service....if you asked an employee for directions, instead of pointing, the person would walk you there.

 

Entertainment....5 star

 

The passengers....more refined than American ships. They "dressed well". This doesn't mean they dressed up....just were well groomed and looked good in their clothing, even at breakfast. You won't find the "white sneaker brigade" on the ship.

[sidari]

Mairi (Amo Mondo) I am sure I read recently on the Seaside threads that someone had booked as a Solo !

[Tapi]

If you and your kids just want to lay in the sun and relax and eat and see great ports, you should love it. There aren't as many bells and whistles on this ship as you will see on other ships, but, that is why the price is so good.

 

 

Exactly what bells and whistles are missing? The long list of things available for the kids is a huge reason why we looked at the Divina. The Kids Program, the Aqua Park, the F1 Simulator, the 4D theater, the Toboga waterslide, the bowling alley, and since we are in a Fantastica stateroom, they also get enhanced kids activities. Yes, it's true that we have to pay extra for some of these activities, but the cost of our cruise is $250pp (before taxes) for a balcony stateroom! And this is during the kids summer vacation which usually commands high season prices!!

 

The cost of ONE person on Royal or NCL for that same week and similar itinerary is about the cost of all FOUR family members on MSC. Even paying for the extra activities, we are still considerably ahead of the game. For comparison purposes, Disney's per person rate for a balcony was $1,500, NCL and Royal were about $1,000 and even price leader Carnival was still considerably more expensive than MSC at $750pp.

 

There are a handful of ships that may offer more for the kids than the Divina (for example, Royal's Oasis class ships), but from what I researched, the Divina offers just as much (if not more) than other similarly sized ships from other major cruise lines. One thing is for sure. The kids will NOT be bored.

[styxfire]

if you are in America and want a triple or a solo, your reservation won't be allowed.

 

Book a double and have your "companion" be a no-show. ;)

Regarding a no-show, I found the following info from MSC's Terms & Conditions:

7. THE DEPOSIT AND REFUNDS

7.1 MSC shall be entitled to stipulate and require that a deposit in respect of the cruise fare and other charges is made at the time of the reservation of the cabin /removal of the cabin from cruise inventory to accommodate your request to MSC Cruises to book the cabin and are entitled to impose a reasonable compensatory charge and a genuine pre-estimate of its damages and losses for the cancellation of the reservation in the event of you cancelling your Cruise Booking, which may entail the retention by MSC of the full deposit so made, or recovery of the full or a proportion of the cruise fare payable, to reimburse them for their loss of income, revenue and out of pocket expenses arising from or pursuant to that cancellation.

 

7.2 Subject to the cooling off period in clause 4, any refunds referred to in these STC’s shall exclude such retained portion or all of the Deposit.

 

7.3 MSC shall be entitled to stipulate that an additional supplementary levy be imposed and that such supplementary levy be paid in cash or by credit card, prior to the embarkation of any passenger, as a reasonable compensatory charge and a genuine pre-estimate of its damages and losses for the non-arrival for embarkation of a co-passenger at the ship (hereinafter referred to as a “noshow noshow”); to be levied on any passenger occupying the cabin for single use as a result of the no-show of a co-passenger booked and confirmed to travel with them in the same cabin; to reimburse MSC for their loss of onboard income, revenue and out of pocket expenses arising from or pursuant to that no-show and resultant consequential single occupancy of the cruise berth.

 

7.4 The amount of such levy shall be within the sole discretion of MSC and their staff at the port of embarkation but shall (without guarantee) be calculated with reference to the proven revenue otherwise earned historically during cruises of the equivalent of EURO 24 per passenger per day, or such other daily figure as to MSC appears just and equitable given the particular circumstances of any specific no-show, but not exceeding an uplift to double the shared cruise fare, or the equivalent of a fare for single cabin occupancy.

 

7.5 Such supplementary levy shall also be payable in advance by the remaining passenger(s) in the event that a booking made for shared cabin occupancy, is cancelled by the co-passenger booked to share cabin occupancy, prior to the date of embarkation.

 

So here's my question: is this levy IN ADDITION TO the price already paid for 2 people?

Edited January 18, 2016 by styxfire

[Iluvcruising2]

We have only sailed on the MSC Preziosa out of Genoa; the Preziosa is Divina's sister ship. Yes, we sailed in the Yacht club, but we still had a blast.

 

Food, for us, is very important. Based on what I saw at the main buffets, the buffet wasn't bad. Plenty of pizzas for sure.

 

I made some videos to show you what I am talking about. I would be curious to know whether the buffet lines on the Divina are similar or different.

 

MSC Preziosa Breakfast Buffet

[YOUTUBE]IIMfGkDDH2w[/YOUTUBE]

 

MSC Preziosa Lunch Buffet

[YOUTUBE]XTNNERCn8Go[/YOUTUBE]

 

MSC Preziosa Dinner buffet

[YOUTUBE]5K2ZlYP3-yY[/YOUTUBE]

[sfaaa]

My take on the Divina:

 

If you like pizza you will be in heaven....the buffet had endless varieties all day long

.

 

This is comforting to know. Besides, I have never met anyone who doesn't like pizza or Italian food.

[AmoMondo]

This is comforting to know. Besides, I have never met anyone who doesn't like pizza or Italian food.

 

Oh you'd be surprised - some people seem to not like anything at all!

 

P.S. My dad doesn't like pizza or pasta but lives their ice team!

[LordCapybara]

The frustrating thing about all the MSC ships is that every person who defends the cruiseline blames the negative reviews on consumers who "expected an American experience", or who "didn't want to have a European experience".

 

I disagree that service is inferior. They may not come and ask you constantly if everything is OK, or if you need another drink, but on my 2 Poesia cruises, (the only 2 MSC I've taken) my busboy always kept water filled, bar waiter always stopped by as we sat, and was never out of eyesight too long, a simple gesture or asking waiter to send him/her over.

 

Pool area always spotless, cannot go more that a few minutes without spotting someone cleaning anywhere on ship, all part of service IMHO. Room was always immaculate, and anyone you asked a question to would go out of their way to help.

 

I believe since MSC is relatively unknown/new the prices remain great. Look at Disney, most popular travel company in world, enables them to charge 250% more than Celebrity/RCCL, yes its a great product, but supply and demand factor into the price.

Also just My opinion.

[Capricruiser]

In Europe MSC is the number one cruise line. They carried 1,700,000 passengers last year world wide.

[scottsanfilippo]

Finally, the reality is that the forums tend to be more negative than positive. If you read some forums (see Celebrity), it appears the sky is falling. Here is a link to someone who gave a pretty good overview of the ship. http://www.scottsanfilippo.com/cruise-reviews/#msc

 

Thanks for sharing my review parallax!

 

Divina is a great, beautiful ship. Sure there are areas for improvement, as there is on any ship/line... but I would not hesitate to book another cruise on Divina ASAP.

 

I'm looking forward to Seaside and also Ocean Cay next year, which are both exciting additions to MSC here in the US.

 

Thanks again!!

[Mfajardo]

Yes. In comparison to Celebrity, Royal, NCL and Carnival it is that bad! I love the cultural diversity but there is no reason to pay the same amount to be treated like cargo. Just came back from a horrible divina experience starting from ridiculous lines due to slow and unorganized embarkation process. The crew to guest ratio does not compare to other lines. I would recommend a short trip to try it out, but me, never again.

[sidari]

Cannot please all the people all of the time! then again there is no pleasing some at all.

[Tapi]

Yes. In comparison to Celebrity, Royal, NCL and Carnival it is that bad.

 

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic! [emoji3]

[gimletgal]

All that being said, MSC is offering some very low-priced cruises right now. But the glitch is: if you are in America and want a triple or a solo, your reservation won't be allowed. They will quote you a price, but when trying to finalize the reservation, their website says the room is no longer available. Despite the knowledge that this cruiseline will probably disappoint, I did succumb to sales-pricing & tried another reservation. I tried with several American travel agents... no luck. Then I tried the website myself in multiple ways on multiple sailings... no luck. Per the MSC help-desk, they said only 2-pax-bookings are allowed at this point, due to the limited number of rooms that European agency will make available

 

Huh? I agree with others who have said they had absolutely no problem booking as a solo in the U.S. I will be sailing solo in April - although with friends who have their own cabin - and other than the fact that I am paying double the rate that my friends are paying (pp), there was no problem whatsoever. That is the norm with most cruise lines. :confused:

[styxfire]

Huh? I agree with others who have said they had absolutely no problem booking as a solo in the U.S. ...:confused:

I was referring to the limitations an American has when trying to book an MSC European cruise. MSC uses your IP address to prevent you from seeing the European website, even when you type the European URL, and forces the American website to open instead. The phone # they provide is an American branch of MSC, not the main reservation line. And the American MSC representative told me that some cabins are blocked to Americans, and some restrictions are placed on Americans at certain times. According to the MSC representative, the blocking of solo and 3-person reservations in cabins that have 3 beds is because I'm trying to place the reservation from the U.S.

[glamer57]

I just got back from my second Divina cruise and I'm going on my 3rd in May. I have also booked Seaside for 2018. What I say about it is this. It is a BUDGET cruise line and I adjust my expectations based on that. I sail solo and can get the Divina for less than half of what I pay for Royal Caribbean, my favorite line. Two interesting things about the OP is they are going on Disney first and they have kids. OP, would you mind sharing what you paid in total for each cruise? I haven't done Disney yet, because they are so expensive, but, I have heard they are amazing, head and shoulders above RC, Carnival, etc. Compared to that, MSC may indeed be a step down, but, OP says all they want is to relax and be waited on.

 

If you and your kids just want to lay in the sun and relax and eat and see great ports, you should love it. There aren't as many bells and whistles on this ship as you will see on other ships, but, that is why the price is so good. You're not paying for Flowriders, rock climbing walls, ice skating rinks, etc. I found the MDR to be hit or miss, so, on this last cruise I just did the buffet and thoroughly enjoyed every meal, I hope your kids like pizza, because people just camp out near the pizza ovens, waiting for fresh ones to appear. As with all ships, don't hit the buffet at noontime and be surprised that it is busy, wait a little later , after the hubbub has died down before you go. Head to the back of the buffet, it's always less crowded and there is a children's only buffet back there, although I've seen some six footers with full beards in that line, scooping up the popcorn shrimp.

 

As with all things, go in with an open mind, and you will find plenty to enjoy. I was nervous the first time I tried Carnival, after years and years of Royal. The horror stories I had heard about Carnival had me thinking the buffet was going to be like the Serengeti, animals ripping each other to shreds, just to get a morsel of food. What do you know, it was fine and I now include Carnival in my cruise planning repertoire. As a solo, I pay double what a couple pays, so, I am always looking for a good price. Right now, Divina is knocking it out of the park price wise. I have an (unfinished):o review of Divina in my signature that you can look at, it has some nice pictures in it. Welcome to cruising, OP, I hope you love it as much as I do.

 

Thank you so much for your comments and review :)

For Disney, my husband and 2 children got a category o4e cabin with an oversized verandah on level 5 and it was a little over $2400 after taxes, fees, vacation protection, and gratuities. For MSC, we booked the 2-for-1 balcony special and my kids cruise for free and it was a little over $1700 for the fantastica package, taxes, fees, and vacation protection (I also got 10% off because of their educator discount).

[AuntieSasa]

I just got off of the Divina yesterday, and YES IT WAS THAT BAD!

 

Besides the things that could not be helped- bad weather preventing us from going to either of our 2 ports, cold, rain, death of one of the entertainers and so on- The service was horrible to the point of rudeness.

 

Bartenders need some serious training. In addition to being understaffed, and not able to handle the population of the ship at all (3 bartenders in the huge Black & White lounge that were serving well over 300 people) They were poorly trained on actually making drinks. Super slow and at times rude to people that had been waiting for 10+ minutes to order a beer. They refused to sell any of the all-inclusive drink packages to us. They said the only thing available were voucher programs. That was ok, but do I really want to walk around holding a pack of tickets just to get my afternoon pina colada? And there was never an answer given as to why some people were able to get the all-inclusive program and others were told no. Anyone I asked referred me to someone else.

 

Dining room staff was nice, but service was slow, portions small and frequently did not get the items that we ordered. Buffet was a joke. The entire cruise only once was the entire thing opne (the first day) the rest of the time it was only the main room open and I only twice saw anything other than pizza, hamburgers, hotdogs and fruit/desserts. By 9:30pm the only things available were pizza or cold cuts.

 

The time we did dock at Freeport in a rain storm we went to exit the ship and were told that exit was closed but to walk to the other end of the ship where we could get out. Walked all the up, over and back down to the other area where they told us that exit was not open and we had to go back to he other. I saw the guy that had told us to go from the first exit to the other and asked him why he sent us to the other knowing it was closed. He actually raised his voice and told me to calm down and stop yelling (I did not even raise my voice). I was so embarrassed that he yelled in front of all of the other passengers. Never ever been treated so rudely by a member of a cruise ship crew.

 

All in all It was a pretty ship, but the poor service far outweighed the aesthetics. I will never again travel on MSC no matter how cheap it is- you get what you pay for.

[Tapi]

I just got off of the Divina yesterday, and YES IT WAS THAT BAD!

 

...The service was horrible to the point of rudeness.

 

...Super slow and at times rude to people that had been waiting for 10+ minutes to order a beer.

 

.....the poor service far outweighed the aesthetics. I will never again travel on MSC no matter how cheap it is- you get what you pay for.

 

 

Were you on the special 4 night weekend cruise? Coincidentally, one of my good friends who is also a travel agent was on this sailing. We talked quite a bit about this cruise and his views are somewhat different than yours.

 

Yes, the cruise was severely affected by the terrible weather. Windy, stormy, missed port of call, and a shortened stop at another. And as a consequence, passenger tempers were running very hot. You witnessed rude and poor service from the staff. My friend saw rude, poorly behaved and even abusive passengers who were angry and frustrated at the situation with the weather and the missed port, and who were letting those frustrations out on the staff who was desperately trying to keep passengers happy on what basically turned out to be a 4 night cruise to nowhere.

 

He did say that the ship is beautiful, the buffet, pizzas and pasta excellent, food at the MDR average to good, and kids program excellent, but that the cruise was hardly representative of what he had experienced on MSC before. He cruises several times a year on multiple cruise lines in several regions of the world, so I respect his opinions.

Edited January 26, 2016 by Tapi

[AuntieSasa]

Were you on the special 4 night weekend cruise? Coincidentally, one of my good friends who is also a travel agent was on this sailing. We talked quite a bit about this cruise and his views are somewhat different than yours.

 

Yes, the cruise was severely affected by the terrible weather. Windy, stormy, missed port of call, and a shortened stop at another. And as a consequence, passenger tempers were running very hot. You witnessed rude and poor service from the staff. My friend saw rude, poorly behaved and even abusive passengers who were angry and frustrated at the situation with the weather and the missed port, and who were letting those frustrations out on the staff who was desperately trying to keep passengers happy on what basically turned out to be a 4 night cruise to nowhere.

 

He did say that the ship is beautiful, the buffet, pizzas and pasta excellent, food at the MDR average to good, and kids program excellent, but that the cruise was hardly representative of what he had experienced on MSC before. He cruises several times a year on multiple cruise lines in several regions of the world, so I respect his opinions.

 

I was on that one. I am not sure about the kid program, but every time I saw the groups of children parading through the buffet area they seemed to be having a lot of fun. :)

 

I'm sure there were probably some passengers that were rude to staff, but I didn't see any of them. The most complaining I heard was among those involved in the charter, about the Def Leppard singer being sick and not able to sing for the big concert to each other. They played 6 songs and some other artists sang for him. Again- not something you can control.

I can't say that every staff member was rude, but there was a lot of passing the buck when people were trying to get answers about different things.

 

I am sorry but the food was not that good at all, especially the tiny area of the buffet that was used. I have cruised a lot over the years and this was by far the poorest quality I have seen of any ship. I did not starve by any means- The pizza was great- but I don't think I will eat another slice for a long time. As I said, They rarely had anything available other than pizza, burgers, hotdogs and such. I did get a little pasta one day that was really good, but they ran out of it and never re-filled.

[AmoMondo]

I was referring to the k an American has when trying to book an MSC European cruise. MSC uses your IP address to prevent you from seeing the European website, even when you type the European URL, and forces the American website to open instead. The phone # they provide is an American branch of MSC, not the main reservation line. And the American MSC representative told me that some cabins are blocked to Americans, and some restrictions are placed on Americans at certain times. According to the MSC representative, the blocking of solo and 3-person reservations in cabins that have 3 beds is because I'm trying to place the reservation from the U.S.

 

Well since Giles Hawke will be leaving at end of next month, I'm hoping that the no solos at any price policy on some sailings that arrived just after he did, will be reversed when he has gone!

 

It's just ridiculous. Yes I expect to play a supple the to occupy a cabin meant for 2 and happy days if they reduce or waive it on cruises not selling well, but this blanket policy doesn't even make commercial sense, since they sail with empty cabins on some cruises that one of us lesser mortals would have paid to be in!

[lovelights]

I just got off of the Divina yesterday, and YES IT WAS THAT BAD!

 

Besides the things that could not be helped- bad weather preventing us from going to either of our 2 ports, cold, rain, death of one of the entertainers and so on- The service was horrible to the point of rudeness.

 

The time we did dock at Freeport in a rain storm we went to exit the ship and were told that exit was closed but to walk to the other end of the ship where we could get out. Walked all the up, over and back down to the other area where they told us that exit was not open and we had to go back to he other. I saw the guy that had told us to go from the first exit to the other and asked him why he sent us to the other knowing it was closed. He actually raised his voice and told me to calm down and stop yelling (I did not even raise my voice). I was so embarrassed that he yelled in front of all of the other passengers. Never ever been treated so rudely by a member of a cruise ship crew.

 

All in all It was a pretty ship, but the poor service far outweighed the aesthetics. I will never again travel on MSC no matter how cheap it is- you get what you pay for.

 

Sorry to hear about your experience onboard the Divina. We ended up cancelling this exact cruise about 3 weeks before sailing (we did however, get all of our money refunded, except for about $299). Sounds like it ended up being a cruise to nowhere. Sorry to hear about one of the entertainers passing away.

 

I read that he hadn't been feeling well for awhile before boarding the ship, which leads me up to the question as to how he was allowed on the ship to begin with? Doesn't MSC make all guests fill out one of those medical forms, where you sign your name to a paper that states you haven't been ill in the last 14 days? Or is that for just a stomach illness. Heard he died from pneumonia.

 

We were considering booking on Seaside in the future, but after reading the reviews that came back about the customer service on this cruise line, I'm starting to think that we might be better cruising with a cruise line that we've never had bad experiences with, such as Royal Caribbean, NCL, or Princess.