Just back from Divina August 5, 2017 Sailing - Review

[GadgetRick]

great review. in comparison you can tell I wrote my recap on a cel phone... ha!

 

missed ya at the M&G and the Welcome Back reception. those were both great events.

 

I had ZERO issues with international guests. I don't think I had any with "ugly americans" either. I had a couple fellers bump into me since they refused to move an inch towards their side of the walkways, which is normal. I don't get that. I'm 6'2" 230 lbs, why you wanna encroach on my side?

Bummer. I'm hard to miss. :)

 

I wasn't really complaining about international guests, just making an observation. Overall, the guests were much better than on other cruises we've been on.

[GadgetRick]

Can you explain this a little more? I haven't been on Divina, yet, so I don't know how the buffet is set up but cruise ship buffets are usually HUGE so isn't the normal thing not to stand in a line but just to take what you want?

 

(Example: if they first have pizza and after that hamburgers and someone want a hamburger that person skip the line and pass people in line for pizza and go straight to the hamburgers.)

You're totally right and I'm not really talking about this situation. I'm talking about where there's a long line and someone just butts into the middle of it and continues down the line. Grabbing an item (or two) makes sense unless it's one of the more popular items (like certain pizzas, the hashbrown potatoes in the morning, etc. People would cut in the line while many were waiting on that item, then they would take a ton of whatever it is they were cutting in line to get. It didn't bother me all that much but it's slightly annoying.

[sanbixby]

I agree that the ship was SPOTLESS! We saw people painting bar ceilings and even the outside of the ship while we were in port one day. They do work hard to keep it looking like new.

 

Nice to have met you onboard. Hope your next sailing is just as much fun!

[Cherries Jubilee]

Depends on what you mean by modern music. Most of it seemed to be Latin music with a little bit of, "club," music thrown in. I was a little surprised by this, not really a complaint. The place was still hoppin'!

 

Yeah I mean I was hoping they mixed in a good amount of top 40 American radio from the past 10 years or so but I will dance badly to whatever they're playing :D. As long as the energy is good I'll have fun.

 

Thanks for answering!

[NYHartChapp]

Thanks for the review.

[GadgetRick]

Yeah I mean I was hoping they mixed in a good amount of top 40 American radio from the past 10 years or so but I will dance badly to whatever they're playing :D. As long as the energy is good I'll have fun.

 

Thanks for answering!

I didn't notice any of that...thank goodness. ;)

[GadgetRick]

I agree that the ship was SPOTLESS! We saw people painting bar ceilings and even the outside of the ship while we were in port one day. They do work hard to keep it looking like new.

 

Nice to have met you onboard. Hope your next sailing is just as much fun!

Yeah, was it PR where they were lowering the skiff so the crew could paint the anchor?

 

Nice meeting up with you as well!

[sverigecruiser]

You're totally right and I'm not really talking about this situation. I'm talking about where there's a long line and someone just butts into the middle of it and continues down the line. Grabbing an item (or two) makes sense unless it's one of the more popular items (like certain pizzas, the hashbrown potatoes in the morning, etc. People would cut in the line while many were waiting on that item, then they would take a ton of whatever it is they were cutting in line to get. It didn't bother me all that much but it's slightly annoying.

 

OK then I understand, and agree.

[tkportersat]

Thanks for writing the review! I followed your other thread, glad to hear that you had a nice experience after all.

[GadgetRick]

Thanks for writing the review! I followed your other thread, glad to hear that you had a nice experience after all.

Thanks. Yes, it was an amazing time. And, I'm really not a fan of cruising in general but I really enjoyed myself. I still can't get over how awesome it was.

[OceansOfTravels]

I was in Saint-Martin when you were docked there on the 8th! You guys had amazinf weather for your day in SXM, I hoped you enjoyed the island, it's my personal favorite. But, thank you so much for your detailed and comprehensive review of the MSC Divina, I cannot wait for my cruise in 11 days onboard her. With each review I read, I get more and more excited! :D

[GadgetRick]

I was in Saint-Martin when you were docked there on the 8th! You guys had amazinf weather for your day in SXM, I hoped you enjoyed the island, it's my personal favorite. But, thank you so much for your detailed and comprehensive review of the MSC Divina, I cannot wait for my cruise in 11 days onboard her. With each review I read, I get more and more excited! :D

We did enjoy it. Maho Beach was a lot of fun as was the Rhino boat tour.

 

Make sure you don't take the taxis there-WAY expensive--take the local transportation. Look for vehicles with signs in the front window--Maho, etc.--it's only $1.50-$2 per person.

[m cruiser]

questions about Divina. Someone posted that there are 2 for 1 happy hours at the Bars on ship, and if so, can you tell me which ones and approx what the times are? Second, can you explain the drink vouchers, were they easy to use and can you pretty much use them anywhere or are they a pain with alot of restrictions. Please advise. thx

 

 

 

Cigar Bar

I was excited about the Cigar Bar. Unfortunately, they don't actually sell cigars in there and it was more of a place for cigarette smokers to go smoke than for cigar smokers to congregate. So I didn't spend any time there. Love the idea though.

 

Organization

Many times, on a cruise, things don't feel terribly-organized. From getting onto the ship to getting off the ship things can get frantic. None of this was the case with MSC. They are extremely-organized getting people on/off the ship. Never once waited in a long line at any of the ports. Made it pleasant compared to other ports I've been to with other cruise lines.

 

Also liked they had music playing at the port and offered water/wet towels. A nice touch for sure.

 

Prices for Various Items

Normally, when you have to buy drinks or other things on a ship, the prices tend to be, well, a bit much. I have to say, drinks, gelato, desserts, etc. that you pay extra for are extremely reasonably-priced. I was surprised at this and very happy. We did Fantastica and got 12 drink voucers each. That was more than enough for the drinks we needed. Well-worth the slight increase in price for the cabin.

 

I checked some of the prices on the items they sell in their shops--they also price match--and their prices were usually dead on with Internet prices. I found that interesting.

 

Kids Club

We have 2 sons (14 qnd 11). The 14 year old is, well, anti-social (not in a rude way). We traveled with my wife's family and they have 2 adopted sons (16 and 7). The 16 year old loved the teen club. Met some girls, enjoyed the parties they had, etc. He brought our older son to one of the parties. Apparently, a cute girl asked my son to dance and he, well, left. Ugh, gotta teach him a few things.

 

Our younger son (11) enjoyed the kids he met. I think his club is too wide a range of age (7-11) so he didn't spend as much time in the actual club once he made friends. But they both still enjoyed themselves.

 

People

We met some great people (Jenn and Ed and some other people I can't remember the names). We're talking with some of them to get them to come along in June when we sail on the Seaside.

 

Some people complained about the mixed group of people (from other countries) but I absolutely love that. I love experiencing other people from other cultures. It's refreshing. Other than what I mentioned about people butting in line and standing in the middle of walk areas, the people on the ship were awesome. Even the kids were all polite and not snotty like I've seen. Our younger son met a few kids and we spoke with them. Very respectful kids.

 

Complaints

My complaints are extremely-minor. I mentioned some of the items in the buffet tend to run out quickly and are harder to get.

 

My biggest complaint is, on the first night, they only had 2 people working the customer service desk on the ship. It's the busiest time there (besides the last night) and I waited an hour to get something taken care of. They can have something like 8 or 12 people manning this area, they need to have more people there on busy times like that.

 

They have a kiosk for adding a credit card to your cabin. I wish they'd advertise this a bit heavier because it's the only way to add a card to your cabin. One of the things we waited to see CS for the first day was this but they can't do it, they sent me to the kiosk.

 

Would be nice if they'd just include the drink vouchers when you check in rather than having you go to the casino to pick them up later.

 

Other than that, my major complaint is the HORRIBLE customer service from MSC US. They really need to get this worked out along with the technology issues they continue to have. If I would have had time, I would have canceled this cruise and gone with another line. I know others have done that as well.

 

Conclusion

Other than the problems with MSC US, we absolutely loved the whole cruise. In fact, the captain and crew made it so enjoyable we booked Seaside for June 16 next year. So, as others have said, once you get past the BS with MSC US, the cruise itself is awesome. We are now fans of MSC.

 

Thanks to the Captain and crew of Divina for making this a much better trip than I thought it would be. They made 8 customers for MSC (my wife's family also loved it). Now, if MSC US is listening...GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER!!!

 

If anyone has other questions, fire away!

[OceansOfTravels]

We did enjoy it. Maho Beach was a lot of fun as was the Rhino boat tour.

 

Make sure you don't take the taxis there-WAY expensive--take the local transportation. Look for vehicles with signs in the front window--Maho, etc.--it's only $1.50-$2 per person.

 

Yup, that's what we did all last week when we were there! We stayed at ain AirBnB in Marigot (it had its own beach and pool, whcih was super nice, and close to town) and would use the public buses to get around. We used them on our previous cruises as well! This Divina cruise goes to the Western Caribbean, so I will use the buses again on my next trip to SXM :)

[GadgetRick]

questions about Divina. Someone posted that there are 2 for 1 happy hours at the Bars on ship, and if so, can you tell me which ones and approx what the times are? Second, can you explain the drink vouchers, were they easy to use and can you pretty much use them anywhere or are they a pain with alot of restrictions. Please advise. thx

 

Unfortunately, I can't speak for the happy hour as I'm not a big drinker and didn't notice anything like that. I didn't see/hear anything about happy hour specials.

 

The drink vouchers are something you can purchase--also comes with Fantastica (you get 12 for each person in the room for Fantastica. Each voucher is good for one drink. They also have non-alcoholic drink vouchers.

 

You can purchase additional vouchers throughout the cruise. They also have their drink packages but, IMO, they are too expensive to be useful unless you drink a LOT.

 

You pick up your vouchers in the Casino after the ship sails. They're small booklets and you tear each voucher out to use it. You can also use them for other items (food) but I think you're better off using them for drinks as the food items you'd purchase (gelato, cupcakes, etc.) are pretty inexpensive to begin with.

[GadgetRick]

Yup, that's what we did all last week when we were there! We stayed at ain AirBnB in Marigot (it had its own beach and pool, whcih was super nice, and close to town) and would use the public buses to get around. We used them on our previous cruises as well! This Divina cruise goes to the Western Caribbean, so I will use the buses again on my next trip to SXM :)

Nice. It's the first Caribbean island I've been to that I wouldn't mind going back to. Wish Seaside was going there!

 

Although I haven't been to the more Southern Islands (St. Thomas, etc.). So I can't speak for those although I hear they're very nice.

[lifeasme123]

Nice. It's the first Caribbean island I've been to that I wouldn't mind going back to. Wish Seaside was going there!

 

Although I haven't been to the more Southern Islands (St. Thomas, etc.). So I can't speak for those although I hear they're very nice.

 

Which island do you wish Seaside is going to? St. Maarten? We are on the Seaside cruise that goes to Bahamas, San Juan and St Maarten.

[lifeasme123]

GadgetRick - Thanks for the wonderful, detailed review! We were just on Meravigilia (our first MSC Cruise) and the food was ok. We did not starve, but let's say we didn't gain weight either. I was not sure if it is the cruise line or the Itinerary (it was a Med Cruise). I've followed your other post and know you were really concerned about MSC. So it is great to hear that you liked the food. We will be on Seaside in Jan 2018, and your food review eased my mind on this.

 

Thanks also for the review on the Kids' Club.

[GadgetRick]

Which island do you wish Seaside is going to? St. Maarten? We are on the Seaside cruise that goes to Bahamas, San Juan and St Maarten.

It'll be going to Jamaica, Grand Cayman, Cozumel and Nassau. Honestly, I couldn't care less about any of these ports. I hate (yes hate) Nassau and Cozumel. Grand Cayman is ok but nothing special. Ditto for Jamaica. I really wish they'd make it to St. Thomas or the other islands down that way. I'd do SXM again.

 

We're going for the fun of it, not for the islands.

[GadgetRick]

GadgetRick - Thanks for the wonderful, detailed review! We were just on Meravigilia (our first MSC Cruise) and the food was ok. We did not starve, but let's say we didn't gain weight either. I was not sure if it is the cruise line or the Itinerary (it was a Med Cruise). I've followed your other post and know you were really concerned about MSC. So it is great to hear that you liked the food. We will be on Seaside in Jan 2018, and your food review eased my mind on this.

 

Thanks also for the review on the Kids' Club.

Glad you found it useful. We're looking forward to Seaside for sure.

[lifeasme123]

It'll be going to Jamaica, Grand Cayman, Cozumel and Nassau. Honestly, I couldn't care less about any of these ports. I hate (yes hate) Nassau and Cozumel. Grand Cayman is ok but nothing special. Ditto for Jamaica. I really wish they'd make it to St. Thomas or the other islands down that way. I'd do SXM again.

 

We're going for the fun of it, not for the islands.

 

Agree with you on Nassau and Cozumel. We do not even leave the ship if they are one of the ports.

 

We've cruised the caribbean at least twice a year. So at this point, we are cruising for the fun of it, for the ship and not the islands - just like you said.

[Arzeena]

Thanks for your review and thoughts GR,

We leave for Florida tomorrow. Cruise on the 19th.

[havanadaydreaming]

It'll be going to Jamaica, Grand Cayman, Cozumel and Nassau. Honestly, I couldn't care less about any of these ports. I hate (yes hate) Nassau and Cozumel. Grand Cayman is ok but nothing special. Ditto for Jamaica. I really wish they'd make it to St. Thomas or the other islands down that way. I'd do SXM again.

 

We're going for the fun of it, not for the islands.

I love SXM. st thomas. tortola.

 

Maho might be my favorite spot in the islands. rivaled only by the beach between the Pitons on St Lucia.

 

 

 

Sent from my SM-G920V using Forums mobile app

[GadgetRick]

I love SXM. st thomas. tortola.

 

Maho might be my favorite spot in the islands. rivaled only by the beach between the Pitons on St Lucia.

 

 

 

Sent from my SM-G920V using Forums mobile app

We looked at a RC (I think), which would have taken us to Tortola for this past trip but chose MSC. :)

[AZbeachboy]

I have read both threads. Thanks as both were informative and entertaining. Your experience will be very helpful. Peace and Aloha, Jim