STATEROOM PHOTOS ADDED Opinion on MSC DIVINA if your thinking of another option than DCL

[kevbrydon]

Hi I posted this rather large comment on another thread but decided it might help others who are interested in choosing a cruise line that is not really known on this Forum


Hi we have just came back from the MSC Divina and sailed around the caribbean 5th till the 12th Nov and having only done DCL Magic 4 times and Wonder once, we were a little unsure of this cruise, as we will no matter how hard we try, compare it with Disney.

I'm also basing this summary on MY experience and also speaking to a lot of Staff, who I must say were happy to share information and were very keen to listen to your opinions as they have a policy of making improvements as quickly as possible including next day or the next cruise.

Well I have to say, as a couple in our mid 50"s we really enjoyed the Divina and ( waiting to get flamed ) is a far better class of Cruise Ship than Disney Magic ( refurbished ).

The Ship is beautiful from top to bottom and was the cleanest, most polished ship we have been on ( not to say DCL was not clean ) and Iv'e never seen so much bling on a ship, with glass, mirrors, marble everywhere and all areas were high quality with Italian styling. The Bars ( 19 I believe, but we only managed 10 of them ) were very good with great decor and plenty of Staff and the service was great, although I noticed a few language barriers with other guests.

The mix of passengers were very European in their 20's to mid 30's including Families and I believe from nearly every corner of Europe and quite surprising only a sprinkling of British and as for Americans I would think around 20% were Americans. This might put some people off as the Crew announcements were done in 6 different languages which was a little annoying at times as English was first, then we had to listen to the same message 5 more times . Also the food choice was unusual at times trying to cater for all the different nationalities and to make it more complicated, they are also trying to introduce menu changes for the Americans as they believe that the split in passengers will eventually change towards the American market, as they continue to sail from Miami.


The Food was fine with a good choice in both the Buffet and Main Dining although I do think they could offer different dessert choices instead of having the same dessert choice every day. Also they have smaller portions than on DCL or even in America which suited me fine but I heard a lot of people asking for extra portions or 2 choices for their main meal which they duly obliged.

The Entertainment was very good with lots of Bars having Singers or Bands playing after 6pm till very late with short breaks in-between, usual trivia and scavenger hunts and the main Theatre Shows were the best I have seen on a Cruise Ship. We loved the tribute Shows to Queen and Micheal Jackson and the Opera Show was very good with Soprano and Tenor singers fantastic. They do a Pirate Show, which to be fair was a slight rip off from Disney but we were in the Caribbean and I don't think Disney has the Franchise on all Pirates There was the usual wine tasting, cookery classes, Ship's Tour's, Cocktails of the day and talks on shopping, Excursions, and Ports visiting. I also felt there was Plenty to do after the last Dinner seating and those that that have done Disney will know, that Disney have the same BUT the difference was they are not very well attended in the Adult areas on Disney ( where does everyone disappear to? ) but on MSC every Bar was being used and every activity, even late at night was very well attended.

The Stateroom we had was Aurea Balcony class and we actually booked Fantastica balcony class but I believe because we did the Matching Loyalty Scheme i.e. Gold with DCL ( so went to Gold loyalty on MSC ) we got a free upgrade to Aurea class. The room was very high quality and had everything we needed like plenty of storage and very comfy bed and pillows with a good size balcony and a great bathroom with Shower ( no tub like some bathrooms on DCL ). We had a very good Stateroom host ( as on Disney ) who was always around in the hallway but very discreet and kept our room immaculate and the Mini- Bar topped up ( more of this later ).

The thing I enjoyed most was the option of a FULL Drinks Package and I feel Disney miss out on this ( I know Disney do small packages for Water, Wine and Beers ) as MSC has various Drinks Packages like buying a All- Inclusive Drinks package or a Premium Drinks package or Vouchers for Drinks ( 18 I believe and you can add them during your cruise ). We purchased the Premium Drinks Package as we had a Birthday Celebration so splashed out, BUT the normal drinks package will be fine as they are branded names like Smirnoff, Bacardi, Bombay and Draft Beers. Premium for a little extra gave us Bottled Beers, top shelf spirits like Greygoose and Beluga Vodka, and Better Gin ( cannot remember the names just now ) and champagne by the glass and champagne cocktails and glasses of wine right up to $35 a glass. Also included in Premium was Specialty Coffees, all Cakes and Italian Ice-cream and the Mini-Bar in your room ( which had Top Branded minatures in including Whiskey, Gin and Vodka. four bottles of Lager, Six cans of Soda and one sparkling water and one normal water and nuts, chocolate covered nuts and Pringles. Free room service ( most food was free but charge to room for delivery and 15% gratuity ). Regarding the comments on 15% gratuity on ordering drinks it was included in your drinks package and Staff do benefit from the drinks package as I asked a few servers and they do "make a beeline to passengers who have the package". As they definitely benefit the servers and in our case they watched us like a hawk and when we had nearly finished our drinks they came over asking for our card to order another one without us even asking or gesturing to them. We found this arrangement fine and they would check your card, to see if you had the Premium package so you didn't occur extra charges for Premium drinks.

there was a few little small lows, as I do love Disney Cruises and they are so small that I do think that if they continue to listen and take onboard ( pardon the pun ) suggestions, they could be an even better Cruise line than Disney sailing from America.

So Lows.. I believe the food quality at Dinner in the restuarants could be improved slightly to match Disney, as Disney like to sell a " Dining Experience" but MSC seem to just think "it's time for Dinner " . The Service of Waiters was good but small thing like passing things across you to give to another diner and not having the table reset for us ( the 1st sitting was for 7 Diners and we were 4 so cutlery and glasses left on table getting in the way ).
Buffet food was fine, but hard to get a seat at times and all because of the Tables mostly being huge and set for 6/7 people. So if you are 2/3 or 4/5 people wanting to sit at these then 5/4 seats or 3/2 seats are unused and sharing was encouraged, but some Europeans would totally ignore you all through your mealtime and it felt uncomfortable.
Announcements in six different languages ... especially at 12 noon you know the ones about Sea Position, Depth of Sea, Weather temps etc etc always when sitting at Lunch and very loud and intrusive lasting a good 10 minutes

All minor things and frankly I found it quite hard to think of any lows to put down, but I know some dibbers are finding Disney a bit expensive and doing the same itineraries and Sailings so are maybe looking for different cruise lines and Iv'e tried to be honest.

We did here some Americans complaining about portion size, Buffet Seating and Waiter Service and not enough beds on deck for 4,300 passengers and various moaning at other things beyond MSC control. But refreshingly MSC do a Cruise Critic Forum ( you don't need to be a member of Cruise Critic ) on the first Sea Day to get feedback and suggestions so they can make enhancements.

So there you go a honest opinion on a new cruise line for us and I couldn't help but compare with Disney
Would I book again with MSC ? too right I would and I'm looking now for next year lol
Would I book again with Disney ( have 2 deposits on bookings next year ) not so sure now...

MSC has shown me that there are some competition out there for my £££'s or $$$'s and I have a welcome problem to choose which one or try Princess or Celebrity who have been mentioned on this cruise as being better than MSC and Disney and by people who have actually sailed on all four of them cruise lines ( also seems to be a lot of Americans I talked to looking for an alternative to Disney ).

So I'm going to try to find a MSC cruise that offers something different and compare with Princess and Celebrity on Itineraries, Price, and Entertainment on the Ship. I also do slightly prefer the smaller Ship's as 4,300 plus passengers was a tad to much for us, as sailing Disney Magic/Wonder who do around 2,300 was the norm.
I will also consider the better value DCL Transatlantic's but prefer warm weather so will hopefully get a MSC cruise next year and a DCL Tranny 2018 in warm weather

Mmmmm reading back, I still sound unsure on what I'll do regarding a cruise next year, but what I'm now not unsure on, is trying something different and I used to say " Disney do it Better " whether it is Theme Parks, Resorts, or Cruises but I'm not so sure now, wish me luck in finally making a choice in the next few weeks as I feel I will need it

[scarecrow]

Thanks for sharing your experience, as someone who swapped from DCL to CCL, yes there is a whole new world of cruising out there for a fraction of the price. I'm trying NCL next April for the first time. The Spirit which is similar in size to the Magic.

I have noticed that if you wait until the very last minute to book MSC the prices drop dramatically. I saw a 7 night cruise on the Divina last August in a balcony for £285.00 each. Downside was that the flights were £900 each

[kevbrydon]

Originally Posted by scarecrow

Thanks for sharing your experience, as someone who swapped from DCL to CCL, yes there is a whole new world of cruising out there for a fraction of the price. I'm trying NCL next April for the first time. The Spirit which is similar in size to the Magic.

I have noticed that if you wait until the very last minute to book MSC the prices drop dramatically. I saw a 7 night cruise on the Divina last August in a balcony for £285.00 each. Downside was that the flights were £900 each

See more...

Yes we spoke to a few UK people who had grabbed a bargain but flights and hotel costs were expensive... also NCL had a great price on their recent Transatlantic from Barcelona to Port Canaveral on the Epic in October

[Bats]

Glad you both had a good time.

Did you have to pay for extras like sports (I'm thinking table football etc), cinema, shows? I ask as my mum has sailed on various cruise lines, including NCL and RCC, she said what put her off was the fact that they had to pay for ten pin bowling or certain shows.

Cheers
Joa

[kevbrydon]

Hi Joa

no Cinema (which I did miss ) and ten pin bowling was free but only 2 lanes... Shows were free and vey good and only extras to pay was service tips $12 a day per person and anything you bought in the shops or played in the Casino and the Spa... we had the premium drinks package which covered everything apart from Bottles of Wine or Champagne but all you do is order it by the glass so approx 5 glasses was a bottle of wine ... normal drinks package would be fine as still named brands like Smirnoff, Bacardi, Bombay Gin .. draft beer ..soda's and normal coffee and tea... I cannot describe in words how beautiful the Ship actually was and even people who had sailed Celebrity & Princess said it was a fantastic ship but food on Celebrity & Princess was slightly better and more of a dining experience..

[abbiev]

Sounds great which is good news as we have just booked the msc seaside transatlantic next Dec 😃

[kevbrydon]

[kevbrydon]

Sorry but we are terrible about taking hardly any photos on Holiday but did take a few on my iPhone of Stateroom before putting phone in Safe lol

[stecee]

The room looks lovely and quite big too.

[CarolynU]

This looks absolutely lovely. I've never heard of this cruise line. I'm going to do some investigating!