The 2015-2016 Caribbean cruise season gets underway in November as the major cruise lines move their ships to the south Florida ports just as hurricane season comes to a close. Millions of people from around the world will be boarding dozens of different ships during this six month period to explore the islands, soak up the warm sun and escape the winter weather up north.
This is also the time of the year when I cruise the most to review the different ships that sail the Eastern Caribbean, Western Caribbean, Southern Caribbean and Bahamas itineraries.
One of the ships I’ll be on in December is the MSC Divina. You may recall I was on the Divina last December as well. This time around, I’ll be doing a series of “revisited” reviews on a 7-day Eastern Caribbean cruise that sets sail on December 5, 2015.
Divina will cruise from PortMiami and we will spend two days at sea before port calls in Saint Thomas, San Juan, and Great Stirrup Cay (Norwegian Cruise Line’s private island which is also used by MSC).
Divina’s return to Miami marks an important milestone in the history of MSC Cruises. This ship will now sail year-round as opposed to just during the Caribbean season. She is the first MSC cruise ship to sail from a United States port, and with her return to Miami in November, marks the first time a MSC ship will be home-ported here year-round.
A second ship currently under construction, MSC Seaside, will sail from the shipyard directly to Miami where she will join Divina and sail year-round Caribbean itineraries beginning in 2017.
When Divina sails into PortMiami in just a few weeks, she will arrive with tweaks that have been made to make her feel more like an “Americanized” cruise ship rather than a European one which many cruisers have voiced their opinions about since she first arrived in the United States in 2013.
During my cruise last year I pointed out things that would seem a bit off for cruisers who are familiar with the experience on Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Holland America, and others. For instance, instead of movies on the big screen at the pool, Divina’s screen showed Pavarotti. Instead of broadway style production shows with singers and dancers doing their thing to popular music, Divina featured jugglers, opera and acrobats.
Opera onboard @msccruisesofficial #MSCDivina. #divina #cruiseship #cruisepix #cruise A photo posted by Scott Sanfilippo (@scottscruisepix) on
Noticeably different from other cruise ships that sail from the United States was the number of different languages spoken onboard the Divina. Announcements were made in several different languages, including Italian, and the crew were mainly European.
Excitement builds as you get your boarding card to set off on your #cruise! A photo posted by Scott Sanfilippo (@scottscruisepix) on
One of the biggest complaints voiced by those who cruised on Divina centered around the food. While some of the meals I had onboard were “hits” there were some “misses.” I do have to say, the Italian food and pizza onboard Divina was second to none! But that is to be expected on an Italian cruise ship.
#pasta from @eatalyusa onboard @msccruisesofficial #MSCDivina. #cruisefood #cruise #cruisepix #italian #eataly A photo posted by Scott Sanfilippo (@scottscruisepix) on
As I said earlier, when I board Divina on December 5th, I’ll be doing my reviews in my normal tone but will also be looking at this cruise from a “revisited” standpoint. Here are some things I’ll be looking out for:
Embarkation: I thought the embarkation process at PortMiami was straightforward and simple. I went from curb to ship in 15 minutes and the waiting area was not crowded or disorganized. I would expect to see the same this time around.
Beverage Packages: Last November, once onboard crew were selling different levels of the line’s beverage packages. However, if you purchased one of the packages on embarkation day, it was not allowed to be used until the second day. On day 2 you needed to go to the Guest Services desk to have a new card key issued which would be “loaded” with your beverage package info. The packages were also a bit confusing, with some requiring coupons. You can read more about this in my Day 1 review from my last visit to Divina and stay tuned to learn what, if anything, has changed.
Beverage packages on #MSCDivina in December 2014. #cruise #cruisepix A photo posted by Scott Sanfilippo (@scottscruisepix) on
Entertainment: In a June interview with Cruise Critic, MSC CEO Gianni Onorato, made mention that the line has moved toward “big budget, international shows that cut across language barriers.” I happened to enjoy most of the evening shows on Divina, as they were not something you get experience on other cruise lines. But I could see where many passengers would skip opera and would prefer to go to a Las Vegas style revue instead. Entertainment is going to be a focus of my revisited review to see exactly how the shows have changed and whether or not they scored a hit with us “American cruisers.”
Showtime in the Pantheon Theatre onboard @msccruisesofficial #MSCDivina. #cruise #cruisepix A photo posted by Scott Sanfilippo (@scottscruisepix) on
Food: Like I mentioned earlier, I enjoyed most of my meals onboard Divina, especially at Galaxy, one of the ship’s speciality restaurants ($). The Eataly Steakhouse didn’t quite meet my expectations and I didn’t get to eat in the ship’s main dining room, which I hope to this time around. In the same Cruise Critic interview, Onorato hinted that the line has made significant changes to food when he said, “we feel we’ve made huge improvements in food, with more menus geared towards North American tastes.” I just hope they didn’t take the Lobster Pasta off the menu in Galaxy… I’ve been dreaming about it ever since I disembarked!
Crew: During my time on the Divina I found the majority of the crew to be very friendly and accommodating. However, many did not have a very good understanding of the English language. On cruise ships that sail out of the United States, we’re used to Filipino crew members. On Divina, the crew was mainly European. Going back to that Cruise Critic interview, MSC’s CEO said the line has appointed a new captain, new hotel manager, new cruise director (he was a Brit who I thought did a very good job), and a “mainly Filipino crew.”
Yours truly with the Master of the #MSCDivina, Captain Giuseppe Galano. #cruise #cruisepix #shiplife A photo posted by Scott Sanfilippo (@scottscruisepix) on
The Divina is a beautiful ship and I believe if MSC succeeds in tweaking it to an American market they can be a formidable player. With the launch of MSC Seaside they can quickly start to lure loyal cruisers from other lines who may be curious to experience what MSC is all about.
If you have questions about Divina, or would like me to pay special attention to a specific item when I’m onboard, feel free to use the contact form on the right (or click here) to send me a message.