***LIVE*** from MSC Divina YC (Yacht Club) - Western Caribbean Miami 7 April to 18 April 2024

[Best Cat Mom]

More Day 5...

 

On the way back from lunch at Le Muse, we stopped by the casino to "retrieve" some of our OBC. The bar was not yet open but guests were beginning to hover around there since the scheduled opening time of 2:30pm would be in just a few minutes. The gambling, however, would not be allowed to begin until the ship was in international waters.

 

We had heard of some MSC ships that had banned smoking in the main casino and instead moved some of their slot machines to another location of the ship where smoking was allowed. Not so on Divina, at least not for this sailing. There is a smoking section containing slot machines in the main casino right now. The casino is mid-ship, and the smoking section of the casino is the forward area on the port side:

 

A bit aft of the smoking section is the cashier, with a few slot machines between there and the smoking section:

 

As you move towards the starboard side, there are more non-smoking slots:

 

Across from those is the center of casino bar:

 

Across from the bar forward is the stairs going both left and right up to La Luna bar:

 

To the starboard side of the stairs is a craps table:

 

Then on the starboard-most side of the casino are all the other gaming tables, including two roulette tables (on the right side of this image), and slot machines lining the wall:

 

When we were on Divina last year, the only tables were for cards (blackjack, poker, etc.). We're not gamblers -- we only go in there to retrieve our OBC -- but I saw a lot of discussion about how people wanted other table games. Now that there are two roulette tables and one craps table, I would think that some folks will be happier.

 

Day 5 dinner next...

[Best Cat Mom]

We spent some time in TSL before dinner. I enjoyed 2 espresso martinis and BCD had an old fashioned and a Woodford Reserve.

 

We returned to the cabin to change for dinner and arrived at Le Muse at around 8pm.

 

Champagne was served and we examined the menus:

 

 

We both started with the duck:

 

BCD chose the pork as his main:

 

I ordered lamb for my main:

 

 

We shared the risotto:

 

We both chose Gabbiano chianti to accompany our mains:

 

Here again is our exceptional server team of Glenn (right) and Ryan (left):

 

After dinner, we returned to the YC and TSL for some nightcaps. After one round, we realized that we were tired and chose to turn in. Hubert was aghast but we assured him that this would not become a habit.

 

Day 6 next...

[cruisebeachgirl703]

1 hour ago, Best Cat Mom said:

More Day 5...

 

On the way back from lunch at Le Muse, we stopped by the casino to "retrieve" some of our OBC. The bar was not yet open but guests were beginning to hover around there since the scheduled opening time of 2:30pm would be in just a few minutes. The gambling, however, would not be allowed to begin until the ship was in international waters.

 

We had heard of some MSC ships that had banned smoking in the main casino and instead moved some of their slot machines to another location of the ship where smoking was allowed. Not so on Divina, at least not for this sailing. There is a smoking section containing slot machines in the main casino right now. The casino is mid-ship, and the smoking section of the casino is the forward area on the port side:

 

A bit aft of the smoking section is the cashier, with a few slot machines between there and the smoking section:

 

As you move towards the starboard side, there are more non-smoking slots:

 

Across from those is the center of casino bar:

 

Across from the bar forward is the stairs going both left and right up to La Luna bar:

 

To the starboard side of the stairs is a craps table:

 

Then on the starboard-most side of the casino are all the other gaming tables, including two roulette tables (on the right side of this image), and slot machines lining the wall:

 

When we were on Divina last year, the only tables were for cards (blackjack, poker, etc.). We're not gamblers -- we only go in there to retrieve our OBC -- but I saw a lot of discussion about how people wanted other table games. Now that there are two roulette tables and one craps table, I would think that some folks will be happier.

 

Day 5 dinner next...

Great pics. Bright for a casino. I always thought they kept it dim.

[cruisebeachgirl703]

9 minutes ago, Best Cat Mom said:

We spent some time in TSL before dinner. I enjoyed 2 espresso martinis and BCD had an old fashioned and a Woodford Reserve.

 

We returned to the cabin to change for dinner and arrived at Le Muse at around 8pm.

 

Champagne was served and we examined the menus:

 

 

We both started with the duck:

 

BCD chose the pork as his main:

 

I ordered lamb for my main:

 

 

We shared the risotto:

 

We both chose Gabbiano chianti to accompany our mains:

 

Here again is our exceptional server team of Glenn (right) and Ryan (left):

 

After dinner, we returned to the YC and TSL for some nightcaps. After one round, we realized that we were tired and chose to turn in. Hubert was aghast but we assured him that this would not become a habit.

 

Day 6 next...

Love it.

[Best Cat Mom]

Just now, cruisebeachgirl703 said:

Bright for a casino. I always thought they kept it dim.

We are only there a few times and usually during the day -- we try to avoid crowds that might contain smokers. I guess it could be dim in the wee hours of the morning. Maybe someone else can share their experiences here?

[Best Cat Mom]

Day 6 Daily Programs:

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Best Cat Mom]

Day 6 -- Cartagena, Columbia

 

Today our arrival time was scheduled a bit later than most -- at 10:30am -- so we did not feel the need to be up early to watch the ship arrive in port.

 

We still had Baileys and coffee at 7:30am:

 

Then, taking our time, we made our way up to the One Pool deck for breakfast around 9:30am. The area seemed quite busy, so we figured a lot of people were doing the same as us.

 

We each had an egg white omelet with cheese and bacon and helped ourselves to some fruit and bacon from the buffet. A few mimosas for me and coconut rum with orange juice for BCD rounded out our breakfast. I also ordered a cappuccino, which I quickly regretted as we began to slide into our spot in port and the wind died down. It was getting crazy hot outside and we knew it was supposed to top out at 100+ plus degrees Fahrenheit (~38 degrees Celsius). That heat plus bright and sunny skies made us glad of our decision to not go out today.

 

By 11am when we returned to TSL, the tables were packed with guests waiting to be called for their excursions.

 

We found a good spot to watch the harbor from TSL and soon it was nearing the time for lunch to end in Le Muse. Having had breakfast so late, we were not starving but still wanted to have a nice air-conditioned lunch. We made it to the restaurant just a few minutes before service ended at 1:30pm.

 

We sipped champagne and ordered from the menu:

 

 

BCD started with the Parma ham:

 

I chose the niçoise salad since it is one of my favorite salads. I hadn't ordered it when it first was on the menu for dinner on day 3 because that night I really wanted the vitello tonatto more -- such are the dilemmas of Le Muse:

 

For his main, BCD ordered the schnitzel:

 

I chose the Parma ham for my main:

 

We had continued drinking champagne with the starters but to accompany our mains, we opted for the Mirassou pinot noir we had once before.

 

When we chatted a bit with Mehmet, he told us that his last day on Divina will be on 13 May. When the ship ports in Turkey that day, he will disembark.

 

Day 6 continues...

 

[Best Cat Mom]

Day 6 continues...

 

After lunch, we made our way back to TSL and found ourselves in an empty lounge. I had a few espresso martinis and BCD had a few Woodford Reserves.

 

At some point, BCD went up to the One Pool deck to take some panoramic images of Cartagena:

 

 

 

 

 

 

We eventually changed for dinner, arriving in Le Muse just after 8pm. It was packed! I guess since all aboard was late and the day so hot, people were moving slowly to find their way to dinner.

 

We perused the menus and enjoyed our champagne and told Glenn and Ryan to not worry about us until they were less frazzled:

 

 

BCD chose the shrimp for his starter (no, they did not short him 2 shrimp -- he dug into it before we remembered to take a picture):

 

I also wanted to order the shrimp. We'd smelled it going by our table and it certainly smelled delicious. Unfortunately, when Glenn asked the chef if it was GF, he found out that the butter has flour in it. So I had to be content with the burrata:

 

BCD ordered a filet for his main, drinking Oberon with it:

 

I chose the sole and stayed with my old friend champagne:

 

We shared the risotto:

 

Dessert was coconut ice cream with Kahlua -- and a surprise when it arrived to our table. What a nice touch from Glenn and Ryan!

 

We found ourselves back in TSL for a few rounds of sidecars and old fashioneds and then headed to our cabin. The treats for tonight:

 

Day 7 is next...

[Best Cat Mom]

Day 7 Daily Programs...

 

 

 

 

 

[DaKahuna]

5 hours ago, Best Cat Mom said:

We both chose Gabbiano chianti to accompany our mains:

 

 

 I liked that wine.  It and the Oboron you had the other night became my "go to's" for lunch and dinner. 

 

[cruisebeachgirl703]

Going to miss your review and pics!

[Best Cat Mom]

12 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

It and the Oboron you had the other night became my "go to's" for lunch and dinner.

They are out of Oberon now -- and we're definitely not saying that it has a single thing to do with us! LOL

[Best Cat Mom]

3 hours ago, cruisebeachgirl703 said:

Going to miss your review and pics!

Not so fast -- we still have 3 more days. We disembark on Thursday.

 

When Susmita brought our mimosas this morning, she asked if she could get us anything else. I replied, "Two more weeks on the ship." It took a moment for that to sink in. I said, "You asked." 😉

Edited April 15 by Best Cat Mom

[cruisebeachgirl703]

8 minutes ago, Best Cat Mom said:

Not so fast -- we still have 3 more days. We disembark on Thursday.

 

When Susmita brought our mimosas this morning, she asked if she could get us anything else. I replied, "Two more weeks on the ship." It took a moment for that to sink in. I said, "You asked." 😉

Awesome!!!!!

[Best Cat Mom]

Day 7 - Colón, Panama

 

Our Baileys and coffee arrived as usual at 7:30am to start our day. We arrived at Le Muse around 8:30am and gladly accepted 2 mimosas and cappuccini:

 

 

BCD ordered a cold cut plate and a cheese plate, which he combined to one plate so as to not overwhelm the table:

 

 

I had 2 six-minute eggs with grilled ham:

 

We meandered back to YC. Arrival time in Colon was supposed to be ~10am. By 11:30am, all excursions were called and TSL was again a calm oasis. We heard that around 80 of the YC passengers had gone out today.

 

We arrived at Le Muse for lunch at 12:30pm. At breakfast, Mehmet had told us that most crew wanted to go outside here because it was their last real chance before the transatlantic back to Europe. We had planned to have lunch earlier today so we wouldn't be reducing their time outside.

 

We had champagne and read through the offerings on the menu:

 

 

We both started with the beef and added Gabbiano chianti when the champagne was finished:

 

BCD chose the cannelloni for his main:

 

I was surprised that I could choose the chicken, since sauces are rarely GF:

 

After lunch, we went back to TSL. Hubert was working the bar and the lounge was virtually empty so we sat at the bar to keep him company. We met Hubert on our first Divina cruise in October 2022. He was a bartender at the One Pool at that time and was just finishing his contract. We were pleasantly surprised to see that he had moved up to TSL for our transatlantic last November, and he told us that he'd still be on for our next Divina cruise. He is disembarking at the end of this cruise and not sure where he'll be next. We are hoping that we'll see him again on a future cruise, maybe even our Seascape September voyage.

 

We had a few Girl Scout Cookie drinks and passed the time. Here is Hubert with one round of our drinks/desserts:

 

YC Director Tiziana stopped by TSL and chatted with BCD a bit. She'd talked with him a few previous times whilst he was working on his "champagne" cars. This time BCD had a completed car ready for delivery and presented it to her:

 

We stopped by the YC concierge desk to try to book an excursion for tomorrow in Costa Rica. When we'd been on this same itinerary last time, it had been cancelled because not enough people booked it. This time it was already full so it looks like we're staying on the ship again tomorrow. Good thing we like the Divina so much. So far, we haven't gone out even once.
 

As we neared dinner, I ordered a shiraz and BCD ordered a double Elijah Craig to take back to the room to dress for dinner.

 

Day 7 concludes next...

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 16 by Best Cat Mom

[Best Cat Mom]

Day 7 conclusion...

 

We went to Le Muse a little after 8pm and it was crazy busy for so late. We mused (yes, mused) that maybe it was unusually crowded so late because all aboard was at 7:30pm. We told Glenn that we'd be fine with champagne and menus to baby-sit us:

 

 

BCD started with the iceberg wedge and I chose the salmon tartare, which is another one of my favorites. (No pictures, sorry.)

 

As we had now depleted the Oberon supply in Le Muse, we chose the Gabbiano chianti to accompany our mains. BCD ordered the rib eye:

 

I asked if the pork was GF. Glenn checked with the chef and said it "could" be. So when it arrived without the mustard sauce, I was not surprised. Many of my dishes are quite altered from the menu description when made GF. Here's my dish, your protein will likely look much different:

 

We shared the porcini risotto, one of our absolute favorite dishes in YC:

 

You may have noticed some grated parmesan on our risotto. That's BCD's "side" of the dish; my side is unadulterated, the way nature intended. 😉

 

We returned to TSL and had a fun late night. The bar area was hopping and all of us kept Hubert quite busy. We had 2 rounds of sidecars and old fashioneds, 2 Girl Scout Cookies each, I tried a Lemon Drop for the first time (I'll stick to the sidecars), BCD had a shot of Jameson and Baileys that someone suggested he try (peer pressure!) and he also had at least one shot of Fireball.

 

We returned to the cabin around 1am to find our treats:

 

Day 8 coming next...

[Best Cat Mom]

Day 8 Daily Programs...

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Best Cat Mom]

Day 8 -- Costa Rica

 

Clocks changed last night so we had a extra hour of sleep, which might have been part of the choice for us to spend a little extra time in TSL after dinner yesterday.

 

We were up before the alarm, from the bright sunshine streaming into the cabin. For us, sun is the perfect way to wake up. Coffee and Baileys arrived promptly at 7:30am and we were off to Le Muse by around 8am, since they closed early today at 8:30am.

 

We had our usual 2 mimosas and 2 cappuccini:

 

BCD ordered MSC express with over easy eggs and 5 slices of crispy bacon. I had 2 six-minute eggs with 'regular' bacon -- the non-crispy kind. (Sorry that we forgot pictures.)

 

We went back to TSL around 9:15am and it seemed like all YC excursions had already departed. Our cabin had again fully restored by the awesome Richard, who snuck in and out while we enjoyed our breakfast.

 

We hung out there until lunch time and then headed back to Le Muse for lunch. Champagne and menus were presented:

 

 

We both chose the crab to start, still drinking champagne:

 

We both had the swordfish for our mains with more champagne for me and Gabbiano chianti for BCD:

 

We went back to TSL for the afternoon. On the way, we noticed that the library in the concierge area had been replaced by more displays of the shopping opportunities on the ship. When we asked the concierge, he said that it was a result of Covid. We weren't sure if Covid caused people to not want to borrow books or if MSC made the decision not to have them available for borrowing. I had heard that many libraries outside of YC had been deleted recently, but I think this is the first YC one I'd heard had been removed.

 

During the afternoon, I made reservations for Butcher's Cut at 1pm tomorrow, using our free Diamond meal for BCD's birthday. I had already spoken with our butler Dwi to arrange a cake for him at the end of that meal. She was the one who suggested it should be GF so I could have some too. I'm hoping that it will be a nice surprise for him.

 

We arrived for dinner in Le Muse at 8:30pm. We chose to be later than the previous night since it was so busy then. It was even busier tonight 30 minutes later! Glenn said he had 22 people already at the time we were seated.

 

We amused ourselves with menus and champagne and told him that he knew where to find us when he was ready:

 

 

BCD had shrimp cocktail as his starter (no picture, sorry) and I had a caesar salad, both still drinking champagne:

 

For mains, we moved on to the Gabbiano chianti. BCD had the filet and shrimp:

 

I had the lamb for my main:

 

We shared the truffle risotto:

 

The dining room was filled with the wonderful aroma of truffles!

 

We left very satisfied and had a few rounds of sidecars and old fashioneds in TSL and returned to the cabin to find the evening's treats:

 

Day 9, BCD's birthday and US Tax Day, is next...

[morpheusofthesea]

46 minutes ago, Best Cat Mom said:

BCD's birthday and US Tax Day,

He shares his birthday with the illustrious Leonardo da Vinci. Has he ever been regressed?

[Best Cat Mom]

On 4/16/2024 at 7:58 PM, morpheusofthesea said:

He shares his birthday with the illustrious Leonardo da Vinci. Has he ever been regressed?

We thought we understood your meaning but looked it up to confirm (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Past_life_regression).

 

BCD was aware of the birthday connection, and then when he saw that da Vinci was also left-handed and perhaps ambidextrous, we were especially intrigued. Definitely something that we might explore. Thanks for the idea! 🙂

[Best Cat Mom]

We are home now (and with no family drama to distract us this time). I have copious notes and images from the last few days and will continue with Day 9...

[Mommapadraig]

6 minutes ago, Best Cat Mom said:

We are home now (and with no family drama to distract us this time). I have copious notes and images from the last few days and will continue with Day 9...

That’s good news! We are getting on the MSC seashore in the yacht club in 16 days. You inspire me with all of your wine choices. We are usually merlot, cab or a red blend. Boring. We are going to let our server choose a new wine for us at each meal.I can’t wait. Thanks again for a great review. We will also be leaving a cat at home but he will be visiting at our son’s house where he is king.

[Best Cat Mom]

Day 9 -- Sea Day

 

Today is BCD's birthday and he doesn't quite know yet how many of the YC crew are aware. He is suspicious of what may be planned for his day because last night as we left TSL, the night concierge wished him a Happy Birthday, saying that he knew it was 10 minutes early but sending birthday wishes anyway. We don't know the night concierge very well as we only see him when we are leaving TSL to retire for the night. BCD started questioning me right away but stopped asking about the concierge when we arrived at our cabin door where he saw some type white of white paper barely sticking out from under our door. He was hesitant to go in the room. "What did you do??" Luckily for me, it was only the notice of our free dancing lesson as Voyagers Club Diamond members. This quelled his suspicions temporarily.

 

We awoke to that bright sea sunshine that we love in the mornings. Coffee and Baileys arrived at 7:30am but we were moving slowly so we did not get to Le Muse until 8:45am. There were just a few tables occupied so we figured folks were up at the One Pool.

 

We ordered our usual 2 mimosas and 2 cappuccini. I should not say ordered though, since they usually simply ask us if we want the "usual." Not a bad "usual" to have.

 

Susmita brought them and asked if she could get us anything else. Without missing a beat, I said, "Two more weeks on Divina." She looked lost for just a moment but quickly recovered. Sometimes we wonder if our humor won't make sense to someone whose first language is not English but this time it was understood. But not granted. I see what people mean when they say that they are always told "no" in YC.

 

BCD chose eggs benedict for his birthday breakfast and I had two 6-minute eggs with bacon on the side. (No pictures since they'd be a rerun of a previous morning.)

 

We stopped by the casino to retrieve the remainder of our OBC. The bar there was not opening until noon so we went back to TSL to for champagne and a Bloody Mary. As we passed the concierge desk, more birthday wishes were expressed. BCD again wanted to know what was in the works for him for the day. I tried to smile my way through it, knowing that it was going to get "worse" for me but "better" for him. I had some more surprises planned that I could not share here because then there would not be any surprise. BCD doesn't have a CC account, but he does read my phone and PC occasionally.

 

We had reservations for lunch at Butcher's Cut (BC) for 1pm. We're not usually overly hungry for lunch and I wanted to make sure that he had an appetite for a big meal -- and the surprise cake at the end. I had spoke with our butler Dwi and set up the cake a few days earlier. She had been the one to suggest a GF cake so I could have some too.

 

As we were sipping our drinks in TSL, several passengers wished him a happy birthday adding to his suspicions. Then a couple we chat with frequently said that by coincidence they also had 1pm reservations at BC. When they left, BCD asked me why they left so early. I told him he was paranoid, just like with the cards under the door the night before. By the time we were leaving to go to BC, it was nearly empty in TSL. He pointed out that everyone was gone and his suspicions grew...

 

We arrived just after 1pm to BC and the front tables were sorta filled for lunch, so the host took us the next room, which is by the bar. I was amused by this because he looked so apprehensive. I had nothing planned other than the cake but this was such fun. 😉

 

It was time to put our attention to eating and I think he forgot the suspicions as we started to read the menu. We started immediately with red wine, not our usual bubbles. He chose the Oberon (which Le Muse was out of, but I guess BC is not sharing their supply) and I chose the Altos Malbec. I've always ordered the Malbec at BC and we had seen it being served in Le Muse one evening and kept forgetting to have it there. The Altos is from Mendoza, Argentina, and I've found that the Malbecs that I like the best come from Mendoza. We've not yet been to Argentina, but a wine tour is definitely on the agenda when we do make it there for a holiday. We forgot pictures of the wines, but I did post the Oberon from a dinner a few nights ago and (spoiler) we have an image of the Malbec from Le Muse later in the cruise.

 

We pretty much knew what we'd order but gave it one last consideration. I don't think the menu has changed at all, but just in case:

 

 

We both chose chop salad as our starters. Here is BCD's, with the bread basket that is not GF:

 

BCD ordered the filet as his main:

 

I ordered -- can you guess? -- lamb:

 

Here's BCD's filet with his side dish of brussel sprouts (as listed on menu, but should really be "Brussels sprouts" -- we've learned so much about the spelling of food items during this cruise!) and the four sauces that are served with every menu item under the steak section:

 

Here's my lamb with a side of roasted cauliflower:

 

And here is the full table with the pepper mill and salt cellar -- nice touch, having a salt cellar:

 

We've been to BC on all our MSC cruises and even at dinner there is not a tablecloth. I think they believe it makes for a more rustic feel, but we really miss having a tablecloth. The red placemats are not conducive to aerating the wine in the glasses.

 

The meal is now winding down and we had told the server that we'd not be having dessert so BCD is now unsuspecting and voila! here comes the cake with servers singing Happy Birthday. He seemed truly surprised and I was happy to find a GF cake (pie really) that we could both enjoy with some more glasses of red wine:

 

It was quite tasty. The filling was a sorta dense chocolate pudding, the topping was chopped nuts and the crust was a nice crumbly one. I did not know exactly what they'd serve us but this did not disappoint. We each had one and half slices and they gave us the rest to take back to the cabin.

 

So far, I'm feeling good about how I've indulged him on his special day.

 

Oh, and here is the Le Muse lunch menu:

 

 

More on Day 9 coming up...

[Best Cat Mom]

2 hours ago, Mommapadraig said:

We are going to let our server choose a new wine for us at each meal

Whenever we have a server who does not know us well, we will ask about specific grapes for wines that are outside of the usual merlot and cabernet sauvignon. It is a subtle way to convey that you're interested in trying other wines. Malbec is a good one to bring up. I've also asked about Zinfandel -- red, not white, of course. Red zin is a nice grapey wine with little to no tannins and I find it sippable even without food. Shiraz/Syrah is another choice with relatively low tannins.

 

We've never been on Seashore, but on Divina they have holding areas throughout the dining area with various open bottles. See if you can spot any that catch your fancy and ask to try them. The whites are always in the wine buckets so it's harder to read their labels. You could try to discreetly watch the tables around you for labels that are unfamiliar as well.

 

Enjoy exploring all the offerings! 🙂

[Best Cat Mom]

Day 9 Daily Program...