Just Returned from Poesia (Western Caribbean)

We're just settling back in, but thought I would give a brief review. Please feel free to ask any questions and I will answer, if I can.

My cruise background: I've cruised 15 times prior to this on Carninval, Princess, RCCL, and NCL. We selected MSC because of the itinerary and because our children sailed for free. I read the reviews daily for 2 weeks before departure, so I had a pretty good feel for what to expect.

Embarkation: We boarded early with no problems.

Ship: Beautiful and spotless. Immediately noticed they were cleaning constantly as noted by so many other posters. Probably the cleanest looking ship we've been on.

Entertainment: The shows were the best I have seen on any ship. The juggler and acrobats were excellent. The entertainment team worked hard and interacted continually with the passengers (and sometimes very intimately). Richard was hilarious and had MJ's moves down pretty well.

Food: The food was hit and miss. I tried to sample a little of everything and was disappointed with how much poorly prepared and tasteless food we went through trying to find something worth eating. We ordered off both sides of the menu, but the food was not usually very good. (I wouldn't recommend even trying the fish) The main exception was the 2nd Gala night for us. The filet mignon and the lobster were both excellent!!! The pizza at night was also pretty good and unfortunately we had it frequently since we didn't eat that much at dinner.

We certainly didn't go hungry or lose weight, and we don't go on cruises to gorge ourselves all week. I only mention the food because it is much debated on here and we heard lots of people complaining. (our waiter even mentioned that he hears complaints every week). For the price we paid and the food we were able to find, we got our money's worth.

There is so much more I could write about, but my wife wants some help unpacking. Feel free to post any questions and I'd be glad to share our experience. (sorry about any typos..... I'm tired).

Hi Sinjin-thanks for taking time to share your thoughts, I imagine you're pretty tired -we're leaving two weeks from today for the Bermuda run, so I'm eager to read peoples' reviews the closer we get.

We know the food won't be top of the line, but we can always find something to eat!

Would you mind telling me what type of cabin you had? Was the bed comfortable?

I was on the same cruise. We stayed in a Balcony on 10. The bed was extremely comfortable. I personally thought the food was quite good. The pastas were very good, especially the Pasta Bolognese. It was available every meal. I had the haddock one night and it was extremely fresh and cooked perfectly.

Hi Sinjin-thanks for taking time to share your thoughts, I imagine you're pretty tired -we're leaving two weeks from today for the Bermuda run, so I'm eager to read peoples' reviews the closer we get.

We know the food won't be top of the line, but we can always find something to eat!

Would you mind telling me what type of cabin you had? Was the bed comfortable?

We had an outside cabin on Deck 8 (obstructed view). The beds were comfortable. Mine had a huge dent and slanted to one side. I just asked for an exta pillow to level it at night. The cabin steward always took it out, but I just put it back under each night. My wife's side was comfortable, with no slant to it. :)

For people concerned about an aft cabin, I would not recommend a cabin in that area. The rear of ship (disco area) vibrated worse than any other ship I can remember. I've read complaints from people in those cabins and their concerns were validated in my opinion.

We're just settling back in, but thought I would give a brief review. Please feel free to ask any questions and I will answer, if I can.

 

My cruise background: I've cruised 15 times prior to this on Carninval, Princess, RCCL, and NCL. We selected MSC because of the itinerary and because our children sailed for free. I read the reviews daily for 2 weeks before departure, so I had a pretty good feel for what to expect.

 

Embarkation: We boarded early with no problems.

 

Ship: Beautiful and spotless. Immediately noticed they were cleaning constantly as noted by so many other posters. Probably the cleanest looking ship we've been on.

 

Entertainment: The shows were the best I have seen on any ship. The juggler and acrobats were excellent. The entertainment team worked hard and interacted continually with the passengers (and sometimes very intimately). Richard was hilarious and had MJ's moves down pretty well.

 

Food: The food was hit and miss. I tried to sample a little of everything and was disappointed with how much poorly prepared and tasteless food we went through trying to find something worth eating. We ordered off both sides of the menu, but the food was not usually very good. (I wouldn't recommend even trying the fish) The main exception was the 2nd Gala night for us. The filet mignon and the lobster were both excellent!!! The pizza at night was also pretty good and unfortunately we had it frequently since we didn't eat that much at dinner.

 

We certainly didn't go hungry or lose weight, and we don't go on cruises to gorge ourselves all week. I only mention the food because it is much debated on here and we heard lots of people complaining. (our waiter even mentioned that he hears complaints every week). For the price we paid and the food we were able to find, we got our money's worth.

 

There is so much more I could write about, but my wife wants some help unpacking. Feel free to post any questions and I'd be glad to share our experience. (sorry about any typos..... I'm tired).

Don't want to hijack your thread, but we were on the same cruise...

I agree with all posted by sinjin about the cruise ship/food /vibration and would like to add that everyone was pleasant BUT the Maître d', who was very rude and would not work for me as dog catcher because I respect dogs. This sorry excuse for a professional does not need to be in a customer service position. I believe he has been discussed on CC before, MSC should take note.

Beware the time changes and short port times, it makes it tough to arrange your private excursions, we usually book private but for this cruise I would recommend using the ships.

Only other complaint I have is that the kids ran up and down the passageways after 10pm and sometimes past 12pm, MSC security should have addressed this problem. Other than that, the kids were great, and the ones that did act out, well, you could look at the parents and see why.

MSC doesn't enforce the dress code, so we saw some hats and shorts on nights they weren't supposed to be there. We don't always agree with the dress code, no shorts on casual night for example, but we always try to comply, that's what we all agreed to, right? Almost everyone did dress up for formal night we noticed.

We gave MSC a B- for this cruise, lowering the score for hit or miss foods and not enforcing the rules.

:)

We're just settling back in, but thought I would give a brief review. Please feel free to ask any questions and I will answer, if I can.

 

My cruise background: I've cruised 15 times prior to this on Carninval, Princess, RCCL, and NCL. We selected MSC because of the itinerary and because our children sailed for free. I read the reviews daily for 2 weeks before departure, so I had a pretty good feel for what to expect.

 

Embarkation: We boarded early with no problems.

 

Ship: Beautiful and spotless. Immediately noticed they were cleaning constantly as noted by so many other posters. Probably the cleanest looking ship we've been on.

 

Entertainment: The shows were the best I have seen on any ship. The juggler and acrobats were excellent. The entertainment team worked hard and interacted continually with the passengers (and sometimes very intimately). Richard was hilarious and had MJ's moves down pretty well.

 

Food: The food was hit and miss. I tried to sample a little of everything and was disappointed with how much poorly prepared and tasteless food we went through trying to find something worth eating. We ordered off both sides of the menu, but the food was not usually very good. (I wouldn't recommend even trying the fish) The main exception was the 2nd Gala night for us. The filet mignon and the lobster were both excellent!!! The pizza at night was also pretty good and unfortunately we had it frequently since we didn't eat that much at dinner.

 

We certainly didn't go hungry or lose weight, and we don't go on cruises to gorge ourselves all week. I only mention the food because it is much debated on here and we heard lots of people complaining. (our waiter even mentioned that he hears complaints every week). For the price we paid and the food we were able to find, we got our money's worth.

 

There is so much more I could write about, but my wife wants some help unpacking. Feel free to post any questions and I'd be glad to share our experience. (sorry about any typos..... I'm tired).

Thanks for the honest review and i could not agree more with everything you said. I will be back in the future ...:)

Feel free to post any questions and I'd be glad to share our experience.

Nice report, thanks. I am starting to gather my goodies for next week, and would like to know if they provided a bathrobe? If they do, that would be one less thing I would have to pack. :)

Don't want to hijack your thread, but we were on the same cruise...

 

I agree with all posted by sinjin about the cruise ship/food /vibration and would like to add that everyone was pleasant BUT the Maître d', who was very rude and would not work for me as dog catcher because I respect dogs. This sorry excuse for a professional does not need to be in a customer service position. I believe he has been discussed on CC before, MSC should take note.

 

Beware the time changes and short port times, it makes it tough to arrange your private excursions, we usually book private but for this cruise I would recommend using the ships.

 

Only other complaint I have is that the kids ran up and down the passageways after 10pm and sometimes past 12pm, MSC security should have addressed this problem. Other than that, the kids were great, and the ones that did act out, well, you could look at the parents and see why.

MSC doesn't enforce the dress code, so we saw some hats and shorts on nights they weren't supposed to be there. We don't always agree with the dress code, no shorts on casual night for example, but we always try to comply, that's what we all agreed to, right? Almost everyone did dress up for formal night we noticed.

We gave MSC a B- for this cruise, lowering the score for hit or miss foods and not enforcing the rules.

:)

IMO the Maitre d' was fantastic. He went above and beyond for me providing a low salt diet and making a table change after the 1st night. I tried to tip him for the table change and he would not take it. We were seated in a very crowded area, and he moved us to the specialty restaurant (it was being used as a regular restaurant because the cruise was crowded). He remembered us throughout the cruise, always smiled, said hello, and asked if everything was ok. Sorry your experience was different.

Nice report, thanks. I am starting to gather my goodies for next week, and would like to know if they provided a bathrobe? If they do, that would be one less thing I would have to pack. :)

They did not supply one in our cabin and we did not ask for one. Sorry.

Just a few more random thoughts that others might find interesting:

Good: Even though the ship was packed it did not feel crowded at night. The public areas are spread out nicely over several decks. You could always find somewhere peaceful to hang out. The main show lounge is stunning and easily accessible from two different decks. The row between the top and bottom section had lots of leg room, but people figured this out and it filled quickly. Most smokers stayed in their areas and the lounge to the rear appeared to be where a lot of them congregated. Lots of live music and though it wasn't really my taste lots of others enjoyed it. The disco location and set up was very nice.

The curious: At dinner they only had one children's menu for our 4 kids, who were all old enough to read. Said they didn't have enough menus on board. They also had to share Ketchup with other tables. It was funny when the waiters had to come "borrow" it every night.

The small cups in the buffet area were almost a waste of time. Sometimes they had really large cups and sometimes plastic disposable. Not a problem just weird.

I also noticed all over the ship they had silver boxes that used to be water fountains. I guess someone decided they didn't want passengers to have access to free water.

The ugly: There was a small electrical fire in one of the equipment rooms on Deck 8 when we returned from Jamaica. I called to report the smell and they said it was coming from outside. Went outside and there was NO odor. Mentioned the smell to a worker in the hall. Af first she played dumb, like she didn't smell it, then obviously lied the cruise line supplied lie of, "It must be coming from outside." I just smiled and said thanks. They obviously had it under control and we weren't in danger, but just be honest with your passengers.

IMO the Maitre d' was fantastic. He went above and beyond for me providing a low salt diet and making a table change after the 1st night. I tried to tip him for the table change and he would not take it. We were seated in a very crowded area, and he moved us to the specialty restaurant (it was being used as a regular restaurant because the cruise was crowded). He remembered us throughout the cruise, always smiled, said hello, and asked if everything was ok. Sorry your experience was different.

We meet with right after boarding and requested a table change, he was very short with us and some other passengers we had met while waiting in line shared a similar experience. I'll say this for him, he was very energetic, we saw him at all hours and stations, obviously working hard.

Maybe he had a bad day, we sure didn't let it bother us at all.:)

Just a few more random thoughts that others might find interesting:

 

Good: Even though the ship was packed it did not feel crowded at night. The public areas are spread out nicely over several decks. You could always find somewhere peaceful to hang out. The main show lounge is stunning and easily accessible from two different decks. The row between the top and bottom section had lots of leg room, but people figured this out and it filled quickly. Most smokers stayed in their areas and the lounge to the rear appeared to be where a lot of them congregated. Lots of live music and though it wasn't really my taste lots of others enjoyed it. The disco location and set up was very nice.

 

The curious: At dinner they only had one children's menu for our 4 kids, who were all old enough to read. Said they didn't have enough menus on board. They also had to share Ketchup with other tables. It was funny when the waiters had to come "borrow" it every night.

The small cups in the buffet area were almost a waste of time. Sometimes they had really large cups and sometimes plastic disposable. Not a problem just weird.

I also noticed all over the ship they had silver boxes that used to be water fountains. I guess someone decided they didn't want passengers to have access to free water.

 

The ugly: There was a small electrical fire in one of the equipment rooms on Deck 8 when we returned from Jamaica. I called to report the smell and they said it was coming from outside. Went outside and there was NO odor. Mentioned the smell to a worker in the hall. Af first she played dumb, like she didn't smell it, then obviously lied the cruise line supplied lie of, "It must be coming from outside." I just smiled and said thanks. They obviously had it under control and we weren't in danger, but just be honest with your passengers.

I smelled that too and wondered what it was, we were in 8069 and our steward was great, it's a shame you got a bad one.

I smelled that too and wondered what it was, we were in 8069 and our steward was great, it's a shame you got a bad one.

We were in 8098. Most stewards we passed were very friendly and seemed to be working hard.

They did not supply one in our cabin and we did not ask for one. Sorry.

We had two cabins and there were bathrobes in both.

Nice report, thanks. I am starting to gather my goodies for next week, and would like to know if they provided a bathrobe? If they do, that would be one less thing I would have to pack. :)

No robes in the cabin, so we tipped for robes, extra hangers, ice always full, couple other little things, and got the robes right away.

We will be in 8123 in 12 days! Does anyone happen to know "how obstructed" that room is?

Thanks for the review!

We will be in 8123 in 12 days! Does anyone happen to know "how obstructed" that room is?

Thanks for the review!

Our cabin (8098) had a lifeboat directly out the window. You can see over it a little bit and tell if the weather is nice and if there are buildings there. Don't count on seeing the ocean from a Cat 5 room. The outside deck area one deck down (Deck 7) is great for watching the ocean and for sunsets.

we'll be in 8058 and wondered the same thing

Re the bathrobes - it appears it depends on your cabin category. they used to only provide them in the suites, but now they provide them in balcony cabins too but not inside or outside (no balcony)

Re the bathrobes - it appears it depends on your cabin category. they used to only provide them in the suites, but now they provide them in balcony cabins too but not inside or outside (no balcony)

Thanks to all for your response to my bathrobe question. I have thrown my own in, just in case. :(

Re the bathrobes - it appears it depends on your cabin category. they used to only provide them in the suites, but now they provide them in balcony cabins too but not inside or outside (no balcony)

That explains it!!! We had 2 balconies. I believe they were considered deluxe.

Re the bathrobes - it appears it depends on your cabin category. they used to only provide them in the suites, but now they provide them in balcony cabins too but not inside or outside (no balcony)

Hmmmm. . .we had a balcony but no bathrobes. :confused: Do you have to ask for them?

Thanks for the responses!