MSC Divina Cruise Reviews - Reviews

This ship is very pretty and the state room was nice and larger than I thought it would be. But that is all I can say about MSC cruise lines. The service was terrible, the hospitality was zero. The food on the buffet was hot dogs, hamburgers, pizza, pasta everyday. The breakfast of course was just ok but it was the same thing every morning nothing different.  The dinning room took over two hours to complete your meal, it took at least an hours after ordering to start the meal. I have done 12+ Carnival cruises and I will go back and continue to cruise with Carnival. I just wanted to try something new. WHAT A MISTAKE!!

THE SERVICE WAS POOR. THE DINING ROOM WAS SLOW AND THERE WAS NOT ENOUGH ROOM FOR THE WAITERS TO MOVE ABOUT.  MANY OF THE SERVERS DID NOT UNDERSTAND YOU.   THE PHOTO SHOW WAS EXTREMELY RUDE.  THE FOOD WAS SO SO.  NOT UP TO THE STANDARDS WE HAD ON ROYAL CARIBBEAN.  THE SHOWS WERE VERY GOOD.

FIRST OF ALL I THINK I WOULD NEVER BOOK ANOTHER CRUISE ON MSC MUCH TO LARGE TOO MANY PEOPLE & NOT ENOUGH STAFF UNDERSTANDING ENGLISH.  THE FOOD WAS MEDIOCRE AT BEST.  NOT ENOUGH BATHROOMS CLOSE ENOUGH TO FIND EASILY,  SOMEONE STOLE MY SWEATSHIRT HOODIE OFF THE BACK OF MY CHAIR WHILE I WAS IN THE BUFFET LINE..   

DIANA KLEMIUK

11-01-2014 THRU 11-08-2014

service was ok. food was great. overal 3 star rating. lots of technical issues. a lot of miscommunications between the tourists, and the staff, maybe because of muli-lateral staff. I would not suggest this cruise to anyone I know. I think the cruise was worth the money overall. but if there are no free upgrade. overall the cruise would be terrible. thank you ps. Michael Jackson show was great, but cut short.

First of all, the food at dinner time was terrible, we sent most of our dinners back  who ever makes your soups better go to cooking school.  There was absolutely no variation  in breakfast or lunch buffet,after the 2nd day all was boring. We didn't like the way we had to get to Bella Rose, first the elevator then down the steps, handicap passengers had trouble with steps.  

Back to the food, the salads were wet and dressings watered down, the potatoes were dry, my steak was over done and tough, fish was dry except for the salmon, chicken was dry. I could go on and on.  We never had bad food before and we were warned  about this cruise ship but we went. Sorry, Sorry.

Other than some of us did not get our luggage till 10:30 the first night and that the dinning room seemed to be under staffed, these are minor issues compared to everything else.  The ship is beautiful

and the room were very nice, seemed a bit bigger than most.  The food was good except for the island buffet, not so good I would not wait in line again for it.  Don't expect ribs or chicken, limited to, not so good hamburgers and hot dogs and pizza which wasn't bad.  The entertainment was the best except the last night and that is only because I am not a fan of opera.  The movie was fun to watch on the lido deck with popcorn.  All in all I highly recommend this ship and would go again hopefully in January 2015!....

This was my 16th cruise but my 1st with MSC and definitely my last.  I have to say this by far was the worst out of the 16 and I have been on 5 other brands, some old and some new.  From the very beginning it started off on a bad note.  All of our luggage was misplaced and we did not receive it until 9:30pm, not good when you are traveling with a baby and he goes to bed at 8:30.  The food was  terrible and the same thing every single day.  Room service could never get our order right.  The dining room service was so bad that we spent most of the time sitting around waiting for the next course with empty glasses.  Tried to participate in a Arts & Craft activity only to be turned away because they said there were no chairs left when there were about 100 empty in the room.  Was gonna purchase a photo package until we heard to people next to us get a better offer then us on the same thing.  Have a big huge TV screen out at the pool and never show a movie but once every night. Every single thing on the ship seemed like it had a cost to it.  The only choice of beverage to drink at night  did not cost anything was iced tea.  No lemonade, fruit punch or anything else.  At the private island, the line to get lunch was over 45 minutes long. On a positive note, the ship is beautiful to look at and the shows are terrific to watch.

This was our first time with my wife on a cruise, so our expectation was not too high.  Friends recommended MSC because of the quality of the shows, food and service.  I work in the hospitality and usually I'm very picky with everything..... but I have to say every member of the staff mad a big effort to make our stay memorable!  The cabin super clean, the folks from the entertainment were amazing, we didn't missed any shows, they were all great!  The food is super and  the service is amazing!!!  We are already planing our next trip with MSC.

Although the cruise ship is beautiful it takes more than a beautiful ship to make a wonderful cruise.  We did not like being assigned to a specific dining room (unless we wanted to pay for additionally for a specialty restaurant), nor did we like being assigned a time to report for dinner unless we wanted to always eat at the buffet.  We enjoy being able to go to the dining room of our choice, at a time of our choice (which may differ each night) to wait our turn to be seated with different individuals each time - not having to eat with the same people each night unless we have gone together as a group - we enjoy meeting different individuals each night. 

During our time out to sea there was not enough activities to do.  Unless we wanted to go to the Casino and gamble or go to the bars and drink (which we don't do), or go to the pools and decks and sunbathe, there was nothing else to do.  The TV stations were all in foreign languages except CNN USA - even TNT which is an American station - the actors were speaking English but it was blocked and translated into a foreign language so unless you lip read you couldn't watch that station either.  The nightly entertainment main show was good but too repetitious - like a circus act with dancers, acrobats, juggling acts - all in beautiful different outfits and themes each night but still circus acts.  The entertainment in the various lounges was not of a high quality.  It was truly an International group of guests which we had nothing in common except we were all together on the ship.

I would not recommend this cruise line to any of my friends. 

We had a very enjoyable vacation and had the relaxing time we needed.  It was easy to embark and disembark off this ship and was done in a very timely fashion.  The MSC Divina was a very well kept ship.  The food was really good the first 3-4 days and then the selection was not as good but the food was still tasty.  Pizza was some of the best we had eaten.  We had a great time at the ports but we did not purchase the excursions.  We wondered off on our own and had a great time. 

There are only a couple of minor issues that would be nice to not experience.  When you were at the pool on the back deck you had to go down 2 levels to the main pool to get towels.  If you wanted a drink from a bar the service was slow or non-existent.

Yes, the Main Dining Room food was not at all good for this cruise.  They have a great menu, it's just the execution that is lacking.  Dinner did not take 2 hours.  The staff must be doing better with being quicker. The buffet food was better and the ethnic corner on the buffet seemed the best.  The shows were amazing and none should be missed!  Balcony cabin was spacious, always clean, comfortable, and well appointed.  The staff, from cabin stewards, wait staff, bar staff, guest services, Cruise Director (was new to the ship on Oct 25th sailing), to officers were amazing!!!  English was the first language.  Spanish, French, German and Italian were spoken as well.  We did have an issue with spa billing that we pre-booked on MSC's website. MSC's website needs so much help.  It is not the best. We went to the guest relations desk where they helped clear up the issue immediately. Entertainment was great.  Activities were abundant for all kinds of tastes.  Trivia, dancing classes, language lessons, bingo, disco, library, movies....if you are bored on this cruise, something is wrong with you.

This was the cheapest cruise I have been on in quite a while. Market price was 299 and after tax 420.

The Good - We were with a group of friends and we had fun every day wether at sea or on land. Fresh towels everyday, didn't have to clean up kitchen after dinner, dog wasn't begging at dinner table, didn't have to drive anywhere, the weather was beautiful every day.

The Bad - The staff was downright rude. They all felt the had the right of way no matter what. I can't tell you how many times they bumped into me like I didn't exist. The bar staff were not friendly and you never saw them at the pool area.  The food was not hot and had no flavor. The shows although different themed were exactly the same every night. There was a charge for anything extra...pastry shop, room service, coffee.

Overall we had a nice trip, with a few little oddities along the way.  We were a family of 10 traveling in 3 balcony cabins and one inside cabin.  Cabins were nice, good size.  Our cabin steward was excellent, very attentive, friendly.  

Food we found to be pretty good, there were a few dishes that we didn't overly care for, but thought the variety was nice, food was cooked well.  Overall I wasn't happy with their desert choices, just weren't things I cared for. Best dish all week IMP was the Chicken Marsala.  We had no problems with seating in the buffet, people were always packing the front, but not venturing more towards the back.  I didn't mind the food choices, though I ate a lot of hamburgers, hot dogs and pizza.  There was a turkey dish one day I enjoyed.  Breakfast overall was fine.  We seemed to have an omelet station appear on one day of the cruise, but then never saw it again.  We didn't dine at any of the specialty restaurants, most times when we walked by them in the evening they were pretty much empty.  

Bar service could be sketchy, often we sat with the bartenders ignoring us and then having to wait for a server to take our drink order instead.  Margaritas were some of the best I have had and was my drink of choice for the week.  Really would have preferred a soda card for the kids as that is much easier to use instead of them worrying about paper vouchers.  

We did have issues with our debit cards/credit cards.  My mother's and mine both blocked our cards as being stolen when MSC attempted to do a charge.  Though MSC did allow me a phone call to the bank to clear things up.  I did purchase the teen card for my kids to use, which just help them keep track of playing video games, etc.  The bowling in the sports pub really could have been cheaper and we never saw anyone playing. $7 a game is ridiculous, and MSC would get back some of their expense if they had made it between $2-3 a game instead.  Their extra food was also a bit expensive and we didn't eat there.  

Staff overall was friendly, though I will honestly say this had to have been the worst cruise I was on in terms of rude passengers.  The foreigners were just down right rude, I never encountered a rude American, but others not so much.  From pushing their way onto the elevator before you could even get off, pushing you out of the way at the buffet to get something, cutting in line.  I have never seen people with so little manners.  

Shows were good, though very short - 30 minutes. Though between Wonderland, Pirates and Witches of Paris they felt like the same show, just different costumes and music.  Some in our party thought they were awful, while others enjoyed them.  The Starwalker show was the best and really would have better if they combined more elements from the other shows into it.  They also could have done away with the songs done by the other male/female singer.  I missed some of the comedy shows that we have had on other cruises.  Day entertainment was minimal, we did go to a few trivia games, though that is were we met our rudest employee.  We had our group of 8 and he was saying they needed to be no more than 6, we were telling him we were sitting together, but not everyone really wanted to play.  He told us to make sure we sat there and shut up.  It upset my brother in law so he left, then his wife got mad and left along with my mother.  

Overall we enjoyed the trip, getting on and off the ship was fine, no problems there.  I would consider sailing again, but the price would have to be pretty excellent.  

I loved the shows each night--with the exception of the Michael Jackson review.  He was holding his crotch way too much!  But the opera shows with the dancers were spectacular.  There is not a lot of entertainment on the ship with the exception of a few games like Trivia.  I was hoping to see cooking demos, more practical crafts besides making masks, etc.  The food in the dining room is mediocre--I've had much better.  There is one lobster night on the last evening, which was good.  But the food in the cafeteria had a huge variety so one could always find something they liked.  It was a relaxing time with very few children running about.  The childrens programs seemed to be excellent.  The kids would come into the threatre at night with their hosts and always seemed to be happy.  My one major complaint was that there is no rail on the steps going up the theatre floor and we saw three people on this cruise that fell.  I'm really surprised there hasn't been a law suit yet because of this.  All in all, I had a relaxing time and it was such a smooth sailing.  The balcony room we had was teeny tiny but sufficient.  There wasn't any room for a table or chair, which would have been nice.  The inside cabin seemed actually much larger than our room.  Very few of the staff can speak english, so if you ask a question or have a special request, you might as well forget it.

The ship is good looking but it ends there.  Room wasn't cleaned most days, bathroom smelled of pee, I had to show the attendant how to clean it.  Food choices on the buffet were the same everyday except the last night and the quality of food not very good either.  Itanian - should be able to make pasta and pizza taste good, not on MSC they were so bland.  The drinks from the fountain tasted like water with a drop fruit flavor added. The fresh bread was great, the best part of the meal was the breads.  Entertainment very lacking; one night on the main deck we sat there for 1 1/2 hours waiting for the next scheduled event. No music live or recorded, big screen not playing and when it was playing you couldn't hear it unless you sat really close to it.  Which wasn't likely because they only had a same amount of tables and chairs near it.

Couldn't hear announcements in stateroom, had to open the door to hear hall speakers.  Didn't make announcements regularly about events going on, only in the morning, no reminders.  They did have daily schedules, as did Carnival but they also made announcements throughout the day and evening.

Had to purchase decks of cards - free on Carnival.

It appears MSC is mainly for older people who want to rest on their vacation.

I've cruised with Carnival before and compared to them, MSC doesn't compare.  Employees weren't that friendly or helpful.  I will not go on another cruise with MSC.

On Carnival - employees friendly and helpful; different theme for food each night; lots of entertainment.  Fun things to do all over the ship.  Casino gave free decks of cards, their used cards.  They're known as the "Fun Ship" - MSC wasn't fun.  Not much of anything that we liked.  Definitely not for young or middle age people who want to be busy and or have fun.  If it wasn't for the fact I was with 15 family members I would have been totally bored.  The live music was lack-luster - how can Caribbean music be dead and boring? It was - played to slow and the lead singer couldn't sing, she messed up a lot of songs.  One group - the Mexicans were good.

When we disembarked and talked to people on Carnival they all told us how much fun they were having.  We looked at them before going back out to sea and their music was loud we could hear it, they were dancing and on the top deck people were playing basketball, volleyball and it looked like they were having fun, we sat there watching them and talking about how much fun they were having and how we wished we were on their ship.

We all agreed our next cruise will NOT be with MSC.

I could not honestly say I would recommend this cruise because of some serious concerns for us. But first let me say they nightly shows were top notch, excellent performances. Very high energy. LOVED em! A beautiful ship and excellent availability of the pools. Loved the adult pool, more so then the infinity pool, which was very good as well. Our concerns were:

1. Food was adequate, often over cooked.

2. Average time at dinner was 2 to 2 1/2 hours, much too long.

3. Ship recommended an excursion at St Martin that turned out to be an expensive taxi ride type tour with little facts of interest or humor provided. When I made a formal complaint the we were told they're not responsible for the outcome of excursions, only if they get cancel. A refund was not offered. The excursion (Bus tour and shopping) was a waste of time and money). For the most part we might in some future consider trying MSC again, but for now will try elsewhere. 

We have been so excited to come home and write this review since we were apprehensive after booking and reading other reviews about MSC.  If you are booked on MSC and have not yet been on your cruise, relax!!  You have an amazing cruise experience ahead of you!  We have cruised 10 times with 4 different cruise lines and this experience was just as good as some and better than others.  

I will comment first about the negative things I had read and was concerned with.  First of all, Customer Service was outstanding!!  Dining staff, room steward, and general staff went above and beyond in every respect.  Not a single issue with anyone being rude, nonresponsive, or "stuffy".  

Secondly, the food.....there are not enough words to use to tell how positively divine every meal was.  I think throughout the entire cruise, there were 2 things that any member of our party of four did not just rave about.  Every single item was top quality, fresh, beautiful, and delicious!  We have never been on a cruise with better food.  You have to try the cheesecake and the key lime pie at the Express Dining Lunch in the main dining room.  Exquisite!!  Variety was tremendous!  I cannot say enough about the food (but my expanding waistline could speak volumes).  We had read that there was a charge for room service, but found out that it was only between the hours of 11 pm and like 5 am. 

Entertainment was top notch.  Not much of the "Vegas Style Show", but some really quality performers!  Our favorites were the Pirate Show (with the exception of thong clad dancers), and the Operas.  The tenor was incredible!  Overall, the music throughout the ship was better than any we've experienced on a cruise ship--every genre you can think of (We are musicians.)  The costuming for the shows was good for the most part, however, during a few of the shows, the dancers were wearing nothing more than a thong and sheer tights under a short skirt or jacket.  I would have been mortified if I had my children with me.  As it was, my husband chose to do a lot of reading during some of the shows because it was too uncomfortable for him.  If this is bothersome for you, avoid the "Frank Forever" show and the Pirate show.  

The negatives: We experienced on this ship, more than any other, having to pay for extras (gelato, American Diner, etc.)  That being said, prices were reasonable and there was no reason to have to pay to eat.  Gelato was served in the main dining room and there were plenty of other options.  Also, we were not traveling with kids, so this wasn't an issue for us, but it didn't seem like there was much going on throughout the day as we have experienced on other ships.  The ship itself, though beautiful, did not boast much in the way of activities that were free.  The water areas were great, but nothing like some of the newer Carnival, Disney, or Norwegian ships.  There was bowling, but it cost.  

On the morning of departure, we did not feel rushed out.  We were free to loiter, eat, and relax by the pool until 10 am with no overhead announcements telling us to get off.  It was a nice change.

Neither good nor bad: Lots of Europeans on the Cruise.  Most staff spoke 4-5 languages to accommodate this.  We enjoyed the cosmopolitan feel of the cruise and spoke with some nice people, but swimwear (or the lack thereof) was a bit shocking.  No one was topless, but we saw LOTS of thong bikinis, and speedos.  Not attractive.   

Overall, this was an excellent cruise.  We have decided there is always someone willing to complain about anything, but how bad can it be when you are on a cruise ship in the Caribbean?  We would cruise with MSC again in a heartbeat.  For us it is always about the bottom dollar, but we would be thrilled if we end up on and MSC ship again!!

Our first experience on MSC a few years ago was exceptional.  It left from NY.  Upon entering the ship there was a line of crew members with white gloves.  As each group/couple entered the ship the next crew member in line would take your carry-on luggage and escort you to your cabin.  My husband and I have been on 20 cruises and never saw this before or again. 

That cruise had amazing food with many choices.  At lunch in the dining room a different pasta dish was prepared as you walked in and there were many other choices as well.  The second MSC cruise we were on had this also.  This cruise, our third with MSC did not and didn't have as many choices in the dining room.  However, the food was still good to very good.  The pizza in the buffet was excellent, as well as all the rolls and desserts.  

The ship is beautiful and clean.  The steps on the staircases in the main Atrium area  were made of Swarovski crystals.  They were amazing! 

The service is good, however, not all the crew speaks English very well.  Our room steward was quick to make up the room each day, however he missed turning it down the first and last nights.  The last morning we asked him about it and he said maybe he forgot.  He did a good job, but not great. 

The waiter  in the main dining room was one of the best we ever had.  Very friendly and attentive.   

A few minor  complaints:  There weren't enough public restrooms in the buffet area.  The photographs taken were bad compared to the previous cruises.  They really did a great job in the past, very professional with air brushing which you don't normally see. We've purchased quite a few but none this cruise.  The ship seemed very crowded, especially in the shopping areas and to get a deck chair.  When you arrived at the ports, you could not hear the announcements in your cabin regarding when and where you could disembark.   And there was only one indoor area to smoke, which was very crowded most of the time.  We were on RC Oasis of the Seas where there were 2000 more passengers but you would never know it.

The shows were good.  Had a few opera singers if you like that sort of thing.  There was a Michael Jackson show one night, one of the best shows of any cruise!  You thought you were actually watching Michael Jackson dance, it was amazing.  After the show he came down and was taking pictures with everyone. 

On the last day we discovered an Indy car simulator and kind of a 3-D action short movie theater.  There was a charge but well worth it for the experience.

Overall we had a good time.  It's a little different atmosphere compared to other cruise lines.   

When we boarded the Divina, I was so excited as the ship is aesthetically lovely with really pretty public spaces.  Our first service experience was with a cocktail waiter named Jorge in the Atrium Bar who was fabulous.  He smiled welcomed us on board, and I was thinking at that point that this was going to be a great cruise.  Unfortunately, that was the one and only  service with a smile that we encountered. In other encounters with staff, we literally had to track down a cocktail waitress who would hold out her hand for your cruise card and say "what do you want?"

The cabin was located on the back of the ship and was a nice spot, though the configuration of the folding shower doors made the bathroom difficult to maneuver.  Also the drawers & closet were facing the bathroom door so if someone is in the bathroom, they can not exit until the other person has cleared the closet and closed the drawers & doors.

There are only 2 specialty restaurants which definitely do NOT make you feel special as you're sitting in a lucite (clear plastic) chair with paper placemats, and paper napkins.  Instead of the menu being offered to you at a fixed per person rate, it is a la carte.  As an example in the steakhouse, steak for 2 was $60 and that was ONLY for the steak and nothing else.  We decided after perusing the menu and noticing that there was only 1 other table in there, to skip dining there.

The production shows were really wonderful...it's just too bad that MSC hasn't figured out how to offer graceful service to accompany them.

We loved our cruise and the experience on the Divina.  Everything was very clean and well-organized.  We were surprised at the large number of foreigners - both passengers and MSC employees.  I estimate one third of the passengers were not from the US and 90% of the employees.  This created a cruise that was almost like a trip to Europe.  The ship employees were very efficient and friendly.  The only negative part of the trip was that the European passengers don't seem to understand the concept of lines and queuing.

Our room was a B3 balcony, 13050.  our 12 year old son slept comfortably on the convertible sofa.  Our room was always cleaned very quickly and to a high standard by our steward.  The food was always plentiful and never made any of us sick.  i really liked the fresh fruit selections in the buffet. 

Every excursion we did was organized through the cruise line and they all were enjoyable.  The only problem I had with the excursions was the cost to rent snorkel equipment at Great Stirrup Cay - it was $30 per user for really basic equipment, and then the snorkeling in the bay was pretty poor.

We enjoyed a couple of shows in the Pantheon theater - the Michael Jackson tribute was good, and so was the farewell night of Italian operas and classic ballet.