MSC Divina Feb 6 - 13, 2022 review

[BobW1701]

I sailed, for the first time, on MSC and the Divina. What a beautiful ship. Thanks to many suggestions on this board and others, I arrived the day before. Am I glad I did. The flight I was scheduled from Birmingham to Miami had a connection in Charlotte. The flight from Birmingham was fine, it was the one from Charlotte to Miami that got cancelled. So, instead of arriving at 4:30 pm as scheduled, I arrived after 8pm. I stayed at the Ramada Miami Springs and they have a shuttle to the port for $10. What a great deal!

Cruise related stuff follows:

You are required to have proof of a negative covid test taken two days before you leave.

Embarkation - MSC had this down in my opinion. You go into the building and show your boarding pass, your vaccination card (must be original, no copies), your covid test result (should be negative otherwise you won't be allowed to board). After that, you go into a line for another covid test (free provided by the line). After that test, you're given a sticker with a number. You go to the waiting room, sit the area that matches your sticker. Once you get cleared (I was second) you're set free to the next table where you pick up your cruise card and get your picture taken. Then you head through security (x-ray machine and a metal detector) then you can get on the ship. The passage to the ship is a walk, so be prepared. Once onboard, get ready to be bombarded by people wanting you to buy all sorts of packages.

Debarkation - Even easier, they supply you with luggage tags that have a number (mine was 26). The schedule tells you when and where you should be. I had to be out of my room by 8am. When they call your number, you leave the ship, go toward baggage claim (basically a huge room with flags. Find the flag that matches the number you had and then find your bag and head outside. Once outside, you're basically on your own to find transportation back to the airport. I choose to use Lyft.

Days at sea - Most reviews I read said there wasn't enough entertainment on board. I don't agree with that at all. Every hour they had something going on. Most of the time it was on deck 14 at the Aqua park. Some was on deck 7 at the Luna Lounge. 

Excursions - In Cozumel, Mexico I did the tour of the town. This included a stop at the cocoa factory, tequila factory and the bee sanctuary. A very interesting tour. I didn't realize that the cocoa and tequila were in the same building. The bee sanctuary - these are stingless bees. They actually look like flying ants more than bees. In Ocho Rios, I did the river tubing adventure. Wow, this was so much fun. The ride alone to where you get on the tube is exciting to say the least. I never knew that Jamaica used "English" driving rules. Basically, they drive on the left side of the road (the left side is the correct side and the right side is suicide). As you travel up the mountain the road (supposedly two lanes) gets very narrow. You'll find yourself holding on or closing your eyes. The river trip - the water was what the Jamaican's called "refreshing," I call it down right chilly. You get used to it after a while, but that first slap, yowza! The private island MSC Ocean Cay is absolutely beautiful. While it may not have water slides, pools or hot tubs like other islands do you don't really need them or at least I didn't. All I wanted was a chair, an umbrella and a beach. My big mistake here was paying the $12 to rent an umbrella. Trust me, you don't need to do that. Find an umbrella, unwrap the cord, open it and enjoy. I could have stayed on that island for a week just to relax.   

Would I sail with MSC again? Yes, in a heart beat. I enjoyed the pools, really enjoyed the hot tubs. I didn't have any problem with any of the food either in the main dining room or on the buffet. Everything I found was good and the service was very good. My room 11104, a balcony room, had a lot of space for storage. My room steward Ryan was excellent. I did get some towel animals.

 

Edited February 14, 2022 by BobW1701

[JT1962]

Thanks for the review. I was on the Meraviglia last month and had a great experience as well. It was my 20th cruise, but my first with MSC.  I was pleasantly surprised based on some of the negative reviews I have seen regarding the food, entertainment and onboard activities. I will definitely be cruising with MSC again.

[Nunagoras]

21 hours ago, BobW1701 said:

I sailed, for the first time, on MSC and the Divina. What a beautiful ship. Thanks to many suggestions on this board and others, I arrived the day before. Am I glad I did. The flight I was scheduled from Birmingham to Miami had a connection in Charlotte. The flight from Birmingham was fine, it was the one from Charlotte to Miami that got cancelled. So, instead of arriving at 4:30 pm as scheduled, I arrived after 8pm. I stayed at the Ramada Miami Springs and they have a shuttle to the port for $10. What a great deal!

Cruise related stuff follows:

You are required to have proof of a negative covid test taken two days before you leave.

Embarkation - MSC had this down in my opinion. You go into the building and show your boarding pass, your vaccination card (must be original, no copies), your covid test result (should be negative otherwise you won't be allowed to board). After that, you go into a line for another covid test (free provided by the line). After that test, you're given a sticker with a number. You go to the waiting room, sit the area that matches your sticker. Once you get cleared (I was second) you're set free to the next table where you pick up your cruise card and get your picture taken. Then you head through security (x-ray machine and a metal detector) then you can get on the ship. The passage to the ship is a walk, so be prepared. Once onboard, get ready to be bombarded by people wanting you to buy all sorts of packages.

Debarkation - Even easier, they supply you with luggage tags that have a number (mine was 26). The schedule tells you when and where you should be. I had to be out of my room by 8am. When they call your number, you leave the ship, go toward baggage claim (basically a huge room with flags. Find the flag that matches the number you had and then find your bag and head outside. Once outside, you're basically on your own to find transportation back to the airport. I choose to use Lyft.

Days at sea - Most reviews I read said there wasn't enough entertainment on board. I don't agree with that at all. Every hour they had something going on. Most of the time it was on deck 14 at the Aqua park. Some was on deck 7 at the Luna Lounge. 

Excursions - In Cozumel, Mexico I did the tour of the town. This included a stop at the cocoa factory, tequila factory and the bee sanctuary. A very interesting tour. I didn't realize that the cocoa and tequila were in the same building. The bee sanctuary - these are stingless bees. They actually look like flying ants more than bees. In Ocho Rios, I did the river tubing adventure. Wow, this was so much fun. The ride alone to where you get on the tube is exciting to say the least. I never knew that Jamaica used "English" driving rules. Basically, they drive on the left side of the road (the left side is the correct side and the right side is suicide). As you travel up the mountain the road (supposedly two lanes) gets very narrow. You'll find yourself holding on or closing your eyes. The river trip - the water was what the Jamaican's called "refreshing," I call it down right chilly. You get used to it after a while, but that first slap, yowza! The private island MSC Ocean Cay is absolutely beautiful. While it may not have water slides, pools or hot tubs like other islands do you don't really need them or at least I didn't. All I wanted was a chair, an umbrella and a beach. My big mistake here was paying the $12 to rent an umbrella. Trust me, you don't need to do that. Find an umbrella, unwrap the cord, open it and enjoy. I could have stayed on that island for a week just to relax.   

Would I sail with MSC again? Yes, in a heart beat. I enjoyed the pools, really enjoyed the hot tubs. I didn't have any problem with any of the food either in the main dining room or on the buffet. Everything I found was good and the service was very good. My room 11104, a balcony room, had a lot of space for storage. My room steward Ryan was excellent. I did get some towel animals.

 

Wonderful review on where I can to review myself in for what really an MSC cruise is about.

 

Really appreciate your entertainment part that tells it all. This is the MSC distinctive!... They won't have that 24 hours a day feeling of on your face non stop entertainment present on the likes of RCI, but if you look right on your dailies delivered to your cabin you'll notice the options are there. Usually their free activities will run mostly by the pool deck during the day. Some as you said will run on one of the lounges, and before Covid, some even on the theater like Masterchef at Sea. Otherwise if you so want a nice corner to just relax during a sea day, go to one of the unused inside venues or the unused part of the pool deck. It is lovely!...

 

Congrats and have a nice day!...

[pghflyer]

Thx for the tip, surprised you have to bring the actual vaccination card, first I have heard anyone requiring.

[Reenie75]

Glad you had a great trip! I've tried to sail Divina twice. Hurricane Irma stopped us then Covid. 😐.             We've sailed Seaside, Mergivilia and now sailing Seashore March 5th. 

[QuattroRomeo]

Thanks for the review! We are thinking about trying MSC, and Divina in particular. We do enjoy specialty restaurants; will we have any choices on Divina? 

[WoodyWindy]

The Divina doesn't have the specialty array of some of the huge RCI ships, but it has the ever-popular steakhouse, a Japanese (non-teppanyaki/hibachi) restaurant, and IIRC, a premium pizzeria. 

[Seadweller001]

Was on a three day:

 

no picture

no choc ship

dinner offered at specialty

 

prob a hit or miss thing.

[QuattroRomeo]

Thanks for the information! Not a lot of choices but somehow I think we will "manage"..can't complain about having a cruise..