Vaxxed, waxed,masked,relaxed-Divina Live

[stevenq99]

11 minutes ago, maureencruiser said:

 

Sigh...... Everyone's a critic.......sigh

 

 

Yes, waterbaby, Steve, Tim and Janet picked up the tab both ways because I was busy being birthed out of the cab by the cab driver and a team of bystanders, but, I believe I heard it was $10 plus tip.  This was all part of my earlier, deleted post.  I'll try to remember what I said and rewrite the gist of it, but, let me finish the actual review first.

 

$10 sounds about right.  If you walked away from the port it might be 6-8

[maureencruiser]

Okay, on a different computer now, so, let's see how this goes.

 

This was the Thursday night crew show.

 

They did the Time Warp. Again.

 

 

 

 

And, everyone knows the Village People.

 

 

 

 

 

My midnight snack, it looks like the pizza chef was hungry that night.

 

 

 

 

 

When you're five nights in, your nightly drink package flexing starts to wane a bit.

 

 

 

 

 

[maureencruiser]

Friday was Costa Maya and my birthday.

 

They fixed the biscuits and gravy.  They no longer say, Traditional Buttermilk Cookies with Sausage Gravy.  MSC must be following my review.

 

 

 

 

That's much better......  I think.......  Maybe?

 

Another nice breakfast with Benny.

 

 

 

 

I hid some ducks on my way back from breakfast.

 

 

 

 

 

Here's what both sides of my tags say, for the person who wanted to see them.

 

 

 

 

This was the suit we have all had to wear all week , the new Covid protocol.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[maureencruiser]

The pier at Costa Maya.  All it took was one look and I knew I would not be going there.  They ran a tram later in the day, but, I'll have to see it next time.

 

 

 

 

Hmm, this is curious.

 

 

 

 

You know you're in Mexico when the buoys look like sombreros.

 

 

 

 

The view from my cabin.

 

 

 

 

 

The workers on the pier look like ants from here!

 

 

 

 

Random photo of internet prices on the ship.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[maureencruiser]

Since it was my birthday, I treated myself to lunch in the MDR.  Turns out, the Villa Rosa DR was just a short elevator ride from my cabin, the entrance was right there.  When I think of how many less steps I could have taken over the week...

 

The lunch menu.  Notice the desserts.  It's like they knew The Red Sox and the Yankees were playing that night.  You know which one I chose.

 

 

 

 

 

Beautiful cruise bread.

 

 

 

 

If you ask for Diet Coke, you never know what you're going to get.  A red can, but, no sugar?

 

 

 

 

 

Conch Fritters.  I'm still trying to find the conch in them.  

 

 

 

 

How the salt and pepper is served.

 

 

 

 

The veal piccata.  I know, I know.  I haven't had veal in 30 years.

 

 

 

 

And, dessert.  New York Cheesecake.  What?  Blasphemy!  I know, but, it sounded good.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[maureencruiser]

Back in my cabin for 2pm sailaway.

 

 

 

 

I made an ant wave!

 

 

 

 

 

[maureencruiser]

OMG!  I'm having  my typical Boomer issues with my pictures and on the last post, it started uploading ALL the pictures on my laptop!  Whew, doggie, that could have been bad.  And, almost assuredly, would have resulted in a lifetime ban.  😇  I think I'll make my next post photo free.

[maureencruiser]

So, at 3pm, I had my spa appointment, one free hour at the thermal area.  As discussed earlier, I was hoping for a heated tile lounger, I would have settled for a whirlpool, had zero interest in sauna or steam.  My favorite bathing suit was still wet from Cozumel, so, I got my second best.  I bought them at the same time, same brand, same size, everything.  Identical black shorts and 1 purple top and 1 blue top.  When I put the shorts on, they felt a little funny, but, I had to go.  I put my capris on over them and they felt really tight, I assumed I buttoned the capris wrong.

 

In the elevator, I was pulling at myself trying to figure out what was wrong.  They have a lining inside, did I put both legs in the same side of the lining?  The shorts yesterday fit me perfectly.  It was starting to get a little hard to breathe.  The elevator arrived at Deck 14 as I unbuttoned the top button so I wouldn't pass out.  Of course, I was aft and you know where the spa is.  All the way forward.  As I was walking, I could feel my zipper unzipping, so, I was pulling my shirt down with one hand, using the cane in the other hand.  I was walking very upright, very tightassed for lack of a better word.

 

I finally get there and they do not have tiled loungers.  Okay, I'll do the whirlpool.  No whirlpool because of Covid.  All they have is the sauna and a "nice comfy room" for after the sauna to relax with a nice view.  As discussed earlier, the last thing I want to do is sit in a hot room, sweating, but, that is what you guys pay me to do, right?  Wait, you don't pay me?

 

So, I put my clothes in a locker and the attendant throws me in the sauna.  She says, I'm only setting it for 77, so, you don't overheat.  I'm thinking that sounds lovely, but, as I enter this hellhole, I realize she must be talking celsius?  What is 77 celsius, it must be like 500 degrees.  It was miserable.  She said I'm setting the timer for 15 minutes.  When it goes off, you can only stay an extra 5 minutes.  Don't worry, honey, me overstaying my welcome is not going to be an issue.  

 

 

 

 

[maureencruiser]

So, she leaves and I'm sitting there melting.  The only good thing is it kind of smelled like brownies baking  in there.  Then, I realized that was the smell of me baking.  I closed my eyes and tried to imagine being anyplace else, anywhere not this hot.

 

Go to your happy place, go to your happy place.  Think happy thoughts.  Brownies, brownies burning, seared flesh, forest fires, desert sands, the surface of Mars, the sun exploding from the heat, all seven layers of Hell.  

 

I opened my eyes and noticed my hands were sweating profusely.  That seemed weird, so, I used my wet hands to massage my knees.  How is 15 minutes not over yet?  My face was sweating, but, not my legs.  Have my legs ever sweated?  

 

Close your eyes, it's gotta be almost over and you can escape this torture.  Try to relax.

 

Finally, I burst out of there, I don't know how long I lasted, but, it was terrible.  I hated every second of it.  This was not how I imagined spending my birthday.

 

Okay, now the relaxing comfy room.  When I envision a spa, I think of fluffy white robes and towels, cold glasses of water with cucumbers and lemons floating in them, maybe a mint leaf or a hibiscus flower floating on top.  There was nothing like that, nothing to drink at all, just loungers to sit in.  The lounger was very low, so, I really struggled to get into it, mind you my shorts were still trying to kill me from within.  Two women from my roll call were in there and they said they would help me out of my chair at the end.  I ended up somehow sticking my butt up in the air, burying my face in the chair and kind of bellyflopping onto the chair.  Success!  

[40yearcruiser]

Maureen, Thanks so much for your wonderful review. Your photos are gorgeous and I laughed through your commentary. We will be boarding the Divina this Sunday!  We have been on this ship before but the last time was 3 years ago, and how the world has changed since then. I wonder if we will have as few passengers as were on your cruise. Your review gave us a preview of what to expect this time. Guess we won't be packing our fancy duds since the formal nights have been suspended for now. We will be on the Meraviglia for Christmas with family and my granddaughter is determined that she is going to dress up (good excuse for a shopping spree 😉). I hope many more happy cruises are in your future.

[maureencruiser]

After a minute or two, I realize my mouth is all gummed up from being so hot and sweaty and not having a drink.  I'm trying to rest and relax and enjoy it, but, this is not fun at all.  People aren't supposed to get dehydrated like that.  I thought maybe they'd come around every 15 minutes or so with cold drinks, but, no.  Not a drop to drink except my own sweat.

 

I decided to tough it out as long as I could then jump into Le Sirene pool, which is a quiet pool just outside the spa.  I don't know if it's adults only, but, it's not loud like the main pool can be, with activities going on.  I don't know how long I lasted, but, finally, my new friend helped me up and I busted out of there.  I got lost , couldn't find the exit and ended up back at the comfy room. My friend walked me out.

 

I got to Le Sirene and it was closed for a private party. 

 

Now, there's a secret about this cruise I haven't told you about yet.  It wasn't just a regular cruise, it was a theme cruise.  There was a large Goth group on board, about 90 people.  They normally have about 500 people, but, you know, Covid.  This was their first time on Divina, apparently they had a bad experience on the last cruise,  whatever line that was.  And, let me tell you, these people know how to party!  They had four separate theme nights and dressed accordingly.  They had 3 or 4 bands with them who played at private events.  They had their own beach party on Ocean Cay.  I can honestly say they were some of the nicest people I've ever met.  Now, it wouldn't be my choice to go to the beach dressed all in black with combat boots, but, if that's what you want to do, I am here to support it.  

 

So, they had Le Sirene blocked off and seemed to be having fun.  One guy had a giant boom box.  I decided to change my plans and just get a cold drink then go take a shower.  Once again the main pool area was hopping. 

 

 

Here's Vlad, taking on a more feminine form.

 

 

 

 

 

[maureencruiser]

I went back to my cabin and rested and pouted till dinner.  🤪

 

 

 

 

 

 

I had the chicken parm  If you squint really hard, you can see the tomato sauce just peeking out from behind the cheese.  Maybe that's how the Italians eat it, but, I want more sauce than that and sauce on my spaghetti, as well.  Maybe I'm just a philistine, but, the lady at the next table wanted sauce, as well.  Once that was resolved, it was pretty good.

 

 

 

 

Steve had the ossobuco.

 

 

 

 

The invisible man ordered the lasagna, I had already split it before I remembered to take a  picture. I know it looks dry, but, it was very good.  

 

 

 

 

At the end, they brought out a birthday cake for me and everybody sang.  How they thought we were going to eat all that, I'll never know.  You can't tell, but, the sign was flashing.

 

 

 

 

I had already ordered my dessert,  the berry compote.  

 

 

 

 

Steve had lemon something.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 28, 2021 by maureencruiser
added humorous (to me anyway) commentary

[E@syPe@zy]

I'm not a spa person either, but I give you credit for giving it the old college try!

Friends of friends want to know what happened with the bathing suit malfunction!?!  

My bet is that the shorts were on backwards????

 

 

Sherry

[maureencruiser]

They were playing bingo again for another possible $25, 000, I had to try.  I met Vlad at the casino to buy my ticket.

 

 

 

 

 

In the lounge , there was a trio singing.  They were very good, I saw them a few times.

 

 

 

 

The winning ticket.

 

 

 

 

I was sitting next to some young people, probably early 20s.  One of the guys brought in a bottle of Hennessy White.  I don't know if he bought it on the ship or in port.   They proceeded to pour themselves giant shots of it and slam them down their throats.  🤣 They were all choking and gagging and saying how terrible it was, eyes watering.  One guy recorded himself doing the shot and his girlfriend walked into the lounge saying, Why am I getting video of my boyfriend vomiting?  

 

Needless to say, I did not win the bingo, but, when I got back to my cabin, my steward had left me a note and my first towel animals of the cruise, a birthday cake and a duck! 

 

 

 

 

 

How sweet!

 

 

 

 

The duck was adorable.

 

 

 

 

He and I never discussed the ducks, but, obviously, he saw them sitting in my cabin.  A perfect ending to a not so perfect day.  

[maureencruiser]

20 minutes ago, E@syPe@zy said:

My bet is that the shorts were on backwards????

 

Nope, they have a zipper and a button.  I threw both pairs aside when I unpacked .  I haven't looked at them yet.  

[maureencruiser]

Saturday was a sea day, I slept in, had a Pina Colada for breakfast.

 

 

 

 

The MDR for lunch again, I tried to rustle up Steve, Tim or Janet, but, no luck.

 

 

 

 

I had the perfect view.

 

 

 

 

The shrimp cocktail rose was very good.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The grouper.  Someone on the roll call said it wasn't really grouper.  I don't know, it tasted good to me.

 

 

 

 

I had to redeem myself with Boston for dessert.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[maureencruiser]

Back to my cabin to rest and pack.  I was on the shady side of the ship.  The weather was perfect, maybe 75 degrees, unlike the spa.  I sat on the balcony for a while then I turned off the a/c and opened the balcony door and just let all that fresh air inside.  I told myself I was clearing the room of any Covid for the next people.  

 

There was a lot of activity out there.

 

 

 

 

A fishing boat, I guess.

 

 

 

 

Oh, geez, they sent an actual banana boat for me?

 

 

 

 

My debarkation tag contained some important info, so important no human being could hope to read it.

 

 

 

 

I sent in an expert to read it and report back.  Sure hope it wasn't really important.

 

 

 

 

 

[maureencruiser]

Our final dinner.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We both got the zucchini mille-feuille.  I think it was yesterday's lasagna with zucchini added.  Very tasty.

 

 

Nothing really appealed to me, so, I asked if the penne alfredo could have chicken added to it.  Of course, they did.  It wasn't the best alfredo sauce, though.

 

 

 

 

Steve had the shrimp fra diavolo.

 

 

 

 

And, the chicken Kiev.  I thought Kiev had ham in it.  What am I thinking about, that's chicken with ham?

 

 

 

 

The dessert menu.  Notice how I started taking pictures of the menus, since I couldn't remember what the dishes were?

 

 

 

 

We both had the fried egg, I mean the coconut tapioca pudding with mango compote.  I would have preferred it without the mango, maybe some cinnamon?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 28, 2021 by maureencruiser
general dumbassery

[maureencruiser]

I needed some more cash for tips, so, off to the casino with Vlad.

 

 

 

The final show, I love strongmen.

 

 

I wandered into the Sports Bar, looking for the Sox/Yankees.  This might be them, they sometimes get to brawling.

 

 

My final "winnings" at the casino.  I left them in the safe for the next guys.

 

 

I visited my friend up at the buffet one last time.

 

 

I still have some pictures that aren't posting properly.  If I can figure them out, I'll post them randomly.  Also, any stray thoughts I have.  I'll also answer any  questions you have, I have the well drinks brand list buried somewhere in my carryon, I'll get that tomorrow.  It was quite the adventure getting home, but, it's closing in on 2am and I haven't even had dinner yet.

 

My cat, Bindi (not my avatar, that's Nutmeg) was so happy to see me, she tried to murder me and make it look like suicide.

 

 

 

 

I'll see you at the next muster!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[FOXYDEBBY]

@maureencruiseryou sound like such a great person to cruise with. Woulda loved to have been there. Now that I am trying MSC perhaps we will cross paths one day. Very refreshing to see someone living the life with the glass half full (at least on paper). I hope your kindness returns to you ten fold and I hope your knee heels and you get a much needed rest. And as I know from personal experiences how diabolical cats can be, perhaps a love scratch is better that a live bite (ouch). 
 

keep on cruising!!

[logan25]

You ladies remind me why I am not a cat person.  The worst injury I ever received from my dog was an accident.  I was playing with my dog on the floor, and he pivoted with a heavy stick in his mouth which hit my glasses which left a cut over my eye.

[FOXYDEBBY]

16 minutes ago, logan25 said:

You ladies remind me why I am not a cat person.  The worst injury I ever received from my dog was an accident.  I was playing with my dog on the floor, and he pivoted with a heavy stick in his mouth which hit my glasses which left a cut over my eye.

Ouch. Most of my injuries are actually from my little dog (who is getting overweight at 17lbs). He thinks he doesn’t weigh anything and thinks nothing of jumping off the back of the couch into my abdomen as a spring board. I swear I’m going to have a ruptured spleen or colon one day. Lol. Love is blind, right? Well, I try that mantra. 

[KennyFla]

I really enjoyed your review.  Thank You

[styles27]

Thanks so much @maureencruiserfor your great (and funny) review! I especially enjoyed the Boston sports references!

*Chicken with ham inside is cordon bleu 😉

Did you notice if the hot tubs were open in the other areas of the ship? You mentioned the one in the spa wasn’t because of Covid I’m hoping the others are. 
 

Noticed you had a 1 on your baggage tag for disembarking. We have a 11:55am flight out of Orlando so we’re hoping to get off early.

What time were you off?

 

[Match Game 72]

Love that you have pizza every night on board. DS 15 makes it a point to become friends with the pizza guys on MSC. They know him by the second night. 🙂