MSC Divina or Carnival Paradise

[Ronaldo807]

Two adults (30's) are looking at both MSC Divina & Carnival Paradise for a last minute, short (3-4 night) sailing. Cost is roughly the same, driving distance is not drastically different, etc. We know what to expect from Carnival, but we have never been on MSC. What's good and bad about MSC especially since the restart? Is MSC still requiring masks indoors for vaccinated guests? Are there daily limits on the drink package? Can you upgrade the drink package (if so, daily cost)? We will probably make a decision tonight so the usual vetting we do is not really in play. 

 

Bonus if anyone has been on both ships, would love to hear your thoughts. 

[hapytobehr]

We sailed the Divina March 6th.  I was not overly impressed with MSC, but there are many reviews good and bad. 

 

I thought the food was awful.  The shows were great and the crew was outstanding.  The ship is very nice and has many bars with music if you like lounging, drinking and listening to music. They do not have late night snacks/food if you are a night owl like Carnival's 24 hr pizza.

 

You can upgrade your drink package up to a certain day based on the length of your cruise. We did not have any limits on drinks as my husband went well over the 15 drink limit that Carnival has.

 

I have never been on the Paradise but I have been on Ecstacy which is the same class but was a while back so I can't remember much.

 

They enforced masks and most were compliant. However, being that the CDC has lifted restrictions, I do not know if they will be as strict.

 

I love Carnival and will most likely not sail on MSC again anytime soon.

 

Have a great cruise whichever you choose!

 

 

Edited March 31, 2022 by hapytobehr

[ready2cruzagain]

Been on both ships.  I would pick the Divina over the Paradise in a heartbeat.  The Divina was built in 2012 and is immaculate.  The Paradise was built in 1998 and needs to retire.  LOVE the Divina, our favorite ship! Great crew and love the lay out.  

 

We just got back from the MSC Seashore and they were starting to lift the mask mandate.  You did not have to wear them at bars, and such but you did in the buffet.  The mask mandate will be fully lifted by April 23rd.  

 

You can upgrade the drink package, can't remember how much but with the easy drink package unless you want specific brands we have never felt a need to upgrade it.  There is no limit to how many drinks you can order with the drink package.  With Carnival it is 15 drinks a day.

 

 

[Ronaldo807]

7 minutes ago, ready2cruzagain said:

Been on both ships.  I would pick the Divina over the Paradise in a heartbeat.  The Divina was built in 2012 and is immaculate.  The Paradise was built in 1998 and needs to retire.  LOVE the Divina, our favorite ship! Great crew and love the lay out.  

 

We just got back from the MSC Seashore and they were starting to lift the mask mandate.  You did not have to wear them at bars, and such but you did in the buffet.  The mask mandate will be fully lifted by April 23rd.  

 

You can upgrade the drink package, can't remember how much but with the easy drink package unless you want specific brands we have never felt a need to upgrade it.  There is no limit to how many drinks you can order with the drink package.  With Carnival it is 15 drinks a day.

 

 

When did you get back? We were on Royal a couple of weeks ago and masks had been gone since late February. Not sure why MSC would be so far behind.

[ready2cruzagain]

23 minutes ago, Ronaldo807 said:

When did you get back? We were on Royal a couple of weeks ago and masks had been gone since late February. Not sure why MSC would be so far behind.

We returned March 12th.  They just started eliminating the masks and said they would be gone by April 23rd. 

[NMsunset]

hi Renaldo

MSC is European...have you been to Europe...did you like it?

Was on Divina in Feb...I like MSC over the US lines...

 

Food is so subjective to one's taste and experience...

Many people love McDonalds, Golden Corral, Dennys, Taco Bell, etc so again, nothing wrong with those choices/tastes...but MSC is not the typical USA menu, prep, seasoning, etc...they do not use lots of salt as example.

 

The bread and pizza are like Europe...if you like soft dinner rolls....they don't do those...they have crusty breads.

 

As another said the ship is much newer.

 

The Bar service is Fab and no limits daily.

 

Enjoy whichever you choose!

Cheers,

 

 

 

[JT1962]

My suggestion is to try MSC and see what you think. I went on the Meraviglia in January (Fantastica balcony) and loved it and have booked a 19 night on Divina in October. It was my 20th cruise (primarily on Carnival & Royal Caribbean) and I was hesitant due to the extreme differences in reviews - most either seem to love or hate MSC.
 

As others said, food is subjective, but I found good quality and selection in both the main dining room and buffet. The portions tend to be smaller than most of us in the US are used to,  but you can order multiple items from each section of the menu.

 

With a 3-4 night you likely will go to Ocean Cay, which most love. Don’t expect a water park & zip lines, but it’s a great beach day. 

MSCs website / customer service has issues & many complaints, but the onboard experience was great. The best tip I have seen is to research exactly what you want, then book it and don’t make any changes. 
 

Worst case scenario, you have a cruise to a beautiful island, but find out MSC is not for you. Best case you love it and have new options for future cruises.

Edited March 31, 2022 by JT1962

[DisneyDatknee]

Paradise.

[cruiseguyinorl]

Divina

[perakcruiser]

16 hours ago, Ronaldo807 said:

Two adults (30's) are looking at both MSC Divina & Carnival Paradise for a last minute, short (3-4 night) sailing.

Perfect to try out MSC. After that mini cruise you will know what you prefer in the future. 

 

Divina is of cause a very nice ship. 

[quattrohead]

Give Divina a try, gorgeous ship so pretty. Service and food is more European like. Some love it, some hate it. I liked Paradise when I went on it too, I would do either tomorrow if I was booking !!!

[Ronaldo807]

We chose Divina. We have been on close to 20 cruises with Royal, Carnival, & Norwegian so we decided to just go for it and try out MSC. 

[Nunagoras]

50 minutes ago, Ronaldo807 said:

We chose Divina. We have been on close to 20 cruises with Royal, Carnival, & Norwegian so we decided to just go for it and try out MSC. 

Good choice! Basically all of those cruise lines will give a same standard cruise experience with differentiation on the hard and soft product details. At least a 4 nights cruise will to give you an idea of what MSC is about. Never gone on Divina, just on the Fantasia, one of Divina's sister ships. They're classy ships, no "bells & whistles", but a wonderful nice ship to take you from port to port! Maybe; appealing to such a slightly higher demographic than Carnival, but again: It's a 4 nights cruise. Bear in mind that those cruises tend to become such a party ship environment. Some love it, some not so much, but even if not so much, regular 7 night MSC cruises tend to attract such a very enjoyable crowd aboard. Have a nice sailing!...

[Morgsmom]

Divina in a heartbeat for a 4 night cruise.  

[ready2cruzagain]

7 hours ago, Ronaldo807 said:

We chose Divina. We have been on close to 20 cruises with Royal, Carnival, & Norwegian so we decided to just go for it and try out MSC. 

Hope you love it! We have sailed on the Divina a total of 32 days and would sail on her again in a heartbeat. We have sailed Carnival, NCL, Princess, Celebrity and MSC.  You never know if you would like it or not until you try it.  Have fun and come back and let us know how you liked it (or hated it).

[chatdad]

Good to hear the feedback.  We're trying out MSC Divina for the first time as well in the next couple of months (will be our 29th cruise, first on MSC making it the 11th different cruise line we've been on) and I highly recommend trying as many of the different lines as you can.  Have yet to starve on a cruise so food (quality or quantity) isn't a big deal.  Hoping the reviews I've read about cleanliness in the staterooms are a bit off the mark, but we'll wait and see.  Happy sailing.  

[deliver42]

Been on the Divina twice and loved both cruises. One in the YC, and one not. Ship is beautiful, and when we sailed her, very clean. You couldn't get me on a Fantasy class Carnival ship, of which the Paradiise is one, for free.

[NCTribeFan]

I happen to adore the Fantasy-class ships in Carnival's fleet.  I have about 80 nights total on 5 in that class with Paradise being the most recent (December 2019).

 

Having said that, Divina is a beautiful ship.  She's a bit too large for my tastes (I'm on Seashore in a couple of weeks and I know she's too large for me but the date and price were what I needed).

 

I thought the food on Divina was just fine.  I like the European flair of MSC.  I sailed Armonia twice in a row after sailing Divina.  Smaller, older ship but I loved her.

 

What any one of us says here really shouldn't carry much weight.  We're just a tiny percentage of total cruisers.  We could be on the same sailing in neighboring cabins and vastly different experiences based on our expectations and the choices we made during the sailing.

 

I'd make my decision based on itinerary.  One thing I have noticed is that MSC ships tend to have shorter hours in port, so if getting out there and exploring is your thing, add that to the considerations.