MSC Divina 12/9 - 12/20 Review

[NoleFam20]

Just returned from an 11 night cruise on the Divina. This was my second time on the boat and the experience was good. Here's a quick recap...let me know if you have any questions.

 

Dining - buffet was busy as heck at the peak times, which resulted in lines just to enter the buffet area. I didn't remember seeing this the last time I sailed. Food quality is buffet quality - I'm not a picky eater and was able to try something new each meal or revert back to the good ole cheeseburger or pizza. Lines to get into the buffet - yea, not good if you showed up during peak peak time when you couldn't even get in the door without standing in line. Also, need silverware or a cup/mug? have your walking shoes on and get ready to go on a scavenger hunt to the other stations. Not all the time, but too often that this happened. 

 

Sports bar - too small for the number of people that wanted to use it and not enough staff, especially on the weekend with football games going on. Also, it wasn't open until 4pm on some days where I would have expected it to be open around 11am. 

 

Food is not available all day - between 11am and 11:30 - no buffet or dining room. Also, late late at night....room service is it. 

 

We found Arthur (for anyone who has had the opportunity to sail the Seaside in the yacht club) - he got a promotion after his last contract on the Seaside and is working in the Black Crab dining room. We got moved to his section and he spoiled us as usual...hopefully he can get his staff trained and serve like he does so well. 

 

Drink package - we booked under the Drinks on Us promotion, but upgraded one cabin to a Deluxe (includes mini-bar) and the other to the Classic (a step up from the DoU package). Many times that we ordered as a group, the bartender just asked for 'a' card. This meant we could order as many drinks that we wanted and for anyone we were with. Many times in the casino, when you played near someone long enough, they would order a drink and then ask "do you want something?" and the bartender didn't care. Also, some folks were using the drink vouchers from the Fantastica package - we even gave a couple booklets we had from our last sailing to a family to use. 

 

Bella balcony cabin - smaller than the Fantastica cabin that I had last time...no couch in the room. It also had a smaller balcony which I think was approximately 2 planks less deep. When the winds and waves picked up on some of the nights, I was awakened by knocks and groans from the ship. They did two balcony cleanings during the cruise while we were in port. At the 3rd stop (Colon, Panama) they had the emergency drills for the crew. It wasn't bad until you thought it was over and then another alarm went off  - scared he heck out of the hubby who was trying to nap. 

 

Shows - they had a lot of the same shows that I saw last time so I only went to the first few. I personally don't think their shows are that good. The sound quality seems out of balance and you can't hear the singers over the music at times. Also, during some of the shows they have portions that are irrelevant to the story/theme. "Wind beneath my wings" in the Pirate show? Some folks also thought it was odd to have the opera singers in the Bohemian Rhapsody song for the Queen show. 

 

Elevators - crowded at times and as others have mentioned, sometimes folks don't want to let you on. However, you could flip this and mention there were also times that folks forced themselves on when there was no room. Nothing like being in full contact with strangers!

 

Fellow cruisers - as last time, as an American, I would say we were the minority. I sort of liked that though...love to listen to all the different accents and talk with people about where they're from. We met people from Russia, Germany, South Africa, Sweden and Greece, just to mention some. 

 

Customer service - a little touch and go. Some of the staff gave the impression that they were just trying to get through their contracts and move on. I don't think they have enough staff on schedule during the peak times to assist the passengers in a timely fashion. Sometimes bar service was slow, dining was real slow for breakfast and lunch and the guest services desk only had a couple staffed during a peak time. They need management training to adjust their staff's schedules and breaks. 

 

FYI...if you're interested in spa services, they go on sale towards the end of the cruise. I didn't take advantage of this (spent too much in the casino), but I noticed the ads in the daily programs. 

 

The Divina is a beautiful ship, but the layout is a little aggravating some times between decks 5-7 in the aft section and trying to get up to deck 16 mid. The onboard activities were fun...there's always trivia a few times a day. We took some games from home to use a few times when there wasn't anything that appealed to us.

 

Would I do it again? Yep....nothing so terrible that ruined our experience. 

[miataman19]

Thanks for the info. Sailing in 2 1/2 weeks. Will definitely try to get into Arthur's section.

[cabogal]

Thanks for the review! We are on the Jan 20th sailing and your review is very helpful and answered a few of the questions I had.

[dexddd]

What is Arthur's title now?  We had him in Divinia YC and he was great.  Not sure how this is a promotion,

[Cruisergal1208]

2 hours ago, dexddd said:

What is Arthur's title now?  We had him in Divinia YC and he was great.  Not sure how this is a promotion,

He is now head waiter and has regular servers under his supervision. 

[NoleFam20]

Yes, promotion to head waiter and a substantial pay raise. He has a lot to teach his staff and I'm betting he'll be an assistant Maitre D soon!

[NCTribeFan]

I was on there with you.  It was my first MSC sailing (but over 30 total cruises).  I plan to write up a brief summary of my thoughts, maybe by tomorrow.

 

Agree totally about the sports bar.