First time cruising with MSC and we were interested to discover a new ship. It was a big ship with 3,500 passengers onboard. Our suite was large and comfortable with a large pull out couch for the boys and nice balcony. Mid term school breaks in Europe meant lots of kids onboard. When we checked out the kids club the boys were put off by the utter mayhem and noise as a cacophony of several European languages blasted out the door. We thought we’d try again later. Next up was dinner and that was another disappointment as we had no assigned table and had to wait for one to become free. The restaurant was overcrowded, boys were overwhelmed, service was slow and the food was so so. The shows in the theatre were good. I enjoyed the dance routines and singing. There were also acrobats one night and a variety show. The itinerary on the cruise was great as we got to explore a different European country each day.
View of Palermo from the deck
First day we visited Cagliari, Sardinia. We walked around the small, clean town for a few hours. It was an uphill walk to the top with views over the port. We also spent time visiting the cathedral. Then we stopped for coffee in the main square where a busker was entertaining the crowds. The boys got to pick a selection of Halloween candy at the Pirate sweet shop and we later decorated our cabin with some spider webs and skeletons.
Next stop was Palma De Mallorca. We had a great day exploring the pretty, clean town. We took a taxi to the Cathedral for a few euros, avoiding the expensive cruise transfer! We did some shopping visited a craft shop and a crazy book shop. We had a lovely tapas lunch in a pretty square and finished the day with some churros and hot chocolate before heading back to the madness.
Cathedral viewed from the boat 
Next day we were on mainland Spain in Valencia. We took a short taxi ride to the Oceanográfic and spent a few hours visiting the Aquarium there. There were lots of tropical fish, penguins, giant turtles and a dolphin show. Then we headed back to the boat for some sunset photos on the balcony.
Last port of call, bonjour la France! We docked in the massive port of Marseille. Last time we stopped here on a cruise we stayed onboard but this time we took a taxi to ‘le vieux port’. We walked around the bustling marina and stopped for big bowls of Moules Frites for lunch. We walked up to Fort Saint Jean and saw great architecture in the Museum of Mediterranean and European civilizations. After shopping for postcards and patches for the backpacks we returned to the Divina.
Marseille coastline 
Next day we were back in Italy as we docked in rainy Genoa. We walked from the boat to the train station and caught a train to La Spezia. We passed through some of the Cinq Terre region on the way. La Spezia was a nice town, easy to navigate. We checked into the Poet Hotel for two nights. The weather wasn’t good while we were there and we often had to borrow the complimentary umbrellas as we headed out. We took a train again the next day to visit Riomaggiore, one of the Cinq Terre fishing villages. It was a wild and blustery day and we all got soaked as we ran around the tiny village admiring the huge waves and brightly coloured houses.
Last stop of the Italian trip was Pisa. We stayed in the Pisa Tower Hotel, a stones throw from the Tower. We had fun taking photos holding up the tower. Then it was time to catch a flight out of Italy for the next stage of the adventure.
Hairylambthewanderyears 