MSC Divina Transatlantic - Barcelona to Miami, 28 November to 14 December 2023

[DaKahuna]

Any idea what changes, other than the menu changes you mentioned earlier, they plan on making to the YC for the sailings out of Miami?  Changes to wines, entertainment, etc.? 

 

[Best Cat Mom]

I have no idea on entertainment. We don't partake in any shows or live music except for what they have in TSL.

 

We did hear that the wines will change when they source from Miami. We liked what we had on this cruise, but we also liked what we had out of Florida in the past. If there are any specific grapes you're questioning, I can try to recall what was in stock on our last few cruises.

[DaKahuna]

46 minutes ago, Best Cat Mom said:

I have no idea on entertainment. We don't partake in any shows or live music except for what they have in TSL.

 

 This was the entertainment I was interested in.  We both are looking forward to relaxing in the TSL and listening to soft music, e.g. piano, guitarist, violinist, etc.. 

46 minutes ago, Best Cat Mom said:

 

We did hear that the wines will change when they source from Miami. We liked what we had on this cruise, but we also liked what we had out of Florida in the past. If there are any specific grapes you're questioning, I can try to recall what was in stock on our last few cruises.

 

 I am just hoping they will continue to have a wide selection of Italian wines available. 

 

[Best Cat Mom]

Day 14…

 

We had a port stop in San Juan, Puerto Rico, today. The alarm woke us up way too early -- it was complete darkness outside (ggrrrr). We had to be in TSL by 7:40am for the butlers to take us to the meeting point for our tour. Before the tour, we would need to pass through US Customs and Border Protection as this was our first stop in the US. This does make Miami dis-embarkment easier for us, but the early hour was not welcome in the least.

 

Le Muse did not open until 7am and we did not think it fair to rush them through our breakfast so we decided that the TSL breakfast bites would suffice for this one day. BCD had a few croissant sandwiches of ham with cheese and turkey with cucumber, heavy on the croissant and light on the filings. I had some slices of meat and cheese, which were laid out in TSL European style, and a GF chocolate chip muffin I had saved from a previous breakfast. We had foregone the Baileys and coffee this morning in the room (che brutto! how horrible! que horrible!) so had 2 cappuccinos and 2 mimosas each in TSL.

 

At 7:40pm, a butler took us to the Black and White Lounge, where all people -- not just YC -- who had MSC excursions were waiting for the ship to be cleared so we could go through the border patrol screening. The lounge looked like it was filling up, but the butler found an area for us to all sit together and let the staff in there know that we were all YC.

 

Announcements were made a few times that Border Patrol had not yet cleared the ship. At 8:21am (yes, we were closely monitoring the time now that we knew we woke up way too early LOL), they said the ship was cleared and they began calling groups by bus number. Busses 1, 2, 3 and 4 were called first. A few of our group left, with 6 of us still remaining. I was thinking that this would be a great time for Pepe to show up and get everyone moving -- and not 2 minutes later, there he was! He got us all up front near where the first groups had assembled and told the staff that we were YC. Then they called the next few buses, including 6. We all proceeded to follow the staff to one of the stairs and down a few flights. Then there was a complete stop. It seemed that we were now behind the first 4 bus groups, all on the stairs that led to the passageway that ultimately led off the ship. As we waited there for what seemed like quite a long time -- some older passengers had to sit down on the steps during the wait -- I said to BCD that delay made me think that facial recognition was not working. Our experience with facial recognition in Port Canaveral during our last B2B was a breeze compared to this; the line hardly ever stopped moving then. After maybe another 30 minutes, the line slowly began to move. As we showed our cruise cards to exit the ship, Pepe was there to send on our way with best wishes for a good excursion. We've never had that experience before from a YC Director. Maybe he did that because he was trying to temper any frustration with all the waiting? It was a nice touch.

 

We proceeded into the large hall to present passports to Border Patrol, a line where we waited about 20 minutes more. Facial recognition was indeed not working and each family was spending a few minutes with each agent. When facial recognition is used, each person only takes about 10 seconds to be cleared -- big difference! Then we walked to the right, down the escalator and out the doors to the waiting tour guides who held paddles with their bus numbers. Our tour guide escorted us to our van and we were seated in there by 9:15am, a total time of just over 1.5 hours from when we left TSL, though with all that waiting it did seem longer. We only waited another 15 minutes for the rest of the tour group and our tour driver began the tour at 9:30am.

 

The tour bus was smaller than we've had on almost all our other MSC excursions. Once the tour began, we thought that the smaller bus was because of the narrow streets in some parts of San Juan. The last part of the tour was an optional 45-minute block of time to shop or the bus would take you back to the ship. We opted to return to the ship.

 

We arrived back at the ship at 11:55am, pleased that we had a great tour. We had plenty of time to return to the cabin before lunch in Le Muse. We noticed that there were some emergency drills going on as we heard "evacuate ship" on the public address system. Some of the doors -- leafs, as they are labeled -- in the passageways around our cabin were closed and our regular route was blocked. We were able to easily navigate another path, but I could see others not familiar with Divina having a difficult time.

 

When we arrived at Le Muse, no tables were occupied. A small staff was there and we presumed the others were taking part in the drill. Three more couples arrived shortly after us. We figured that most people were still ashore in San Juan. We don't depart until 2am in the morning tomorrow, so many people might have lengthy excursions to take advantage of all the time in port. We then saw a flurry of activity in the back of the restaurant as they set up for a VIP lunch. The Coast Guard members came in, still in their work coveralls, and seemed to be all smiles making us think the drill went well.

 

We were hungry from our tour and very little breakfast so we had a pretty big lunch. We both ordered prosciutto and mozzarella as starters and pork as entrées, accompanied by a pinot noir. For dessert, BCD had carrot cake and I had coffee ice cream topped with a shot of Kahlua.

 

All drills were complete by the time we finished lunch. We stopped at all the bars collecting supplies and headed back to TSL so BCD could get back to work. We can't have him slacking off all the time, like he did this morning.

 

When evening came, we headed back to the cabin to change for dinner. We arrived at Le Muse around 7:45pm and were surprised when Glenn said that the VIPs had already had dinner and left.

 

We had some champagne and studied the menus. A few corks and wires were dropped off at the table to BCD's delight. For starters, we both had the vitello. For his entrée, BCD paired a filet mignon with a Maryland crab cake, with a Syrah. I opted for the broiled amberjack with a sauvignon blanc. We both had grana padano for dessert, with me changing to the dolcetto d'alba.

 

We headed back to TSL for 3 rounds of nightcaps and some live music. We headed to bed exhausted after a long and fun day.

 

Day 15 tomorrow…

[Best Cat Mom]

Day 14 Lunch menu:

 

[Best Cat Mom]

Day 14 Dinner menu:

[Best Cat Mom]

Information about Customs and Border Protection in Puerto Rico:

 

[DaKahuna]

Hi, It's me again with a couple of new questions:

 

Do  you happen to have any pictures of the food offerings for breakfast, lunch, and dinner at the buffet set up at the One Bar?

 

 Does the menu vary for lunch and or dinner daily at the One Bar buffet?

 

 Did you visit the Spa at any time?  I am curious as to what free services the YC guest receive at the Spa. 

 

I really appreciate you patience in answering all my bothersome questions. 

 

 

[Av8tor]

Very nice cars - many compliments to BCD!!

[ecslady]

BCM - I have some questions for you regarding eating Gluten Free.  How was it handled within The Yacht Club and also elsewhere on the ship?  Were there any options on the buffet set out for you or did you have to ask for items to be made special?  Did you encounter any difficulties?  I haven't sailed on MSC yet and also am fairly new to having to be gluten free, so only a few cruises with the dietary restrictions.

Edited December 13, 2023 by ecslady

[jean87510]

I'm also curious if you used the thermal spa area at all.  

[Best Cat Mom]

9 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

Does the menu vary for lunch and or dinner daily at the One Bar buffet?

They only offer breakfast and lunch at the One Bar. The bar itself usually closes at 7pm (I guess some days might differ but I don't recall from the daily programs). After lunch is over, there are snacks available until a certain time (again, not sure of exact times but on the daily programs).

 

As for the items offered, they do usually vary a bit. We don't go there often but have seen different  entrées at different lunch days, with the salad/cold items being more consistent. You can always ask for something not there. I've asked for mixed berries, for example, and they've gotten them for me (who knows from where, but I got them). Breakfast would likely be more consistent, but I can't say for sure. 

[Best Cat Mom]

9 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

Did you visit the Spa at any time?  I am curious as to what free services the YC guest receive at the Spa.

Funny you ask. We usually get a couples massage and had planned for at least two this cruise. Yet here we are on the last day and we've never had time to book even one. Our own fault -- just too "busy" enjoying everything else.

 

We have been to the Divina spa on other cruises. It's smaller and there is not all the extra sauna/steam rooms, at least not coed ones. You get free access as YC but we only use it when we buy spa treatments.

[Best Cat Mom]

9 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

Do  you happen to have any pictures of the food offerings for breakfast, lunch, and dinner at the buffet set up at the One Bar?

Missed breakfast already. 😞

 

Will try to get some pix of lunch later for you.

[Best Cat Mom]

Just now, jean87510 said:

I'm also curious if you used the thermal spa area at all. 

Nope, but it is so small on Divina that we only use it with spa services. The nice part of YC on Divina is that the YC elevator goes directly to the spa, opening in a YC-exclusive entrance to the spa. You can wear your YC bathrobe and slippers and not encounter anyone outside of the YC or spa as you go back and forth.

[Best Cat Mom]

Just now, ecslady said:

I have some questions for you regarding eating Gluten Free.  How was it handled within The Yacht Club and also elsewhere on the ship?  Were there any options on the buffet set out for you or did you have to ask for items to be made special?  Did you encounter any difficulties?

I have been GF on all our MSC cruises, actually on all our cruises except the first one back in 2006. I do not want to jinx myself but I will risk it -- I have only had one slight issue with GF and that was at breakfast on disembarkation day where we had a server that we'd not had before and I forgot to mention the GF to him. I knew that some responsibility was mine in that case so I never brought it up with MSC or held it against them. I have been GF since January 2012 and I still sometimes forget to mention it when dining outside of our home. I have been hyper-vigilant on the cruises, though, because it seemed too easy for errors to occur. YC has been great, this time and always. They tell me what I can eat on the menu, what they can change to allow me to eat, and what I cannot have at all. Sometimes I will order one thing and tell them "if the chef says I can have it" and then give them another option in case the chef says no. I try to make it easier on them so they don't have to come back and ask me for anther choice. I'll also order something and tell them if they have to leave out something (sauce, bread, etc.) to make it GF, that I'm fine with it. Basically, I try to convey that if they keep me healthy, I don't mind how they change the menu.

 

I have avoided the buffet on YC One Deck because of the difficulty they might have figuring out what is GF, and we really don't like buffets in general. I think we have eaten there 4 or 5 times total over the 6 MSC cruises we've had. And the regular buffet is a "no" with us completely. YC has room service for pizzas 24 hours a day. There is nothing else in the buffet that we want.

 

Just thought of another thing that you did not ask -- the snacks in TSL. The labels on them are just words, no food allergy indicators. Some are obviously not GF because they are mini-sandwiches, a topping on a piece of bread, a mini-dessert tart, a piece of cake, etc. Some are GF, such as pesto on mozzarella, fresh fruit, nuts, etc. We don't snack that much in TSL so I've never bothered to ask about making some of those GF, but if something really appealed to you, you could try asking them to prepare it GF.

[ecslady]

20 hours ago, Best Cat Mom said:

I have been GF on all our MSC cruises, actually on all our cruises except the first one back in 2006. I do not want to jinx myself but I will risk it -- I have only had one slight issue with GF and that was at breakfast on disembarkation day where we had a server that we'd not had before and I forgot to mention the GF to him. I knew that some responsibility was mine in that case so I never brought it up with MSC or held it against them. I have been GF since January 2012 and I still sometimes forget to mention it when dining outside of our home. I have been hyper-vigilant on the cruises, though, because it seemed too easy for errors to occur. YC has been great, this time and always. They tell me what I can eat on the menu, what they can change to allow me to eat, and what I cannot have at all. Sometimes I will order one thing and tell them "if the chef says I can have it" and then give them another option in case the chef says no. I try to make it easier on them so they don't have to come back and ask me for anther choice. I'll also order something and tell them if they have to leave out something (sauce, bread, etc.) to make it GF, that I'm fine with it. Basically, I try to convey that if they keep me healthy, I don't mind how they change the menu.

 

I have avoided the buffet on YC One Deck because of the difficulty they might have figuring out what is GF, and we really don't like buffets in general. I think we have eaten there 4 or 5 times total over the 6 MSC cruises we've had. And the regular buffet is a "no" with us completely. YC has room service for pizzas 24 hours a day. There is nothing else in the buffet that we want.

 

Just thought of another thing that you did not ask -- the snacks in TSL. The labels on them are just words, no food allergy indicators. Some are obviously not GF because they are mini-sandwiches, a topping on a piece of bread, a mini-dessert tart, a piece of cake, etc. Some are GF, such as pesto on mozzarella, fresh fruit, nuts, etc. We don't snack that much in TSL so I've never bothered to ask about making some of those GF, but if something really appealed to you, you could try asking them to prepare it GF.

 

Thank you so much for that info. It is very encouraging.  I have only been GF for a year and have only had experiences on Celebrity & RC so far.

[DaKahuna]

@Best Cat Mom  I am very sorry that your and BCDs adventures are coming to an end today.  I thoroughly enjoyed following along and again thank you for being patient and answering all my questions.  

 

Please have an safe and uneventful journey home. 

 

 

[Mommapadraig]

Thanks again for your review. I have made notes for our trip….Baileys and coffee in the room…mimosas….champagne whenever I can and a variety of wines….we can only hope we do as well in May! Safe travels home.

[jean87510]

Thanks so much.  We board YC in 2 weeks and are really excited.

[DaKahuna]

7 hours ago, Mommapadraig said:

Thanks again for your review. I have made notes for our trip….Baileys and coffee in the room…mimosas….champagne whenever I can and a variety of wines….we can only hope we do as well in May! Safe travels home.

 

 Pretty much the same notes I have for our February sailing! 

 

[sandebeach]

On 12/12/2023 at 4:08 PM, DaKahuna said:

 

 This was the entertainment I was interested in.  We both are looking forward to relaxing in the TSL and listening to soft music, e.g. piano, guitarist, violinist, etc.. 

 

 I am just hoping they will continue to have a wide selection of Italian wines available. 

 

Currently on the Divina and we have had a horn player one night in TSL and last night was a guitar player. Since the seas have been rough and windy we have not been able to port in Nassau or today at Ocean Cay. Some YC guests are not happy about this but we are just enjoying the YC experience on this short 3-day cruise. 

[DaKahuna]

2 hours ago, sandebeach said:

Currently on the Divina and we have had a horn player one night in TSL and last night was a guitar player. Since the seas have been rough and windy we have not been able to port in Nassau or today at Ocean Cay. Some YC guests are not happy about this but we are just enjoying the YC experience on this short 3-day cruise. 

 

 Thank you for the response.  The guitar player would be something we are interested in.  The horn player, most likely a saxophonist, might not interest us as much. 

 

 

 Do you happen to know if the restaurant (sushi) in Galaxy is open on port days for lunch or only on sea days?  

 

[sandebeach]

5 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

 

 Thank you for the response.  The guitar player would be something we are interested in.  The horn player, most likely a saxophonist, might not interest us as much. 

 

 

 Do you happen to know if the restaurant (sushi) in Galaxy is open on port days for lunch or only on sea days?  

 

Galaxy was open today for lunch, as this became a sea day. I don’t know about port days because we didn’t have one. 

[DaKahuna]

2 hours ago, sandebeach said:

Galaxy was open today for lunch, as this became a sea day. I don’t know about port days because we didn’t have one. 

Thank you.  There is still a lot of time to find out before we cruise in February.