Divina Tips/Tricks

[Avril]

I'm sailing on the Divina in 19 Days (leaving for Florida in 14 Days)!! :D It'll be my 1st MSC cruise so I have been trying to read and learn as much as I can about both the Divina and MSC in general. I've been making a list of little tips/tricks that (I hope) will help make our cruise better and easier, just little things that are good/useful to know. Here is my list so far and I'm wondering if anyone has anything else I should know about and add? It can be literally anything specific to the Divina or just MSC in general.

- Can register credit card either the 1st or 2nd day

- Go to casino after boarding to get drink vouchers (we have the Fantastica Experience)

- Use exterior Promenade Deck to bypass choke point in the Golden Jazz Lounge (Embarkation Day)

- Go to Sports Bar for lunch, less busy than buffet (Embarkation Day)

- 1st Formal Night, there may be some free cocktails at Wine Bar around 5pm

- Remove card from power slot when leaving the cabin, changes the colour of subtle lights outside door so Cabin Steward know cabin is empty so he/she can clean

Anything else I've missed? It's a 12 Day cruise if that matters and means there are more and/or different things I should know than if it was a 7 Day cruise. Thanks!! :D

[wetwash]

Was on Divina last summer with my family and enjoyed the cruise.

Sign up for "meet and mingle" if you haven't and you should be invited to a nice reception with captain and some staff (and champagne/hors d'oeuvres).

I'm sure if you have specific questions you might get some more answers as everyone's experience is different but I'm sure the cruise over the holidays will be fabulous - enjoy!

[sabres431]

- Remove card from power slot when leaving the cabin, changes the colour of subtle lights outside door so Cabin Steward know cabin is empty so he/she can clean

Anything else I've missed? It's a 12 Day cruise if that matters and means there are more and/or different things I should know than if it was a 7 Day cruise. Thanks!! :D

 

 

We are also doing a 12 day on Divina in February so I'll be watching this closely. NCL does something similar to this, but one of the tips was to use any card with a magnetic strip. Turning the light switch in the room off changed the colors of the light outside the cabin as well. With NCL, the slot controlled ALL the power, not just the lights. Is this true with MSC? If so, any items you have charging in the room would stop. We also usually bring a travel alarm clock, and taking the card out would reset the time.

[faze41]

The card slot will not turn off the tv, nor affect the plugs, so you can charge your phone,etc while card is not in slot.

Edited December 4, 2017 by faze41

[ODECCIT]

I read in a different thread, that drinking vouchers are in your cabin when you arrive and you don't have to go to casino. Can someone clarify this ?

[baseballhrb]

I read in a different thread, that drinking vouchers are in your cabin when you arrive and you don't have to go to casino. Can someone clarify this ?

 

Just got off the Divina this past Saturday. We purchased the 18 vouchers package before we got onto the ship and they were already sitting in an envelope on the bed when we checked into our room on Day 1.

[Avril]

Sign up for "meet and mingle" if you haven't and you should be invited to a nice reception with captain and some staff (and champagne/hors d'oeuvres).

 

 

I'm sure the cruise over the holidays will be fabulous - enjoy!

 

We have signed up for the Meet and Mingle, I'm looking forward to it!! :D How do we find out when and where it will be? I got an email saying there will be one onboard but it said nothing about time or location.

I'm sure cruising over the holidays will be fabulous!! I've been on a cruise several times for New Years but never for Christmas, this time we get to be onboard for both!! :D

 

Just got off the Divina this past Saturday. We purchased the 18 vouchers package before we got onto the ship and they were already sitting in an envelope on the bed when we checked into our room on Day 1.

 

Oh, ok!! I can take having to stop at the casino to pick them up off my list then. Thanks!! :D

[KeywestK]

We have signed up for the Meet and Mingle, I'm looking forward to it!! :D How do we find out when and where it will be? I got an email saying there will be one onboard but it said nothing about time or location.

I'm sure cruising over the holidays will be fabulous!! I've been on a cruise several times for New Years but never for Christmas, this time we get to be onboard for both!! :D

 

 

 

Oh, ok!! I can take having to stop at the casino to pick them up off my list then. Thanks!! :D

 

I believe there will be a letter in your cabin advising you of where/when the Meet & Mingle will be.

[dexddd]

Yeah, you'll get the letter in your cabin. For us it was in Eataly the first sea day at 10:30 a.m. Your trip is longer so maybe it will be a bit later.

 

Sports Bar you know about but we also found it pretty empty the whole trip.

 

We did the aft pool and it was empty but then again , it was a port day.

[Homosassa]

Use a credit card with no foreign transaction fees. All MSC charges go through a French bank and there will be foreign transaction fees unless your card does not have them.

[LMaxwell]

- Go to Sports Bar for lunch, less busy than buffet (Embarkation Day)

 

Personal opinion but this is the worst tip! The food in the sports bar was thoroughly MEH. The sandwiches not good and the appetizer stuff just frozen fried food nothing special. An order of wings is 3 wings. And if someone decides to use the bowling you will lose your minds, so loud and annoying. The buffet day one is NOT that bad of a madhouse as some make it out to be, keep heading for the back of the ship, and on day one they have the largest selection of food and expensive meats and cheeses you may not see again during the cruise.

 

I can appreciate that they made the sports bar free, but the menu got downgraded.

 

Another tip, take advantage of the exterior staircases that go from deck 15 down to 7 all the way aft. You can drop from Garden Bar into the buffet in about 30 seconds via 3 different staircases. Also use the exterior promenade on deck 7 to get forward and aft; everyone walks inside that the Golden Jazz bar is pinch point.

 

For fun order an iced tea at dinner. See how many different glasses they provide you during the week. We got everything from a giant mug/beer stein to wine glasses for the iced tea throughout the week, lol.

[YellowDog]

This isn't a tip or trick per se, but something I think you should do. Don't miss out on the Meter of Pizza. Its a few extra bucks but is really a lot of fun. We had a group of like 14 of us (about 1/2 kids) and we got two meter pizzas for lunch one day and it was just a blast.

[OceansOfTravels]

If you are struggling to find deck chairs, go towards the back by the smokestack and the basketball court. You will find many there, and still be close enough to the aft pool to go swimming, and a hottub nearby too.

[thegraminator]

If you are interested in using the Formula One simulator , the 4 D movie theater and or bowling multiple times , buy an all inclusive pass . It was $85 per cabin in July . It is not advertised anywhere and only available at the desk near the Simulator . I know it saved us a ton of money !

[ssmea03]

Try to avoid the pool bars for drinks, use the garden pool bar or indoor pool bar. You can get Bellini's even though they are no longer on the drinks menu, and they are covered by vouchers. The Luna lounge is premium drinks only, so if you want to listen to the piano get your drink from golden, sport or casino bars. Try the black crab for breakfast, far less busy than the buffet. Try a double espresso and Jim beam at breakfast. Don't walk into the mirrors thinking it's a short cut to the other side of the ship. On sea days consider paying $10 to use the exclusive sun deck. Any old card will work your cabin lights, we used a loyalty card. Drinks vouchers now come to your cabin, wine vouchers are at the restaurant hostess desk. If you really like ribs, order double. Do the behind the scenes tour. You can only get to Villa Rosa from deck 7. Only order the metre of pizza if there are at least 4 of you. Don't have the banana bread and butter pudding, unless you really really like ripe bananas. Get there early for Michael Jackson.

[April42749]

Try to avoid the pool bars for drinks, use the garden pool bar or indoor pool bar. You can get Bellini's even though they are no longer on the drinks menu, and they are covered by vouchers. The Luna lounge is premium drinks only, so if you want to listen to the piano get your drink from golden, sport or casino bars. Try the black crab for breakfast, far less busy than the buffet. Try a double espresso and Jim beam at breakfast. Don't walk into the mirrors thinking it's a short cut to the other side of the ship. On sea days consider paying $10 to use the exclusive sun deck. Any old card will work your cabin lights, we used a loyalty card. Drinks vouchers now come to your cabin, wine vouchers are at the restaurant hostess desk. If you really like ribs, order double. Do the behind the scenes tour. You can only get to Villa Rosa from deck 7. Only order the metre of pizza if there are at least 4 of you. Don't have the banana bread and butter pudding, unless you really really like ripe bananas. Get there early for Michael Jackson.

 

What is the difference between drink vouchers and wine vouchers? We have Fantastica and I was planning on drinking wine. Where should I get my vouchers. I assume the vouchers include wine.

[ssmea03]

What is the difference between drink vouchers and wine vouchers? We have Fantastica and I was planning on drinking wine. Where should I get my vouchers. I assume the vouchers include wine.

You'll have your 12 free fantastica vouchers, which are blue and your 18 green drinks vouchers in your cabin. The drinks vouchers list what you can get and price including wine by the glass. If you've booked any of the wine with dinner packages such as 7 bottles of table wine, those smaller black vouchers will be waiting at the restaurant. Google MSC drinks vouchers for pictures of them.

[April42749]

Still a bit confused.

 

I'm not ordering anything additional to the Fantastica. So, I'll have those vouchers in my cabin and I can use them for wine, correct?

[ssmea03]

Still a bit confused.

 

I'm not ordering anything additional to the Fantastica. So, I'll have those vouchers in my cabin and I can use them for wine, correct?

Yes, wine by the glass and Prosecco up to $7-50 value.

[ssmea03]

Yes, wine by the glass and Prosecco up to $7-50 value.

The house Chardonnay is horrible.

[KmomChicago]

I'm sailing on the Divina in 19 Days (leaving for Florida in 14 Days)!! :D It'll be my 1st MSC cruise so I have been trying to read and learn as much as I can about both the Divina and MSC in general.

 

 

I can't help you one bit, but I hope you will help all of us afterward. . . There are very few reviews of MSC ships here, especially those that spend most of their time in Europe. With your extensive experience on multiple lines I hope you will give us lots of details and perspective after your journey!

 

LOVE that you include Scotia Prince on your cruise history!! I can only imagine what the reviews would be like on her if she were still around. . . . you may have noticed the rising expectations of the American cruise customer over the years (wink).

[dexddd]

If you are interested in using the Formula One simulator , the 4 D movie theater and or bowling multiple times , buy an all inclusive pass . It was $85 per cabin in July . It is not advertised anywhere and only available at the desk near the Simulator . I know it saved us a ton of money !

 

YMMV on that one. For us the guy was late the first day and the simulator was constantly breaking and one bowling lane out of two down most of trip. I've seen other reports of that as well when we went in August. 4D was great.

 

The package will save you money but if the stuff doesn't work, well.... Looking at the F1 on Divinia it looked like it was running a very old version of Windows so not sure if windows was crashing or the PLCs but I saw enough of the techs working on it to know it was dated equipment.

[ODECCIT]

Personal opinion but this is the worst tip! The food in the sports bar was thoroughly MEH. The sandwiches not good and the appetizer stuff just frozen fried food nothing special. An order of wings is 3 wings. And if someone decides to use the bowling you will lose your minds, so loud and annoying. The buffet day one is NOT that bad of a madhouse as some make it out to be, keep heading for the back of the ship, and on day one they have the largest selection of food and expensive meats and cheeses you may not see again during the cruise.

 

I can appreciate that they made the sports bar free, but the menu got downgraded.

 

Another tip, take advantage of the exterior staircases that go from deck 15 down to 7 all the way aft. You can drop from Garden Bar into the buffet in about 30 seconds via 3 different staircases. Also use the exterior promenade on deck 7 to get forward and aft; everyone walks inside that the Golden Jazz bar is pinch point.

 

For fun order an iced tea at dinner. See how many different glasses they provide you during the week. We got everything from a giant mug/beer stein to wine glasses for the iced tea throughout the week, lol.[/

 

Which soft drinks or juices are available at no extra charge at main dinning room for dinner?

[Missystu]

Was on Divina last summer with my family and enjoyed the cruise.

Sign up for "meet and mingle" if you haven't and you should be invited to a nice reception with captain and some staff (and champagne/hors d'oeuvres).

I'm sure if you have specific questions you might get some more answers as everyone's experience is different but I'm sure the cruise over the holidays will be fabulous - enjoy!

 

Where do you go to sign up for meet and mingle? Can I do it online before we board?

[wetwash]

Where do you go to sign up for meet and mingle? Can I do it online before we board?

 

Check the roll call for your sailing - I think there should be a link there and/or someone else might have the answer - definitely need to sign up ahead of time!