Divina Yacht Club -- terrific buy, terrific trip

Let me start by explaining what the Yacht Club is. It is like an upscale enclave within a large (basically inexpensive) ship, with 75 cabins (about 150 people) and its own dining room, lounges, pools, balconied suites, free liquor, and more. Since the supplement for this more exclusive cocoon is a couple of thousand dollars (per cabin) over the very inexpensive cost for the week-long Caribbean cruise, you’re basically paying about half what you would on one of the small upscale ships. Since I’ve sailed with Seabourn, Sea Dream, Silver sea, Crystal, etc., I expected this to be about half as good. I was happily surprised This is a terrific ship and a wonderful buy, comparing well at a bargain price.

I never thought I’d say anything good about a large ship, but there really were advantages to being in one, especially while simultaneously being away from one. For one thing, the larger ship provides a much smoother sail. (Kind of like being in a small plane vs. a 747) You also have the advantage of superior entertainment, and the shows on the Divina were terrific -- only Crystal Cruises was better, and some of the upscale ships didn’t even have any real evening entertainment. Read more