MSC Divina Review
MSC Divina was a wonderful Italian experience with diverse guests, great shows!
Rating by category
Additional details
I'm not sure why some people give the Divina such poor ratings - other than the fact that perhaps they thought they were on an American cruise ship and therefore had incorrect expectations to begin with. We had an absolutely fabulous time and would have no hesitation on going again.
We loved the international flair to this ship. We ate in the dining room for most of our meals and shared a table with Austrians, Germans, Ugandans, Australians, Bolivians, Brazilians as well as lots of New Yorkers living in Florida. We had a ball laughing at our own miscommunications and made some friends along the way! The announcements were in 5 languages, the first being English, and it was great to meet so many Italians (mostly crew).
The serving and cleaning staff were from Romania, Indonesia, Phillipines and Honduras. We found them all to be very polite, EXTREMELY hardworking and efficient. Unlike American waiters that hover over you and ask you every 5 seconds if everything is ok (most annoying when you're trying to have a private conversation), we found this style of server most welcome. Whenever we needed something, we raised a finger or caught their eye and someone immediately came to meet our need. Our water glasses were filled as soon as we sat down, and when we asked for a refill, we immediately received one. All the place settings have 2 stemmed glasses, but as we didn't drink wine, we just asked him to fill both glasses with water when the dining room started filling up and the waiters got much busier.
Cabin Review
Interior Stateroom
This was a square shaped cabin on a floor of rectangular cabins according to the map. It was a lovely cabin! It was very well laid out, we had ample room for 2 people, 2 suitcases under the bed, the storage was very generous. It was also very quiet, the crew alley was right next to us and we heard NOTHING for 7 days. We were very impressed with the efficient layout of the room, having cruised with other cruiselines which were awkward and cramped. The TV was clear, the fridge was cold, the hairdryer was in the drawer and had ample power. Overall, we were very pleased with this cabin.
The bathroom was also very efficiently laid out and did not feel cramped at all. The clear glass shower doors (not a curtain) opened inwards and that gave it a much more open feel. Water pressure was very good, shower gel and shampoo were in dispensers.
Port Reviews
St. Thomas
A minivan took us to the Mountain top, where we could see Magen' Bay, the British Virgin Islands and other islands. Then to Blackbeards Castle and a self guided walk around town. It was fun, although the driver didn't share much, it was great to see a bit of the island and not have to drive ourselves and navigate the roads.
San Juan
We took a mini van to the rain forest, the driver was GREAT - kept us laughing, showed us local sights, gave us 30 minutes to walk around the rain forest, and lots of advise about things to see in San Juan. We wandered around the old city ourselves, it felt very safe, prices were very reasonable and we think we might fly back to San Juan next year on our own personal vacation.
Miami
We drove to the port and got on the ship. Not impressed with Miami.