MSC DIVINA - Quick Review: June 11-18, 2016

[Black_Sheep]

MSC DIVINA: Feel free to ask me questions, I'll answer those I can.

 

First time MSC-cruiser. American. Travelled with 24 of my family members, June 11-18, 2016. Ocho Rios, Cayman/Georgetown, Cozumel, Nassau. Have travelled on +/- 6 other cruises, on other lines. Quick review:

 

Embarkation and Debarkation: Great, quick, very smooth. Amazingly smooth.

 

Overall food was good—not as much variety as other cruise lines. (I’m guessing many of the Americans that have travelled on MSC don’t care for the smaller portion sizes).

 

Service at dinner and at the bars was ALWAYS very good. Not many servers around the pool areas. If you tipped (unlike me), you’d probably see pool servers a bit more often. But bar-wait times were not unreasonable. Service in the bars, in the evening was always great.

 

Dress code: Very informal (and in fact, we LIKED that). Khakis and polo shirts for the men were fine for all meals. Did not see a lot of men dressed up. Most of the women were gussied up.

 

Entertainment—in the theater--was good as well; but again, not much variety. Same entertainment team each night and VERY talented. Other cruise lines seem to have different types of talent…comedians, hypnotists, etc. None of that here. Also, a bit odd that there were no servers taking drink orders in the theater…but you could always bring your drink in.

 

Bars all had musicians and they—also—were good; just not much “alternative” entertainment options.

 

Buffet: Many have commented that it is crowded. It was, but not as bad as these reviews make it seem. We always found a seat and went at busy times. (Head to the back of the boat…always seats back there). Buffet also had a HUGE selection. Much more than evidenced in these reviews. The Black Crab dining room was always open for breakfast and lunch as well. Many family members would go there to eat those meals…less crowded…obviously quick seating.

 

Casino: Again, have read prior reviews that the casino seemed “small.” Yes, it was crowded in the evening…but it is a nice size casino.

 

Pool: Yes, lounge chairs filled up quickly when we were at sea…especially on the main pool deck.

 

Worst part of the cruise, is that many of the travelers—both European and American—seemed very pushy and rude at times. THAT was probably the biggest surprise for our family. You’re on vacation folks…calm down!

 

Ship was very pretty, rooms were nice-sized. Stayed in cabin 13046, right off an elevator bank. Couldn’t feel the movement of the ocean and certainly didn’t have any noise problems. All-inclusive drink package worked out well for both adults and kids in our group.

 

Would I travel on MSC again? YES!

Edited June 19, 2016 by Black_Sheep

[Cruisermom2nick]

Thanks for the review! :) Was gelato avail for dessert in the main dining room? Did any of your group do the mini bowling or 4d theater? What time did you get to the port to check in?

[alexkrn46]

Nice review thanks for posting, glad you had a good cruise.

[Black_Sheep]

Thanks for the review! :) Was gelato avail for dessert in the main dining room? Did any of your group do the mini bowling or 4d theater? What time did you get to the port to check in?

 

1) No gelato in main dining. I think if you'd ask, you could order it off the menu. The servers were amenable to that.

 

2) Some of the kids did the mini-bowling and paid for the arcade games. Minimal charges to do so.

 

3) We got to the port at 12:45 pm. We "thought" we'd have to wait until 2:00 pm to get on the ship; however, we (and everyone else there) were immediately allowed on. Rooms were not available until 2:00 so we ate, explored, booked our excursions, and the kids went swimming (swim suits in the carry-ons!). Luggage was there before dinner.

[Crzyfrk62]

NICE..... I think they are getting more accustomed to American cruisers - Good or bad.

[Essiesmom]

There was still a big mix of European and Asian cruisers on our cruise, and I think that is why there are no comedians among the entertainers. American humor doesn't translate well to people who do not understand our politics, TV programs, sports, etc. Music is universal. EM

[riclop]

Thanks for the review.

[mscdivina2016]

The bars with entertainment.... Just music or dancing as well? I assume Black and white had a dance band each evening. What type of dance was it? I see they have dance lessons during the day,so do they play that type of music at night?

 

Thanks

[Black_Sheep]

The bars with entertainment.... Just music or dancing as well? I assume Black and white had a dance band each evening. What type of dance was it? I see they have dance lessons during the day,so do they play that type of music at night?

 

Thanks

 

The music was all over the board; slow, fast, rock, contemporary, slow, fast, etc. Really had to find what appealed to you. Black & White did have dancing in the evening. Dancing was all-over-the-board; slow, fast, etc. I do not know if the dance lessons corresponded to the music that played in the evening. I kinda' think not as lessons were like "Learn the Rumba," and I can't really say they were playing Rumba music later in the evening.

[alpal1993]

I was disappointed that the La Luna piano bar did not have a piano player that you could request songs from,.Which I really enjoy. They had a duo that were ok,but took breaks at 8 pm when you would want to have a cocktail between the shows and dinner at 8:15

[nimiq]

Thanks for the review your comments are very pertinent as having cruised on Divina before. Would I cruise her again yes as well :-)

Sea ya

Eric

[Tapi]

Thanks for the review! Did any of your group do the mini bowling or 4d theater?

 

 

We did the mini bowling and the 4D theater. It was good family fun. There was nobody at the Sports Bar except for those bowling, even though it was a pretty busy time of night around the ship. Bowling was $8 per person for 10 frames, but we just did two teams for our family of 4 and we alternated frames.

 

We also did the 4D theater. Very similar experience to other 4D theaters on land. Audio was bit loud and seats were jerky so we came out a bit shaken and deaf. However, we got a great deal. The attendant charged us only for the two adults and he allowed our kids to ride for free. On top of that, we were torn between which movie to watch (they have like 6 to choose from). We finally settled on one, but when it was over, the attendant walked in the theater and told us to stay seated, that he would play the second one free of charge! So what should've been $56 (2 movies for a family of 4) cost us only $16! My kids were so grateful that the actually hugged the attendant as we walked out, haha [emoji3].

 

Overall, every crewmember that we came across was very nice and friendly, and the nicer we were to them, the nicer they would be to us in return. They are not "on your face, fake cheery and smily" (which some people used to the American cruise lines may mistake as being rude and uncaring), but they are definitely happy to take care of you. We learned quickly to smile and approach them if we needed something, not the other way around.

Edited June 20, 2016 by Tapi