Review from our Feb 18th Poesia Cruise

[Got2goaway]

We were on the February 18th sailing on the Poesia and wanted to write about our experience. We are a family of four with a teen and a tween. We have had the opportunity to sail various lines, but this was our first time sailing with MSC. Our experience, overall, was very good. The following entails our perspective. We would be happy to answer any questions as well.

 

Embarkation – Arrived at pier in Fort Lauderdale around 12:30pm. We were on Lido deck browsing the buffet by 1:30pm. We had already been personally shown to our room (never had that before) and we also stopped to see the Maître D regarding our seating change request, which was accommodated immediately. This was the least stressful and fastest embarkation process that we have had ever. Great start!

After lunch, we stopped by our room to find that our luggage was already there. We decided to take the opportunity to unpack.

 

Cabin – We had an inside cabin on the Carducci deck (10) forward. The room was average in size, clean and bright. The only negatives would be the shower curtain and the configuration of the storage space. There are numerous drawers but they are shallow. We were able to make the best of it, but it was more tasking than on other ships we have been on.

 

Ship – The décor was tasteful and elegant. The common rooms were, overall, nicely sized and accommodated venues well. There were a few occasions were the differing musical venue sounds would permeate into another venue but it was not enough to impede the show quality of either one. The casino was positioned in such a way where we had to go through it to get to other areas on that deck or take the inconvenient detour in order to avoid it. I understand the logic, it was just a bit annoying as we weren’t sure whether to bring our children through it or just take the detour. The ship was easy to maneuver except that the floors did not have unique characteristic as you exit the elevator, such as differing colors of carpeting or even a floor number, as we have seen on other ships, so you often would see people get off and right back on once they would see that the placard on the wall adjacent to the elevator did not read the number that they were hoping for. There were many thresholds/ transitions throughout the ship which made ambulation difficult for those individuals who utilized walkers or wheelchairs.

 

Ports – We were at each port on time and never had to wait to off the ship. We exited off of the same deck every time and there were always two debarkation ramps available - one in the front of the ship and one in the back of the ship. No lines, no waiting, ever, no kidding! You could also re-enter via either ramp.

 

Tours – We only booked one tour through MSC, a catamaran snorkeling tour, in St. Thomas. It was wonderful! Our tour tickets were in our cabin on embarkation day. Instructions on where to meet were in our cabin the evening before the tour. There were plenty of staff members transitioning groups on tour day and the tour guides were professional, courteous and fun.

 

Entertainment Staff – WOW! I must say that we were amazed by the amount of energy, excitement and fun that the entertainment staff members imbibed. The y would go from dawn with aerobics by the pool to midnight hosting karaoke in the Disco. From poolside games, dance lessons, and trivia by day to funny skit s, carnivals and dancing at night. They were everywhere. They were a highlight of our cruise. They were so inclusive. A great example entails when as an impromptu the entertainment crew created a children’s pool game alongside the adult game as there were many children spectators during the event. We were very impressed!

 

Shows – The most unique element was the format of the shows. Each night entailed a variety show. The “International Dancers” performed each evening. There was singing each night, from Broadway to Opera. And somewhere in the middle a juggler, a cyclist, or a gymnast or two or three or four was included too. The talent was impressive and the costumes were beautiful, albeit the “Can-Can” attire - a bit risqué for little eyes. The duos from Hungary (I believe) as well as the gymnast group from Ethiopia were unbelievable. The juggler from France was extraordinary. The cyclist was fantastic as well, especially the evening that he performed at the carnival on the Lido deck. There were also various musical ensembles throughout the ship that were wonderfully entertaining. All the talent was excellent!

 

Food – Let me begin by saying that the Midnight Buffet Extraordinaire, held near the end of the cruise, should not be missed. Even if you have to take a nap in order to get there – just get there. It is truly a spectacular sight!

 

We had first seating. We ate in the MDR each night. Our waiter was very nice, but always seemed behind schedule and in a hurry. Our beverage server / assistant waiter was also very nice but seldom seen. The food was warm and edible, but unfortunately, it was also forgettable. Don’t get me wrong, we did not starve on our cruise nor did we lose weight, but we also did not have any “WOW that was amazing” moments. The buffet was also edible but forgettable. The selection was lackluster and did not change much. The pizza and ice-cream in the buffet were always the saving grace. The gelato was also quite good. The cheese plate on the MDR menu was also reliable. The Baked Alaskan, however, was the best that we have had yet.

 

Cruise Director – This cruise had Maddy the Cruise Director and Tyler the North American Co-Cruise Director. Maddy only spoke at the beginning and end of the shows along with Tyler. Maddy would give her spiel in Italian, French, German and Spanish while Tyler would relay the information in English. Maddy, on occasion, would speak to the English folks too. Most often, however, Tyler was in charge of that task. I found Maddy aloof, although perhaps she just did not feel comfortable speaking English. Tyler was very approachable, informative and entertaining as well. He is a great addition to the team. We enjoyed meeting him and taking part in his trivia games as well.

 

Kids Club – Our children did not partake in the kids club aside for about an hour or two for our tween. She played in the playscape and participated in an art project. There was minimal available for our teenage son. The Kids Club activities for tweens and teens remain an area that MSC could improve on.

 

Overall, our cruise experience with MSC was quite positive. The staff throughout the ship was friendly, courteous and always helpful. The shows were entertaining and so were the entertainment staff and even some of the fellow passengers (especially during the “Sexy” man contest). All the highlights outweighed our cuisine woes and we would definitely consider MSC again in the future.

 

As an aside, I would have liked to see chairs on the promenade deck and recycling containers in our cabins and well as in the common areas.

[Capricruiser]

Good review. Hope you also posted it on the MSC member cruise reviews for the Poesia?

[seacat66]

good review. i enjoyed it.

[wilson2579]

Thanks for an excellent review. It was the food I was a little concerned about on our October MSC cruise.

[Got2goaway]

Thank you for the compliments. They're appreciated!

[Canadian Karebear]

We were on the February 18th sailing on the Poesia and wanted to write about our experience. We are a family of four with a teen and a tween. We have had the opportunity to sail various lines, but this was our first time sailing with MSC. Our experience, overall, was very good. The following entails our perspective. We would be happy to answer any questions as well.

 

Embarkation – Arrived at pier in Fort Lauderdale around 12:30pm. We were on Lido deck browsing the buffet by 1:30pm. We had already been personally shown to our room (never had that before) and we also stopped to see the Maître D regarding our seating change request, which was accommodated immediately. This was the least stressful and fastest embarkation process that we have had ever. Great start!

After lunch, we stopped by our room to find that our luggage was already there. We decided to take the opportunity to unpack.

 

Cabin – We had an inside cabin on the Carducci deck (10) forward. The room was average in size, clean and bright. The only negatives would be the shower curtain and the configuration of the storage space. There are numerous drawers but they are shallow. We were able to make the best of it, but it was more tasking than on other ships we have been on.

 

Ship – The décor was tasteful and elegant. The common rooms were, overall, nicely sized and accommodated venues well. There were a few occasions were the differing musical venue sounds would permeate into another venue but it was not enough to impede the show quality of either one. The casino was positioned in such a way where we had to go through it to get to other areas on that deck or take the inconvenient detour in order to avoid it. I understand the logic, it was just a bit annoying as we weren’t sure whether to bring our children through it or just take the detour. The ship was easy to maneuver except that the floors did not have unique characteristic as you exit the elevator, such as differing colors of carpeting or even a floor number, as we have seen on other ships, so you often would see people get off and right back on once they would see that the placard on the wall adjacent to the elevator did not read the number that they were hoping for. There were many thresholds/ transitions throughout the ship which made ambulation difficult for those individuals who utilized walkers or wheelchairs.

 

Ports – We were at each port on time and never had to wait to off the ship. We exited off of the same deck every time and there were always two debarkation ramps available - one in the front of the ship and one in the back of the ship. No lines, no waiting, ever, no kidding! You could also re-enter via either ramp.

 

Tours – We only booked one tour through MSC, a catamaran snorkeling tour, in St. Thomas. It was wonderful! Our tour tickets were in our cabin on embarkation day. Instructions on where to meet were in our cabin the evening before the tour. There were plenty of staff members transitioning groups on tour day and the tour guides were professional, courteous and fun.

 

Entertainment Staff – WOW! I must say that we were amazed by the amount of energy, excitement and fun that the entertainment staff members imbibed. The y would go from dawn with aerobics by the pool to midnight hosting karaoke in the Disco. From poolside games, dance lessons, and trivia by day to funny skit s, carnivals and dancing at night. They were everywhere. They were a highlight of our cruise. They were so inclusive. A great example entails when as an impromptu the entertainment crew created a children’s pool game alongside the adult game as there were many children spectators during the event. We were very impressed!

 

Shows – The most unique element was the format of the shows. Each night entailed a variety show. The “International Dancers” performed each evening. There was singing each night, from Broadway to Opera. And somewhere in the middle a juggler, a cyclist, or a gymnast or two or three or four was included too. The talent was impressive and the costumes were beautiful, albeit the “Can-Can” attire - a bit risqué for little eyes. The duos from Hungary (I believe) as well as the gymnast group from Ethiopia were unbelievable. The juggler from France was extraordinary. The cyclist was fantastic as well, especially the evening that he performed at the carnival on the Lido deck. There were also various musical ensembles throughout the ship that were wonderfully entertaining. All the talent was excellent!

 

Food – Let me begin by saying that the Midnight Buffet Extraordinaire, held near the end of the cruise, should not be missed. Even if you have to take a nap in order to get there – just get there. It is truly a spectacular sight!

 

We had first seating. We ate in the MDR each night. Our waiter was very nice, but always seemed behind schedule and in a hurry. Our beverage server / assistant waiter was also very nice but seldom seen. The food was warm and edible, but unfortunately, it was also forgettable. Don’t get me wrong, we did not starve on our cruise nor did we lose weight, but we also did not have any “WOW that was amazing” moments. The buffet was also edible but forgettable. The selection was lackluster and did not change much. The pizza and ice-cream in the buffet were always the saving grace. The gelato was also quite good. The cheese plate on the MDR menu was also reliable. The Baked Alaskan, however, was the best that we have had yet.

 

Cruise Director – This cruise had Maddy the Cruise Director and Tyler the North American Co-Cruise Director. Maddy only spoke at the beginning and end of the shows along with Tyler. Maddy would give her spiel in Italian, French, German and Spanish while Tyler would relay the information in English. Maddy, on occasion, would speak to the English folks too. Most often, however, Tyler was in charge of that task. I found Maddy aloof, although perhaps she just did not feel comfortable speaking English. Tyler was very approachable, informative and entertaining as well. He is a great addition to the team. We enjoyed meeting him and taking part in his trivia games as well.

 

Kids Club – Our children did not partake in the kids club aside for about an hour or two for our tween. She played in the playscape and participated in an art project. There was minimal available for our teenage son. The Kids Club activities for tweens and teens remain an area that MSC could improve on.

 

Overall, our cruise experience with MSC was quite positive. The staff throughout the ship was friendly, courteous and always helpful. The shows were entertaining and so were the entertainment staff and even some of the fellow passengers (especially during the “Sexy” man contest). All the highlights outweighed our cuisine woes and we would definitely consider MSC again in the future.

 

As an aside, I would have liked to see chairs on the promenade deck and recycling containers in our cabins and well as in the common areas.

 

We were on the cruise before yours on the Poesia, and agree with everything you have said.

 

Tyler was awesome, he's from New Brunswick, Canada and he said he tries to change things up each cruise as there are lots of people that do back to back cruises on MSC.

 

The food was good, we really enjoyed the Pizza at 5pm in the Buffet. Italian's definitely know how to make bread and pizza. Two of our favorites.

 

My son (11) didn't like the Kids' club at all, but we have cruised only Disney before, and they gear alot of their cruise around children so he was looking forward to alot more than what MSC had to offer. We noticed not many children in the Kids' Club either, so obviously ours wasn't the only one that didn't like it.

The pools were great!

 

I agree on the Deck Chairs issue. We noticed on "sea days" that some people got up early, threw a towel or two on the deck chair they wanted, and didn't come back for a number of hours. Some people even put a backpack full of books and stuff on the deck chair and didn't use it for a few hours. We didn't like that at all, as we only wanted to use the deck chair for as long as our kids were in the pool.

 

We just took our kids through the Casino, the European rules also state that your child can sit with you in the bar while you drink so we didn't see any issues with taking the kids through the casino either (we didn't gamble though).

 

Good post!