MSC Divina Cruise Reviews - Reviews

The ship was beautiful overall, but the food was not what I would expected to eat on a daily basis the dinning food was not good at all, the ice cream machine was always closed, some of the people that was cruising was rude also the staff didn't understand what you wanted it was just a experience we never experienced before when I cruise with Carnival.  They also did not have enough activities for the adults, but my daughter had a blast in camp.

MSC Divina is a beautiful ship with one major flaw.....the worst customer service we have ever experienced on a cruise (10+ past cruises on RCI, NCL, Carnival). You will thoroughly enjoy the well appointed state rooms, lounges and pool deck. Just don't expect to be served should you want something from the bar. We would wait over 10 minutes to order a drink while employees continued their conversations. When the employees would acknowledge us, it was not uncommon to be told we are out of that beer or we can't make that drink (a standard cosmopolitan).  Twice we were told by a bar tender he was too busy at the moment and we should come back! There wasn't anyone else waiting! There is absolutely no service on the pool decks- you have to get your drinks yourself.  The Villa Rosa dining room is lovely but don't expect to eat on any particular schedule. Most nights we waited over an hour (first seating) from the time we ordered to the time our dinner was served. When we asked our very kind server, Suda, we were told there were problems in the kitchen. Friends we met said the late seating was even worse....they didn't get out until midnight from dinner! The pizza and fresh pasta are fantastic so regardless of the Villa Rosa kitchen issues, you won't go hungry. The entertainment wasn't any better....two nights in a row the featured show was completely vocal performances! Very talented people singing in Italian or singing American classics with a strong accent. People were leaving before the shows ended. The entertainment finale was a tribute to Michael Jackson which was absolutely amazing. The gentleman that portrayed MJ was so authentic you would have thought we were watching the real MJ. The entire audience was on their feet at the end of the show. Just phenomenal! The tendering process is another area that needs major improvement. No real organization so you end up in a cattle call process and are hearded into a waiting area only to then be hearded onto a stairwell for an indefinite amount of time. At one port, they called too many excursion groups and you had people pushing each other to get down the stairs probably out of fear of missing their tender. MSC could learn something by being passengers on their competitor's ships.  Overall we managed to have a decent vacation but I would never recommend MSC cruises to anyone. 

overall we had fun with the family a group of 25 people adults and kids. The food was mediocre at best and the service leaves a lot to be desire.  See comment below.  RCL much better all around.  While the price might be inviting the difference is not worth it.

This was our family's second cruise on the MSC Divina.  As expected it didn't disappoint. The beauty of the decor, service, and the family atmosphere is what makes the Divina the cruise we choose for our family vacation.   Thank you to the staff of the MSC Divina for helping us create beautiful memories. 

beautiful ship,service was super, however our cruise would have been more enjoyable if the ship had been on time , arriving and departing the ports. the food selection and preparation was awful. both the dinning room and buffet. we've been on approx. 50 cruises and never experienced so much terrible food !!

The MSC Divina was a beautiful ship. We found the common areas to be very crowded. In the dining room you could not even walk between many of the tables because they were so close together. Every night our dining experience was around two and a half hours. First cruise I've been on where I didn't want everything on the menu, this time it was hard to find something on the menu that appealed to me. For the most part what I did choose was pretty good. The theater was very tight with no leg room when you are seated. No drink service during the show. I would guess about 20% of the passengers were Americans. Our cabin was the smallest cabin I have ever been in and it was a balcony cabin. I stayed in an inside cabin once and it was larger than this cabin. The staff was not near as friendly as other cruises I have been on. Are dining waiter did not have time to be friendly because he was the only one serving about 10 tables. I felt really bad for him. First time I have ever been on a cruise and been bored. Not enough activities.  They had bingo one day out by the pool but there was no place to sit because everyone was lounging by the pool for the Sun, no room for the bingo players. There was nine and our group and these feelings are pretty much unanimous. If you went to the buffet you can never find a table to sit and eat your meal. Too many people, not enough tables.  Definitely did not like being out of the cabin by 7 a.m. and not being able to get off the ship to 10 o'clock. And what the heck where were the chocolates on the pillows at night... Lol. The ship was beautiful and we had a good time in spite of the MSC Divina but needless to say we will probably not be cruising on an MSc ship again.

We were very pleased with the cruise we just got back from on the MSC Divina. The ship itself was very, very clean and the rooms were a good size. The price was great and the embarkation and disembarkation went quickly and smoothly. The staff was not very friendly with the exception of the dining room staff and they were superb. Our waiter Suiana was absolutely awesome. 

My biggest complaint is the picture department. It is absolutely an unorganized and chaotic mess with the rudest people I encountered working the desk. This area needs a vast amount of improvement. The buffet was not to my liking but mainly because of the passengers who crowded in and ignored any semblance of line there was.  Overall though we were very pleased with our booking through Angela at and the ship. I would recommend it to others and would definitely go on it again.

This is our third Cruise. We have been on Carnival, Royal Princess & MSC Divina. The service on the other ships was what I expected. The restaurant's on the other ships were run properly. On your ship it was very disorganized. The waiters would go in front of you to serve the person next to you. They would give you cups and you would have to remind them they did not fill your cup. You would have to look for them to serve you water. My main complaint is with the restaurant for dinner. The Stuart kept our room clean. I had an incident in the Casino with other people. Manager took care of it. He was terrific. Entertainment was the best ever. They could be on Broadway. One more negative, Our remote did not work for TV. Was told there were 7 remotes that did not work but they had no more. (Really). Final remark, There was a MEDICAL EMERGENCY on board and we had to go back to PR after we were out at sea to get her to hospital. They had to work out replacing the Cay with Nassau as our final tour stop. Lots of work. Best of all patient is doing well.  

First the ship itself was beautiful and the shows were very nice, but after that if they can't  get better quality food to serve I would not take a Free cruise . If I had to rate the food from one to ten the number would be a 2 at best. If they can't  have a better Quality food   send the ships back to Europe and leave them there. I would stay away from this ship at all cost. You would be very disappointed as we were We didn't pay that amount of money to eat pizza for 7 days which about the best food on the back of the ship that they had.

It was just a lot of little things that do not compare favorably with other cruise lines.   It's a beautiful and well kept ship.  Cabin was clean and house cleaning great.  But the bed was a hard inner spring motel style mattress and with pillows that felt "lumpy" inside.  Smoking was allowed in the pool and hot tub areas and the smell was strong especially in the covered  area. The only entertainment at the pool was exercise but a lot of people seemed to like it. Food in the main dining room was very good some nights and other nights just ho hum. The 5:30 and 8:30 sittings strictly enforced and food service was very slow.  In the buffet the food fare was mostly the same every day and it was hard to find a table.  Most times, we always had to share tables with people who did not speak our language.  Also pay $4 for ice cream.  Over all we would have to rate MSC at the bottom of the 4 cruise lines we have experienced.

The stairs in the atrium are $20,000 a step and there are about 50 steps. Very glamorous ship. Retail is not pushed. Tipping is non existent except for the daily they put on your account. The waiters don't look like they are looking for envelopes and in the spa I had to force people to take a tip.,..that is unusual for most cruises.

Service was very poor. Had to beg for water while dining. We drink green tea with our dinner. They told us it was only offered at the Buffet Dining. Ridiculous! If the ship has it, please the guest. It wasn't until our 4th night when the Server from Bella Rosa was able to get it for us, meanwhile we had to bring it from the Buffet. No honey mustard, no tissues in stateroom for 2 days. Ran out! The crew from the Gym Room, very unpleasant! First time we see a Cruise Ship requesting to sign a waiver to use it. Very primitive!  Then asking personal information, when all they need is the stateroom number, it is all in the computer database. Why make one uncomfortable? This was our 2nd cruise with MSC. We first traveled on Nov. 2013, what a difference! We actually bought at that time a Future Cruise Cert. and we were given a hard time to use on this sailing, because of restrictions, what? First Cruise liner who offers a FCC and has restrictions to use it. Not sure MSC is in our future sailings! What a shame, because we are MSC Club Members!

The ship was beautiful and well maintained.  The food was better than when we took an MSC cruise in 2009 but still not to the same level as American cruise lines.  The entertainment was enjoyable and we enjoyed the non-smoking casino.  The value was great and our stateroom was large (balcony).  I also enjoyed the fact that they don't try to sell you their drink specials like other cruise lines - they walk by but they don't ask you.  The drink prices weren't bad at all.

this was my first cruise. I was very skeptical, especially with MSC since I had never heard of them prior to this cruise. I am now thinking I made a good and bad decision at the same time. everything about the cruise was awesome. the food was AMAZING, there were many things to do on the ship for both adults and kids. The shows every night during the cruise came as a nice surprise. The Michael Jackson show was AMAZING, and being a huge fan of his, I found it kind of emotional. The performance was THAT GOOD. Another big thing I noticed: the ship was soooooo clean. there was NEVER a sign of trash ANYWHERE. I have never been somewhere that seemed to pride itself soo much on cleanliness. I've been in hospitals that didn't put this much effort into keeping things looking this good. So how, after all these great things that I have just mentioned, could I feel I made a bad choice? simple, this was my first cruise now I feel like nothing else will live up to my expectations. From what others have told me the other "big name" cruise lines leave a lot on the table and now that the cruise bug has bitten me I am sure I will go on another cruise, but now I am worried nohing will live up to my MSC experience

Bad services with very bad food .....no good programs ....not so clean ...Pillows and mattress was horrible ....completely disappointed....  theater announcer speaks in 4 different languages ....it was so boring ....  

15 of the 17 days, the electric door entrances to the main buffet were closed. Everyone had to squeeze through a single, hard to open door. People with canes and difficulty walking were constantly frustrated trying to get to and from the buffet room. Opening the door with something in your hand was nearly impossible, and there was always a conflict of people entering or exiting as only one person could fit through the doorway at a time.

The juice machines are turned off after breakfast. The marketing NEVER stops. The big screen TV by the pool and TV's around the ship played MSC ads 24 hours a day. There is one single stall bathroom for men and one for women in the main buffet that seats about 500+. If you use the gym you can't use the bathroom there unless you have a suite or member of the Yacht club ($$$$$). It's then a long walk to the single stall bathroom that serves the whole pool area.

MSC website indicated Euros would be currency until Caribbean. We made 4 onboard appointments, and wasted over three hours just to get them to honor the price printed on our receipt - 62 Euros, which They had added to our bill as 82 USD.

service on the ship is inconsistent.  We would receive different answers to the same question from the shipboard staff.  The staff didn't appear to be well informed about policy or activities on the ship.  Denied service from staff several times  because it was too close to their station closing time (20 minutes is too close) Specialty steakhouse is sub par.  Stay away from any beef selection on the ship, the cuts of beef are not what the menu indicates and you won't get served the cook of beef desired.  Other than these issues, everything else is just OK.

La Divina is spectacular.  Our balcony room was also spectacular.  Large.  With a bathtub!  The largest balcony I have ever seen.  We spent a lot of time in the room and on the balcony.

MSC doesn't quite have it together.  Lots of problems with communicating (not because of language) events.  They were hugely interested in selling the land trips, and, when I asked questions, concerning ports, they were frequently wrong.  One elevator never worked the entire trip, and another one was out the last couple of days.  Some of the food was excellent--mostly the beef dishes; most of the seafood was pretty bad.  Mushy shrimp/prawns; fishy smell for most of the seafood; salmon non-recognizable.  Italian dishes were very good.

The Entertainment was ok--nothing special.  Virtually all of the music was taped.  The Michael Jackson performance consisted of a guy that moved fairly well, but, other than that, it was amateurish.  There were several acrobats that were good.  The singers weren't very good, and the set lists were laughable.  The sets simply didn't hold together.  Whatever the theme, they seemed to throw in several songs that just didn't fit.

I liked that we actually docked at every port except one.  I felt really sorry for the passengers that wanted to use the day at Rome's port to see Rome.  The port was a zoo!  Sure they would rather sell a land trip, but there should be some advice/help for those that want to do it on their on.  The most laughable land trip was one from La Spezia that went to both Florence and Venice.  Simply not possible; plus, for the Venice part, they had you catch a train from Florence to Venice and return.  Maybe an hour in Venice???

We chose MSC and La Divina because it fit our schedule and we liked the ports.  We would choose it again under the same circumstances.  However, if we had a choice, we would probably choose another cruise lines.

The boat was clean and nicely appointed. The buffet was disappointing in its variety and quality for all meals. The orange juice was terrible and tasted very artificial. The Black Crab was good for dinner. Our waiter, Jerry, was very accommodating. The waitstaff had trouble taking drink orders -- if it wasn't a daiquiri or Rum and coke the staff had difficult understanding the order. Language barrier. Breakfast at the Black Crab was disappointing. It took a long time to get a simple glass of water. Many times the waitstaff didn't understand what we wanted -language barrier. We could not get maple syrup at one breakfast. 

We did not like being charged for gelato when the "self-serve" ice cream was frequently unavailable/ran out and only available for a very short time during the day.

Daily newsletters said we had to carry out passports at each port. Why were we required to carry our passports when disembarking when we were never asked to produce them upon embarkation at each port?! 

Daily newsletters should be delivered BEFORE evening so we can plan earlier for the next day.

I never write reviews, but feel the need to do so this time. To keep it straight and to the point, here are the pros and cons. 

Pros- Ports of call, clean ship, big cabin with balcony 

Cons- FOOD is AWFUL, early morning announcements on loud speaker in at least 4-5 different languages, back of ship loud when coming into port, infinity pool drains heavily at times over onto balconies along back of ship where we stayed, wait staff can be RUDE, entertainment super cruise ship awful 

Would never sail with this cruise line again.