The elegant MSC Divina is the newest and largest (4,000+ passengers) of the 12-ship fleet of the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC.) The MSC Company founded in 1970 is the second largest global cargo shipping company. The MSC cruise line, however, is still not familiar to most Americans. Originally called Fantasia, the ship was renamed Divina to honor Sophia Loren, the Godmother of the fleet. When the cruise line first began cruises in America, I attended a luncheon aboard the MSC Lirica that included a tour of the ship. The cleanliness and elegance of that ship so impressed me that I decided then to definitely cruise on an MSC ship in the future.

We planned our cruise on the MSC Divina a year ago when we booked it while onboard our 2013 MSC Poesia cruise. The 7-night roundtrip cruise from Miami, Florida, February 1-8, 2014 visited St. Maarten, San Juan, Puerto Rico and Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas. Our party of six traveled with a larger group of almost 800 Irishmen for tenor Andy Cooney’s Cruise of Irish Stars 2014. There was a real feeling of camaraderie among all of us. Many have cruised annually with this group - some for 8-10 years. It was fun meeting Jaime, sisters Eileen and Claire all from Ormond Beach and Francesca from the Villages in FL.

The drive from home on the day of sailing took around 3 ½ hours. After dropping off our vehicle at a convenient off-site parking garage, we took the complementary shuttle van to the terminal. We arrived at 12:30 and boarded the ship within mere minutes. We quickly headed up to the sumptuous buffet on Deck 14 for a light lunch. After 42 cruises, this was one of the smoothest embarkations ever. Our disembarkation went just as smoothly and swiftly. We utilized the Self-Assist Program of carrying off our own luggage. Read more