MSC Divina makes changes for the American market
By MARJIE LAMBERT Miami Herald
MIAMI — The MSC Divina is a brassy, voluptuous ship. It has thousands of Swarovski crystals embedded in glass stairways, an infinity pool, Italian-style fountains and sculptures, tiny jewel-like lights in the ceilings and even a sexy red suite designed by Sophia Loren.
Divina’s heritage is mixed, but the effect is all Italian. And who doesn’t love Italy?
MSC Cruises, which has been running seasonal Caribbean cruises out of South Florida for a decade, last month moved the Divina to the port of Miami, from where it’ll embark on Caribbean cruises year-round. It’s the first time MSC Cruises has stationed a ship permanently in North America.
Launched in Europe in spring 2012, the MSC Divina has 1,751 staterooms that hold 3,502 guests at double occupancy. It’s very close in size to the Royal Princess, slightly larger than the Carnival Breeze.
Its owners are hoping they found the right balance of Mediterranean ambience and North American taste.
Strictly speaking, MSC Cruises and the MSC Divina are not Italian. Company founder Gianluigi Aponte is Italian, but the Mediterranean Shipping Co. is headquartered in Geneva.
The company calls itself an Italian cruise line nonetheless. Some of the ship’s features and services have been modified to appeal to American tastes, said Richard E. Sasso, president and CEO of MSC Cruises USA. “But we will never change the heritage, that slow Mediterranean way of living,” he added.
In the 10 years that MSC Cruises has been sending ships to Miami, the line has had to compete with vessels bristling with new architectural features, especially recreational elements such as rock-climbing walls and surf pools.
MSC decided to base the MSC Divina in Miami because it has the hardware that American passengers have come to expect, he said — lots of balcony staterooms, a big water slide, more alternative restaurants.
MSC executives also noticed a few things that Americans don’t like and toned down some of the ship’s overtly European characteristics.
Smoking is allowed in fewer places. More brands of beer and soda are available. Most announcements are made only in English. American favorites were added to menus, and in some musical productions, songs familiar to the U.S. market were substituted for less well-known ones.
How will the MSC Divina compete with the large Caribbean fleet and better-known brands? Price, Sasso said.
A check of prices at cruise .com found seven-night cruises on MSC Divina in March in an inside cabin starting at $649 per person double occupancy, while balcony cabins start at $849 per person. By comparison, similar cruises from Miami or Fort Lauderdale in March on Carnival and Norwegian ships (except the new Norwegian Getaway) are cheaper, while cruises on Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, Holland America and Princess are more expensive.
On its first cruise out of Miami, the MSC Divina carried mostly travel writers and travel agents. A preview cruise may not be representative of the usual cruise experience, but here are some first impressions.
The MSC Divina has a classy ambience.
In some ways, it is an old-fashioned ship, with elements of classic decor, an emphasis on traditional assigned-seating dinner, fewer gee-whiz features than most of its competitors and old-school entertainment. It has a dress code: no jeans, shorts, T-shirts or bare feet permitted in public spaces after 6 p.m.
With many new crew members, service isn’t going to be perfect, and I encountered some stumbles. A dealer running an exotic variation of blackjack didn’t understand the rules and made the wrong payouts. One of the Eataly restaurants accepted a dinner reservation for three, then called back hours later to say it didn’t have a table for us.
While many lines are moving away from the emphasis on a main dining room, the MSC Divina has kept its traditional dinner service — two seatings with assigned tables for the duration of the cruise — with just a few alternatives.
Food got much of the attention as the MSC cruise experience was modified for the American market. Shrimp cocktails were added in the main dining room, chicken wings in the sports bar. Overall, however, the theme remains Italian, with a pasta and risotto course in addition to a meat course at dinner. Pizza is served at two locales, and there’s a gelato bar.
PHOTO: By Walter Michot/Miami Herald
MSC Divina arrived in its new home port of Miami in November, it was greeted by fleet of personal watercraft to look like automobiles. The Divina will sail on Caribbean cruises from Miami year-round.
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EDITOR’S NOTE: The MSC Divina will be calling in on Grand Cayman
