A Taste of Bali on the MSC Divina

You know you had a great time when you can’t believe a week has gone by. That’s how Mom and I felt on our last full day on MSC Divina.

It was another day at sea, but it wasn’t supposed to be. The ship was to go to Great Stirrup Cay in the Bahamas, where I was going to finally try windsurfing. Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t cooperating. It was too windy for the tender to go out.

As excited as I was about spending the day in the Bahamas, I was fine with also staying aboard. MSC Cruises always makes sure there’s plenty to do on their ships and I would actually have a chance to finish a book!

I had gotten up and ready for the beach and instead headed to the Top Sail Lounge in the Yacht Club section of the Divina for breakfast.

Top Sail had my favorite breakfast because there was always a huge selection of fresh fruit. I took a bowlful, along with some yogurt and a freshly baked blueberry muffin. I also enjoyed a cappuccino, another complimentary perk to having our room within the Yacht Club.

I brought Mom some breakfast. She decided to stay in the room for a while and I agreed to meet her before our spa appointments. She had enjoyed her massage so much the other day that she had booked another.

I had decided to give the Himalayan Dream a try, but first I went up to the One Pool just above our suite. I tried to finally finished Fifty Shades Darker as I sipped a Bellini, but it was soon time for the spa.

Mom and I went our separate ways at the spa as I headed to the Himalayan Dream room with my therapists.

All of the workers at the Aurea Spa on the MSC Divina had trained in Bali. This particular treatment had been discovered and perfected there, to only be used by MSC Cruises.

It began with me laying down on a bed filled with heated Himalayan salt. It felt a little rough at first, but as soon as she started scrubbing salt on me I quickly relaxed.

The Himalayan Salt was on my skin from toes to neck when I went into the shower and washed it off. Next, a mask was put on my body and I was wrapped in plastic.

While the mask was working its magic, the therapist massaged my head and scalp. She then used warm towels to take the mask off.

The treatment ended with an oil massage. I felt rested, relaxed, and soft all over by the time I walked out of there. I decided to keep that mood going and went back to the pool to finish my book.

Before long it was time to return to the suite to shower and pMSC Divina.

ack. Then we dressed for our final dinner in Le Muse aboard the

The service and food was as wonderful the last night as it was the first.

Mom had salmon rolls filled with chive goat cheese and she loved them. I was equally happy with my cream of cauliflower soup, which was topped with toasted pistachios .

For the main course we both had the rack of lamb, which was in a pistachio crust and served with a cherry sauce. Yes, it tasted as amazing as it was.

Dessert was a decadently delicious chocolate chip cheesecake with chocolate sauce for me and Tiramisu for Mom.

After dinner, we went to play Bingo. We didn’t win the $1800 first prize, but we did stay for the Opera show before heading back to our Penthouse Suite in the Yacht Club of the MSC Divina for the last time.

It was an amazing voyage and I’d be happy to return to this taste of Italy on the water with MSC in the future.

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Exploring MSC Divina on a Thanksgiving Sea Day

My immediate family is small and spread out throughout the country. The Thanksgiving holiday has become less about big family dinners and more about getting together with whomever we can.

In 2013, Mom and I went on a Seabourn cruise Thanksgiving week. For 2014, we decided to repeat the idea and head on the MSC Divina. It turned out to be an excellent choice.

After a couple of days of ports, it was nice to have a sea day. We had hit our first rough patch of sea the previous night and sleeping in was just what I needed.

I went to the Top Sail Lounge, which is only available to those staying in the Yacht Club section on MSC Cruises, for breakfast. They had a great selection and I enjoyed a full plate of berries, Greek yogurt, cheese, and an apricot tart.

I sat back with a cappuccino and enjoyed the view while I caught up on social media and email. Mom had slept even later than me and was relaxing in the cabin, but I had a galley tour to do with the Executive Chef.

Chef Attila had only been on the MSC Divina for three weeks, though he certainly wasn’t new to running a kitchen and had been on this ship when it first sailed. 

He had also spent years in European restaurants after hotel school in Naples and before joining the cruise industry.

I had taken galley tours on ships before, but this was by far the largest I had seen. The kitchen spanned two floors and runs 24 hours a day to take care of 3,795 passengers and 1,294 crew.

He manages to oversee it all since it’s one of the most automated galleys in the world, with a computer program generated on TV screens.

MSC Cruises is very careful about keeping everything separate to avoid any type of contamination, whether for allergies, gluten, or bacteria. He proudly told me that they’ve never had a breakout of food borne illness on a MSC ship.

I watched the pastry chef prepare the pumpkin cheesecake for dinner before saying goodbye to Chef Attila and heading out to explore.

It was a very windy day and I didn’t think there would be much pool time. I first went to check out the kids club.

MSC Cruises has quite an impressive area for kids and teens. The camp runs an array of activities day and night that satisfy all ages. There is a Lego room for younger passengers and Graffiti’s Disco for those a bit older.

Although it is an extra charge, kids – and their parents – seemed to be enjoying the Race Car Formula 1 Simulator and 4D Si-Fi Cinema. A game room was also fully stocked with video games.

I picked Mom up at our suite and we went to lunch at Le Muse, another private dining area for Yacht Club guests.

I had the cold carrot soup, followed by the Cuban sandwich. Both were excellent. Mom enjoyed a Cobb salad.

The waiter heard us talking about heading to the buffet for ice cream and he came back with an ice cream sundae for us, complete with fudge sauce and homemade whip cream!

After we left the restaurant, we went shopping down at the piazza. Mom got some gifts and bought herself a pair of earrings. She also bought me a bag I liked as my early holiday gift.

We took advantage of the lazy, rainy day to take naps before we dressed for dinner back at Le Muse.

I have to confess that I wasn’t quite sure what to expect in an Italian restaurant for a Thanksgiving dinner, but they managed to do it well, while still leaving options open for the many Europeans aboard who weren’t celebrating the holiday.

My traditional meal was walnut bread, mushrooms in puff pastry, butternut squash soup, turkey, cranberry sauce, yams, Brussel sprouts, and the pumpkin cheesecake. It was all amazing.

Mom opted to mix the traditional with her favorites, enjoying the bread, a jumbo shrimp cocktail, lobster tail, the Thanksgiving yams and vegetables, and apple pie.

After dinner we went to the Captain’s Cocktail Party in the Black & White Lounge and had some champagne.

I had missed a lot of the shows because I was so tired after long days on shore, but I’m glad I made it to the Michael Jackson show. It was just incredible, rivaling anything I’ve ever seen on Broadway. The audience was standing and cheering by the end, when the whole cast sang “We are the World.”

It didn’t take long to fall asleep as I wished I had more than one more day at sea on the MSC Divina.

Ready for a Thanksgiving cruise on MSC? Book yours now. 

Discover Costa Maya with the MSC Divina

The port of Costa Maya, Mexico, had been damaged heavily during Hurricane Dean in 2007. It had since been rebuilt to include everything you could want in a cruise port stop – shopping, beaches, restaurants, bars, and even a little history. I had never been to Costa Maya so I wasn’t sure what to expect before I got there on my MSC Cruise.

Mom decided to stay in for the morning while I explored Costa Maya, but we had breakfast together in Le Muse, the restaurant exclusive to Yacht Club members on the MSC Divina.

We had a selection of Danish, croissants, scrambled eggs, and waffles with fruit. It was just the meal I needed to get me ready for the long day of walking ahead.

The pier was filled with shops and restaurants, and even a Senor Frogs with a swim-up pool. There was also a museum that I didn’t get a chance to go to, Museo Maya. The three cruises had really filled up the area.

There were two other ships in the terminal, one from Royal Caribbean and one from Princess. It was a bit of a walk to the port and Costa Maya provided a complimentary tram to take people back and forth.

I decided I wanted to explore the beach areas. I was told the walk was about a mile and a half and figured it was easily doable. As I started the walk, one of the first things I ran into was a pyramid. 

I probably should have stopped to explore it further, but I was determined to make this walk, which went on a lot longer than I thought – through puddles and rocks – and turned out to be double the original estimate in length.

Once I got down to the Costa Maya beach, I saw well built up area with a boardwalk, lots of restaurants, watersports, and beach massages.

I realized that most of the people from the pier had rented jeeps or golf carts to get down here and I would have had a lot more time if I had done that, but I still enjoyed the walk along the aqua sea waters.

I was starving after the long walk and headed back to the MSC Divina for lunch with Mom.

We headed to the buffet for some of the incredible pizza that rivaled any in New York – or Naples. 

Then we both headed to the pier for a little bit of shopping for souvenirs.  

We were cutting it a little tight to get back on the ship before sailing, but we made it.

I took full advantage of the down time to relax at the One Pool (another private area for Yacht Club guests on MSC Cruise). I read for a while and enjoyed a mojito and a short nap before showering and dressing for dinner.

It turned out to be our best dinner thus far on the MSC Divina.

I don’t get to eat Asian food often in less I make it myself. The preparation often includes fish sauces and seafood and non-seafood intermingle more than in most cuisines. When the waiter told me they could do the Dim Sum vegetarian, I was excited.

The dumplings and egg roll turned out incredible and I relished the treat. 

Although Mom didn’t love the pea soup, she had no complaints about the rest of the meal.

For an entrée, I had the perfectly prepared pappardelle with mushrooms and Mom thoroughly enjoyed the duck breast.

Dessert was one of my favorites Crème Brule. This version also had berries in it and it was delicious.

Mom had the baked apple with ice cream. It was served with the apple sliced so it presented beautifully, and tasted just as good as it looked.

It was yet another amazing, but exhausting day on the MSC Caribbean Cruise. Mom and I went to play bingo with the intention of staying for the show, but a good night’s sleep in my cabin sounded like a much better idea. 

Introduction to Grand Cayman

I was up early for another fun-filled day with MSC Cruises. It was my first time to Grand Cayman, an island I had heard nothing but good things about.

I let Mom sleep in and I had breakfast in the Yacht Club’s Top Sail Lounge. It was an excellent cold buffet filed with fruits, Danish, cake, bread, muffins, cheese, cereal, and yogurt.

I had a little of everything along with a cappuccino, also complimentary to MSC Cruise’s Yacht Club guests.

I had made arrangements with Viator to take a tour so I had a quick breakfast and took one of the first tenders from the MSC Divina to the island. It was warm and sunny as I walked around looking for my guide.

                                                                        

Rex found me at the pier and took me to the bus to cool off and wait for the others on the tour.

Once we were all onboard, he told us about this wealthy island with beautiful beaches and lots to do. As we drove, Rex pointed out some of the interesting places on Grand Cayman and we did make a few stops.

We saw house made completely from conch shells. The second was definitely more exciting, at least to me.

I had no idea Tortuga Rum made so many different products and spirits. I always thought of them as just the bakers of those cakes in the gold hexagon box.

First, it turns out those cakes come in a variety of flavors, including chocolate and lime. It also turns out that Tortuga makes the rum that goes in them in various flavors. I really enjoyed the Pineapple Rum and Coconut Rum best.

The Tortuga Rum Factory also had some native creatures outside in cages to greet us, including some peacocks and an iguana.

We then made a stop on Seven Mile Beach. It’s often been called one of the best beaches in the Caribbean and it certainly looks deserving of that title. It’s also the home of many high end hotels, such as the Ritz Carlton and the Westin Grand Cayman.

Next, we went to the Cayman Island Turtle Farm. It was an interesting place where they were breeding turtles, mostly for food. They did let school children release some turtles each year out into the sea.

After seeing the turtles, babies, large adults, and everything in between, we were back in the bus and heading to Hell.

I know Hell is basically just a tourist destination, but it was quite interesting for a short stop to see the shops and see the black limestone that helped earn this small town its name.

Rex took us back to the pier and I thanked him, agreeing that Viator provides a great tour.

I had hoped to go to Stingray City, but I couldn’t arrange it in time to be back on the ship so I just did a bit of shopping in downtown Georgetown before taking the tender back to the MSC Divina.

On board, Mom and I had probably the best buffet I’ve ever eaten. It included an equal to New York Pizza and a Waldorf Salad.

After lunch we relaxed for a little while and then went to the spa. Mom had a lymphatic massage and I had a Swedish one, which was perfect for my aching back and feet after a few days of lots of walking.

When my massage was finished I toured the spa and it was by far the nicest and largest I’ve ever seen on a ship. Also, all of the therapists had trained in Bali and were very experienced in all techniques. Mom certainly agreed and she made an appointment for another massage two days later while I was booked for the Himalayan Dream.

I took a short nap and then we went to High Tea. The ship had it every afternoon, but this was our first. They had tea sandwiches, pistachio mousse and mascarpone with cherries.

I was a bit disappointed that the tea was bags and not brewed, but it was nice to sit there and sip while we watched the sunset.

We walked outside to the Le Muse Restaurant. The deck was set up for the White Night Party later in the evening.

It was another wonderful dinner at this restaurant only available to MSC Yacht Club guests. I had the French Onion Soup and baby lamb chops, while Mom enjoyed Clams Casino and a filet of sole stuffed and on a cauliflower au gratin. The blueberry cheesecake they had for dessert was amazing.

We listened to the Italian music in the lounge, but I was fading fast. It had been a long day and there was going to be another one just a few hours away as the MSC Divina was heading to Costa Maya.

Falling for Falmouth on MSC Cruises

After a relaxing day at sea on our MSC Cruise, it was time for our first stop in the Caribbean.

It had been about a dozen years since I was in Jamaica. I had previously visited Montego Bay and Ocho Rios, but I had never been to Falmouth. I was excited to discover this city with Falmouth Food Tour Guides.

We were already docked in Jamaica by the time I was up for breakfast outside at 8:00. I was happy the wind wasn’t as bad as the previous day so I could enjoy my yogurt, pancakes, and cappuccino outside at One Pool, which was reserved for the MSC Cruises Yacht Club guests.

Mom had decided to stay on the boat and I bid her farewell and headed off the boat.

The Port of Falmouth was beautiful and new, with lots of souvenir and jewelry shops. I browsed for a bit and then met up with the Falmouth Food Tour Guides at the information booth.

We had about a dozen people in our group with two guides, so it was easy to stay together and be able to have all our questions answered.

It was a walking tour that was as much about history as it was food. It was also not about seeing just the bright shiny port, it was about Jamaican life.

As we walked to the other side of the port, the guides told us about how Columbus had brought the slaves to Jamaica to work the sugar cane that could be brought back to Europe, along with the rum made from it.

We then made our first stop, at a market on the pier for some sweet and delicious papaya, pineapple, watermelon, and sugar cane. It was getting hotter by the moment and this was certainly refreshing.

The Falmouth Food Tour Guides led us out of the port area and to the residential area of Falmouth. The streets were busy, but we felt very safe.

Our first stop in the town was at the Wan Mei Market where we talked about all the vegetables that are popular here, including breadfruit and many types of potatoes.

From there’re we went to Officers Lane to taste some roasted breadfruit, which was tender and tasty, along with yams and salted mackerel fish. I can’t eat fish, but everyone in the group enjoyed it, saying it was salty and spicy.

It was just a few stalls over to the coconut water and slices of coconut, which we were told would be great to keep up our hydration in the heat.

We continued through the town, learning more about the history at the Courthouse and at Water Square before stopping at Spicy Nice Bakery for the best Jamaican Meat Patty I’ve ever had.

They took us to a church where William Knibb, whose tomb is dedicated at this spot, gave a speech to 600 slaves the night before they were freed and allowed them to bury their shackles here.

It was a few blocks walk to Peppers Jerk Centre, where plates were given to us with Jerk Chicken, corn fritters, and vegetables. The chicken was tender and although the sauce on the side was too strong for most, we ate the rest.

Our last stop was at a 19^th century home owned by a woman from San Francisco who had married a Reggae singer and moved to the island. She helps out with tourism and has a cat shelter.

Anne brought us some coconut pastries before we headed back to the pier at the conclusion of the fun and educational tour.

I went back aboard the MSC Divina and enjoyed some quiet time at the One Pool. Although there was still plenty of pool space in the other areas, I really liked this area – and the complimentary drinks to Yacht Club guests certainly helped!

I went back to our Yacht Club suite to change for dinner. Mom and I stopped in the Top Sail lounge for cocktails and appetizers – another benefit in this area of the ship – before heading to Le Muse for dinner.

It was actually a perfect menu for Mom, but I didn’t go away hungry. She started with an excellent chopped crab and mackerel with anchovy sauce.

I had Pasta Fagioli Soup and a Pasta Pomodoro for dinner. We both loved the unique bread offerings at Le Muse, which this day included fennel bread sticks and sundried tomato rolls.

I continued the true Italian meal with cannoli for dessert. Despite the sugar, I was exhausted from all the sun and walking. I anticipated another full day and decided to head to MSC Divina cabin at 9:00, while Mom went to the Italian Show. I was asleep when she returned, ready for a full day to come in Grand Cayman.