Yes, you read the title right. Last week, we were on the MSC
Divina for the third time this year. We were telling our friends, David and Kim
about it and they wanted to give it a try so we all got on the MSC Divina on
October 8, 2016. Our Captain is Pier Paolo Scala, the Hotel Director is
Gianfranco Sampiero, and the cruise director is Darren McColl. We were upgraded
from an interior cabin to a balcony cabin (13228) which is on the very back of
the ship. The balcony is extremely small and impossible to sit on so I’m glad
we didn’t actually pay for the balcony, otherwise the cabin is very nice. The
interior cabin had more storage though with 4 closets instead of 3 so I think I
actually like an interior cabin better. Our dining time is 8:30pm at table 608
in the Black Crab dining room. We like the Villa Rosa dining room better
because the noise level in the Black Crab is horrendous. We had dinner with two
couples form Port St. Lucie: Steve and Paula and Frank and Debbie. Our itinerary was changed due to the hurricane
and instead of going to Nassau on Sunday, we will be at sea. Then on Monday, we
will arrive in Grand Turk. Tuesday we will arrive in St. Maarten at 2pm instead
of 1:30pm, and on Wednesday we will be in San Juan from 9am – 2am.
10/8/16 Embarkation:
We didn’t get in the building until 10:30 and didn’t get on
the ship until noon. Checking in went very smoothly and then we had to wait. We
got on the ship and went straight to the kiosk to register our credit card.
Then we ate lunch. It did not take long for David and Kim to get on the ship
and meet us for lunch. After lunch we showed them our cabin and then went to
look at their cabin. After that Don and I went to the pool area to enjoy a
bucket of beer. In the evening we went to see the show Voices which was very
good but lasted longer than 30 minutes. While we were waiting for the show to
start, we saw Shomee from Hungary again and it was so nice to see him! We left
the show about 8:40 to go to dinner but they didn’t even open the doors until
8:45. Dinner was okay but I was disappointed because I had asked for a table
for 4 and we ended up at a table for 8 which made having a conversation nearly
impossible due to the noise level in the dining room. After dinner we walked up
to the Calumet buffet and Don and David had a little snack.
10/9/16 At Sea:
We had a nice breakfast at the Calumet buffet and then went
for a walk and eventually had a chocochino coffee at the specialty coffee café.
At 11am, I went to the cruise critic meet up but found out that there was a mix
up and that the officers weren’t available until the 4pm meeting so after
talking we agreed to come back. We had lunch with David and Kim and went to
look at the sports bar to see what changes were made. Then we had a little nap
before taking a little nap. In the evening we went to the La Luna Bar and
listened to the music by the band Unforgettable that we like. Then we saw the
show Mask and I was afraid I would be bored since this is the third time we saw
the show but some of the acts in the show were different and I really enjoyed
that. The best part was that our dining assignment was changed for us, thanks
to the deputy purser, Guglielmo, who is my “friend” from the previous cruises.
The first night in the middle dining room, the noise level was so loud, my
husband could not hear any of the conversation and was miserable at a table of
8 people. We have a new table in the quieter dining room (Villa Rosa Table 966)
with just the four of us and it was so lovely! I think the food even tasted
better because we all were happier.
10/10/16 Grand Turk:
We arrived around 7am but didn’t get off the ship until
after 8. We had to wait until the Carnival Splendor tied up to the dock before
we could get off. The weather was beautiful so we went swimming. The water was
really rough and choppy. We sat in the
free lounge chairs with umbrellas and was surprised when some guys were charging
$25 for the 2 chairs and an umbrella in the row right in front of us. After
that, I made sure I told everyone who was looking at them, that our chairs
under the green Cruise Center umbrellas were free. When we got back, we had a
big lunch and then took a nap. In the evening we went to the show Simply
Italian which featured Italian songs.
10/11/16 St. Maarten:
In the morning we had a party for Black Card members (top
level of their loyalty club) and it was great seeing many of the crew members
again! We met a nice couple, Don and Sherry, and ended up giving them a look at
our cabin and they brought us to their cabin. We have what is called a Juliet
balcony (basically, standing room only). They have a cabin on one of the side
angles and their balcony was enormous! At 2pm we met David and Kim in the lobby
and then walked around St. Maarten. We went to see our friend, Suzette, who
works at the restaurant on the beach. In the evening we went to the show,
Witches in Paris, and then had a very nice dinner.
10/12/16 San Juan:
We got off the ship at 9am and went to the Castillo San
Cristobel. It was wonderful seeing it with Kim and David! Then we walked
towards the other Castillo but stopped at this outdoor patio café where we had
Mayorcas with cheese. Then we walked to the other fort and had beautiful views
from there. As we walked to the Old San Juan Gate, we stopped for lunch at Rosa
de Triana where Don and David had Cazuela de Bac which was a huge soup bowl
with chick peas and cod stew ($20.95
each). Kim had Tostones which were plantains with shrimp ($9.75). I just had
French fries ($4) because I was hot and thirsty but not very hungry. After
walking to the gate and around town, David and Kim headed to Walgreens and back
to the ship. Don and I headed to Ecomania which is Don’s favorite thrift store.
We got back on the ship around 3:30pm and went to the buffet to have some
fruit. In the evening we went to the show The Show Must Go On which is a
tribute to Queen and then went to dinner.
10/13/16 At Sea:
It is hard to imagine that we faced a major hurricane just a
week ago!! Yesterday was a fabulous day at sea. After breakfast we relaxed
until it was time to watch David and Kim in the ping pong tournament. The
Captain also announced that he would be changing his route back to Miami
because of Hurricane Nicole. After that we went to the Eataly Steakhouse for
our complimentary dinner. We were able to have anything off the menu which was
a nice change from the last time! Last time we had a special Voyageur’s Club
menu where we basically had a small sampling of dishes. This time I had an
appetizer of cold cuts that could have been a meal by itself. Don had an
appetizer of different cheeses. Then I got a ribeye that was huge and Don had
two lobster tails. Both were cooked perfectly! We also saw the Captain and he
stopped to talk with us. A few minutes later, he sent us glasses of red wine.
Then we shared a cannoli for dessert. It was the best meal I had in a long time
and the prices were really reasonable so we would definitely recommend this
restaurant to others! After lunch we relaxed on our balcony and had a bottle of
champagne. Then we went to the Welcome Back Cocktail party and took a picture
with the Captain. It was also great seeing the officers and senior staff! I
took another picture with my friend Guglielmo, the deputy purser. After the
party we went to the show Treasure Island which was a fabulous show. Before the
show we enjoyed talking to Showmee Tamas from Hungary who is part of the
entertainment staff. At dinner the Captain gave everyone a glass a champagne
and then gave an apology to all of the guests for changing the itinerary and
any problems that people had service wise due to the coming out of dry dock
early and missing some crew members, all due to Hurricane Matthew.
10/14/16 At Sea:
We had another lovely day at sea. After breakfast we packed
our suitcases. For a reward we went to get a Caramel Coffee Frost (frozen
coffee) and sat with David and Kim. Then we all went to the Eataly Steakhouse
for lunch which we all loved. We had the cold cuts, cheeses, ribeye and lobster
tails again. After lunch we walked around and then watched David play in the
ping pong tournament. In the afternoon we took a nap before we went to the
Michael Jackson show. At the end of the show, they sang the Star Spangled
Banner. Then the Captain came out and thanked everyone for sailing with MSC.
10/15/16 Debarkation:
We met in the Casino at 7am for priority debarkation and was
allowed off the ship by 7:30. We were in our car and on our way by 8am. I
really think they have improved their debarkation procedures and it is much
better than the time we were on the ship in June. I will miss the crew and ship
because we had an awesome time!
Things I Learned:
1.
I really like seeing crew members who remember
us! It makes us feel special.
2.
I don’t like the Black Crab restaurant upper
level because it is too noisy.
3.
If it is too noisy at dinner, it is impossible
to have a pleasant conversation with 8 people.
4.
We really like the Villa Rosa dining room.
5.
We like the music by Unforgettable (a man and a
woman who play music I recognize!)
6.
I think it helped make the dinner so much better
when you can enjoy the conversation!
7.
Use the free Cruise Center chairs and umbrellas
on the beach at Grand Turk. There are some people trying to charge $25 for the
chairs and umbrellas. They also tell you that there aren’t any chairs left but
there are plenty.
8.
I like going to St. Maarten in the morning
better than the afternoon.
9.
They charge for room service on the ship
depending on the type of cabin class you purchase.
10. We
really enjoy the forts in San Juan every time we have been there.
11. You
can rent a car for the day in San Juan for about $60. If we shared with another
couple and someone else would be willing to drive, this is something we would
like to do.
12. We
loved the perks for Voyageurs Club Black Card members. They have changed the
program where now we each get a complimentary meal for 2 in the specialty
restaurants which includes anything off the full menu. Last time we were on
this ship, we were given a small sampling of specific dishes which was a
special menu for the Black Card members. This full meal is so much better!
13. We
really like Captain Scala and he is extremely professional but has a wonderful
personality. Every time we saw him, he took time to speak.
14. We
like priority debarkation.
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