MSC_Divina

MSC Divina Review

by with No Comment ChallengedDiningOcean

Divina_The_Best

MSC Cruises – The MSC Divina!

Review Of MSC Cruises: The MSC Divina

We sailed the MSC Divina from the Port of Miami to the Island of Bermuda. Bermuda is absolutely beautiful and a very safe place to visit. This review however, is more about the ship rather than the destination.

Positive Things:

1. – The ship is stunningly beautiful!
2. – The entertainment is breathtaking!
3. – Prices are better than great – especially because children under 12 are free!
4. – The cheesecake desserts are large!
5. – Free rental for any equipment or supplies needed for children!
6. – In addition to alcoholic, they always offer a non-alcoholic drink of the day!
7. – The bedding is very comfortable!
8. – The showers are always hot and have plenty of water pressure!
9. – There are a good selection of activities daily!
10. – The cruise director and staff are an excellent team!
11. – The curtains in the rooms are designed to be able to block out all light!
12. – There are children’s pools integrated into the sides of the main pool!
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Things That Need Improvement:

1. – The flat screen televisions in the rooms are small measuring about 14″ X 20″.
2. – The pool decks are made of a material that heats up and will seriously burn your feet.
3. – All excursions, once purchased, are non-refundable.
4. – The free soft serve ice cream machines are only open 2 hours each day.
5. – Elevators are small and aligned where you can’t easily see them open.
6. – Food is good but entree portions are very small.
7. – Desserts are good but most selections do not change each night.
8. – Some waiters are friendly but not many.
9. – The Head Waiters are always frowning.
10. – Many employees speak very little English.
11. – Bar waiters do not walk around taking orders or serving drinks.
12. – There are no bars of soap or toiletries in the bathrooms – only liquid dispensers.
13. – The televisions in the rooms have no free movies.
14. – The stabilizers do not work very well resulting in above average movement.
15. – The main showroom is only handicap accessible to the last row of the theater.
16. – The main showroom stairs are lighted in a way that causes trips and falls.
17. – Room service is only free before 11:00 PM.
18. – Room service only offers coffee during breakfast hours.
19. – Room service does not provide any hot meals.
20. – The water is not hot in the hot tubs.

This list of needed improvements are for informational purposes only and there is nothing in this list problematic enough to ruin your cruise or require you to choose a different ship.

wheelchair-2

Individuals With Limited Mobility

by with No Comment Challenged

A cruise is a wonderful change of scenery and a complete alternative to a person’s “normal” daily activities and surroundings. This wonderful change is amplified if you’re an individual with limited mobility or if you’re living with any type of  physical challenge. Any attempt to make such a vacation better and smoother for such an individual is applauded.  Because of personal family experience, I’ve witnessed the provisions made for cruise passengers with limited mobility and unfortunately I’ve also witnessed the lack of those provisions on cruise ships. For the most part, they excel in their attempts especially when you consider all that has to be contended with while trying to make a cruise vacation a happy experience for everyone. 

Areas where cruise ships excel are in the embarkation and disembarkation process but, for the days that lie in between, there certainly is a need for some improvement. My pet peeve is the problem of getting from one deck of the ship to another. Your immediate thought may be with the question, “Are there no elevators?” Yes, there are elevators but getting on one is like trying to get a ride on a moving bus! Ninety percent of cruise passengers are able bodied but when an elevator door opens, you would think it was the last elevator of the day! No offense but it is what it is. Cruise ships, in their fear of inconveniencing their greater number of able bodied customers, refuse to give the disabled priority passage into the elevators. 

Enjoying the ship is great but what about the ports? Ship employees are usually very helpful in getting passengers off at the ports but better coordination between the ship, the port and the excursion operators need improvement. Sometimes after disembarking the ship, there is little regard for a person that has difficulty in getting to and into a tour bus or the shops at the port. Don’t get me wrong, improvements have been made but more needs to be done.

When it’s meal time, the main dining room is great for individuals with limited mobility but if you’re interested in the buffet, good luck! After filling your plate, even if you can reach everything, a person can go around and around in circles trying to find a table that hasn’t been grabbed by someone who can move more quickly and are willing to assert themselves for their own personal convenience. The above problems are no doubt indicative of life in general for a person living with a disability but a cruise is supposed to be a memorable vacation and cruise ship operators could, if they would choose to, improve  in these areas. 

Something I feel should be mentioned though I have no solution, is the attitude often expressed by able bodied individuals when a person with a disability and their attendant is allowed to walk past them in a line. Some people, regardless of how much they try to hide it, express disdain against anyone allowed to go the the head of the line. That in turn, causes the disabled to have feelings of uneasiness and guilt which can absolutely ruin their vacation experience. I have noticed, however, one thing that seems to suppress that expression of disdain, is when an employee takes an active part in helping with their movement through the long lines.

 

My two cents worth,

Leland Garner

Cruise Knowledge Travel