MSC Divina Cruise Reviews - Reviews

I sailed, for the first time, on MSC and the Divina. What a beautiful ship. Thanks to many suggestions on this board and others, I arrived the day before. Am I glad I did. The flight I was scheduled from Birmingham to Miami had a connection in Charlotte. The flight from Birmingham was fine, it was the one from Charlotte to Miami that got cancelled. So, instead of arriving at 4:30 pm as scheduled, I arrived after 8pm. I stayed at the Ramada Miami Springs and they have a shuttle to the port for $10. What a great deal! Cruise related stuff follows: You are required to have proof of a negative covid test taken two days before you leave. Embarkation - MSC had this down in my opinion. You go into the building and show your boarding pass, your vaccination card (must be original, no copies), your covid test result (should be negative otherwise you won't be allowed to board). After that, you go into a line for another covid test (free provided by the line). After that test, you're given a sticker with a number. You go to the waiting room, sit the area that matches your sticker. Once you get cleared (I was second) you're set free to the next table where you pick up your cruise card and get your picture taken. Then you head through security (x-ray machine and a metal detector) then you can get on the ship. The passage to the ship is a walk, so be prepared. Once onboard, get ready to be bombarded by people wanting you to buy all sorts of packages. Debarkation - Even easier, they supply you with luggage tags that have a number (mine was 26). The schedule tells you when and where you should be. I had to be out of my room by 8am. When they call your number, you leave the ship, go toward baggage claim (basically a huge room with flags. Find the flag that matches the number you had and then find your bag and head outside. Once outside, you're basically on your own to find transportation back to the airport. I choose to use Lyft. Days at sea - Most reviews I read said there wasn't enough entertainment on board. I don't agree with that at all. Every hour they had something going on. Most of the time it was on deck 14 at the Aqua park. Some was on deck 7 at the Luna Lounge. Excursions - In Cozumel, Mexico I did the tour of the town. This included a stop at the cocoa factory, tequila factory and the bee sanctuary. A very interesting tour. I didn't realize that the cocoa and tequila were in the same building. The bee sanctuary - these are stingless bees. They actually look like flying ants more than bees. In Ocho Rios, I did the river tubing adventure. Wow, this was so much fun. The ride alone to where you get on the tube is exciting to say the least. I never knew that Jamaica used "English" driving rules. Basically, they drive on the left side of the road (the left side is the correct side and the right side is suicide). As you travel up the mountain the road (supposedly two lanes) gets very narrow. You'll find yourself holding on or closing your eyes. The river trip - the water was what the Jamaican's called "refreshing," I call it down right chilly. You get used to it after a while, but that first slap, yowza! The private island MSC Ocean Cay is absolutely beautiful. While it may not have water slides, pools or hot tubs like other islands do you don't really need them or at least I didn't. All I wanted was a chair, an umbrella and a beach. My big mistake here was paying the $12 to rent an umbrella. Trust me, you don't need to do that. Find an umbrella, unwrap the cord, open it and enjoy. I could have stayed on that island for a week just to relax. Would I sail with MSC again? Yes, in a heart beat. I enjoyed the pools, really enjoyed the hot tubs. I didn't have any problem with any of the food either in the main dining room or on the buffet. Everything I found was good and the service was very good. My room 11104, a balcony room, had a lot of space for storage. My room steward Ryan was excellent. I did get some towel animals.

I enjoyed my cruise and would cruise MSc anytime there are 14 jacuzzi 3 pools including indoor pool and jacuzzi The shows were excellent and food was excellent

Very disappointing our table companions were tested positive so we were put in isolation even though we tested negative. Getting meals were difficult, locked in our rooms like criminals, treated with total disrespect. Forced to exit the ship after 7 days. Still waiting for our refund.

MSC went above and beyond to keep passengers safe from covid. This cruise was in the height of Omicron and we felt safer on the ship than at local stores, restaurants or work. This cruise exceeded our expectations in every way.

Loved it!!!! As recently stated I was pleasantly surprised on how happy I was this entire cruise from the moment I stepped on board til I left!

Overall a great itinerary turned into a Mexican Riviera cruise with Roatan, Belize and Ocean Cay. The ship is nice but dated and looking tired. The food and live music was good. The shows and customer service were poor. I would be doubtful about cruising with MSC again.

MSC has cut back in the quality of food and entertainment

We really enjoyed our stay on the MSC Divina. I would definitely recommend this ship and this cruise line. We will go back again at some point.

This was the third time sailing with MSC Yacht Club. Our last MSC cruise was on the Seaside. Since the ship is larger, There are more things to do. However, The Divina is an elegant ship.

Every experience we had on this was truly a pleasure and opened our eyes to new sights, sounds and foods. Definitely a trip to remember always. Thanks to everyone who made it possible on MSC Divina.

We arrived the day before and stayed at the Marriott at the airport Doral. There was a group of 15 of us. The hotel was ok, but I don't think I would stay their again. Our embarkation time was early, 11:00. So it was nice to get on the boat early. The 1st thing we needed to do after dropping off our luggage was to get our kids COVID tested. That did not take long, there was a little confused of where we needed to go after the test for the results. But we got upstairs got checked in and made our on to the boat. They said our room could not be accessed until 2 but we were able to drop our stuff off in our room, so we could go to the buffet to eat. Because our kids were not vaccinated, we had a separate section for people with kids. So we sat there Everytime we ate in the buffet. The service in the main dining room was amazing, I think the best service I have ever had on a cruise. This is my 12th cruise. My kids were treated like kings. They would ask us the night before what they would have, so they could get it in and have it out right away. My kids asked for banana split for dessert and that's what they got. About the 8th day, they could not do bananas splits because all the bananas were turning. The pastry chef came out personally to apologize about the bananas. My kids were very happy with whatever they prepare for them. Our wait staff, was so amazing and the food was so amazing. We all did the Aurea and drink packages and everything was perfect.

I like the MSC Divina and personnel. This is why I have been on the ship 3 times. Some improvement is necessary with the meals/menu. Lasagna and Gnocci was served with mushy pasta, too much cheese and no meat. Gnocchi served soft and also mushy. Head chef needs to monitor meal preparation and delivery. At times food was not served hot. I had a meal in the Butcher's Cut speciality restaurant and the baked potato was served warm......had it changed. The Steak (filet mignon) was superb!

MSC did a very poor job accomodating our mobility needs. They refused to explain why I was moved away from my husband (our accounts were linked and they had no problem recognizing we were dining together). They have too many people who believe in procedure and policy and not enough in common sense. I understand that situations are different in the time of covid and that things such as excursions are out of the cruise line's control. However, there's no excuse for not informing a passenger that he has been arbitrarily moved to another deck. There's no excuse for ignoring the cruise line's own covid rules regarding masking. I only saw 1 instance where a crew member told a passenger he needed a mask. The rule was masks could come off if you were sitting while eating or drinking. People interpreted that to mean they could walk around without a mask if they had a drink in their hand. Social distancing in the MDR (and the buffet, I'm sorry to say, as much as I enjoyed the people and food there) did not exist. Some areas had seating that was closed off in order to maintain distance but people ignored it and I never saw crew say anything. I saw both crew and passengers wearing masks under their noses. The cruise director's English was very poor. She made daily announcements that could only be heard outside my cabin and when I realized she was mostly just reading from the daily planner I stopped paying attention. I think I only ever saw her once on the ship. Other cruises the cruise director was very visible. There was little to do on sea days. There were no comedy shows. Everything was pricey. If you buy internet be aware that once you register a device on the ship you cannot deregister it and sign on to the internet with another device. That bit of information would have been good to know. Cost us another $300 to get the husband his own internet access (our last MSC cruise we were able to share). The pastries and sandwiches at Piazza del Doge are free and is the only place you'll get a regualar size slice of cake. Several people at bars or coffee stations weren't fluent in English. I accidentally left my phone at home so I couldn't use the QR code to order from their menu. They don't provide paper menus nor was there a coffee menu behind the bar. I like to try new things but it was hard enough to order a mocha latte (my usual specialty coffee) that I didn't try anything else. My husband wanted to celebrate his birthday by having a couple cakes delivered to a bar. They would not do that. They could only deliver to the dining room or a cabin. The reason? Bar staff don't get the gratuity if dining room staff serve. We offered to tip the bar staff. We asked to have the cakes delivered to his cabin then we would walk them down ourselves. Nope, not allowed. The wait time in the MDR was so long after we were moved to a table that was distanced from others that we stopped going there. Food was lukewarm, at best, by the time we got it. Then they have the nerve to threaten to shut you out of the dining room if you're as much as 15 minutes late. In effect, we were voluntary prisoners while we waited for our food. By the time we got our main course, people on the other side of the room were leaving. Made it difficult to schedule shows, even if I'd wanted to go to one. We booked this cruise because we had some credit from our Seaside cruise 2 years ago when they changed 2 ports without telling anyone until embarkation day. I can now say I've been to South and Central America but I didn't see much of either. We will not book another MSC cruise, no matter how inexpensive it might be. The lack of respect for our disabilities was surprising. Having complained for good while here I do have to say there were times when we enjoyed ourselves. We met some fun people and hung out with them at times. Natasha (from S. Africa) was a lot fun at trivia, even if they didn't give out prizes all the time. Buffet staff were nearly all pleasant and helpful. But, unfortunately, they weren't enough to remove the bad taste we had even before we sailed. We almost canceled this cruise because of the cabin change. I wish I had. It was scarey being on a ship with so many people flouting the mask rules, even though we're fully vaccinated and boostered. There were several instances when I had to tell someone getting on the elevator to put on their mask.

There were approximately 500 passengers on board, so we got very personalized service from the staff and entertainment team. Great experience !

Relaxing and a great way to rest after my surgery the week before.

Second cruise alone. I had a great time, even with only 500 passengers. I had a guest remember me from my Odyssey cruise just a few weeks back. The food having a Mediterranean flavor didn't set well, so I ate a lot of burgers and fries, and had to pay for steaks and shrimp cocktail.

Good first cruise back after pandemic. I don’t know why this thing requires a minimum number of characters so that is irritating.

This was a getaway cruise plus I wanted to experience and evaluate this cruise line for future groups.

4 nights 1 day at ocean cay beach is great over all a relaxing 4 days

Over all one of the best cruises I've ever been on. This was my 1st MSC cruise and I will definitely be back. The service and experience you get for the price is too good to be true!