MSC Divina Review

4.0 / 5.0
1,915 reviews

WELL WORTH THE MONEY

Review for the Southern Caribbean Cruise on MSC Divina
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Asmilinwtch
10+ Cruises • Age 60s

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Sail Date: Dec 2016
Cabin: Interior Stateroom

MSC is a Mediterranean cruise line that currently has one ship sailing out of Miami (a new ship, the Seaside, will arrive in Jan 2018). We were skeptical about trying them since we had been on another Italian line, Costa, and were disappointed. Having cruised with MSC a few times, our son and his wife told us that we really should cruise on the DIVINA. MSC ran a special in Sept. For 7 nights, two people could cruise in an inside guarantee cabin for $798 plus taxes and fees. We prefer an inside and don't care where we are on the ship, so it was perfect for us. Besides, both of our sons had booked an inside guarantee on MSC, in Feb, and received a balcony cabin. Why not try? Free upgrades are great! It is our understanding, from chatting with other passengers, that an upgrade from an inside to a balcony happens frequently. We were assigned an interior cabin on that cruise which we were happy with. The ship was beautiful and we had such a great time that when they offered a 10 night on Dec 6, in an inside guarantee cabin for $998, we decided to go again.

The cruise went to Cartagena, Aruba, Curaçao, Grand Turk and Nassau. We generally don't buy our excursions on the ship. There are usually cheaper in port, but there is a big downside to doing so. If something happens that you are delayed (flat tire, traffic, etc.) the ship will not wait for you. You will be responsible for getting to the ship or home at your own expense. If you do decide to venture out on your own be sensible. Make sure how long you have in port and how long the tour takes. Don't cut it too close. Consider where you are and what the weather is like. It was pouring rain last time we were in Cartagena. We got a taxi to take us on a tour of the city anyway. Traffic was terrible. The streets were flooded. In some areas it was knee deep. To top things off, the taxi had a flat tire. Luckily, the tour itself was only two hours and we were in port for six hours. Even with all that we still had an hour and a half to spare. Carry your passport with you in case you would end up stranded in a different country. If you don't want to take a tour in Columbia, there is a gift shop a short walk from the ship. Around the outside of the gift shop you can see flamingos, black swans, macaws, parrots, iguanas and sometimes monkeys swinging through the trees. We have taken tours in Aruba and Curaçao to see the highlights of the islands. The beaches are beautiful. You'll need to take an excursion, tour or taxi to get to them. The beach, in Grand Turk, is right off the pier. As in most of the Caribbean, the water is clear and a beautiful blue. For $20 you can get two chairs and an umbrella for the length of your stay. Margaritaville is close to the beach and pier but there is another place a little further down the beach that is cheaper. Nassau had four ships in the day we arrived. We have been there a number of times so we stayed on ship. That is the best time to be onboard.

MSC does not open their terminal until 10:30 at the earliest. All full sized luggage must be checked before boarding the ship. You are not permitted to carry it on. There is no need to worry about where you are in line outside because once the doors open you are separated into 5 lines. Once your boarding pass and ID is checked, you proceed to security. They usually have 3 lines. After security, you take your boarding pass and ID to the counter to check in. They take your picture and give you your cruise card. Once on the ship, you set up your cruise account at a kiosk. Your account is active immediately, but you until the second day to set it up so don't worry if it is busy.

Cabin Review

Interior Stateroom

Cabin I2

Cabin was spacious with plenty of storage. The bed was comfortable.

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