Nice Cruise BUT needs a few adjustments to compete with the big dogs

My family and I sailed on the MSC Divina on 11/19/2016.  Overall, it was a great cruise. We took it mainly because it was dirt cheap for a balcony room over Thanksgiving.  We couldn't pass up that deal even though it was a cruise line we knew nothing about. With that said, we got what we paid for.

Let me start with, this ship is the most beautiful I have ever been on, and I've been on a bunch.  It was like a spa resort and the staff does an amazing job of keeping it clean all the time.  This could not have been easy considering the slobs on board. 

Our room was 8262, balcony.  It was clean and spacious enough for four of us. My oldest child stayed with my parents in their balcony room.  We were at the very back of the ship and it smelled of sewage the entire cruise.  Everywhere else was fine, but literally, the minute we got to our doorway, the smell would hit us.  I was beginning to think we were over using our toilet. 

The staff was good, some still need to work on their personalities but overall, I have no complaints.

Dining was terrific on the buffet deck for both breakfast and lunch. There were lots of options and I feel like I never waited in line for anything.  I'm not suggesting it wasn't crowded.  Oh it was a zoo for a good 12 hours a day.  I didn't wait in line because manners and waiting your turn seem to be an American trait and this ship was full of foreigners.  The main dining, service was decent. We had an awesome waiter the first night.  He was funny, personable, and seemed to really enjoy what he was doing. Sadly for us, he was switched to another restaurant and his replacement had the personality of a celery stalk. I'm envious of the table that ended up with our original waiter. Also, the children's menu was terrible. I'm convinced that the menu planner must not have children. Pasta with peas? Meatloaf? Grilled chicken with mixed veggie?  Sounds healthy and all but it's a vacation.  This kids want to indulge too. Thankfully, we had a server, not ours, that helped us out and brought the kids whatever they wanted.

Entertainment was decent in the theater but everywhere else was nothing to write home about.  They have a nice big screen out by the pool and unless you are sitting right in front of it, the view is constantly obstructed. It sits way too low.  This would be a problem if they used it for anything other and concerts from the 80's. I think there was a movie shown 3 out of the 7 night, Ride Along 2, Daddy's Home, and Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Zootopia was supposed to be shown but it never came on.  I guess it made the printed schedule just not the final cut.

The kids program was nice if you could actually find them. They rarely followed the itinerary they handed out and spent 45 min on snack time and 2 hours on dinner.  I dropped my kids off for arts and crafts and ended up watching them do a cooking lesson.  It was completely fine and enjoyable but it was never on the itinerary and I wouldn't have known about it otherwise. 

All in all, it was a fine cruise.  If you get a good deal, go.  I would do it again and not expect much.  I think I compared it to other "fun ships" I've been on and didn't realize that the Divina is a much slower pace.  Either way, I didn't have to cook, clean, or do laundry for seven days so I was a happy camper