We chose this cruise because a friend told us her husband found a good deal on a New Years Cruise. We have been on 29 cruises with another cruise line and thought it would be interesting and fun to try this line. If this had been our very first cruise ever, we would never go on another one. Embarkation was easy and quick. Our room was comfortable with a large corner balcony. But that’s where the positive ends. We discovered we were right below the buffet on the deck directly above us and we had to endure loud noises 24/7. Impossible to fall asleep. A maintenance worker told us they are setting up and tearing down constantly for meals. If that noise wasn’t bad enough, there were adults and children running through the hallway laughing and loudly talking, often in the middle of the night. A lady a few doors over told us she heard all the same noises. There were probably 500-600 kids on this cruise and 90% of them were undisciplined, running wild all around the ship, screaming and screeching. Why not take kids on a Disney Cruise! Food in the restaurant was barely warm at best, more often cold when served. Lobster was chewy, filet was not truly a filet mignon, tough, not tender. Couldn’t cut even with a steak knife. The buffet was set up crazy - for instance hot dogs, hamburgers in one area and the buns in another area. Kids running in and out of the lines, felt like they would knock us over. The ship was supposed to be non smoking except in the cigar lounge and one side of the pool deck. Even the casino was supposed to be completely non smoking but we found it to be half and half smoking and non smoking. No one is supposed to smoke in their cabin or on their balcony but we observed people smoking cigarettes and cigars - one person observed throwing a cigar butt into the sea which is prohibited. Tried to report it at the reception area and was rudely told he was closing - go tell some else. Told our cabin steward and he said he reported it to the authorities however the smokers continued to use their balconies to smoke throughout the cruise. We didn’t participate in shore excursions as we have been to all the same ports on other occasions. The entertainment in the theater was mostly musicals and operas. No variety. We visited the Le Serine bar several times and once there were children sitting on all the bar stools. Bartender said he couldn’t do anything about it. The bosses should handle it but no one did. Disembarkation was fairly simple as we have Global Entry. We were very happy to get off the Divina, go to our hotel and get some sleep. Read Less

Well firstly the on board entertainment/activities was very poor from the last cruise I was on...the entertainment does not last long for people who don't do excursions...I got very bored on the ship...there is it enough music and dancing at the pool area....some scheduledscheduled activities didnt even take place...the entertainmet staff is not engaging enough... The casino system is very bad with the ticket system ...one would think that money would be loaded onto your card..and like myself who was could unaware lost 60 euros cause i didnt print a ticket....and the casino couldn't even tell me who then took the ticket out of the machine ...I'm sure the casino staff are very aware of this over site and has collected many unclaimed tickets for them selfs...this ship is just about marketing on board to make me money off passsagers and less worried about the passengers enjoyment....the rule that all passangers sharing the all inclusive drinks package is a total indecation of this...my cabin partner was not a drinker so why do both need to make the purchase, I find that totaly unaceptable and gready of MSC to make more money... .other than that the ship itself is very good and the food is great.....and the lack of staff understandings English is not a good thing Read Less

Overall I rate our experience as poor. Here are some details. The entertainment shows, we felt had too much opera singing, it felt like it only appealed to a niche audience and didn’t appeal to the larger group. I think people were interested in seeing more flavorful acting, dancing and regular music from 50s, 60s or 70s, so we could sing along. We waited too long for waiter service, and throughout dinner he was continuously rude. Also the whole order of things seemed very disorganized, like an afterthought....extremely slow service. Also, sometimes people have custom requests, this seemed entirely impossible with your staff. Specifically when asking for salad or soup first, the wait staff seemed inflexible, and that made us feel more like a number and less like a valued customer. Then, when I tried to rent a movie in my room, more problems trying to stream it, unfortunately we were charged for movie that took two days to watch as it kept going off and the screen kept pixelating and freezing. We then went to the front desk to report about the movie problems. The desk staff refused to credit the fee, denying our problems, and also made us feel belittled...sayingthat we were the problem, insisting it played ok, almost accusing us of lying, which of course we would not. This made us feel uncomfortable and not happy or vacation like. Also we went for an off boat excursion, they took us out on a bus, but nobody was given any clear instructions on now to get back. How upsetting for the group of us. We soon realized, to our dismay that after the tour, we were stranded in a foreign country. A few us us decided to take a taxi to get back to the boat, at our own expense, which was terrible because it seemed appropriate the the bus would pick us up at the same place. The Who experience was full of stress, rudeness and disappointment. I hope you take this review to heart and improve your guest experience. Thanks for reading this. Read Less

MSC has major staffing problems, with the few dedicated souls trying to maintain an image of quality. Food arrived in dinning room an hour and a quarter after ordering an often cold and mixed up at the table. Then there was a push toget you out before next sitting. Coffee was never offered. The only decent coffee had to be bought and expensive.Meats were often inedible. Fish always an option.Drink packages prices were different from venue to venue and designed to push to more expensive bands. Reason for travel was the wonderful Jazz at sea program which MSC catered to well. The ship is in dire need of refit , cabins are full of worn stained furniture. Comments on sewage smells are accurate. No religious services were offered. Passenger management systems seemed efficient and polite. In the main staff were working hard but it was obvious management pushed for maximum profit not integrity of service. Read Less

Group I went with choose this cruise line. The ship was beautiful and the shows were great, however the service was poor and the food was bland, cold, and with little variety. At dinner they closed over half of the buffet. In the dinning room they were very inconsistent; butter and splenda not always available, service was very slow, bar service slow or not at all. The pizza was good however. The Meet and Mingle was very good with drinks and food and a picture. They nickel and dime you all cruise long. Tiny scoop of gelato for $4, paper drink coupons for non premium drinks, fee for use of the steam room/sauna, etc. MSC's web site is horrible, it freezes and fails to load. Its hard to navigate. Phone support is not very helpful and they are stressed out. The bar service around the ship needs training. Drinks made differently at each bar, some use larger glasses and different ingredients. I watched one guy order a beer with a lime and it took 10 minutes for him to get his beer and another 10 minutes to get his lime, he had to ask several times. The staff is obviously trained to tell customers we are out of stock instead of keeping supplies full or taking the time to get them. Overall I will not cruise with MSC again. Read Less

I only went on this cruise as part of a Singles Meetup group with 94 passengers going. Went to the Special Needs counter in the embarkation area of the terminal at the Port of Miami. Submitted my forms and received my ID card. Was never told to go to the Reception Desk on Deck 5 on board to insert my ID card into a card reader to give them my credit card details. I did not find this out until the end of the cruise when I got my invoice under my cabin door on disembarkation morning showing a cash payment due! This is the first I have ever heard of this procedure from MSC. All my other cruises asked for my credit card details at the embarkation counter before heading onto the ship. I immediately go check out my cabin on Deck 13. First impression was "Wow, this is a small cabin with a small balcony!" The cabin was only 148 square feet, which is quite small for a balcony cabin. The balcony was like 3 X 6! Good thing I booked this cabin as a single occupancy cabin at the 180% rate, because there is no way that two people could stay comfortably in this size cabin. I took up all the drawers. The drawers were so tiny that I had to roll my folded shirts up in order to get them in there! I then proceeded to the buffet on Deck 14. I put several entrees onto my plate. Tried one entree and it was practically cold. Tried the second one and that was cold, too. Must have tried at least six different entrees and they were all cold. Did not get my checked luggage into my cabin until 5:30pm for a 7:00pm sailing time when I boarded the ship at 1:45pm. Went to the Pantheon Theater first, then the second seating dinner with my Meetup group. Upon returning to my cabin that night my sheets were not turned down! Since I had paid the single occupancy rate at 180%, I got a $50.00 shipboard credit, but only 12 drink vouchers, since I had the Fantastica category cabin. I complained to the Reception Desk on the second day that I should have received 24 drink vouchers and not 12 because I had paid the single occupancy rate at 180%, which is like paying for two people. The lady said I paid for one person and would not give me the other 12 drink vouchers, even though she could see in the system that I got a $50.00 shipboard credit per cabin based on two paying passengers. I had also complained that my sheets were not turned down the first night and that I did see my cabin steward the following morning and that he was so overwhelmed and was sorry about it. I did not see either a water boy or a bus boy for our table in the main dining room. I had to ask for refills of water several times throughout the night. I asked for ice for my water and was given a soup bowl full of ice for the table. Everything was served lukewarm and tasted bland and dry. One night I ordered steak to be cooked medium. It came well done. Sent it back and it came in rare the second and third times. The fourth time it came medium! The bread rolls were soft, no hard crust and nothing impressive and the same rolls for seven nights. Every day at the buffet the food was served cold. Even a whole veal roast that just came out of the oven was cold and I asked the carver why and he checked the oven and said the temperature was turned off. Most of the desserts were the same every day during the cruise. All five whirlpools on the ship were not 37C or 98 degrees F! It was lukewarm and the pool attendant said it was because of the wind. Seriously? One side of the casino was for smoking and also one side of the Garden Pool on Deck 15 was for smoking as well. I found out from the Reception Desk that 50% of the passengers on this cruise were Americans and the other 50% came from 57 different countries. There were also about 300 children on board this Halloween cruise. I guess the parents took these children out of school to go on this cruise. The dining room menus were in multiple languages. The elevators had no directories posted inside to show where the different public rooms were and on which deck it was located on. The only good things that I could say about this ship was that the Divina was a beautiful ship and also that the shows in the Pantheon Theater were great. They were full production style shows every night with talented singers and dancers. However, there were some Italian songs sung opera style. There were no special effects during these shows and no real "wow" factor like the way Royal Caribbean puts on a show. Overall, this is really a European cruise line that does not really cater to the American market. None of the cruise staff really went out of their way to please and pamper their passengers. If you are looking for gourmet food, not "diner quality" food and exceptional service, go with either Princess or Celebrity Cruises. Read Less

My poor experiences began with the Voyager's Club matching program. Attempting to reach anyone regarding service was extremely difficult. The company created two Voyager Club accounts for me. One account at Silver Level and one at Gold Level. The Gold Level was correct and the Silver incorrect. Both utilized the same email and should have been a clue to the issue. The office paired my cruise with the Silver Level. They explained they could not change it after the pairing. I exchanged multiple emails and phone calls and there was "zero" help in having the correct account paired. I was hung up on once. (The representative said that she had a bad connection.) I used the website and requested multiple call backs. I never received requested call backs. In fact, they even accused the error on me, at one point. The website is a complete joke at maneuverability. The embarkation process was the smoothest of any cruise that we'd been on. But that's pretty much where the service ends. When we received our Cruise Cards, it did not have the "All Inclusive Drink Package," that was part of our Aurea booking. We went to Guest Relations and the representative noted that we would have to provide verification. Luckily, I brought verification but had to go to the room and retrieve the verification. Upon presenting it, we were told they'd need to confirm with the home office. I asked how long that would take. They did not know. I asked if I could receive a call that evening (first day of the cruise) and was assured that I could. That evening, we received a flyer that we'd "missed" muster. In fact, we made muster and I even had photos. So I called about the poorly worded letter that was addressed and left in our cabin. The attendant said just ignore it and did not apologize. I then asked about the new cruise cards. The representative said that I would have to come down to Guest Services. I explained that I just wanted a yes or a no. She said it had been resolved. I noted that I would be down the following day. Again, no apology for the Cruise Line's error. I must say that the lady that created our new tags did an amazing job in trying to correct for the lousy experiences that we'd previously had. She needs to train the rest of the Guest Services Staff. The food, on board, was the worst that I'd seen on any cruise line. It was bland and generally no flavor or bad flavor. There were usually only one chicken selection. My partner can't eat red meat and was limited to few things on the selection. Every day the breakfast selection was the same. It did not change in selections even once. I still can't figure out how fried vegetables ends up in the "healthy food" section. Cold items were normally warm and warm items were cold in the center. The buffet layout was a disaster. Guests did not use hand sanitizing stations. No one made them do it. Guests picked up food with their bare hands. Some took bites and put it back on the buffet. Some put spoons up to their nose and then replaced them in the serving platters. It was just poorly attended and monitored. In fact, people pushed and shoved and made the experience horrible. One evening, someone knocked a hot dog from my hand and it flew across the floor. It's like the guests had never seen food before. I started to clean the mess and a floor attendant came up to clean up. She was amazingly sweet. I apologized and she assured me it was not a problem. She then went to the front of the buffet and picked up a couple mustard packets that had fallen. That was spectacular service and was the best customer service experience that we'd had. I swear, you should have this young lady teach all the rest of the staff about customer service. Bar service was incredibly slow. 10 to 15 minutes to receive a drink. Bar tenders used the same shot glasses to mix different drinks. I never saw anything being washed or cleaned. The quickest service was at the back bar and that was still slow. The entertainment was from bizarre to great. I can't figure out why the Freddie Mercury tribute had opera singers and an aerialist. None of the voices had the power to represent Freddie's power. This show should have rocked but it was almost sleep inducing. In turn, the Michael Jackson tribute was amazing. Even though it was largely lip synched. It was awesome. The rest of the entertainment and the performers in the atrium were great. The itinerary listed above is wrong. It's reasonable that you changed venues because of the destruction in the Eastern Caribbean. What is not acceptable is that you made a stop on and in Jamaica. I was part of a group of 300+ gay guests. And the cruise line thought it was appropriate to stop at an island that is so adversarial to anyone that this LGBT? How does that even happen? You took a ship that contained many gay people to an island where Homosexuality is still illegal. This was a fail in planning and execution. Something out of your control was the rudeness of the majority of the guests on board. I think calling them rude is giving them the benefit of the doubt as many were simply nasty. It was so bad that we preferred to walk the cabin decks as opposed to level 14 as it limited contact with people pushing and shoving and being horrible to each other. To add insult to injury, people using strollers made tight spaces even worse and not one apologized for taking up so much room and space. I would like to point out, it was rather inappropriate for crew members to assume that our group was responsible for indecency in the steam room. Your staff learned that the perpetrators had nothing to do with our group. Shame on you for making assumptions. Our cabin attendant was very nice and attentive. There was nothing extra or unexpected but he did a good job keeping the cabin clean. I still don't know why it was so difficult to have wash rags in the cabin. Apparently, it's a European thing. All in all, I can't see recommending MSC to anyone. As someone who has been on many cruises, this left a bad impression on me and on many of the others. I would recommend that your company start with basic customer service classes. Just start at the basic level. Then move on to food safety and preparation. That is the least that we should expect from a cruise. I wish you luck, but I don't think we'll ever be on another MSC ship. Read Less

Holistic Cruise: From the time we embarked it was disorganized. My room card did not work. I got the run around trying to get it activated. We had to run around the ship to get our drink cards, excursion tickets etc. The dining facilities that were supposed to be open were often closed. The vegan dining staff, waiters, buffet manager were rude overall. The vegan buffet was horrible and limited to a few entrees and fruit. Nearly all of the vegan food was seasoned with excessive "mint"or just plain bland. There are many delicious vegan dishes but unfortunately MSC staff does not know how to cook Vegan meals properly. Limited hours to access the vegan buffet. If you came back late from a cruise. Your choice of food was french fries or tomato plastered pizza crust. The meeting points to get to our excursions were very unorganized. We wasted a lot of time waiting around. This cut back substantially on the time we got to enjoy our excursions. The excursions were nice but were not associated with MSC. The vegan and holistic lectures were great. Our room attendants Hussain and Oliver were great. I will not attend any MSC cruises in the future. Norwegian is the best choice. Read Less

Embarkation for wheelchair needs was chaotic. The person responsible for getting the wheelchair assistance needs to hold up a sign.The ship is beautiful, though safety is an issue when it comes to stairs all over the place on the ship. This is most noticeable in the theater and some lounges. The cabin was well maintained and plenty large enough for the two of us. We never saw our cabin steward when we first arrived and he never introduced himself until the next day. He was prompt in making up the room when we put out the sign. Dining was a disaster. This was my four trip on Divina and a number of things have changed. It was hard to get drinks before, during or after the dinner. The service was slow and the waiter missed or was late in bringing many items during to the table during the meal. He was very rushed, never introduced himself or his assistant waiter, food was lukewarm and not cooked as ordered. We finish our meals in 2 hours or more on most nights. What was an included shrimp cocktail at dinner is now $6.95 if you want one and there is no longer lobster served on the second formal night. The entertainment on the ship was okay. Service was as noted above for dining and cabin. Guest Services was attentive to needs but inconsistent....some guests were dismissed without answers to their questions. I never got off of the ship because I got sick and needed to go to Medical. They were excellent and took care of the problem with IV and medicine. We did not travel with children. I would go on Divina again, but my husband, who doesn't care that much for cruising, would not choose Divina again. The cruise line is working very hard to make this a premier ship and I am sure they will get there. It takes time to get the American way down pat. Read Less

We choose this cruise because 300 people from our community were going. We usually go on 2 cruises a year. Embarkation was good, but disembarkation was a disaster at the Miami port. Ship was clean, but too many small places. There would be a piano bar singer with 1000 people trying to see them. Seldom could you get a pool chair. Everyone wanting the same pool. The nightly entertainment was fantastic. We were disappointed in the food. It was ok, not fantastic as we were lead to believe Yet one excursion did not deliver as advertised. It was the speed boat lobster lunch and day at the beach costing $115 each. We spent 3 hours waiting or being transported on a catamaran; after lunch we got 20 minutes on the beach. When we went to the excursion desk only to finally after 3 visits, to get offer a 20% discount. -- a slam in the face! The other excursion a snorkeling -- the water was cold and murky. At the end, we had to wait 45 minutes for someone on the Divina to let us on the ship. The shops and goods were very expensive. The pool shop were everything was $10 was the busiest place on the ship. Got a terrible hair cut from a new stylist that had been on the ship one month. Hair salon refunded my money. Read Less

This cruise was selected by Jazzfest at Sea. I'll start with the good stuff: • Our room with the balcony was very nice, clean and well taken care of by the steward. • Overall staff is very friendly and helpful, with a good attitude. • The venue for the Jazzfest at Sea (the Black and White Lounge) was excellent for the purpose. • There was adequate staffing at the reception desks and tour desk, so wait times there weren’t bothersome except at absolute peak times. Even then, there were representatives circulating near the lines to help speed up minor requests - kudos for this. • Wait staff in the Villa Rossa dining room were hard working and friendly. • Cost is reasonably good value, especially for a balcony stateroom. We loved our balcony and it allowed us to comfortably get away from the commotion on the rest of the ship. The bad stuff: Overall, if this were my first cruise it would be my last. CROWDING – I’ve never been on a ship this big. It just has too many people for the available public areas. • People are always “in your face”. • There’s lots of shoving. People were very aggressive and rude. Most of the American’s we talked to said they were very unhappy with the way they were treated by other passengers, blaming it on European culture. I don't think that's fair, as I've traveled many times in Europe without feeling that way. Maybe it’s just the number of people crammed into a small space. But it’s certainly a perception we heard from many. • Elevators are insufficient, especially the glass elevators by the lobby, which seem to be smaller than the others. My wife was elbowed out of one elevator and people rush them without waiting in line. • Crowding in the buffet is awful. Again, people don’t wait in line but just push up to whatever location they want, including pushing other passengers out of the way (pigs at the feeding trough!). I normally like cruise ship buffets but after our first experience we avoided it except when getting salad for lunch, and then we avoided peak times. • Tables in the buffet are close together, making it hard to get to them. People are constantly pushing you out of the way to sit down and circulation is difficult. Even so there weren’t enough tables at peak times. (Chairs are also close in the formal dining rooms, making it hard to get to your seat and hard on staff; but since a lot of people don't use their assigned seats there the circulation problem isn't as bad.). • There is so much demand for loungers by the pool they are unavailable except when most passengers are off the ship during port calls. Anyway, music by the water park is so loud, we didn’t want to sit there (except during port calls when there is no poolside entertainment). The alternative is the loungers near the pool at the stern, but there people are smoking. BOARDING: A TRUE HORROR SHOW!!! • Boarding was a three hour wait, all of it on our feet. • Much of that time was outside in the Miami heat. • There were no crew or service people outside to provide explanation of the delay or help. There was no water and limited shade outside. (there was a steward offering water in a nearly-hidden location in the terminal by the elevators, after completing the registration process. Why wasn’t this guy, and others, outside helping people in the heat?) • Jazzfest had said we could start through the registration and boarding process before noon. However, MSC didn’t actually open the doors until much later (2pm?). • Once we were inside the departure terminal there was a sign saying that the wait was due to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement delaying previous deboarding. This was a permanent sign – if this was a one-time event why is there a permanent sign at the entrance? • We heard four different stories about why the delay (ICE delays, police action, illegal drugs found on the boat, etc.) Showing that the staff involved were really ignorant of what was going on. • Afterwards MSC made no mention of the boarding problems, nor any apology. There was no compensation for the long wait. (Overall, I get the impression that the hard-working front line service staff are a lot more concerned with passenger comfort than management). • Why couldn’t MSC provide places to sit and call us by number, rather than force everyone to stand in line for hours? We ended up with swollen, painful feet that affected the rest of the trip. DEBARKING • Again, there were unexpected delays. Our group didn't leave the assembly area in the Pantheon theater until 40 minutes after the announced time (which was itself much later than we'd expected). The announcement given when we were released was that our luggage was now available for pickup, so I assume the delay is due to luggage handling. • As a result, we barely made our flight. We’d been told by the group that booked our cruise and air tickets that, with a 7am arrival and 12:30 pm flight, there’d be plenty of time to get from the Miami cruise terminal to Fort Lauderdale airport. • MSC, aware of our flight time, didn’t prioritize our debarking. • The night before debarking, MSC distributed papers saying we should expect long delays due to U.S. ICE. We noted there was an extremely long line for non-US nationals to get through ICE. We (US citizens) were able to get through Immigration in just a few minutes after retrieving our baggage; actually much faster than most immigration/customs entries I’ve done in the U.S. So our delay wasn't due to Immigration. • There were insufficient buses to get to the Fort Lauderdale airport, and the bus that left just as we came out of the building was a small one, not a full size coach. The staff said it would be a 20 minute wait for the next bus and didn’t know what time it would actually leave. They didn’t want to admit that we would probably miss our flight, but wouldn’t commit we would make it. • So we had to take Uber and barely made our flight. Leaving us with two worthless prepaid vouchers for this bus trip. Port calls • As far as we could tell, there were no briefings or descriptions of the ports, history and culture, sights to see, etc. Nor was there anyone we could identify as having this knowledge and being available to the passengers for consultation. A very big contrast to our experience on other cruises. • While the tour desk had some knowledge of the tours themselves, they didn’t know much about the ports, (historic and cultural sites, good or unusual places to eat, local specialty foods, etc.) • As an example of this, we had wanted to see the historic synagogue in Willemstad, but didn’t find out until we tried to enter that it was closed on Sunday and the only way to have seen it was to book the tour with the Ship. Had we known we would have booked that tour. Entertainment: • Don’t go expecting to enjoy music. Volumes in all venues was turned up so loud it is just incomprehensible screeching. • Many of the music venues seem to be located on travel paths, meaning there are a lot of people walking through, talking and raising the overall volume. • The only lower volume music was in the lobby by the reception desks; again a busy area where there’s too much traffic to enjoy the music. • Pantheon theater productions were also way too loud. The volume and distortion turned opera singing into screaming (any good opera singer doesn’t need amplification to be heard). (Makes me wonder if MSC employees make comp claims for hearing loss). • After the first few Pantheon shows we concluded they were pretty much the same with different costumes. Apart from a bit of opera, there was no variety in the type of shows (magic, local cultural performances, etc.) as we have seen on other cruises. • “Edge lights” (LED strips) on the steps in the Pantheon: These are so bright as to be blinding. Instead of making the steps safer, they make you avoid looking at the steps so it is easier to trip. Food: • Food was generally well prepared, though sometimes meat was overcooked. • Service in the formal dining rooms was good; this staff really works hard. • Fruit was readily available in the buffet. Salads were generally good. • Food was not overly salty. • But food selections were also not diverse, they were sort of standard, uninspired "institutional" cruise ship fare. For example, there were no (or only one) Asian selections in the buffet. I don't recall any Asian or Latin American selections on the menu in the dining rooms. Other cruises I've been on featured dishes from the areas we were visiting. • Flavorings were generally bland and lacked zest. • The breakfast buffet had the same offerings (eggs, pork, bread) at five or six stations. We found an area at one end of the very long buffet that offered fruit and another at the opposite end with some variety of cheeses. Again we found no Asian food (except for some Congee which had limited toppings). • There was insufficient staff to help – on other cruises we’ve been on, staff have helped carry trays, find seating, and get drinks and coffee for guests. Guests, including those with handicaps, seem to be totally on their own in the buffet. • We didn't make it to the buffet at midnight, but at 11pm the late buffet is just pizza and leftovers from the day. • Other cruises we’ve been on have had special events on the deck by the pool involving specialty foods from the area we were cruising in, such as Asian, South American. There appeared to be none of this on Divina. • There are a lot of specialty extra-cost restaurants on the Divina. We didn’t try them. Constant Selling • Most cruises are trying to sell merchandise, but it is really obtrusive on the Divina. • Public areas and aisleways were often narrowed with sales displays. Surprising because I’d think this is a safety violation. But it adds to the sense of being crowded. • The shopping “advisor” was primarily a shill for Diamonds International. He didn’t know much about the ports except where the high-end jewelry stores are. We saw him at the DI store in Willemstad, obviously being hosted by the staff there. We asked him about some things we wanted to buy while in port and he had no idea whether or where the items could be purchased. He showed no real expertise as to best prices, local crafts and art, etc. Finally, we didn’t see ship’s officers circulating nor eating at the buffet or in the dining room or boarding/debarking area. This is much different from other cruises we’ve been on where officers, up to the Captain, are often in evidence. While a lot of the problems involve the design and passenger load of this ship, perhaps some problems would be identified and corrected through “management by walking around”. Read Less

I and my son took that cruise starting July 2nd, ending July 5th, departing from Port of Miami, cruising to Port Canaveral and Nassau, Bahamas, returning to Miami. The good thing about the cruise was that I bought an inside cabin and they put us at a balcony cabin at the 11th deck. First they do not informed us the time we are allowed to embark. Only the time of the ship departure. Later we learned that we could have embarked from noon and the restaurants would open at 2:30PM. We embarked at 4:00PM and the ship would depart at 7:00PM on the dot. The ship is enormous with a length of more than 1,000 feet with 16 decks and capacity for more than 4,000 passengers and 1,400 crew members. Due to the crowd filling anytime the food deck on the 14th floor it was difficult to serve with calm and expect to stay some time at the lines. It was hard to serve with quiet and calm and everyone seemed to be in a hurry. The waste of food is very huge. The ship is luxurious with several restaurants. Be prepared for lunch and dinner in the scheduled hours of your shift, because the delays are not well received by the crew. The ship has a good casino and a marvelous and enormous theater with very good presentations every night. Now the bad things with the cruise: Most of the passengers without any education that do not respect the right of others; the water at the pools are discomfortable and very hot; very tight schedules for everything on board with no options; very few options for beverage with no payment, for instance, you will only get free orange juice at lunch hours at the 14th deck. At other times you have to pay for everything besides coffee, milk, water and tea. The disembarkation time was very tight as we have to let the cabin exactly at up to 7:00AM. Due to that, and the hurry, the worst happened. I missed my small light gray belly pouch with 1,200 dollars inside all in 20 dollar bill on the bed, inside the cabin. As soon as I discovered the loss, after disembarking, I came back to the port and asked for assistance from a MSC representative at the ship exit, at 9:00AM, indicating my cabin 11206, but she reported that nothing was found. I don't understand how they can take a small bag with money, closed, with two zippers and haven't delivered it to the lost and found department. I've claimed to the MSC Cruises and the Cruises Direct by email and phone, without any positive result. Unfortunately I do not recommend these cruises to middle-aged people. The maid who was in charge of my cabin was the only person who had access to it after my departure at 7:00AM. So that cruise was very unfortunate to me, a true nightmare. Read Less

This was our fifth cruise, first with MSC, all the rest on RCC. In contrast to the Def Leopard concert that was on before our cruise, we were on a KLOVE (Christian Music) cruise and the whole ship was there for that purpose. NEGATIVES: Where this line seemed to lack was their organization for moving large groups of people around throughout the ship. Lack of communication to the passengers. They seemed to be working on a skeleton crew. Long lines to wait in for food/service which seemed to be the norm. Food in buffet was ok and our Dining Room staff, although they did a great job, the food was boring, no eye appeal or taste. We eat gluten free, so there was a lack of choice at dinner. Just chocolate ice cream and sometimes another dry cake-like dessert. The buffet seemed have better choice for gluten free, but we were guessing on some of it. Really, with all that said, my biggest BIGGEST gripe was that they must have decided that the Perfumery shop wasn't getting enough foot traffic, so they moved a large table of perfumes out in the open centrum. By day three, the whole ship, except for the pool deck and the Villa Rosa smelled like PERFUME!!!! It was obnoxious!!! I watched the staff person spray three full sprays on a sample card and waft it dry. I could imagine the carpet was permeated and anyone walking through was getting their daily dose plus of it. I'm not even chemically sensitive, but it was the worse practice I've seen anywhere. I couldn't wait to get off the ship. We could even smell it in our 13th deck cabin. The Pantheon Theater was saturated with it and that was where the concerts were held. Beware! The Editors review was nice, but the whole ship is dark. Gray, silver tones throughout and dark cabin doors really made the ship seem smaller. The mirrors and repeating decor made every turn in the ship seem confusing and with the tight corridors and tons of people, it made for a stuffy ship. Corridors were like a labyrinth. Not enough deck chairs it seemed. Stacks of loungers in the corner and people walking around looking for an open spot (and yes, I know to get on pool deck early). I have to agree with another reviewer, no lounge chairs in the solarium area, just tables and chairs. Tough language barrier with staff throughout the ship, even more than usual. Not too many smiles from the staff unlike RCC. Strange, there was a lack of presence of the head crew of the ship. Usually we hear announcements from the captain sometime during, nothing in the daily planner either about who is driving and who the big wigs on board are. Maybe it's a European thing? MSC chose to use the lifeboats as tenders while we were on Cayman. Not a smooth trip what so ever on choppy waters. There was some scuttlebutt that it was to save money by not using the Island Ferry's. The ferry's are larger and you feel less of the choppy. I'd heard about some interesting and even dangerous stories about people getting on/off them that day. POSITIVES: We had good service from our wait staff in Villa Rosa. Nice wine selection, and the way they did their wine package was good. Our cabin attendant was good. They have a killer gelato (which is probably not gluten free). We felt it was a very clean ship, there was always someone seen cleaning. Smooth embark/disembarkation. Read Less

On the Divina on a recent rock cruise. Been on lots of cruises but first with msc. As it was a specialist cruise, clearly did not have any choice of ship. Have to say I would not go with msc unless i had to. They simply don't compare to the other cruise lines eg celebrity, Royal Caribbean and princess. Bad points- -Customer service prior to the cruise was non existent. Still waiting for responses to my two emails and the request for a call back ! Come on msc-that's just common decency ! -arrived at the private island and they would not let us get off. It was bad weather fair enough, but they could have stayed for a bit longer to see if it cleared up or even taken us to another port. Instead they just upped and left. Other cruise lines would have done some form of small gesture for this eg not charge the service fee for that day but msc did nothing. -The staff on the ship are ok but not to the standard of other cruise lines. The steward did not come and introduce herself as they usually do, the staff don't say good morning etc. -the cleanliness is not there, no staff at the buffet entrances getting you to use the dispenser so most people did not bother. The toilets were not regularly cleaned throughout the day. Glasses left everywhere the following morning. -There are mirrors everywhere ! Seriously you would not believe, it's not nice -Bar service very very slow. -saw a female staff member shouting at a young male staff member -really laying into him in front of all the customers. You would never get that with other cruise lines. -There is a nice indoor pool but no sunbeds meaning you can't actually stay in there. Only tables and chairs. Very odd. Positives -To be fair the divina is beautiful. The buffet food was ok but not much variety. The pool was nice. But that's where the positivity ends. Sorry msc but you are not in the same class as other cruise lines and would not sail with you again. Nb -the non rock cruisers (half the ship) were not informed of that half the ship would be rockers ! How bad is that ! Read Less

This was a bust from start to finish. We traveled with a group of 35 people, and not one person liked this ship or cruise line. First of all their website sucks. Check-in was a nightmare. My husband and I were supposed to have priority boarding, but they kept miss directing us. We got to the entrance of the ship, and they had given us the wrong cruise cards. I then had to fight the crowds to get back to the desk. I found the décor of the ship to be gaudy. The décor is smoke and mirrors. The food is horrible. They tried to serve us half cooked bacon at breakfast on the first day. They didn't serve brewed decaf coffee in the dining rooms. Brewed decaf was, only, available in the buffet. You could get smoked salmon in the dining room, but not in the buffet. Many of our meals were left uneaten or returned to the kitchen. Our cabin steward was mia on many occasions. We they are very rude. returned from an excursion day at the beach, and of course we had to shower and change to go to dinner. Our room was not cleaned, and no clean towels were left. I had to call and complain in order for the room to be cleaned. This cruise line attracts a lot of Europeans, and they are very rude. In fact this line caters much more to the European taste rather than American. We were on a Caribbean cruise and never heard any Caribbean music played on the ship. No steelband. No deck parties. Thankfully, we had paid for the drink package. The bar staff was very pleasant. The pools and hot tubs were decent. All in all, I couldn't wait for this cruise to be over. Read Less

First, the website is horrendous and customer service representatives are downright nasty. We booked the Divina for a Med cruise in 2014 for this year. We were all excited as we were a group of 11. Everyone got the Premium drink package so we didn't have to worry about anything, yes it was worth it. Boarding in Barcelona went off fairly well as there were 800 persons boarding there. We went to the service desk once on board to validate we all had the drink packages. We found out that the the persons whom the rooms were booked under did NOT have the package on their cards, the rep was helpful and they had to reissue us 5 new cards, strike one. Once we got done there we went to the pool bar and sat at the bar. There was one bartender whom was not only not very enthused about being there, he also basically ignored us. We had to get a member of the waitstaff to order our drinks from Igor, we nicknamed him, strike two. We then hit the buffet real quick as we were hungry, food was edible not up to Carnival quality, strike three. We got into the cabins which were nice and roomy. The cabin stewards were fantastic and very accommodating for the entire cruise. We checked out the steak house as we were looking to go to a specialty restaurant while on board, it looked like Johnny Rockets so we passed, strike four. The public restrooms are few and with minimal facilities. We spent quite a bit of time going back to the cabin. WE had late seating, 9:30, in the dining room. Cannot say enough about the staff. They took good care of us. The food was a different story. Nothing to brag about. Day at sea was uneventful, went to the second pool bar and found a fantastic bartender and stuck with him for the next 6 days. Booked an English speaking tour through MSC for Capri, Sorrento and Pompeii. It was a mess, they added a Spanish speaking group from another bus, they over booked that group, made us miss half of the sites. The tour guide didn't have the tickets for the two ferries needed nor the cable car on Capri. It took an hour just get on the cable car. The lunch in Sorrento was good, but that was all we saw of Sorrento. Same problem in Pompeii, the tour guide spent half her time doing two interpretations, strike five. In Rome we had a private tour operator take us around so they couldn't screw that up. They cancelled the Pisa-Tuscanny winery tour with a poor explanation, at the last second and left us hanging. We got 2 cabs and off we went. Disembarking in Barcelona went well. We have zero intentions on sailing MSC ever again. Read Less

This was my third cruise and by far the worst. I have previously traveled Royal Caribbean and Carnival and both experiences were great. When we checked in to board the ship, our room was changed and the check in staff could not give me a reason why. Our bags were already labeled with the previous room number so we had to go immediately to guest services (my first of about 100 visits to guest services). I informed them that all of my bags would go to the wrong destination and they assured me they would fix this. When all was said and done, one bag showed up 5 hours later, two went to the wrong room (which I had to go personally retrieve), and one went missing all together. Over the next 5 nights, I stopped by the guest services desk to handle the missing bag. It wasn't until my 6th visit that anyone even mentioned filling out a "lost luggage claim form." I informed them that my toothpaste, lotion, and other toiletries had gone missing with the bag and they gave me a 1 mL tube of tooth paste with a tooth brush and a double XL tee shirt. The store on the ship did not open until the 5th night and didnt have medicine until the 6th night. The customer service staff were unhelpful and noone seemed to know what to do. The line was constantly full of unhappy customers and everyone only seemed unhappier after leaving the desk. I do not blame MSC divina for losing my bag, it was most likely stolen at the port; but their lack of customer service and unwillingness to help was a daily headache. All I needed was a receipt from them so I could file an insurance claim and that took multiple phone calls, multiple desk visits, and multiple headaches. When I boarded the ship, my room was still dirty. My mini fridge was unstocked and had food crumbs and spilled soda in it, the tables had visable water stains and finger prints on the tables. My shower looked like it had been cleaned at waist level and above only and there was more than one long black hair on the wall. The front desk said they would send someone when they had free time. The gentleman responsible for cleaning my room was also responsible for unloading and delivering all the bags, therefore he did not have time to come. He was very polite but seemed very overworked. The staff just seemed disorganized. I would purchase one plan to eat at a restaurant and that particular restaurant would have never even heard of the deal (the staff called that restaurant's manager and he also had no idea about the deal or how it worked). The staff at the excursion office knew nothing about the excursions and were also unhelpful. In general the common areas of the ship were clean. The ship was new with beautiful bars, a nice pool. The gourmet restaurants were delicious and the buffet was up to par with any other cruise ship buffet. The nightly entertainment was wonderful. All of the bar, restaurant, and othe staff were extremely kind. This ship has so much potential but I would never take MSC ever again due to the terrible management. Read Less

My husband and I sailed on a theme-based cruise (Monsters of Rock) so we did not pick the cruise line. Having only cruised once previously (and many years ago), we went with no expectations. We had high hopes for this Italian-based line - especially the food. How completely disappointing it was to find out MSC thinks that hamburgers (with processed cheese), hot dogs, french fries and pizza are an every day staple. I felt like I was reliving my high school cafeteria days! And this was lunch AND dinner every single day, and it took up half the buffet. And everything had pork in it. Guess what? Not everyone can eat pork. Of course there were 2-3 different types of pasta available - but all taste the same, and was mushy (not al dente) and cold. As a matter of fact nothing cooked stayed hot - only the weather stayed hot. Trays were left empty of food - just scraps left - even though MSC boasts having food all day. 1 of 6 specialty restaurants were open - only 1!! Guest Services and bartenders did not understand English so we had a difficult time with service in general. Upon arrival, the safe displayed an Error1 message when inputting a code. Had to walk around with our Passports until the evening because it took 4 phone calls to get someone to the room. Body wash is supplied for showering but every day the used wash clothes would be removed and not replaced. Again, language barriers. Sink ran out of hand soap by Day 3. Called 3 times to have it filled - and then they sent someone to fix the dispenser, not fill it. Most surprising were the public washrooms. There was astroturf taped to all the floors. Yes, ASTROTURF. In the Men's washrooms???!!? Absolutely disgusting. And how hygenic can that be?!?!? Thank God for the Artist line-up and fellow MORCruisers. They made our cruise a trip of a lifetime! Read Less

My husband and I got off the Divina this morning, and for once I was happy a cruise ended. The good points: 1. Great shows!!! There was a good variety of themes and the performers were terrific!!! 2. Great cabin steward 3. Excellent pizza!!! 4. Hardly any ship wide announcements The not-so-good points: 1. Poor disembarkation: not only were we still pulling into port at 7:30, there were no announcements to let us know what was going on. We were self-assist, and part of the first group that got off -- at 8:30!!! 2. I fully expect there to be a Norovirus outbreak soon. Not only were only a few hand sanitizers working or filled, but they were optional, and most people opted out. I didn't eat anything I had to pick up with my hands, only a knife and fork. 3. Some of the décor was good, but most was so gaudy, I couldn't believe it!!! The atrium stairs are filled with lights and Swarovski crystals -- don't look at them if you value your eyesight!!! 4. The most uncomfortable pillows I've had on a ship -- I'm not sure if they were filled with rice or wheat, but they crackled when I put my head down. 5. Except for the pizza, the food was hit or miss, and even when the flavor was good, it was seldom the correct temperature. This applied to both the buffet and the dining room. I didn't get a cup of soup that was hot until the last night. Some cabins got a survey form the second day of the cruise and I complained about the food temperature. I got a call the fifth day asking if I had noticed a difference, and I said no. 6. The theater shows were amazing, but the seats were very narrow; at least they didn't recline like some cruise line's. Each balcony row had a rail that was at eye level when seated. 7. There weren't a lot of activities, perhaps because of the many different nationalities on board the language difference was a factor. The safety briefing was given in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese!!! Read Less

My spouse and I had been on 5 previous cruises. We had been on enjoyed cruises with both Carnival and Royal Caribbean. We found that Carnival was fine if we were traveling with other family members that had children but Royal Caribbean had much better activities since they had bigger ships with rock walls, ice skating rinks, huge promenades, and both a higher quantity and higher quality of entertainers. For us, the food was comparable on Carnival and RC and the cabins were also about the same size. Our favorite ship had been Royal Caribbean's "Allure of the Seas." The only reason that we chose the MSC Divina this time was because it had been chartered by RSVP Vacations for a gay cruise and we had never been on a gay cruise and wanted to try one. RSVP was incredible but MSC lacked in several ways. On our first Carnival cruise, we were really impressed with the bedding in our cabin. The pillows and comforters just felt luxurious. The bedding was so good that it was available to buy on the ship! On each of the ships we were on after that, we never had issues with the bedding. All the ships were comfortable. We were very surprised to find MSC pillows felt like pillow cases filled with rags. It wasn't just one pillow in the room that was defective. ALL the pillows were lumpy and uncomfortable. Divina also had the smallest cabin of any cruise we had ever been on. We have always got a balcony cabin and both Carnival and RC balcony cabins have two single beds that can be put together and then a couch that can be folded out into another bed if there are three in the cabin. We were impressed on our first cruise with Carnival that, besides providing shampoo and body wash, they also provided small samples of toothpaste and other toiletries which was a nice touch. Our cabin on MSC had no sitting area. The only place to sit inside the cabin was on the beds themselves. The steward for our room was as nice as any we have had although this was the first time we were on a cruise with no towel animals or chocolate on our pillows or some small extra touch. The room was kept clean and fresh towels provided but nothing that felt "extra." The food on MSC Divina definitely seemed more mediocre than either Carnival or RC. To be honest, I am not a big fan of buffets where hundreds of people are serving themselves anyway. I took Microbiology in college and I always feel a little hesitant about cruise buffets where passengers are handling the utensils after sneezing or coughing into their hands and then they lay the utensils across the food itself. This has been common on every cruise we have taken. Apparently it doesn't bother everybody. Over time, it does seem like there has been more of an emphasis on using hand sanitizer as one enters the buffet but not everyone uses it and even though YOUR hands may be clean initially, after you have handled the utensils that a hundred other people have handled before you, your hands end up contaminated with every cold and flu virus or norwalk virus that someone before you was carrying. Unless you wash your hands again AFTER handling the contaminated utensils, you are still putting yourself at risk. I think this is why cruise ships are notorious for spreading such things like Noro virus. At the minimum, there should be plates on which the utensils are laid and signs directing passengers not to lay the utensils on top of the food after handling. Handing out disposable gloves at beginning of buffet line might help. Ultimately, it is best that only one or two people handle the serving utensils and passengers be served by staff. Add children into the mix and buffets are a little gross as far as I'm concerned, but I am digressing. One of my favorite things on the Allure was all the alternatives to eating at the buffet. There were plenty of alternative restaurants where one could be served. The MSC did have some alternative restaurants but all for paying extra except for the Black Crab and Villa Rosa. If neither of those two were open, you were pretty much stuck with either paying extra or eating at the buffet. Thankfully, there were no children on the cruise and I could only hope that these adults were more careful about washing their hands and basic hygiene. I was still careful to always try to reach back to the back of steam table where utensils had not laid across the food. The real problem was the repetitive dishes they offered. At EVERY buffet other than breakfast, there were warmed over hamburgers and cheeseburgers under heating lamps and pizza under heating lamps. We were so sick of hamburgers and pizza by the third day!! Breakfast at the buffet was okay, although every other ship we had been on offered an omelet station where you could get a fresh, made to order omelet that no one else had touched. I missed that! The Black Crab and Villa Rosa were pretty repetitive too. We saw the same menu almost every night. I think that one night they did have an alternative menu but most nights, the same dishes were offered. One of the things I liked on RC was the ability to just pay a few extra dollars for a fillet mignon steak in the main dining room. The Divina offered no extra's in their dining rooms and seating was problematic. We prefer sitting at a table for two and that always seemed a bit of a problem with Carnival although RC always accommodated us with no questions asked and no problem. On the Divina, on this cruise, the first problem you had with the dining rooms is that you had to be sure you showed up at the right door at the right time. First, they would open the downstairs area of the Black Crab. If you showed up at the upstairs door or the Villa Rosa, you were redirected to the downstairs door of the Black Crab to accommodate the needs of the maitre de apparently rather than accommodate the needs of the passengers to be seated. If there were just six seats left on the first floor of the Black Crab, there was no way that the upstairs or Villa Rosa was going to be opened, even if a long line had formed. It was cause for a lot of grumbling among the passengers waiting to eat in one of the dining rooms. One of the worst things for us for eating choices was the lack of choices after the incredible parties at night that RSVP Vacations provided. When we were exhausted from dancing and partying with RSVP Vacations, we would head to the buffet for a snack before going back to out cabin. Every night, warmed over hamburgers and pizza and maybe some pasta. You could not get the fresh pizza right out of the oven, until the warmed over pizza had all been consumed. On Carnival and RC, there were sometimes midnight buffets or chocolate or dessert buffets. I think they all depend on pizza way to much for late night snacking and that gets boring real quick but MSC offered no alternatives in the entire seven days while Carnival and RC did have a few other options in this regard. Speaking of repetitive, I was surprised by the lackluster entertainment the MSC offered. We saw their show in the Pegasus theater two nights in a row and the acts were essentially the same but different costumes and theme. Thankfully, we were traveling with RSVP Vacations and the entertainment they brought on the ship was amazing! I can't say enough about the RSVP Vacations for troubleshooting a lot of the problems we had with MSC. With exception of a bartender here and there on our cruises, staff have always been friendly and attentive. The staff on MSC, other than the stewards, seemed a bit aloof. For the first four days or so, it seemed like they didn't want to make eye contact. Below deck, the staff was typical of other cruises and friendly from various places in the world. Above deck, they were mostly Italian and maybe that had something to do with their attitude toward us? I overheard someone saying that this was the first American cruise for the Divina staff and they were not used to Americans and then there was the fact that the passengers consisted of about 3,000 gay men partying all week. Regardless, after about the fourth day, it did seem like the staff warmed up a little but still not as friendly as some of our previous cruises. We didn't use the spa services on MSC at all but I do want to mention that they did have a gym which was about the same as other ships we had been on. On the Carnival ships we have traveled on, anyone could use the steam rooms or sauna. We were surprised to find that the RC Allure did not allow passengers to use those facilities unless they booked expensive spa treatments. This was also the case on the MSC Divina. Overall, I would never choose to travel on an MSC cruise if I could avoid it. I would definitely travel with RSVP Vacations on another chartered ship of this size or larger, though. Since I like big ships with the most amenities, RC probably wins out for me overall and I would love to see RSVP charter one of their ships. I loved the fact that there were no children on this cruise because often on Carnival, you can't find a serene place on the ship that doesn't have screaming kids running by. I think it is great if you are parents traveling with kids but we are probably done with Carnival for that reason. The pools and hot tubs are often filled with kids on Carnival. The Allure of the Seas did have several jacuzzi and pool areas that seemed set aside for adults. That is another reason, RC gets extra points over Carnival. I am not sure how MSC Divina would be regarding this as there were no children on this cruise. There was a "European" nude sunbathing area, though. I'm not sure if that was a feature that MSC always offers or was something RSVP Vacations created just for this cruise. My ratings for this cruise do NOT include the RSVP parties or entertainment. Read Less