MSC Divina Cruise Reviews - Reviews

Ship was beautiful, Customer service was bad. The room was nice. The bed was hard and the pillows were small and flat. The food was ok. Room was not cleaned everyday.

Don’t listen to the negative reviews!! We were on the divina 5 years ago .. was it perfect no was it horrible no .. it was great , it is what you make it !! Ship was beautiful food was good .. staff was friendly! We are friendly, what u put out is what you get back ! The sour people with the sour reviews are probably always sour in life !

My husband and I chose this cruise initially for the price. We had family recently travel on the Divina and they told us it was just "okay". My husband and I went into this open-minded and we were overall satisfied with our trip. Right from the moment of embarkation until disembarkation everything ran smoothly. The staff speak very little English therefore we often dealt with officers and they were always eager to assist.  The food is very European. Whole, natural and left to speak for itself. The pasta and seafood was also a bonus! I am gluten intolerant so we chose to eat in the dining room where the staff all knew me and were extremely cautious and accommodating. Let it be known that I lost weight on a carnival cruise due to the lack of food available to me and on NCL they were usually accommodating but there was no variety for my diet.  Let's just say that I love food, I am not a picky eater and yes I gained my 6lbs in a week!

Our only negative is that they were not diligent about hand hygiene and although there was a couple sanitizer pumps at the door as you entered the buffet, they were often empty and no one enforced this. I am a nurse so I tend to be very cautious about this but I witnessed passengers eating at the buffet and using their same cup at the juice and water station for refills. I am writing this review currently sick! We also had a waitress who admitted that her throat hurt so much she could barely speak let alone swallow. Again, we did not see her clean her hands once. NCL were extremely diligent about this issue.

Took this Cruise for our Honeymoon and loved every aspect of it! Most beautiful ship we have ever been on, the Swarovski Crystal Staircase is a Must Photo spot. The entire ship was so elegant, the staff had so much energy and went above and beyond. Very clean ship. The Eataly Restaurant was a neat experience. The Pizza at buffet was best we have experienced on a ship. Overall food was most health oriented Options on any cruise we have ever taken or heard of.

First of all, the MSC Divina is the most beautiful ship that I have ever traveled on. It takes number one in that department.  Now for the things I wish they would improve.

My number one complaint would be the food.  The buffet selections were limited and lacked taste.  I saw one of the workers pouring water into the pasta that had been sitting.  We were stuck with the Black Crab for dining.  The only night that we were able to eat a tolerable meal was that Thursday when Lobster tail was served.  The waiter (Sery) was very nice but the food was a slow procedure every evening. I hope MSC will introduce Free Style dining so that you can eat when you choose, where you choose, with whom you choose, like Norwegian Cruise Line. Norwegian had the best food of all cruises I've taken.  Also, the juice at the buffet was so watered down you couldn't taste the juice.  Every day the same watered down juice.  There was only one waffle station (which didn't make the waffle) but served frozen waffles.  This had the longest line since most people wanted waffles or pancakes and there was only one station serving them.  At most times, by the time you got you food it was cold.

The pools (we believe) were filled with salt water which irritated the eyes.  Aren't you suppose to use chlorine?  It was very uncomfortable for the others in my party.   It would have been nice to have nice water slides like Norwegian and Carnival.

The shows were okay.  The MJ tribute was good, however, the person playing MJ should loose the white face.  This was a distraction to me since he looked dead with all that paint.  The pirate show had no plot.  We didn't know what the story was about.  Maybe you should also have a comedian on board.

Our room was never cleaned when we when came back.  Not like on other cruises.  The sheets were never changed and we never had enough towels/cloths. The only treat we enjoyed was having the beds turned down.

We also wish the language barriers weren't so great that we could not communicate with most of the staff.  It was frustrating.

The television shows were mainly in other languages (not English) and wish they offered WiFi that wasn't so expensive.

The Ports were the best (Jamaica, Cayman Islands and Cozumel).  This is where we were able to get edible food.  The only bad port was Great Stirrup Cay where MSC prepared the food and as usual it was inedible.  We couldn't wait to get to the airport just to have a decent meal.

They need to do some things different that they would in the mederatranian market. one there breakfast buffet should have more choses, like maybe a omelet station, Europeans ( which there were at least 60%) of the ships guests) like small breakfasts just coffee an pastry. they should have anytime dinning not just two sittings, there towel policy of just one per guest and that guest has to sign for it is just old fashion ( maybe there European guest steal the towels but I don't think us guests will), there optional restaurants have a three tier menu option, not just a $10 $20 Or $30 per guest depending on the restaurant ( I believe most cruise line sailing in this part of the world the average is $20) at there three restaurants for $20 you get on ap one entrée and one desert for $20 and only that for more chooses you have to pay up to$59 per guest , ( and no one was really eating in them) also the steak house looks like a Jonny Rockets. my daughter went to the same bar before going into the dinning room to buy a Shirley temple ( because the dinning room bar did not have it???) and all 5 times it was a different price ( the bartenders charge higher prices to push the tip pool up), The food was pretty good ( steaks were horrible ) the entertainment was some of the bet I have seen in the 14 curies I have been on. Except maybe a little to much opera, staterooms the same as all the rest, the people working the customer service desk need to understand English better if they are going to stay in this market, and finally for you bingo lover they play about10 games during the cruies $10 a game winner take all with only one game block out and no finale of wining a cruise ( so not that many people go and the prizes are small 

Booked this cruise to travel with my daughter and son in law with our 1 year old grandson. What a find! Price was perfect, ship spotless and gorgeous, food just edible ( nothing special) but always something to eat. The staff was amazing with our grandson. He was constantly entertained by everyone on board. The Indonesian staff love children. Only downside. Days at sea run for a deck chair by pool.

This was our first cruise and am very pleased to say, it was stupendous.  We had a blast. There were a few people complaining, but frankly, there are people you can give a wheelbarrow full of cash and they would say:"I only get one?"  Food: the breakfast was quite good...including fresh fruit and goodies. Lunch: I was off the ship most of the time at noon. Dinner: It is a sit down complete with a waiter. Very good selection and very good from appetizer to dessert.  I had NOTHING to complain about. Again, a few people complained....apparently they forgot the other 3499 were there to be served as well. I read one person stayed in their room. I do not like nasty comments, but all I can say is they were sitting in front of the TV. Probably watching Housewives of Loser County. Enough said. The evening entertainment was top notch. They had some comedians to roam the crowd and loosen us up a bit beforehand. Andre, the cruise director, was perfect. By mid week, he was getting a lot of applause. He brought additional energy...not that the evening needed it. My only complaint is that children who can't sit still or be quiet should be looked after by their parents and/or not allowed in.  Many of the shows offered nothing for the children....and rightfully so. So I ask parents, why bring them in? And if you must, why not keep them quiet so others can enjoy the entertainment.  The Divina offered so much ...jazz lounge, karaoke, casino (not my thing). If nothing else, go up on the deck and enjoy the night sea. It sort of answers the question : why is there a minimum wage?  Because for some, their capacity is limited to that, sadly.

Ship was really clean. Crew was no where near as friendly as a RCL or Disney crew. The kids really enjoyed the drinks and the bar was well stocked. The crew felt more like carnival in terms of service.

Ship was really clean. Crew was no where near as friendly as a RCL or Disney crew. The kids really enjoyed the drinks and the bar was well stocked. The crew felt more like carnival in terms of service.

There's so much to say, and since we just got back this afternoon from the cruise, I wanted to write this review as quickly as possible so we do not leave anything out.

First of all, the embarkation was a complete disaster. Now, before I go farther, it deserves to be said that there was a gas leak in the terminal the morning we were to board, and as a result, the ship and the terminal had to be evacuated. That meant the still-remaining passengers from the week before had to leave the ship, then return, and then leave again. So, those individuals did not get completely disembarked until mid-afternoon (around 3:00 p.m.). The ship had to be turned around for the new passengers, so we didn't get on board (and we were towards the "front" of the line) until close to 4:30 p.m. For the record, we looked out at the line several times throughout the day, and there were still passengers coming aboard close to 7:30 or 8:00 p.m. I cannot imagine how horrible that would have been. Our main complaint, since MSC Cruises could not control a gas leak, was that they didn't give any information at all to those waiting in line. We heard NOTHING about what was happening, other than from other customers who were also waiting in line. We heard absolutely nothing from MSC during that time in line about what the process was which was unfolding in front of our eyes. Needless to say, it was a nightmare. 

Note: A part of the embarkation process most definitely involves the delivery of the luggage to our rooms. By 1:00 a.m. the night of the sailing, our luggage still had not been delivered to our room. After calling twice and getting nowhere, my son and I went to the lost and found. Sitting there, with the MSC TAGS IN FULL VIEW was our luggage. I asked the customer service personnel why the luggage was just sitting there, and they had NO explanation. Again, the tags were in perfect view, right where they were supposed to be. It's as if someone was just lazy and didn't take the time to deliver the bags to our room. The customer service person said she would find out why this had happened, and that she'd call me back. I never heard another word from them again. Not. One. Word!

Our cabin (11247), and our sons' cabin (11241) were both fantastic. Ours was a balcony and theirs was a few doors down, and was an inside berth. The rooms were SPOTLESS, and our room steward was the best we've experienced in 13 cruises. He really did an awesome job, and was one of the few highlights (from MSC) of this cruise for us. He really, truly took good care of our rooms each day. The rooms are beautiful, and they're very nicely appointed. Without a doubt, they are the nicest rooms we've ever had on any cruise ship. Our balcony wasn't huge, but it was big enough certainly for my wife and I to enjoy (and typically our two sons would stand out there with us a while each day).

There is most certainly a language barrier, which is pretty difficult to get past, on this ship. I mean, it is a TRUE challenge to overcome. It was quite difficult for our dining staff to complete our order properly because they simply didn't understand English very well at all. Most evenings our meals were incorrect. It wasn't that they didn't try (because they did); but rather, it was because they just didn't know. Honestly, I blame the company for this, not the workers. They've obviously not been trained well. Anyhow, the food was decently good, and we really don't have any complaints about the quality or taste of the food in the Black Crab or in the 14th floor buffets. The pizza was really delicious in the buffet area, and we enjoyed the great selection of breads and cheeses. I'll rate the food quality pretty high, because again, it wasn't bad.

The excursion experiences we had are OUTRAGEOUSLY BAD! In fact, we're going to be trying our best to get our money refunded (which they will not do on board - even though they booked us on an excursion for which we DID NOT SIGN UP. Now, we have to use more time to try to get this resolved because to the staff on board, we're outta sight, and outta mind). It was virtually impossible to get someone to return our MANY messages seeking assistance. My wife stopped by the desk 4 times, and she called 3 additional times, before finally getting a return call with the news that they would not be able to help us on board -- even though it was their mistake. We viewed a video at the Excursion Desk, along with their staff member, and told him that was the excursion we wished to take. The following day, our tickets arrived and 3 were of one excursion, and one was for another. We arrived the next morning to the meeting point, and brought to the attention of those there that the excursions were not the same. They told us which group to get into, and the excursion we went on was a complete and total JOKE! We paid $72+ for a ferry ride, shopping, a dirty public beach, and lunch in a cave. We were supposed to go on an excursion which including snorkeling in a cavern, not a Mexican buffet in a cave restaurant. Again, the language barrier reveals its ugly head!!! There's NO WAY IN THE WORLD we would have taken our 17 and 20 year old on an excursion like that!!! They were HUGELY disappointed, because we really had hyped up the trip to the cavern. Honestly, I'm still incredibly upset about this mistake on their part -- which they wouldn't even rectify. Stay tuned. I'll come back on here and update this if they actually own up to their mistake. We'll see!

The evening shows on board is the best we've ever experienced on any ship. Period! They are absolutely magnificent. Honestly, there are not enough ways for me to express how good those shows are. Our favorites were "Alice in Wonderland" and "Michael Jackson." We would have watched them over and over. Again, hands down, the best we've seen. Now, other parts of the entertainment need to be improved. For instance, many nights, we felt as though there was not really anything to do. We found ourselves missing the karaoke and the comedy shows which Carnival do so well. They had karaoke one evening, but since everyone else apparently felt the same way we did, the very large room was so full that there was no place to sit. Scores of individuals were just standing. It's our feeling that this is an area which definitely needs to be improved upon, if they are going to successfully attract Americans. We were glad we had the late dinner seating, because at least that gave us something to do until about 10:00. We hope they'll make some improvements in this area. We also missed afternoon gigs like the "Love and Marriage" show, etc. Those are lots of fun on Carnival.

I give them pretty high marks for their stores and snack venues. Prices are reasonable, and the quality is quite good. There's not a lot to be said here.

The Western Caribbean has its pros and cons, for sure. Grand Cayman is an absolutely beautiful place. We feel very safe there, and the beaches are awesome and very clean. The entire 7 Mile Beach area is great. The tender service from the ship (using their own lifeboats) was quite smooth. Cozumel was where the entire excursion fiasco took place, so there's not much to say here. We've never really found anything worthwhile to do there. Perhaps we will the next time. We had to go to Ocho Rios (rather than Falmouth) due to the storm (Bertha). In fact, our itinerary was changed around (days in 2 of the ports) because of the storm. Since we've been there before, we decided not to go back to Dunns River Falls. We do highly recommend it at some point, if you haven't been there. Anyhow, there's not much else to do in Ocho Rios, although the Margaritaville there is pretty nice. In fact, they found out it was my wife's birthday the day we were there, so they brought her a piece of the BEST key lime pie we've ever had. Great place. Stop in! Great Stirrup Key is beautiful! They have lots to offer families of all types, ages, etc. Our sons went on the wave runner tour, which they loved. My wife and I rented a very large raft. That didn't turn out that well, but that was our fault...haha. I'll save that story for another venue. Beware of the HUGE rocks in the beach area. It's very difficult to walk around in the shallow water on the beach because of the rocks. Water shoes would definitely be good to bring to this port. Lunch was great! They definitely need to improve one thing: Several people were passing out in line to return to the tenders because of the extraordinary heat. They need to provide water points along the way like some of the other lines do on their private islands. Even on the tenders there were people passing out. I highly recommend the water spots.

The disembarkation process was the fastest and best organized we've ever experienced. We would recommend the other lines observe the way MSC does this process, because it's almost flawless. We were off the ship in virtually no time at all. We grabbed a shared ride and headed to the airport (for $30 flat). We were at the airport in very quick fashion. 

Again, our biggest complaints revolve around the excursion process; the language barrier; the "lost" luggage; and most certainly the lack of communication from the staff members when we needed help. MSC needs to improve on these areas. That's a fact! Like I said - this review is a mixed bag. There were some definite high points of this cruise vacation, and there were some areas they need to work very hard to improve. We hope they will! If they don't, they may have a hard time marketing to the US market long-term.

luxury cruise,real quiet atmosphere.

 We were on a cruise with MSC DIVINA from Rio De Janeiro - Miami. This was the WORST experience ever!!!!

The buffet food was the same for 20 days, the staff in the reception was horrible!  And it felt like the ship was more suited for italian och portugese people. 

BUT the worst was the disembarkation in Miami.  Due to a gasleak in the terminal we had to wait for hours. Imagine over 2000 people in the terminal. It was CHAOS! We had an excursion too. But when we finally got outside the terminal, there was some MSC staff holding a MSC sign, telling us to take the bus on the other side. We then asked about our excursion. The lady told us it had been cancelled due to the gasleak. So the bus would take us to the airport right away instead. We were told to get in touch with our Msc office back home to get our money back. So we did. We still had the original tickets of the excursion and told them all about the gasleak.  But the respond we got was horrible! They basically told us that we're lying about this. That they have contacted MSC's office in Italy and they are telling us that there was no gasleak, that we just didnt turn up to the excursion. So we're not going to get our money back for the excursion which was CANCELLED!! Ive never been so badly threated before! Now they are just saying "Sorry we cant help you anymore".

How can a  big company like MSC tell their customers that they are lying? When other people have written about the gasleak on different reviews sites on the Internet. Im speechless!  I've never in my entire life met a company as MSC before who lies and don't care about their customers as soon as they have disembarked their ships!

I will NEVER recommend MSC to ANYONE. This has been the worst experience ever!

We were on a cruise with MSC for 20 days. 

The food in the buffet restaurant were the same for 20 days. The first 3-4 days it was OK, but when you eat the same food for 20 days you get pretty bored of it eventually. The staff could have been more friendly. Especially the staff in the reception. I've never been so badly treated before! Ignorant and very unpleasant! When you had a question about something there were always one certain lady that dismissed you and was rude to you!

It felt like the cruise wasnt suited for english talking guest, only for italian and portuguese people. Almost everything was either in italian or in portuguese. 

According to the rules of the ship no one could leave their sunbeds unattended with their clothes/towels on them for more than 30 minutes, in that case the staff would take the towels away. This never happened. So if you ever wanted to have a sunbed or sit on the chairs on deck just to relax, you could either go up really early, before everyone else or wait until the evening when everyone else was off to the gala dinners etc to even get a chance. 

Some of the excursions were a disappointment, while others were pretty okay!  Our excursion was cancelled in Salvador, due to late arrival. So we booked a new one, but later found out that even this one were cancelled! So we booked a new one again, the history of Salvador, and this was both a waste of time and money! Our "english" talking guide couldnt speak english. And all we did for 4-5 hours were visiting a church and then go around for shopping the rest of the time.  Since this excursion was cheaper than the one we had booked in the first place and since the excursion in Miami also got cancelled, they said at the excursion office that we would get the money back the last day of the cruise. This suddenly changed the same day we were going to disembark the ship. They then told us that we had to contact our MSC office back home to get the money back.  And we have, several times and havent got our money back yet.

Although that we are pretty dissapointed with MSC, we are still happy we had the chance to experience all the great places in Brazil and the Caribbean.

But unfortunately we won't choose MSC ever again.  Next time we choose to go on a cruise, Royal Caribbean would probably be more suitable!

This past weekend, we had a very bad awful experience on MSC Divini.  The ship decor, pools and entertainment was outstanding!   Then there was the food and food service.  OMG, on the 1st night, we noticed our dining room waiter  was stealing food from our leftover dinner plates right in the middle of  the dining room!  :( On our last night, we received food poisoning when eating at their specialty steakhouse.  Ugh...in general, most of the crew was nasty people and the food, well it was not very edible.  The whole experience was horrifying to say the least!  No more MSC cruising for me, family, or friends!   Too bad since my girlfriend and I were looking to book a Greece cruise with them later this fall.  

Two day cruise to Nassau, Bahamas on MSC Divina.  Elegant ship with Swarovski staircase; however, I felt very comfortable in casual clothes.  Dream come true was having coffee on my balcony as we sailed into Nassau!  I spent the day in Nassau on the ship.  Ate dinner at Eataly where I had pasta which was made on the ship.  The entertainment was a Michael Jackson program and it was great.  Ate at the buffet and in the dining room--food was very good.  I will be back on MSC in the future!

This was my second cruise and my second monsters of rock cruise so it immediately gets 4 stars regardless. The divina is the nicest and biggest ship I have been on. Very high quality except for the food and staff. Broken English was the best you could hope for language wise. Ship was awesome though

When I walked onto the MSC Divina I was speechless.  The beauty of the whole ship was amazing!  All the hard material used makes you feel like you are sailing in true luxury.   The staff was always very nice and attentive.   Our cabin steward the first day introduced himself and kept our room looking nice and clean for us.  Also, I have never seen a more interactive captain that the one that is in charge of the Divina. He seemed to really care that all his passengers were having a good time.

The food was amazing! I had read some reviews online and could not figure out what people were talking about.   I could not get enough of the pizza in the buffet and the La Cantina di Bacco.  I truly felt like I was in Italy having a traditional Napolitano pizza. The food in the buffet and in the main dining rooms was delicious as well.  They even had ginger beer on board so I was able to make my favorite drink, a Moscow Mule.

The first night there was a white party on the pool deck like a lot of the other lines do.  But this was one of the best I have been to.  The music was pumping and the entertainment was awesome!  The crew really knew how to get the party going and get the passengers to dance.  The officers even had a small corner to relax and mingle with the passengers.

Even though we were stopping in Nassau, I decided to stay on board and explore the ship some more.   Found that the children and even some adults on board were very entertained by the Formula I simulator, 4-D Cinema and water slide. My favorite place was the Garden Bar and pool area.  It was peaceful and you have this amazing view off the back of the ship.   During the night you will definitely want to see the shows, they are phenomenal! Especially the Michael Jackson show as the main performer is uncanny to the late king of pop. 

Overall, this was the best cruise I have ever been on and I am planning on booking another next year. 

I have traveled on other cruises but MSC is my favorite so far.

Embarcation was easy and quick.  We checked in later in the Afternoon so the lines were quite short.  Staff was courteous and knowledgeable.

Our balcony cabin was smaller than expected.  We later discovered there are two categories of balcony cabins.  One is much larger and more expensive, of course.  Make sure you know which one you are getting.  The cabin was clean and our steward did a great job keeping it that way.

Food and service in the main dining room was fine.  The cafeteria was another story.  It is laid out so that passengers have to walk to many different parts of the cafeteria to find what they want for that meal.  In an already crowded space, this causes great congestion as people balance plates, and drinks and try to weave their way through others doing the same thing.  Then when one gets that plate and drink to the table, it's often necessary to go back to another part of the cafeteria to get a salad or desert, etc.  In this cafeteria, too many food stations are not a good thing.  The servers also  have difficulty getting to the passengers, so the quality of service suffers.

Also disappointing was the optional steak house.  It looks more like a 1950s diner than an upscale dining experience.  This decor may appeal to Europeans, but it misses the mark for North American passengers. The steak I had was also prepared for European tastes.

This is an Italian cruise line.  We were surprised at the number of European passengers on a Caribbean cruise.  We heard that only 30% of the passengers had English as a first language.  There were certainly plenty of other languages heard on board.  This added to the attraction of the cruise.  All of the staff spoke English and most of the entertainment games, such as trivia, were in English.  The entertainment staff did a fine job keeping folks entertained, whatever their language, on sea days. 

The entertainment on board was excellent.  Large ships, such as the Divina., (3400 passengers) have larger show rooms and can put on more spectacular shows.   The shows we saw were a blend of singing, dancing, and circus acts.  We were amazed by the flexibility of the three Mongolian contortionists, the antics of the tumblers, and the strength of the strong men.  And since this is an Italian line a couple of the shows were opera based, The show room was large enough to accomodate everyone comfortably.  Those who arrived early for the show were entertained by antics of the Entertainment staff.

As late diners, we liked the fact that the show for the late dining group preceeded dinner. That scheduling allowed us to see the show and enjoy the late ner evening activities elsewhere on board. One of those activities was Movies Under the Stars.  Big screen, small audiences, good movies.

Other recommended activities were the water slide and the Formula One race car simulator.  Both were fast and exciting.  The race car simulator is an added cost, but even if you don't pay to drive it, it's great fun simply to watch.  Problem is finding it.  It's on deck sixteen in the arcade area. Keep looking, it's worth it.

The common areas on board were very good.  Check out the crystal staircase in the atrium while listening to a classical trio perform before dinner. The pool areas were as crowded as usual on cruise ships.  There was a separate pool area for frequent passengers, MSC Yacht Club, and suite passengers.