MSC Divina? Nope. Here’s why.

Item: MSC Divina
Rating: 3.4
Author: Winnteresting

MSC Divina Cruise Review

Winnteresting

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 4-6 cruises

Reviews: 4

Helpful Votes: 29

Overall rating:

3.4 out of 5

7 Night Western Caribbean & Bahamas (Miami Roundtrip)

Sail date: December 23, 2022

Ship: MSC Divina

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 13150

Traveled as: Family (older children)

Reviewed: 1 year ago

Review summary

The challenge with offering reviews on cruises is that we each have our own particular preferences, even as picayune as they may be. This was our fifth cruise, but our first time on MSC. The only reason we did MSC is that we had a narrow time frame that worked for our family, including our three adult children and son in law, and this was about the only 7-day cruise that offered those dates. I’m sure there are many cruisers who love MSC. Would I go on MSC again, even if it were the only option that worked with a schedule? No. I could go on with at least 10-12 other issues, including tiny rooms, unremarkable food, getting a note from the captain that erroneously indicated we hadn’t watched the safety video, no onboard app, and inefficient embarkation, but I’ll stop here. Although one comment about not having an onboard app. I know that Divina is not one of their updated ships but similarly dated ships have apps, so why can’t MSC? The shows were good, on the plus side. For me, I saw nothing on MSC that would make them a more favorable option over other cruise lines.

Embarkation

3 out of 5

PA system at boarding wasn’t working so people were sitting around wondering what to do. Inefficient.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5

Food at buffet was underwhelming. Much of the same food every day. Dining room food was maybe a 3.5 with desserts being best parts. Rest of food was inconsistent.

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

We did bingo, trivia and a few other fun activities. Some of the hosts were simply odd and made the games less than enjoyable. It’s like just read the answer instead of polling the audience what they think it is

Entertainment

4 out of 5

The singers and dancers and other entertainers were surprisingly good, even though the dancers movements seemed misaligned and over-choreographed with some of the songs ABBA show was very good.

Service and Staff

3 out of 5

Service was uneventful. I also get annoyed when at dinner the servers tell us to rate themselves as 5 when we get the official MSC review form. If you want to get 5 stars, provide 5-level service.

Ship Quality

3 out of 5

Swarovski staircase was very eye catching, but I personally found the boat difficult to navigate, made more difficult by no onboard app.

Cabin / Stateroom

3 out of 5

Room was small, smaller than similarly priced rooms on other cruise lines. Carpet was also not carpet you wanted to walk on barefoot. Otherwise, I would describe the room as functional.

Ship tip

Candidly, if you’ve never cruised before, you’ll probably like MSC. If you’ve done any cruises on RC, Celebrity, or other upper- to premium-level cruise lines, you will likely be disappointed. Also, MSC’s customer service is horrible on the phone, with the exception of the agent I used when I booked the cruise. She was great and very accommodating. She was definitely part of their A-level team. Once you need to make changes, be prepared for long wait lines on the phone and be prepared to deal with CSRs who are rude and/or incompetent. That same comment was echoed by two other members of my traveling party. Website is also glitchy, thus the need to call customer service. Use a travel agent.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Belize City, Belize

5 out of 5

Snorkeling with rays and sharks was highlight of the trip. Would definitely recommend

Thumbs Up 0

Miami, Florida

4 out of 5

I give this 4 stars because we ate at a great restaurant called Boca’s. Definitely worth checking out if you’re there the night before a cruise.

Thumbs Up 1

Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, Bahamas

3 out of 5

Not much to do. Nice island but we rented waverunners but they canceled it because of rough seas

Thumbs Up 0

Disembarkation

1 out of 5

Everything was okay once we got outside and decided to use MSC’s airport transfer service. Apparently they only had two buses running so after sitting in the heat for nearly 45 mins, we finally decided to call an Uber. We figured it wasn’t worth the hassle of trying to request a refund of MSC.

9 Comments

WhippetMum 1 year ago

Thanks for your detailed review. I had the same experience on Divina. Would not sail it again. Now back with Princess 😁

Thumbs Up 0

Flag

yk07us 1 year ago

My experience with MSC is one new year cruise and I'm not sure when I am ready to give them another chance. The problem is not "old folks" or anything else. The ship was fine, the New Year's eve was fun. Our cruise was filled with families. The real issue was horrible attitude from the crew and customer service and really bad food. We've never had to go through anything like that before or after. It's interesting that after 13 years I read reviews of MSC that word to word mirror our experience. Affordable is not always the best answer.

Thumbs Up 0

Flag

PaulzyJC 1 year ago

I think one of these comments is very heavily biased. It seems they NEVER have had a bad cruise. This is why I tend to listen to negative reviews over the positive. You can tell if they just hate the line or really had a bad experience. MSC from what I gather is an "old folks" line, not a family or fun line. Having never sailed on MSC from what I see on their deck plans, I agree about the cabin sizes vs price on other lines.

Thumbs Up 1

Flag

javawoody 1 year ago

Thanks for sharing your opinion

Thumbs Up 0

Flag

Gwbigdog 1 year ago

Thanks for sharing your cruise

Thumbs Up 0

Flag

RetiredRay 1 year ago

As said some like, some don’t. At least there are other choices.

Thumbs Up 0

Flag

CruzeFan 1 year ago

People either love or hate MSC. I was on the Divina for 19 days in October and loved it. I thought the food, entertainment, and service were equivalent two are better than Royal Caribbean or Carnival. Cruising during a holiday when the ship is at maximum capacity does not make for the best experience.

Thumbs Up 1

Flag

AuntPinkie 1 year ago

Appreciate your detailed review. Sorry this cruise didn’t meet your expectations.

Thumbs Up 0

Flag

Flcruisepro 1 year ago

Thanks for the review. This seems to be a theme with MSC.

Thumbs Up 1

Flag

Other reviews of this sailing

Worst Cruise Ever

Worse cruise ever