This was our fourth cruise with MSC and third on Divina. To say it was a disappointment would be a serious understatement.

The disappointment started with embarkation. It appeared that the suggested "check-in times" assigned was nothing more than a suggestion. Huge crowds, made more restless by a four piece combo of some type whose only talent seemed to be trying to make more noise than the assembled guests. It was so loud and strident that some passengers got headaches from being in an interminable line to check in. Additionally, the MSC "greeters" assigned to point us to the correct ticket agent seemed like they had been trained in some Eastern block country - surly, peremptory and truly unfriendly. A nice "welcome aboard".

Upon boarding we found out that the ship was 100% full, totally booked. However, it seems that MSC didn't know that or didn't care since in every aspect the ship was understaffed. Service was extremely poor, whether in the restaurants (slow), bars (impossible) or Guest Relations (worse than impossible). Dining in the cafeteria was a struggle - not only was finding a table a trial but usually you had to eat at a table with the prior guest's dirty dishes. Finding anyone to clean the table was a work of art. Navigating the milling crowds at meal time was a challenge. Read more