MSC Divina Cruise Reviews - Reviews

Beautiful ship, good food, good staff, not enough deck chairs on at-sea days and daytime entertainment. Spa was excellent. Dinner staff was great. Spent one and a half hours looking for two deck chairs one day and noticed others with the same issues. 

We love the divina, although our cabin looked quite used after just one year (2014 it still looked brand new). Maybe we were just unlucky this year. There were stains on the sofa and the carpet.

Also the fitness room which we use every day looked very used this year... I really hope they replace the machines before they are out of order too often... dangerous!

I love the quiet pool area at the end of the ship and also deck 18.

Whenever we had a problem with a waiter, my husband complained right away and the problem was solved. we were even given a different waiter.

As long as you do not have any problem you will not get in contact with the still to be fixed service problems. Especially talking to the people at the service desk can be annoying as they make promises they forget right away. ("you can go up to your room, we will call you..."... they never do...).

This are the only minor negative things. There a lot of Americans on the ship which always surprised me.

But I am so grateful that Mr. Pukel was lucky with MSC (after all the American cruises laughed at him many years ago) to let him organize a vegan vacation on this ship once a year. They give him this chance and all vegans and vegetarians are happy, happy and will surely vote for MSC. Without MSC we would never have dared to go on a cruise at all.

I have become a fan of MSC, although...You can do better and you will :-)

So I of course cannot say much about the food on the regular cruise (we only went there some days late at night to grab some fruits or a slice of vegan pizza) as we get very good vegan gourmet food three times a day in the Black Crab and Villa Rosa dining rooms, cooked by vegan chefs. This is always first seating so it is always crowded and stressfull for the waiters but it's very well organized and the seniors keep an eye on the waiters and as far as I can judge they do a very good job.

Our room was 9241..two single beds ( cots.) but comfortable with a pullout couch and balcony.  The first three days were fine but we noticed people starting to cough and complain of being sick.  Even the man doing the jewellery promos of whete to shop cut a morning demo short because he was ill and cancelled the afternoon watch seminar.  Tuesday night both my husband started with a runny nose and eyes and by morning had a very bad cold with upset stomach and the runs.  We both were sick the rest of the trip and confined to our room....the man who cleaned our room couldn't speak English and our room was not cleaned from Tues onward.  Many people on our floor were also sick.  We phoned medical and all they said was w are closing soon...the next day they said when you are able come to the office with $95 and we will see you...obviously we were too sick and didn't go.  On the day to disembark we were told to get out of the cabin by 7 am...we asked for a later checkout....no one asked if they could assist us getting out...just a NO,,get out by 6:30 am and come to customer service and pay your bill.

we managed to get there with the help of another customer...we only had the daily tip on the bill because we weren't out of the cabin...I complained at the lack of service and no food since Tuesday and asked to reduce the tips....they made us wait for a manager and he reduced the bill...not a hope you feel better..can we get help for you to get off the boat..nothing....just..leave the boat now.

A beautiful ship, and what we saw of two shows they were great...but don't get sick...it's all oriented for you to. Spend money...not even free bottled water in the cabin.

This is a new ship which is very beautiful. Our room was laid out the best we've seen yet for an oceanview room. I loved the free exercise classes!

Traveled on the Divina and loved most of it. The entertainment is the best on the open ocean. The ship is beautiful, especially the crystal staircase. The room was a nice size. The loss of points is due to the lack of food choices as well as service. Cruise ships are known for great service and variety. Dirty dishes were easy to find as they would be on the tables for hours. The food was mostly variations of pasta.

for our first cruise it was perfect . Food was great Very clean, our room always looks perfect every time we walked away and came back. entertainment was great. Overall I would recommend this ship.

The MSC Divina is the most beautiful and elegant cruise ship I have ever been on! The crew was very friendly and the ship was very clean! The food is more on the European style. The buffet could be improved by having theme food days eg. Italian day then maybe a Caribbean day. Also it being an Italian ship they should have more olives!!! Only about 20% of the passengers speak english but it’s never a problem everyone tries to do there best. MSC should not try to please the US market, but do what thay do best, promote the Mediterranean style of food and service, thay should re-name the company MSC - (Mediterranean shipping company) to MSC - (Mediterranean style cruising).   It is a very large ship with lots of restaurants and bars. The shows were out of this world, almost like seeing a live Broadway or Vegas show every night!  For a ship that has 3900 passengers onboard the personal service is outstanding. Jody, one of the staff from South Africa, has a great knowledge of the ships operations and puts her personal touch on everything she does. She filled our cruise experience with the warmest of memories. We a looking forward to curising with MSC next season!

have taken the divina 3 years ago and its the most beautiful boat in terms of decoration that we took ..... the restaurant was ok a good service my for the bar and waitress the smile was optional

The ship is beautiful to look at.  That is the nicest thing I can say.  The rooms are tiny, they use lots and lots of mirrors to make them look bigger, but it doesn't work.  The customer service is horrible.  I don't how they were trained but it is lacking.  You ask for help in directions, they tell you to go somewhere else.  You ask for help at the front desk, they say we can't help you with that.  You ask where an ATM machine is and they tell you "we are not a bank".  The dining room food was super small portions and horrible.  The buffet was better than the dining room, but that isn't saying much.  In all the ships I have been on, I have never had to pay for anything once you got on it unless it was a special restaurant or alcohol.  On this ship you have to pay for use of the gym, to watch a movie, to go to the bowling alley.. etc...  I WILL NEVER SAIL WITH THEM AGAIN!!!  EVEN IF ITS FREE!!!

Recently returned from a week of total dissatisfaction.  We went with 28 other friends, we cruise with friends most of the time.  We've cruised many many other lines. We all found that most of the crew are disinterested in the guest's needs, Most are not courteous or even helpful.  They act like they are doing you a favor.   The food was "OK" in the restaurant, although the service was minimal.  We were never asked if we wanted a drink while dining.  We had to ask for coffee, never offered, and the servers only used their "butler" to clean the table after hearing us complain amongst each other, at dinner.  I personally had one of our bags held by security.  They never called or left a note at our room.  I had to call several times and finally, at midnight, "reception" asked me to come down and only then, I was escorted to security where I was asked to open my luggage.  The "weapon" was a shoehorn on an extension. The security guy acted like he had never seen one and had to call his supervisor.  When I asked why it took so long to be notified about this "security" issue, the young security guy said they sent notification to "reception" much earlier that day but the woman from "reception" denied it and they continued to argued till 1am when they finally allowed me to go back to my room.   I explained to them I had the shoehorn extension because I recently had hip surgery, but when I was "dismissed" I was forced to drag my bag all they way back to my room, without help.  It went down hill from there.  Employees do not act well toward passengers like on any other line we have ever been on.  Again, they just don't care and they show it.  Rooms are not clean. When we were leaving we looked under the chair and bed and found both a great deal of dirt along with other peoples underwear, socks and shoes.   Lines to disembark were the longest we had ever experienced. Poor organization.  The "specialty" steakhouse reminded us of a coffee shop/diner.  The food was marginal and we were the only patrons in the restaurant. "Should have told us something".  Entertainment was good but couldn't even get a drink in the showroom.  Others in our group also experienced negative things,  Far too many to set out here.  All in all, we decided, never again. 

We booked this cruise based on a groupon deal and went for one reason: to relax and forget about work and that we did. Drank a little too much in the Bahamas so honestly I don't quite remembered that much

When we first came on the ship we headed to our cabin. The interior cabin was nice and spacious considering it was an inside cabin. After settling in my girlfriend and i decided to explore the ship. We were never told about the safety drill and we didn't reach the ship until well after 5:30 p.m. We headed down to dinner at the buffet. Now here comes the cons. The whole majority of the wait staff were rude, made you feel invisible and were not attentive at all. My friend asked one of the waiters for coffee from the beverage side and was charged $2.95 for a cup of coffee. I addressed my concern to the dining supervisor and there was no change in the demeanor of the staff.

I feel the ship other than the low price $69pp would not entice me to go on the Divina again. Only the steward of our cabin, and two people of the whole crew were actually engaging and friendly to this frequent traveler. They charge for gelato ice cream too. On the Royal and Carnival they don't. 

Just returned from a 2 day cruise to Nassau,Bahama with my hubby and 2 young sons. This was our first cruise ever with MSC. We sailed on the Divina, and she's a very pretty ship. It's difficult not to enjoy yourself on such a well appointed ship, but I must say that I found the staff to be a bit unfriendly - with the exception of the men and women who worked in the youth program, they were F A N T A S T I C!!! My two guys wanted to spend the entire time with them. By the way awsome pizza, eggplant parm & Gellato. The shows were also top notch!

First cruise had many unexpected experiences. We learned alot about being careful what you book. Loved the experience nevertheless.

We recently were on the Divina for the week of New Years 2015. It was my husbands first cruise, my second (Carnival years ago). We were traveling with none of our 6 children.

The Great....

The decor...the ship was beautiful. Such a pleasure to be in gorgeous, and not gaudy surroundings. It was relatively easy to navigate the ship (if I could do it anyone can). The cleanliness...this ship was spotless...we were very impressed with the cleaning staff, hand sanitizers located everywhere, bathrooms being very clean, and our room steward was AWESOME...so friendly, and did a superb job, never intruding and cleaning our room spotless every afternoon and evening. I never saw anything on this ship that was not spotless. Most of the staff...now we did not run into ANY staff that was rude...some were not particularly "friendly" but most were very friendly and helpful. A few were stellar. Our waiters at the Black Crab...the best. We had so much fun with them. Febri...and Minguel. (sp) We didnt want to leave them! The people who worked at the Casino...my husband had to have his picture taken with several...they were a joy. The entertainment staff...so fun and friendly. 

The Good...

The food was good. Some was great...desserts were out of this world...the gelato, the baked Alaska. The buffet, was good. A good selection. I have to say the American food was probably the worst...and it was ok. Black Crab was very good. We had one night when our prime rib was overdone but they were happy to fix it. And they did. 

The Entertainment...

Some shows were great! The Michael Jackson show, the Pirate show. We didn't see all of the shows. (Sinatra and the Opera)Some shows were a bit repetitive...(some of the same acts over and over in different costumes) but overall worth watching. But they were very talented, full of energy and Andre was always entertaining.  We enjoyed very much the acoustic performances by  Leandro...and my husband even sang with him. Karaoke was ok...they cut it very short which was too bad as many wanted to do it, and many were very good. Their equipment and song selections were horrible I must say. 

The Casino...

Now this is big for us as my husband is a gambler...mostly poker. The casino only scored good as they do NOT have real poker. Only video poker at the table which he did not like at all. We were very disappointed in that. But overall the staff, and decor, the games....were all good.

Not so great...

Pools/Hot tubs/Decks....

Eh....They were beautiful....but TOO CROWDED. The entire 7 days we were never able to get close. SO many people. AND...we never saw a hot tub that was not jam packed (once, 12 at once) with children. That is likely our biggest complaint. TOO MANY kids. Now, our bad, we did not research enough to know that kids cruise free. Thats explains it...and it was school vacation week. We are teachers...so...we wanted some kid free time. Didn't happen...kids were everywhere...which I could be more ok with if there were areas that kids were NOT allowed. BUT, we never found any. Kids crying and screaming and running around in restaurants, the casino, bars, pool decks...everywhere. My biggest peeve besides every hot tub having kids (some in swim diapers no less ewwww) was kids in the dance club and bars at 11, midnight and LATER. COME On...parents??  really?  After midnight we watched 2 women strut into the dance club with a girl about 4 years old who was covering her ears and they left her on a chair while they danced. 1am...infants in strollers in the bars crying. kids playing slots!  NOT OK in my book...not sure who to blame...MSC for lax rules or parents for stupidity.

The stops/excursions....

St Maarten was our favorite. We loved it and plan to go back there asap. We had paid for an excursion that was canceled by MSC, so we were bummed about that.

San Juan...ok...we ended up going off and finding our own excursions off ship and saved money.

Stirrup Cay...Boooo....3 hours to get off the ship to tender to the island...that was a living nightmare...and the island was a letdown. It was a man made island...a pile of rocks chiseled into attractions...not natural at all...food was not good...will not go there again and wish we had skipped that one. Met some nice folks on the tender though.

Miami...great!  Booked a tour excursion as we had a late night flight on the day we left, and getting off the ship was quick, easy and everything went very smoothly. They handled our luggage well and it was very organized.

New Years Eve on MSC was an unforgettable experience. The best time for NYE we have ever had and we will always remember it.

Oh, on the day of embarkation...all went smoothly except they made mistakes with our cruise card...had to stand in long lines to fix our dining information (their mistakes) and then, our drink package was a nightmare to get going and right, but once it was fixed it was good.

Overall...we had a great time. Next time I think we will not cruise...unless it is a no kids cruise...lol...but if you have kids to travel with or don't mind that...I recommend MSC.

This cruise was not at all what we expected. We selected this Christmas cruise for its wonderful itinerary.

The Activities do not compare to other lines for adults or the teens. The ship caters towards the Europeans, other North Americans we spoke with felt  the same.   The breakfast in the dining room ends at 9:30 a.m. so if you want to sleep in you  have missed it. There is no tour offered on the ship and it is quite large, the signage is poor  and bathrooms are poorly marked or in poor locations. The mandatory  evacuation procedures was a joke, they did not go over anything at all except how to put on your life vest ?   No video to watch, thankfully there was no emergency we would not know where to go or what to do.   

The dinner selections are boring, pasta every night. The buffet offerings are the same every day  the pizza and pasta are good. Buffet is always very crowded. Staff on the ship is not friendly. They do not go out of their way to help or assist you at all and act like you are a burden. Staff does not smile or say hello. The one plus about the ship, it is very clean and it is a nice ship.

even though MSC is very budget friendly-- you get what you pay for and we constantly heard this on the ship from many people. Think twice!! 

I LOVE the "DIVINA"!

Me and my family have cruised to Brazil and in the Caribbean in this great ship!  We loved the crew - attentive and responsive ALL THE TIME.  The cabins with balconies are very big and comfortable, specially those in the back of the ship.  We never got water coming from the infinite swimming pool above, never!

The food on board IS EXCELLENT, and the specialty restaurants, especially the Pizza place on the 6th floor, is AMAZING!  The BEST PIZZA ever!

Having cruised on the DIVINA twice, we booked a trip to the Mediterranean this past summer in the PREZIOSA and it was AMAZING as well.  

MSC has done a fantastic job with these 2 ships, the largest ships in their fleet, and we will cruise with them AGAIN and AGAIN.  The "european" culture in the ship is way above the American cruise lines experience; this european cruising culture and service is way above other cruise lines...... comparable to Celebrity and just below Cunard, but excellent overall.

The trip was mostly wonderful.  I have been on just about every cruise line and the MSC is good but not great in comparison.  The ship is beautiful and clean.  The staff was very nice.  We really had no issues.  The only complaint I would have is how crowded the buffet is and that is because this is not a free eating ship.  There are only specific times to get the full buffet so everyone is there at once.

The only other thing is that I had a brand new night gown, still in the plastic wrap, that went missing.  Not sure how or where but it is gone out of the drawer I had it in.  

All in all, the trip was great and we had a great time.   Food and drinks were good, weather was great and we were on vacation so it can't be that bad anyway...   :)

The value of this cruise line considering the newness and cleanliness of the ship, the choice of beverage packages, and general "pizazzze" is 2nd to none.  The shows were a true treat. Where else can you get an opera performance at sea? And for the smaller children, the staff seemed very experienced. It was nice to see that the little ones were included in a special area before each show.  It would seem that MSC is living up to it's promise to cater to families. But be prepared for different standards of behavior in the buffet area and pool area. The hot tubs were dominated by children and there weren't many on this pre-Christmas cruise.

Speaking of buffet, the area and food is, in a word, boring, but then we don't eat pork products. It was same old, same old every morning and lunch. We needed to do early dinner because of two grandchildren, and it was just too early and too long a service. Twice, the special dessert took extra long to get out ( the tiamisu and the baked Alaska).  The kitchen simply does not have it's act together, the wait staff appears to be overwhelmed and middle management certainly could use some lessons in diplomacy. Rare steak, whether it is ordered "red" or "blue" by the waiter should not arrive cold and dark and tough! My final word on the kitchen is that even the fish was overdone and cold. So, yes, there are issues there.

The ship itself is quite lavish, but the ceilings seem low compared to other lines and I missed a full promenade deck. I also missed live music. There wasn't much going on in the way of good listening or dancing music. The infinity pool was intriguing but water was constantly slopping over into the table areas. Balconies tight but welcome and the spa exceptionally beautiful. Be prepared for some misunderstandings with the his and her saunas. The ladies had a gentleman on two occasions. And the staff, again, does not have the ability to handle this type of issue.  Rooms beautifully clean, well thought out bathrooms. Lots of mirrors. Just enough storage for 7 days and two people. We were on a top deck and very comfortable. However in the main public areas around 4, 5 and 6, there was a shaking on this ship that was terrifying. On leaving St. Maarten, as the engines started, we were in the dining room and thought the chandelier would come down. Another day, the Christmas tree in the pain plaza was swaying. I've been on other large ships and did not experience this.

As my title says, for value ( as a last minute cruise), I can't complain. Be sure to pre-pay for your drink packages through your travel agent. Don't expect too much, just enjoy.

MSC Divina, 7-night, east Caribbean cruise ----- I consider myself a somewhat hardy traveler, having spent much of my life overseas. Joining a cruise ship was not my idea of seeing and experiencing other cultures. However, I recently joined a cruise to be accommodating to my wife. Overall, I found the cruise was well run and put together, and provided an enjoyable experience.

Boarding and Welcome The journey began with port entry and ship boarding. Due to the ship's modern facilities and organization, the process was orderly and efficient. Once on board, we dropped our things in our room and then attended the welcoming buffet meal prior to departure. I was immediately struck by the variety of well-prepared food. The ship was modern and clean throughout. Antiseptic hand dispensers were placed strategically and conveniently, indicating a concern for hygiene and public health. The MSC cruise line is owned and operated by Italians. Under the supervisors, the operating staff come from all over the world, mainly from developing countries. There were also a number of different nationalities seen in the passengers.

Room Our cabin room was clean and well appointed. Housekeeping service was friendly and efficient, yet unobtrusive. Not once did housekeeping service disturb the inner peace of the cabin while we were there. It is a tribute to them that they could clean, service and stock all of the rooms while we were not present. In the hallway, when encountered, they were always courteous and friendly.

Fitness Gym I am not much on social swimming pools and jacuzzis, which of course, the cruise ship had. But, I was pleased to find a good-sized, high-quality gym with a wide range of equipment. While it was well attended at certain times of the day, I found if I was minimally patient and worked a number of different exercises, the popular treadmills and stationary bikes opened up for use intermittently.

Entertainment Entertainment during the evenings was well done -- on par, for me, with Las Vegas shows that I have paid for. The thematic presentations of song, dance, and gymnastic display were colorful, fun and impressive.  Not being an opera aficionado, I enjoyed the opera presentation, and this was perhaps my favorite.

Food Going back to food, the buffet continued to have a wide variety of well prepared foods throughout the week.  While there were some regular foods throughout the week, there were also unique courses presented, ensuring a diversity. Depending on one's inclination, choices from healthy to indulgent were available. I enjoyed the salads, fresh fruit, fish and ethnic presentations. The food/waiter service was friendly and efficient, whether in the buffet, the bars, or the restaurants. As an alternative to the buffet, the dinner restaurant was a fine dining experience. Providing individualized attention, the restaurant wait staff were friendly and responsive to any of our requests.

Prices  While on board, I was worried that being captive, so-to-speak, we might be subject to some on-board price gauging. However, I found prices (for beverages such as beer or water, or for the port-of-call tour excursions) were reasonable and competitive to on-shore prices.

TV If this were to be an all-glowing report, credibility might be in doubt. I felt the in-room TV channels and content were somewhat limited. There were several news channels, and one could order special content, such as movies, for additional fees. I feel that, like most hotels today, the cruise could provide free movie channels, and a greater variety of content. Likewise, the cruise on-board "cinema" provided some films -- basically low-brow Hollywood comedies. I think that the quality (how about movie classics in line with the theme of the "Divina" concept itself -- 1950s&60s film icons) and quantity (how about two per night?) of movies could be improved...?

Ports of Call The selection of stops during the cruise were satisfactory. We stopped at Philipsburg-St.Maarten, San Juan-Puerto Rico, and Grand Stirrup Key-Bahamas.  Prices of tours were comparable both on the ship or in the ports. We chose to arrange our tours in the ports as we arrived rather than doing so on-board through the ships excursion office. Services were readily available in each of the ports on arrival. For our last stop at Grand Stirrup Key-Bahamas, I was worried that we would be in a crowded, private cruiseship haven. I was impressed to find a relatively large island-beach with more than enough area to easily accommodate our cruise ship. We were the only ship using the facility and most passengers gathered at the main beach. Other beaches, however, were just a stroll away.

Conclusion Not being inclined to travel via the cruise experience, this trip was, for me, an unexpected pleasure. My congratulations to the staff and crew of the MSC Divina for putting all this together successfully. Lastly, I would like to note the hard work and sacrifice put in by the developing-world staff -- many of whom work 12-hour shifts, 6-7 days a week, for contracts of 7-9 months, as I understand it. Many are mothers and fathers, husbands and wives, or children -- all separated from their loved ones, yet working to send money home to provide a better life for immediate or extended families. My sense is the salary amounts to $1 to 2 thousand/month... not much by western standards for that level of work, but it is likely more than they can make at home, and mostly savings in sound currency (dollar or Euro).