MSC Divina Review
Inexpensive cruise with few quality moments and adequate cuisine
Rating by category
Additional details
Before my first MSC cruise on the Divina, I read the quite conflicting reviews on Cruise Critic. I was sailing for a leisurely dining- entertaining experience with only 3 ports close to Miami in 7 days. We received "Fantastica" status per MSC with larger room and balcony. We sought to enjoy the sun, fine dining and see the shows on a BOGO offer. The ports were secondary.
Over the seven days we found much hype from this Italian company was not true. The cruise proved a nice interlude at a basic level with few luxuries. The food was basic with a few bright moments. The cabins lacked any amenities seen with other cruise lines ( no robes, lotion or conditioner, fresh fruit, coffee maker, etc) The TV was quite small . Okay for a leisurely getaway but not a luxurious choice. The ship is large and swinging 3500 people from food to entertainment to port gangways makes busy crowded spaces.
The passengers were international and MSC played to that with five languages in announcements. Foods were diverse but no Asian or Indian dedication. Each meal had vegetarian options. large groups of Brazilians, Australians, Italians, Latins, Germans filled out the 3500 passengers plus children. Rumors stated there were 600 children on board. I saw about 100-120 children over the 7 days. The children program was dynamic and took the kids off on their own adventures and shows.
Cabin Review
Balcony Stateroom
When we got our cabin we stopped stunned by the approximately 170 sqft cabin with a 45 sq ft balcony. Small for a "deluxe upgrade". No dining on this balcony as it had two upright chairs and one foot stool. The bath had a small basin, toilet and shower. Water leaked from the shower which was small The doors of the shower bumped the toilet when you tried to open it all the way. Standard stock shampoo , body wash in dispenser and hand soap in the sink. The dispenser did not work as the screwed in bottle kept unscrewing it self. The overhang from the ships superstructure blocked us ever getting direct sun for enjoyment. We could not "sunbathe" in this balcony as it is shaded by the superstructure at ?deck 14.
Our steward proved unreliable although pleasant. Speaking only Spanish we pursued getting our bed arranged into two beds with great delays the first day. We never got fresh glasses and had the same glasses left partially full every day. Ice was not brought despite requests. He forgot to replace beach towels when wet . He took one of our clean dry towels on a beach day as he ran out of towels for other cabins.
The storage space was one hanging closet, one narrow vertical six drawer builtin , bed side tables, and two drawers in the desk/vanity
Two 110 electrical outlets-one worked. We brought a five outlet extension cord with circuit breaker