Second time on the MSC Divina
MSC Divina Cruise Review
Contributor Level:
Purser
Cruises: 7+ cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 15
7 Night Western Caribbean (Port Canaveral Roundtrip)
Sail date: July 24, 2022
Ship: MSC Divina
Cabin type: Balcony
Cabin number: 11158
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 1 year ago
Review summary
Overall, the second time on this ship was a charm. However, we likely will not sail the MSC Divina again. The ship is showing signs of age, primarily in the lack of technology and aurea spa facilities. Also the ship does not have the enough of the options that newer, bigger ships have, such as multiple specialty restaurants. That said, we will give MSC another try since they dod make some improvements on the Divina compared to our previous cruise on the Divina. We are booked on the MSC Miraviglia. Based on the ship's deck plans, it looks like this ship has more of what we're looking for.Embarkation
Embarkation was so quick and easy. It happened so quickly that I can't recall how long it took (maybe 15 minutes or so). I just recall remarking about how quickly we boarded. One downside is that the ship is showing her age just a bit. Not the decor, which still looks great, but the [lack of] technology. We gad to connect our cabin key card to our credit card using one of the kiosks once we were on board. Didn't take long, though, just a few seconds but we linked it online when we checked in online days before boarding. I am used to the up-sale requests for drink, wifi, food, and spa packages when boarding, but it really felt as if we were bombarded by people trying to sell us something as soon as we left the gangway and stepped foot on board as if all staff who weren't otherwise needed in other areas of the ship were all at once summoned to selling packages as everyone boarded. There was a good bit of "hawking" to sell packages throughout the cruise too, not just on embarkation day.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
When I went on this ship several years ago, I thought food could be improved. This time, I have no complaints about the food in the main dining room and buffet. It was ample and good, the pizza was delicious too. There are not enough specialty restaurants, but what the ship offered in the main dining room and the 2 specialty restaurants was very good. My only complaint, the so-called Chef's Table is not a real Chef's Table. It's a pre-fixed menu at a specialty restaurant with just me and my husband at the same table and in the same area of the restaurantas anyoneelse who was dining there at the time, but there's nothing really special about it. We've been to Chef's Tables on other cruise ships and restaurants on land as well, which were truly special events. For instance, one Chef's Table was held in the ship's galley with about 20 participants altogether and the chef actually came to the table for each course and explained each dish, which were not generally found on any other menu at any other restaurant on the ship. We also had a sommelier who paired each course (there were 6 or 7 courses) with a wine. That's how to do a Chef's Table. On another ship, the Chef's Table was held in a private room of one of their specialty restaurants and had about 20 participants with a dedicated chef and sommelier. The menu was designed specifically for the event too.
Onboard Activities
There were lots of activities. I enjoyed them. However, we bought the aurea experience and should have saved the money. We only visited the aurea spa once. First, there was no thermal whirlpool included, that wad an extra charge. Also, there were no thermal loungers. We're used to having both of those included with a spa package. Also, several of the showers in women's changing area were out of order. Also, the whole time we were in the spa area, there was an alarm (like a fire alarm) going off and none of the crew could turn it off. I don't think they could even locate where it was coming from. That was enough to eliminate any opportunity for relaxing and zen. The women's wet steam room didn't work. Overall, the spa was underwhelming and we should have received a refund or some form of credit or compensation.
Entertainment
Entertainment was much better than previously. Performers were great. Only criticism is that each entertainment show was essentially the same format - some singing, some dancing, and some acrobatics. I loved the Great Gatsby revue performance in the center atrium.
Service and Staff
Service was fantastic overall. When I was on the ship the last time, there certainly were areas for improvement. Service cleaning our stateroom was very good. Main dining room service was very good. Bar service was very good. IT services leave a bit to be desired, but it may be more of a technology issue rather than a personnel issue (although sometimes it was as as frustrating speaking with them as it was my cable company). Same with personnel at the customer services center, likely more an issue with outdated technology than with the personnel.
Ship Quality
Overall, the ship looked well maintained. There were quite a bit of non-working things in the aurea spa area, though.
Cabin / Stateroom
We had a balcony cabin on the starboard side, deck 11. We were very close to the center elevators and there was a single elevator (sort of hidden) right outside of our cabin. So, it was extremely easy to get around. Downside about the cabin - 1) the TV did not work the entire cruise. We were able to do the TV portion of our muster drill, but except for very sporadic TV signal on 2 days at the beginning of the cruise and MSC's shopping and port excursion channels playing on a loop, there was no TV. This was very annoying when there was a little downtime between events or before starting or ending the day. Wifi signal was terribly frustrating too. Couldn't stream anything to replace the lack of a TV signal after paying a lot for it. Also, the bathroom doors were a bit worn and didn't close fully, leaving a small gap through which water got all over the bathroom floor when we took showers. Otherwise the room was good with ample storage.
Ship tip
If they are looking for technology and other updates that MSC and other cruise lines offer, they may want to consider a newer ship. However, food, service, and shows were great for the value.
Thumbs up
0
Ports of call
The port is nice enough, I guess. But, it's a bit challenging and more expensive for us coming from the Philadelphia airport to get to Port Canaveral versus Ft. Laudedale or Miami. Direct flights into Orlando are sporadic and pricier, and it's expensive to travel from Orlando Airport to the cruise port. We traveled into Orlando 2 days before sailing and stayed in the Coco Beach area. Ample hotels available and plenty of shops for last minute necessities nearby.
Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, Bahamas
Loved the beaches. Food was good. Love that the ship docked there overnight. We had an excursion to watch the light show from a small ship (with drinks), but the weather didn't cooperate. Also missed out on the beach party and junkanoo because of the weather. Still enjoyed the island. Should have more shopping, especially local vendors like advertised. Would have liked to have had an opportunity to support the local economy. Local food and merchandise vendors would have been nice.
We went on an excursion to get a glimpse of what Mayan culture was like. It included demonstrations, tastes (of traditional cooking and a non alcoholic drink and cocoa), and a performance of a traditional dance. We enjoyed it.
We did an excursion to make 3 different salsas and a tequila cocktail. We had a tequila tasting and learned how to dance the salsa. It was lots of fun.
Disembarkation
I've never been off a ship quicker. Had a delay in getting our bags though. I was in group 1. There were about 5-10 of passengers in group 1 whose bags were not taken off the ship. My husband and I had air tag trackers in our luggage so we knew our bags had not been offloaded. It took 15 to 20 minutes for the crew to locate and deliver our bags to us.