I have just returned from 7 days in paradise! Oh, yeah...the Caribbean ports were nice too :) I must say I chose to sail on the Divina purely on the basis of price. Admittedly, I was a little concerned reading some of the more negative reviews on the internet. But I shouldn't have been because we all had a wonderful time. Taking my 16 year old son and friend with me, we set sail out of Miami on Saturday evening. I have nothing good to say about my own personal embarkation as it was wrought with troubles, but it appears most other people were able to embark without difficulty. (Just hope you don't have to deal with the MSC employed immigration purser) The terminal does have free juice and water available and the average wait appeared to be about 30 minutes. We did spend some time in the Yacht Club lounge and it was wonderful service. Most of the terminal (including the lounge) is staffed with shore service employees of SMS Cruises and every single one of them I encountered was polite, helpful and professional. Now, on to the cruise experience:

The Divina is beautiful! Sparkling and shining in every aspect. The public areas are very tastefully decorated in a European style. The ship is laid out fairly well, once you get the point that there are some decks you can't get to from certain areas of the ship. We had a balcony cabin in the aft portion of the ship, on deck 10. This was great because the dining room, buffet and pools were all just off the elevators. The cabin itself was roomy enough for myself and two teenage boys. The shower was great as the doors actually swung in and out to make more room in the bathroom itself. Plenty of storage with 6 drawers in the closet as well as perhaps 20 hangers. 4 other drawers are available in the bedside tables. The sofa bed was the most comfortable sofa bed I have laid on, even if I gave it to one of the boys.

We ate 4 meals in the main dining room, The Villa Rosa. Such a beautiful place! The food was incredible and always way too much! You order an appetizer, soup, salad, pasta, and an entree, plus they bring different breads around throughout the meal. Of course there is dessert too, but we were always too full from dinner for dessert right away. The service was very good, they kept the courses coming as soon as you were completed with the prior course. Good attention to keeping your glasses full at all times, although I would have preferred more ice in my water. Other times and for breakfast and lunches we ate in the buffet. Again, the food was very good and always a decent choice. They always had hamburgers, hot dogs, french fries, and several different types of pizza. Different dishes of fish, beef, chicken and of course, pasta were offered daily. An endless collection of fresh fruits and salads was available. The desserts there were always tasty and well presented. Free ice cream was also available on deck from 2-5pm. Read more