Photo tour: The suspense of boarding MSC Divina

Getting on the MSC Divina cruise ship

Do you know the feeling you get when you realize that your vacation is about to begin? That moment when all your planning and travel to the destination is finally over and you are about to embark on your cruise vacation? It’s a good feeling right? And the ironic thing is that a lot of times we are on such a rush to get onto the ship that we forget to stop and enjoy the moments.

Photo tour from my cruise on MSC Divina – at the port

Traveling a day in advance to the Port of Miami was a great idea, especially since I live in California. Although MSC Divina has a later than usual departure time (to accommodate inbound passengers from Europe), I wanted to play it safe and stay an extra day. I flew from John Wayne Airport (SNA) to Fort Lauderdale. This was a good move because I had better flight options and it was cheaper.

En-route to the destination

After spending the night at a hotel near the Fort Lauderdale airport, we took the complimentary hotel transfer back the next day to board a cruise line bus transfer to the ship. This option worked out for me because I was traveling with my 9-year old son and I wanted to keep everything simple. I love that the bags are transferred from the bus to the ship’s porters for me and all I had to do was get off the bus and check-in at the port.

MSC Divina — Waiting for the cruise line transfer at the airport.

For those that have cruised out of Miami, you know that it is a very busy place. The Port of Miami is one of the largest passenger cruise ship ports in the world, so expect to wait and bring your patience. We arrived at the MSC Cruises building around 1:30 pm and were at our room in a half hour. Well done ship side services!

Stop and have a refreshing beverage – nice touch!

Port of Miami MSC Divina

What’s all the waiting for?

When cruise ship passengers get to the check in desk, they will show their proof of citizenship, present their cruise documents, and a credit card (or cash to cover incidental shipboard charges like video games, shore excursions or spa services). As far as lines go, this one was a breeze; very well organized.

MSC Divina line