MSC Divina Review July 7, 2022 Sailing

[rkcruiseky]

MSC Divina Review

 

I was on the July 7, 2022 three night sailing on the MSC Divina out of Port Canaveral

 

This was my first MSC cruise.  I have been on Celebrity 10+ times, RCL twice and NCL once. 

 

I have always been interested in other cruise lines, but seem to always default to Celebrity.  It seems to check the most boxes for me.  In my previous trips, we always ended up docked next to an MSC ship so it intrigued me.  Fast forward to this week, I had a work conference and was able to squeeze a few days away before and this MSC voyage fit right in. Perfect!

 

In my research prior to booking, not much was available online about the Divina, so I thought I’d share my experiences.

 

Covid/Passengers:  MSC is mask optional, required vaccinations and pre boarding testing.  Didn’t see many masks on board with passengers.  Crew was always masked.  The boat seemed full, not sure of the total number.

 

Embarkation: No issues, a bit more crowed and hectic that Celebrity, but went smooth.  One odd thing that I noticed that I found quite odd:  you do not register your payment method online or at check in.  You are expected to find these little ATM like machines around this ship and swipe your sea pass and your credit card.  You have 24 hours to do this, if you don’t your sea pass card will be locked and you will not be able to purchase anything, including drinks as part of your drink packages.  I encountered several upset guests at bars that were denied their drinks until they saw to their accounts.  It seems that this could be automated, or at least made clear to passengers.  Also, on that note, you cannot check you balance without going to the reception desk.  

 

Ship overall:  The ship is a nice ship, but is certainly tired.  It needs some TLC.  Nothing major, just lots of lights burnt out, hand rails duct taped, carpets stained, etc. 

 

Room:  I was in room 10005, an Aurea class “room” without a balcony but large window.  The room was fine.  This room is on the front of the ship which can be a long walk from anywhere. Housekeeping staff was very attentive and kind.  

 

Getting around the Ship and Elevators:  There are more elevators on this ship than any other ship I’ve been on I think, and I think I waited longer for an elevator on this voyage.  At any given time a bank of 4 elevators would only have 1 or 2 operational lifts.  Others would be “out of service” or in “priority service” mode.  This boat is like a maze, walking around is not very straight forward.  

 

TV/Internet:  These both are my sailing specific: A major frustration was the in room/onboard tv satellite system was not working.  No outside tv channels.  The onboard channels were very glitchy including constant buffering and static that made it unwatchable.  The only channel that worked consistently was the looping of the muster drill, which I suppose isn’t a bad thing.  When on a cruise, you expect at least some basic channels.  Internet was very slow despite paying for the streaming package.  It preventing even simple functions like iMessage from working, much less streaming any video.

 

Pools:  Coming from Celebrity and RCCL, I have grown accustomed to the indoor “solarium” pool being an adult only oasis.  That is not the case on MSC.  The indoor pool is open to all, and was most often filled with children running around.   The adult only pool was on the aft of the boat but completely in the sun and extremely hot.  The pools all seemed to have extra water features that were not turned on the entire voyage (i.e. fountains, misters etc).  The pool areas all seemed very tired and in need of some TLC.  

 

It was very odd that there were no lounge chairs in any shaded area.  In the indoor pool area, there were only chairs and tables, no loungers.  

 

Food:  I was disappointed by the food.  It is clear that MSC is working to recover from COVID.  I am sure it has been a challenge getting food and sourcing supplies, as well as help.  The food was certainly edible, but was very bland and repetitious.  The pizza onboard, as others have noted, was very good - perhaps the best at sea!  The main dining room had limited options but your typical cruise fair of French onion soup, Caesar salad, steak etc.  The Divina at one time had an Eatly Italian restaurant, and a Mexican cantina, but both of those are closed.  The only other speciality restaurant is the Butchers Cut steak house.  I was turned away from eating at the Butchers Cut because I was wearing Birkenstocks.  The buffet had a nice selection of rather bland food - mainly consisting of a pasta option, veggies, salad, burgers and hot dogs, a carved meat and an international section on this voyage was Indian food.  Desserts were the same each day, good but not great.  

 

Entertainment:  Onboard the entertainment was nice.  Good comedy show one night, the onboard musicians did a nice job. 

 

Ports: Nassau, and Ocean Cay.  Nassau is Nassau.  Ocean Cay, which is MSC’s private Marine Reserve was fantastic.  A beautiful ocean heaven.  MSC did a really amazing job at creating this reserve.  The crew of Divina did a really nice job of creating a nice experience that day.  I am sure that it is very hard work creating that experience for the guests.  The food on Ocean Cay was nice.  

 

Overall:  A nice quick getaway with a brand I hadn’t sailed with before.  The MSC Divina is tired, and the food was bland.  I am glad that I had this experience and I am open to other possibilities of sailing with MSC on one of their newer ships in the future.  I know that MSC is not Celebrity, but for me, this trip reaffirmed that Celebrity is more my cruise of choice.  

 

tl:dr:

Divina was a nice get away for 3 nights.  Boat is tired, and food is bland.  Certainly lacks the experience that Celebrity and RCCL provide, but seems to cater to different crowds.  Probably good for families with young children, or those looking for a cheap quick getaway. As for me, I will stick with Celebrity. 

[Nunagoras]

Welcome aboard!...

 

Nice review, thanks! X is at another league... If you want something more similar try the MSC Yacht Club (YC as it is known on the CC boards). Perhaps it will suit you better for a longer cruise. Oh, and these days, perhaps, an YC suite will most likely to cost you the same or less than some X regular cabin!...

 

It doesn't surprise me to see MSC using the Divina for those little US getaways... Maybe the ship will need a dry dock they aren't able to do now? Maybe.

 

If they use it carefully, Ocean Cay is set to become one of the best private islands on whole industry!...

Edited July 10, 2022 by Nunagoras

[sfaaa]

Sad to read Divina looks tired and run down. It was a stunningly beautiful ship with lot of sparks when I sailed on her a few years back. 

[JT1962]

Thanks for the review. I was in the Meraviglia in January and am looking forward to cruising on the Divina in October. 

[Cooldoggie]

Thanks for your review. I'm a 25 x cruiser on all major lines and totally agree with you about Celebrity. Try Yacht Club on MSC - I doubt you will be disappointed. I differ though regarding your opinion of the condition of Divina. I was on end of March and found everything spotless, clean, and would definitely not say "tired". There may be some lounges that I would consider dated perhaps, but they were kept spotlessly clean. I did sail Yacht Club for that cruise, but I am sailing again in a few weeks in a Fantastica level cabin. I'll see if I feel the same after that trip, also a 3 night sailing. Cheers and happy sailing!

[Seadweller001]

We were on the Divina in March for 14 days and considered the ship beautiful, spotless with little wear for its age.

 

We sail only in the YC but walked around the entire ship.  We frequented the buffet a few times and found everything enjoyable.  The Indian Food was amazing.

 

 

[coffeebean]

d

On 7/10/2022 at 6:23 PM, Nunagoras said:

Welcome aboard!...

 

Nice review, thanks! X is at another league... If you want something more similar try the MSC Yacht Club (YC as it is known on the CC boards). Perhaps it will suit you better for a longer cruise. Oh, and these days, perhaps, an YC suite will most likely to cost you the same or less than some X regular cabin!...

 

It doesn't surprise me to see MSC using the Divina for those little US getaways... Maybe the ship will need a dry dock they aren't able to do now? Maybe.

 

If they use it carefully, Ocean Cay is set to become one of the best private islands on whole industry!...

Have you been to Royal Caribbean's Coco Cay? There is no comparison......absolutely none. Royal's private island has a gorgeous pool that has a different zip code from one end to the other. CocoCay also has a water park that rivals parks on land.

 

MSC's private island is lovely but is basically lots of palm trees and beaches. CocoCay has that plus LOTS more.

 

 

[carlmm]

16 hours ago, coffeebean said:

d

Have you been to Royal Caribbean's Coco Cay? There is no comparison......absolutely none. Royal's private island has a gorgeous pool that has a different zip code from one end to the other. CocoCay also has a water park that rivals parks on land.

 

MSC's private island is lovely but is basically lots of palm trees and beaches. CocoCay has that plus LOTS more.

 

 

Let's say there are people who prefer a private island as in "an island" others an amusement park that happens to be located on an island. To each his own.

[awhcruiser]

On 7/12/2022 at 9:16 PM, coffeebean said:

Some of us are happy without the amusement park vibe.

 

Royal's private island has a gorgeous pool that has a different zip code from one end to the other. CocoCay also has a water park that rivals parks on land.

 

MSC's private island is lovely but is basically lots of palm trees and beaches. CocoCay has that plus LOTS more.

 

 

 

[Georgia_Peaches]

Ugh I’m not thrilled about the kiosk card situation to attach a credit card to your account. Sounds like a real PiTA. I will be on Seashore at the end of august and also a first time MSC cruiser. Thank you for the heads up. 

[carlmm]

9 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Ugh I’m not thrilled about the kiosk card situation to attach a credit card to your account. Sounds like a real PiTA. I will be on Seashore at the end of august and also a first time MSC cruiser. Thank you for the heads up. 

 Do not worry. It is no pain of any kind (if one knows, as you do, that one needs to use them). 

Rather simpler than using an ATM. 

It saves overall a lot of time at check in.

[perakcruiser]

2 hours ago, carlmm said:

 Do not worry. It is no pain of any kind (if one knows, as you do, that one needs to use them). 

Rather simpler than using an ATM. 

It saves overall a lot of time at check in.

I dont completely understand why it should be a pain to spend 30 seconds to swipe the credit card on the terminals. I would consider it a pain to stand in line at the reception for 30 minutes to hand over the credit card for swiping. And before when it was done at check in it delayed the check in so much. The terminals are one time really a great invention that makes cruise life more easy.

[wcook]

On 7/10/2022 at 6:05 PM, rkcruiseky said:

was turned away from eating at the Butchers Cut because I was wearing Birkenstocks.

Thanks for the trip report. This quote had me doubly surprised. First that they turn you away. Second, that Birkenstocks are still a thing 🙂

[juancarlosgarciasanchez]

12 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Ugh I’m not thrilled about the kiosk card situation to attach a credit card to your account. Sounds like a real PiTA. I will be on Seashore at the end of august and also a first time MSC cruiser. Thank you for the heads up. 

Hello and thanks for your remark. Not certain why you would refer to using the MSC ATM kiosk a pain in the ass?  In my humble opinion, after sailing on MSC eight separate times, using the onboard MSC ATM kiosk to attach your credit card for onboard charges is a great idea and you will find it very easy to use. Very similar to using your ATM card at an ATM terminal. Good Luck and enjoy your next cruise. 

[Nunagoras]

On 7/13/2022 at 6:36 PM, carlmm said:

Let's say there are people who prefer a private island as in "an island" others an amusement park that happens to be located on an island. To each his own.

This exactly! I'd to prefer a quiet beach time opportunity type of island like the MSC one. Sadly trees will need to grow up and some bugs will need to be clean and that requires time. Give them some 10 years...

[Nunagoras]

12 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Ugh I’m not thrilled about the kiosk card situation to attach a credit card to your account. Sounds like a real PiTA. I will be on Seashore at the end of august and also a first time MSC cruiser. Thank you for the heads up. 

As others have said, it is like using an ATM on land. Pro tip: Instead of doing it right when you enter the ship, await till most have done that. By the time the shows are done the kiosks will to be fully free for you to add your card with no lines whatsoever. You have till mid day at second day of the cruise to do so!

[Georgia_Peaches]

2 hours ago, juancarlosgarciasanchez said:

Hello and thanks for your remark. Not certain why you would refer to using the MSC ATM kiosk a pain in the ass?  In my humble opinion, after sailing on MSC eight separate times, using the onboard MSC ATM kiosk to attach your credit card for onboard charges is a great idea and you will find it very easy to use. Very similar to using your ATM card at an ATM terminal. Good Luck and enjoy your next cruise. 

Well as I have never sailed with MSC I only had my imagination to go on.  I imagined long lines and wait times to do something that in my experience has always been done upon boarding check in.  Glad to know it is easy peasy.  Thank you!

[Georgia_Peaches]

1 hour ago, Nunagoras said:

As others have said, it is like using an ATM on land. Pro tip: Instead of doing it right when you enter the ship, await till most have done that. By the time the shows are done the kiosks will to be fully free for you to add your card with no lines whatsoever. You have till mid day at second day of the cruise to do so!

Thank you.  I'm starting to understand based on the comments that this will make my life much easier once on board.  And I'm all for that!

[Georgia_Peaches]

2 hours ago, juancarlosgarciasanchez said:

Hello and thanks for your remark. Not certain why you would refer to using the MSC ATM kiosk a pain in the ass?  In my humble opinion, after sailing on MSC eight separate times, using the onboard MSC ATM kiosk to attach your credit card for onboard charges is a great idea and you will find it very easy to use. Very similar to using your ATM card at an ATM terminal. Good Luck and enjoy your next cruise. 

Duplicate reply.

Edited July 17, 2022 by Georgia_Peaches

[Georgia_Peaches]

3 hours ago, perakcruiser said:

I dont completely understand why it should be a pain to spend 30 seconds to swipe the credit card on the terminals. I would consider it a pain to stand in line at the reception for 30 minutes to hand over the credit card for swiping. And before when it was done at check in it delayed the check in so much. The terminals are one time really a great invention that makes cruise life more easy.

Because I have no idea what it is like to sail MSC and I let my imagination run wild with all the things that could go wrong with this.  Glad to know it's as easy as you describe.  Will find out for myself in August ;-).

[TickledBlue]

15 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Ugh I’m not thrilled about the kiosk card situation to attach a credit card to your account. Sounds like a real PiTA. I will be on Seashore at the end of august and also a first time MSC cruiser. Thank you for the heads up. 

I don't understand why MSC doesn't let you put the credit card on your account during web check in like every other cruise line (well, that I've been on).   There's actually a button to do this but it doesn't work for the Seashore cruise I have coming up soon.  I was aware of the machines, just something extra that you need to do on the first day...

[JAGR]

1 hour ago, TickledBlue said:

I don't understand why MSC doesn't let you put the credit card on your account during web check in like every other cruise line (well, that I've been on).   There's actually a button to do this but it doesn't work for the Seashore cruise I have coming up soon.  I was aware of the machines, just something extra that you need to do on the first day...

You actually have a few days to do it.  I believe you have up to two days grace.  I know it is at least one day.

[wcook]

5 hours ago, Nunagoras said:

Sadly trees will need to grow up

As I’ve said from day one, someday it’s going to be spectacular. Assuming it doesn’t get hit by a hurricane. 

[Morgsmom]

Wow, I've been on the Divina 6x in the past 8 months; don't think she looks tired or run down at all (at least in the main guest spaces).  Have I had a few cabins with sofas that could be replaced? Certainly.

[Nunagoras]

2 hours ago, Morgsmom said:

Wow, I've been on the Divina 6x in the past 8 months; don't think she looks tired or run down at all (at least in the main guest spaces).  Have I had a few cabins with sofas that could be replaced? Certainly.

She's a 10 or 11 years old ship. Naturally she may be sort of showing her age at a certain extent, but I believe that in general she may be in a good shape, at least for the missions she is now running with those 3-5 nights cruises basically to the private island. Some missing light points and some sofas in need of a replace are expected on such a ship, but nothing really to write home about.