It’s my final day onboard the MSC Divina and disappointment has set in. Shortly after arriving at Norwegian Cruise Line’s private island, Great Stirrup Cay, around 7:30am ET this morning, I got up, started to do some packing then headed up to the buffet for breakfast. As I approached the heaping pile of bacon, I suddenly realized something was amiss.
Signs of a bacon shortage emerged before my eyes as what looked and tasted like sliced pork and pork rinds were dominating the pile that all week provided porky satisfaction. As I piled some on my plate I walked to my table feeling somewhat deflated. To make matters worse, just 45 minutes ago the sun was bright and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. Now there is this large, gray mass above us that is blocking the once brilliant ball of fire we all looked forward to having around today.
It looks like the sky will clear shortly, however, which will be a welcome relief for the 3,659 passengers on board. With 1,259 cabins on Divina, the ship was designed to hold 2,518 people based on double occupancy. While many cruise lines offer free or reduced passage for the third and fourth person/persons in a stateroom, MSC also lets kids sail for free, taking that passenger count much higher. Personally, I could not imagine being in a stateroom with three or four people – even if they were kids.
In addition to the 3,659 passengers, the crew count today is 1,298 making for a grand total of 4,957 in this floating city. While not nearly the kind of passenger/crew numbers you will find on the largest cruise ships in the world, Oasis and Allure of the Seas from Royal Caribbean, it’s certainly an impressive number.
As I look out the window to my right, Royal Caribbean’s private island, Coco Cay, is next door. If one were willing and in good physical shape, one could swim from one island to another, that’s how close they are. Royal has one ship at anchor today and we are the only ship at Great Stirrup Cay.
Yesterday we spent a very relaxing day at sea, where the weather was beautiful and warm. After breakfast, I walked around the ship’s stores. Onboard there is a candy store, La Caramella; a store selling sunglasses, L’Angolo Dell’oggetto; a duty-free shop called The Mini Mall; a jewelry store they call Il Gioiello; a clothing outlet, La Boutique, where you’ll find brands such as Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger and more; a perfume store called La Profumeria; the obligatory Logo Shop for taking home MSC-branded merchandise to make your friends and neighbors jealous and The Pool Shop where you can buy a Speedo if you don’t have one and masks to cover your eyes should you not want to see those wearing one.
I picked up a hat and a few t-shirts for the folks back home then headed over to the ship’s photo gallery where I saw my mug staring at me as I walked through. Now I’m never one to stop at the various photo-ops throughout the ship, but the other evening a sweet, young photographer used his Italian charm to talk me into a sitting. As he asked me to pose in positions I haven’t been in since my high school yearbook photo session, I kept thinking, “these are going to look like shit.”
Well, they didn’t. While there were a half-dozen different photos on display, I bought the one that I felt best captured my effervescent personality. That plus a picture of me and Captain Giuseppe Gallano set me back $43.
I dropped off my purchases at my stateroom and found an invitation to a private party on my bed. No, the private party was not happening on my bed, that’s where the invitation was. The private party was being held in the ship’s Black and White lounge at 7:45pm. Being that it was also a formal night, I began to fret about my wardrobe for the evening. I don’t partake in formal nights anymore, they should have gone the way of skeet shooting off aft of the ship a long time ago – especially when sailing in the warm climates of the Caribbean. Formal night, an invitation to a party with the Captain, no tie, shit… maybe I just won’t go.
With the weather cooperating, the public areas inside the ship were pretty much dead. All the action was happening outside as the pools were packed. At the main pool, there was music for dancing and the entertainment staff kept everyone entertained, while the solarium pool (La Sirena) was a little more chill. Back at the infinity pool, I’m happy to report that the family with the naked kids I wrote about yesterday, was nowhere to be found.
The Garden Terrace has quickly become my favorite spot to be at during the day or night. Located aft of the ship on Deck 15, it’s the home to the infinity pool and the Disaronno bar. It’s never too crowded but does get busy as it’s one of the few places that has a smoking and non-smoking area as well as tables for sitting and chatting.
As I enjoyed one of the cigars I picked up in Puerto Rico the previous day, I was joined by a group of other people who are part of a tour group. We chatted for a few hours about who is going to be the next president, which city is going to be the next Detroit, and why Obamacare will or won’t work long term and by the time we were done, solved all the country’s problems. Just as we were about to tackle Russia, another member of the group came along bearing gifts. He just stopped at Eataly Pizza, the ship’s pizzeria, and bought a “metre of pizza” and brought it to share with the group.
I wrote about just how great the pizza is onboard – in both the buffet where it’s cooked in a regular pizza oven and in the pizzeria, where it’s cooked in a brick oven and is more traditional Italian. This was the first time many at the table had the pizzeria’s pizza. They all had the buffet version and loved it, but after a few bites of the different varieties in the box, they all agreed this was the best.
Before I knew it, it was almost 4pm. It’s simply amazing how quickly time flies when vodka and Red Bull get you through the day. As the sun began to set, it got a tad cooler outside, but the view kept me lingering on deck until day turned to night. Off on the horizon, just a mile or two to the west, the Disney Fantasy was silhouetted against a glorious orange sunset. As people lined up to take photos of this natural backdrop before you knew it, the sun sank beneath the waves and the night was upon us.
Back in my stateroom, I began to fret about what to wear to the cocktail party. I picked out what I thought was a good choice and proceeded to get dressed and head to the 6:45pm Michael Jackson tribute show in the Pantheon Theatre.
Those who have been on the Divina before told me that this was one show I did not want to miss, so I made sure I attended. I thought I arrived early enough to snag a good seat, but the theater was packed. I was relegated to a balcony seat overlooking the side of the stage, which still provided a good view of the show below.
Along with the ship’s cast of singers and dancers, the Michael Jackson look- and dance-alike made his way onto the stage via a ball dropping from the ceiling. Dancing along to the hits that made MJ the King of Pop, this performer nailed the moves and crotch grabbing that Jackson was known for. From the opening of the show with the hit “Ben” to the closing song “We are the World,” when the cast was joined by crew representing the many nationalities onboard, the high-energy performance kept the audience going for 45 minutes. Of course, “Thriller” was done, with zombies wandering throughout the theater.
After the show, I wasn’t comfortable with the clothes I chose, so I headed back for a wardrobe change before going to the private party which turned out to be a Captain’s reception for those MSC cruises who have status with the line. After a brief introduction by the cruise director in English, his assistant greeted everyone in the remaining five languages before introducing Captain Gallano and some of his officers. As servers passed around champagne and canapes of salmon, caviar, and other assorted delights, a live band played for the hour-long reception.
Along with formal night, it was also lobster night in the main dining room, and people were lined up waiting for the restaurant to open. I don’t know what it is about lobster and Baked Alaska that makes people go crazy on a cruise ship, but it always happens.
Once the party wrapped up, it was time for dinner. Back at Eataly Steakhouse, I went to satisfy my craving for some meat.
Once inside I was greeted by the chef, who I pointed out has relatives who bear the same last name as mine over in Italy. I started out my meal with Beef Carpaccio ($12.00), which was served with an arugula salad on top.
Next up was a pasta I really enjoyed in Ristorante Italiano the other night. Since the same galley serves Eataly and Ristorante, I asked if the chef would make me the pasta but instead of serving it over mashed potatoes, do it with a red sauce. My Italian server looked at me as if I just insulted the Pope. “You know that dish, it has a pesto. Pesto not to be mixed with red sauce, but if you want, I ask a da chef.”
My own version of Handmade Tortello ($8.00), pasta filled with liquid Genoese pesto, came out prepared with the red sauce as I requested. It was awesome! As I was eating, I heard a voice from behind me say, “Mr. Sanfilippo, you like a da pasta?” Yes, Chef, it’s great. “You know, I make for you with red sauce, but that’s not how you suppose to eat.” Yes, Chef, but it was awesome! “I’m glad you like it, but next time, no sauce.” Yes, Chef.
Lesson learned. Don’t mess with Chef’s recipes on an Italian ship.
Next up was an 11oz Ribeye ($21) and this resulted in the first time I was disappointed with a meal onboard the Divina. The steak was steak sandwich thin, not like any ribeye you will get in a steakhouse back home. When I order a ribeye in a steakhouse, it’s usually a thick cut, well marbled with or without the bone. This was simply anemic. There’s no other word to describe it. It would have felt more at home served on a freshly baked Italian roll than on a plate.
For dessert, I opted for one of the freshly made cannoli ($5) which my server told me, “is best eaten with your hands.” I took his advice. That along with a Limoncello ended my dinner at Eataly. When the check was presented, I was given a 15% discount, in appreciation for eating there three times this week. (Thank you!)
After a walk around the ship, I settled back upstairs in the Garden Terrace where a disk jockey was playing salsa music. While not my thing, the Spanish passengers – both young and old – were into it. After a few more Limoncellos the salsa started to look like the Rhumba and I knew it was time to go to bed.
Back in my room was a reminder that the cruise was coming to an end. The customs declaration form was on my bed along with information on debarkation Saturday morning. One thing that I need to get clarification on, is the instructions say that passengers need to be out of their staterooms by 7am Saturday morning. Now I’m not sure if that applies to those who opted for self-assist debarkation or not. I haven’t been on a ship where you must vacate your room and head to a public area to wait for your luggage tag number to be called in a long, long time, I thought most lines abandoned that and allowed people to stay in their stateroom until their time was up.
More on that in tomorrow’s installment.
I’m going to use the rest of the day to go around and do my photo tour of the ship, while the majority of passengers are off on the island. I do want to get out and see Great Stirrup Cay, but so far the weather has not really cleared and they are issuing tender tickets to get to shore, which is a process in itself. A process I don’t really want to deal with.
How it works, is if you go to a specific area, get a tender ticket, then sit in another room waiting for your number to be called. It’s then you go to the tender area to board the water limousine to the island. Usually, by now, the tender ticket system is done with, as the majority of people should be ashore already. If they open up to tendering without a ticket, I’ll go ashore. If not, I’m going to skip it.
UPDATE: Just as I hit the publish button, the cruise director announced that tender tickets are no longer necessary. Yay!
That’s all for today, ciao!
Personal Day-By-Day MSC Divina Cruise Review:
Photo Tour of the MSC Divina:
Photography is a key aspect of preserving vacation memories, and my recent voyage aboard the MSC Divina was no exception. From the ship’s striking interior design and inviting swimming pools to my own cozy cabin, I captured numerous photos that showcase the highlights of my journey. If you’d like to take a look at my snapshots, feel free to check out the MSC Divina Photo Tour or browse the daily cruise review by clicking on the links provided above.