Cruising with MSC Divina – MSC Cruises‎

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My son, husband, and I recently took a cruise on the beautiful MSC Divina.  Out of Miami, Florida, we spent 3 days docked at various islands, and 4 more at sea, for a total of 7 days including the one we boarded.  The time we spent on board was fun, and there was a lot to do on the ship.

My son and an MSC dancer, about to dance the Tarantella

Every day, they passed out a daily newsletter that gave you list of the day’s activities and events, as well as where and when they were. We took advantage of as many of these as we could, both because we wanted to fully experience the cruise and because one never knows when they will get the chance to do some of the activities again.

“White Gala” on board the MSC Divina

We took Italian lessons, which my son and I enjoyed- but my husband didn’t.  Luckily, they had a bar very nearby, where he went and spent the remainder of the lesson.  The lesson was offered in 3 parts, but we only did two of them.  Daddy was a good sport about it.

We loved the dance lessons that were offered on the ship- almost every day, they had multiple options and times for a new dance to learn.  We tried out three of them- the Meringue, the Tarantella (a traditional Itlaian dance), and “Thriller” (the epic Michael Jackson song and dance!)  My son decided to do kids club for “Thriller” instead of dancing, but that’s fine- the husband and I had a great time.  I think “Thriller” was both of our favorites.  Neither of us are dancers, and my husband normally HATES to dance- the fact that he not only participated but also enjoyed himself is crazy to me. I was thrilled with it!

About to watch the Opera

The ship also offered nightly entertainment in the form of theater shows.  We saw nearly all of them, from Cirque du Soleil, a few themed variety shows like “Witches in Paris”  and “Pirates”, a Michael Jackson mash up, and even a mini-opera.  My son and I are opera fans, but my husband has long resisted coming with us, so I was again thrilled that he agreed to come with us to see the show.  Playing was La traviata, normally a 3 act opera, but was taken down to about 50 minutes to give more people the chance to be exposed to and enjoy it.  I don’t think hubs would have come to a full one- then, he may have surprised me.  But with all that is happening on the ship, I would guess a shortened version is easier for more people who want to try everything there is. The actors and dancers were classically trained ballet and opera singers, so you got the real deal- just in less time. I was thrilled to see opera on the roster.

We enjoyed all the shows, with the favorites being the Can Can number from “Witches in Paris” and the Michael Jackson show.  We are all huge MJ fans, and the lead dancer did an awesome job imitating the King of Pop. There were the same set of singers and dancers that performed in all the shows except the opera and Cirque, and we enjoyed seeing them show off their talents.  The male lead singer was amazing- if they had been selling CD’s I would have bought one- he had such amazing range and abilities, I wish he had done a show all his own.

Making his own t-shirt at MSC iPuffi (Smurfs) Kids Club

The Kids Club was a lot of fun for my son, and they had daily activities as well as taking the kids to see the ship’s shows in the evenings if you wanted.  They could be signed in and our throughout the day as the family liked, and they had plenty to keep them occupied.  The kids club staff was amazing with the kids- funny, silly, and enthusiastic- just the kind of people you would want with your children.  The staff is mulch-lingual, which means that no matter where you are from, your child will be understood (there were many Europeans on board).  Children can also eat with family or with the Kids Club, depending on your wishes.