Divina is a beautiful ship, and we felt very safe and enjoyed the cruise overall. The captain made good decisions despite adverse weather conditions, and itinerary changes were understandable. It was a shame MSC totally dropped the ball and left a poor impression of their customer service toward guests leaving the cruise.
While this was our second cruise on Divina, we would not recommend MSC to our friends or family due to a gaping lack of procedural communication and the arrogance of the reception personnel. I hope these comments prove helpful. Thank you for taking your time to ask for our input. We love , and know to whom we'll turn for our next journey-Just not with MSC.
Embarkation
3 out of 5
We had a line like any embarkation, but information about pre-purchased items was not available. We were advised to check once aboard for any questions.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
Our dining room seating was comfortable, but the food selection was very limited and the food was not hot by the time it reached the table. The staff was very friendly, but we found we got just what we wanted in the self-service buffet. Watching other guests was entertainment. What does one do with six oranges on a plate? Anyway, the pizza was fabulous, and the water/wine/beer with meals package helped elevate the experience. The staff there was especially outstanding.
Onboard Activities
2 out of 5
Get there early or don't bother.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
The team of entertainers is outstanding and versatile...imaginative shows, energetic performances and a large troupe of dedicated professionals.
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
With the exception of the Reception staff, kudos to the Hotel Director for inspiring such loyalty among the staff. It is clear they work as a team of customer service driven individuals.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Divina is a Grand Dame. The crew and staff work hard to keep her polished and looking her best, despite the messiest of guests (and there were a lot of these!).
Cabin / Stateroom
3 out of 5
For a Fantastica experience balcony cabin, we enjoyed the location and size of our cabin. It's nice the sofa is positioned next to the balcony doors for view of both the outdoors and the television. While that poor sofa has seen better days, the cabin was cleaned at least twice daily, and left clean and fresh. We opted for the 'bon voyage' package, and received fresh fruit in the cabin each morning as well.
Ship tip
This isn't a cruise ship for just anyone. At 4000+ passengers aboard, bring your patience. Embrace the steps when elevators are slow and enjoy the nice artwork around you. Understand the staff are dealing with demanding guests and doing an excellent job of trying to accommodate. Think about another cruise line if you're looking for pre-theater dining and a show...Divina is more a good show and a good pizza.
Go see Chicago when in New York. The Ambassador Theater troupe has been together for years, and work this Fosse classic beautifully. We used Uber to visit the Museum of Natural History, and took in the Top of the Rock on a crisp, clear afternoon before the blizzard came in. Sailing past Lady Liberty in a snowstorm was quite special, and a real highlight of our trip.
This is an environmentally-friendly island, and dairy farming is a huge part of their economy. While very foggy and rainy on our full day there, the morning we left cleared off to reveal a verdant and dramatic topography.
We booked a tour to Sintra, which as very informative and interesting. The lunch was unexpected, and really good, too! If you do this tour, make sure your camera is charged. We brought our 360 degree camera, and will enjoy some great memories with our VR!
Valencia is dramatic, both historically and architecturally. Four hours is too short a time for a visit, and our poor tour guide almost lost half of her 59 guests turning a corner.
Breathtaking views all around, but thought the passengers were going to mutiny the bus due to no a/c. Once everyone got out (and froze) the disposition changed. This was really the turning point for understanding it it's all about the company with whom you are with, and not the quality of the tour itself. Our guide recovered nicely, but looked like he might be considering another profession when all was said and done.
There's no other way to say it--The whole, wonderful cruise experience went down the toiled with disembarkation. It sucked.
After calling and going to reception to ask what the procedure would be, we were told we would receive all the information we needed in our cabin the morning before disembarkation (it was already afternoon). We were summoned to reception to surrender our passports for immigration the following morning, at which point we again asked about luggage tags, status of our onboard account and procedure. Again, all paid up, but no information--go to cabin and await luggage tags for pickup of luggage by 1 am.
We bought a bottle of wine in the Duty-Free shop to pick up our last day onboard. The shop never opened up after we left port.
At this point, Reception relented and gave me luggage tags, and did try to help recover my duty free purchase by calling up and letting them know I was on my way, but when I got there they unlocked the covered door and tried to send me back down to reception. They finally found my wine and handed it over. While happy to get my purchase, this could have been avoided if perhaps the staff had taken the initiative to have it delivered to our cabin if they weren't going to be open once we left Genoa as promised.
After 10 pm, our disembarkation information arrived, and we were told luggage had to be outside the door by 11 pm. We made it, but had really hoped to be in bed hours before then.
There was no announcement from Reception advising Immigration was complete, and our passports could be picked up. I had to keep asking and was told to just keep coming back to check. There were a lot of angry passengers and desk staff was downright rude, telling my spouse to get back in line even though we were together. She finally agreed we both needed to sign. I'd asked if our account was paid up, and advised nothing else needed but to proceed for disembarkation. After walking down an having my card scanned, a flag popped up and we had to walk back to reception to pay the $20.00 service charges for the last day. I never received that bill. An apology instead of an accusatory tone would have gone a long way.
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