MSC Divina Feb 4, 2017

MSC Divina Cruise Review to Caribbean - Eastern

goingplaces1

Contributor Level: Third Mate

Cruises: 2-3 cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 61

Overall rating:

4 out of 5

7 Night Eastern Caribbean (Miami Roundtrip)

Sail date: February 04, 2017

Ship: MSC Divina

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 10214

Traveled as: Large Group

Reviewed: 7 years ago

Review summary

Favorite - 1) The ship was very clean - both public and private areas. 2) The staff from captain to cleaning personnel was very professional and courteous. 3) I asked our room attendant for extra towels to be left and he made sure we had extra towels every day. 4) Alcohol drinks were well made - no skimping! 5) Entertainment/activity staff was great and very energetic.

Not so favorite - 1) Food flavor was good but hot food temperatures were not hot enough. This was true in the buffet and even the restaurant. In the buffet, I placed my hand on the glass top where the hot plates were placed and they were warm at best. 2) Elevators: Seemed that most days at least 1 elevator was 'out of service' for some part of the day. 3) Difficult to find available chairs at the pool areas - people placed towels on the chairs and then went off to breakfast. This isn't the cruise ship personnel fault but they should enforce a rule of no reserving of chairs. 4) I was disappointed that on 'formal night', men were allowed to enter the restaurant without a tie and jacket.

Overall - A good value for the money and yes, we'd take another cruise with MSC. Culturally, the staff is European. We did not have a problem with the cultural differences. If you're not willing to accept different cultures, this is not a cruise line for you.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

1 out of 5

Food temperature was inconsistent. It should have been hotter.

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5

Participated in a couple of activities and loved the energy of the staff. They were very engaging and worked very hard at making sure everyone had fun!

Entertainment

5 out of 5

Very good nightly shows.

Children's Programs

3 out of 5

Did not travel with children but saw the kids area and thought it was set up very good.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Great staff! Awesome waiter - Alfredo in the restaurant!

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

The ship is beautiful and very clean! It was a smooth ride - no seasickness encountered.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Beautiful with more than enough room for us. The balcony was a good size for us to sit and enjoy the view. Bathroom was larger than expected.

Ship tip

If you're looking for 'American' culture in staff, this is not the cruise line for you. We had no problems with the cultural differences. You need to be open and accepting in different persons. They are very European.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Miami, Florida

2 out of 5

Favorite part of Miami - getting on the ship! LOL

Thumbs Up 30

San Juan, Puerto Rico

3 out of 5

Loved San Juan - this was our first trip but it won't be our last.

Thumbs Up 15

Grand Turk Island

3 out of 5

Get your passport stamped at the 'post office' or the 'police station'. It's an experience!

Thumbs Up 24

Nassau, Bahamas

2 out of 5

Traffic was terrible - I felt bad for the traffic police.

Thumbs Up 0

Traveler Photos

8 Comments

Gwbigdog 2 years ago

Thanks for sharing your cruise.

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goingplaces1 7 years ago

Jzidebott - on our cruise formal night was scheduled for the 1st night st sea. As that night was Super bowl Sunday, formal night was that Monday. It's up to the ship/cruise line as to which night is formal night. The next day daily 'newspaper' that is placed in your room nightly notes what the dress is for that nights dinner.

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goingplaces1 7 years ago

Cbelc2 - Our 1st cruise was in 1989 on the Cunard Princess (retired). All men entering the dining room were required to wear a tie and jacket every night. If you forgot it, you went back to your room & got it. In any restaurant eating in the dining room is formal while the buffet is not. Sounds like you didn't enjoy the cruise-sorry to read that. I can't respond about the 'young male staff person' but I would guess if it was mentioned to customer service the issue would have been resolved. As to your getting sick on the cruise that could have been seasick or a bug? All of the hand sanitizer machines worked & were filled daily.

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momceo 7 years ago

Looking sloppy is a choiceð

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jzsidebott 7 years ago

Some people don't own a jacket! But will definitely wear a tie... what night is usually formal night?

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casrick 7 years ago

Great review. Thanks for not just moaning but stating the facts - much appreciated.

Thumbs Up 2

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6440707 7 years ago

Cbelc2 it seems to you are a Walmart kind of person on rc formal night men do wear tie and jacket if not a suit or tux

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cbelc2 7 years ago

On every ship on every line men enter the dining room on formal night without a tie and jacket. We spent a week on the Divina. The food was tasty if you didn't order the vegetarian fare. My friends who eat seafood loved it. Mine was almost laughable - or cryable... We loved the gelato and pizza and the multiculturalism. Customer Service was really nice when our room was taken by someone else before we got there. I had no issue with food temperature. The drink coupons were great! We won't go again for fear of running into the young male staff person who was creepily sweet on my friend, who out-aged him by at least 40 years. And the fact that I got sick on that cruise. None of the hand sanitizer machines worked.

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