I would absolutely cruise on MSC Divina again. Although my first choice would be to sail on one of their newer ships, MSC is a great cruiseline. Very family-friendly. We put down a Future Cruise Deposit and will hopefully sail with them again in the next 2 years. The food was good, service was friendly, and our itinerary was great! Communication between the cruiseline and us guests was great. We were always informed of changes as they happened.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Embarkation was very quick and smooth, took about 45 min to get from curb
side to the gangway.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
Overall the food was very good. We had the Easy Drinks package which actually offered a lot of options.
Calumet Buffet
4 out of 5
SO MANY OPTIONS!! Seriously you have to walk around first and figure out what you want. Selection changed every day. Always tons of good options. I liked how they had a bar in the buffet so it was easy to get our drinks.
Sports Bar
3 out of 5
Service wasn’t very friendly in the Sports Bar. It was a nice change of scenery from the MDR and Buffet. I enjoyed the Chicken Wings and Brownie here.
Cafe Italia
4 out of 5
Really enjoyed my coffees from the coffee shop. Dark Chocolate Latte was my favorite choice.
Black Crab Restaurant
4 out of 5
Our server was friendly but very quiet and didn’t interact with us very much. The food was good. I preferred the buffet over the MDR.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
The pools were great, although a little chilly. Not a lot of activities throughout the day, but they did do a few poolside games which had lots of guest participation.
Aqua Park
4 out of 5
Pool was nice and big although a little chilly. There is a shallow wading area surrounding the pool where little kids can splash around. This was great for my family. Also not too many pool games which for me can get a little annoying. Just enough entertainment and the other guests seemed to really enjoy it.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
We spent most of our nights in the dance venues (Golden, Black & White, Atrium). We didn’t get to any of the shows because we were having fun elsewhere. Plus we have a baby who wouldn’t handle that well.
The music and dance venues were a lot of fun! Also loved the deck parties at night.
Children's Programs
4 out of 5
We used the Baby Club on our sailing. Parents and Babies play together in the Baby Club room. They had lots of fun toys for the little ones. I also loved how they had free “Baby Care” (during limited hours - I didn’t use this service but it was nice that it was available) and free baby gear rentals (we used a backpack baby carrier and a stroller).
The Kids Club staff were amazing and very high-energy and good with the kids. They love their job and it shows!
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
Most of the staff was very friendly. There were some staff who weren’t very friendly - like the “chair hog police” lady. She was very rude. She was super strict on the 20-min rule and yelled (like a Mom yelling at her teenagers) at you when you complained and wanted your stuff back. Even if you were away for 25 min, consider your chair and belongings gone.
Except for her, most of the staff I encountered were very friendly and helpful. Some even remembered our names and favorite drinks.
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
The ship decor is absolutely beautiful. However the ship is starting to show its age. Tiles in the indoor pool are falling off, carpets are worn, etc. Maybe a dry dock on the near future is in order.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
This cabin was spacious and had a nice large balcony. I think this is the largest balcony I’ve ever had. The sofa bed was also huge! Would definitely choose this one again.
If you are a group of 2, book early and you may be able to snag an aft balcony (with the Fantastica experience). We’re a family of 4 so we didn’t get to choose that room but those views would have been unbelievable. Normally on other lines you have to be in a suite for that kind of view.
Ship tip
Don’t forget to bring a white outfit for the White Party! It felt like the whole ship was there and having a great time. Don’t miss it!
I loved how we stayed overnight. It gave us the chance to experience the port during day and night.
On Day 1 we visited the Santa Barbara Beach Resort for the day and it was fantastic. Very relaxing and had some lovely food and drinks. They had a beautiful pool area and a really nice beach. We were there for about 5 hours and had a great time. Would recommend and most definitely would return.
On Day 2, we walked around downtown Willemstad. The town itself is beautiful, safe and friendly.
Disembarkation was a lot easier on this cruise vs. others I have taken. Which is saying a lot considering this is my first cruise with 2 kids (a baby and a toddler!) I was in one of the last 3 groups off the ship. Crowds were minimal by this point. Everything seemed to run on time and was quite organized.
Great review and similar to our impression too. Glad to hear you enjoyed it! I see ‘fangs’ consistent comments about all Europeans being rude - quite ironic really as the Welsh are the most down to earth people on the planet. A specific person does not represent a whole continent! Travelling the world should open the mind...
At least no italians coming over. Possible spread. Were done with them back 2005 on the divina. Beautiful ship. Europeans were very rude. Other than that the shows back then were a ten......
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