Just back from the Poesia

[sea-explorer]

I really wanted to write a glowing report about this cruise, but did however have a few niggles. I have previously sailed on the Lirica & on the whole would probably prefer it. Maybe we are just smaller ship people, I don't know.

 

Embarkation.

Superb..I don't think we could have bought a train ticket any quicker. Maybe we just timed it right. We arrived in Piazzale Roma at about 2.30pm and found the free port shuttle. (If you stand with your back to the Grand Canal vaporetto stop and walk over to the very back row of buses, the shuttle should be on the far left. There is a label simply stating 'shuttle' on the bottom left of the window.) The driver then directed us to the baggage drop, which was more or less around the back of the building behind us when we parked. Into the terminal, one or two were checking in but we were straight away directed to an empty desk. I handed over the passports and a credit card, a quick photo and we were handed our cruise cards. If we were at the check in desk for more than a minute I would be surprised. Straight onto the ship after a quick stop for photos, & we were taken to our cabin.

 

Cabin

We had a starboard balcony cabin on deck 11, about halfway between midship & aft. The cabin was fine...I believe a bit smaller than on some other lines, but enough for us. It did of course come with one of those shower curtains that seem to wrap themselves round you the minute you get wet, but apart from that, everything was good. The bed was reasonably comfortable...much better than the hotel in Venice at least, so that was a blessing. There was soon a knock on the door & our cabin stewardess was there, introducing herself & asking what she could do for us. She was lovely and kept our ice bucket and fruit bowl topped up every day. Fortunately, my other concern, 'the smell' was unfounded. Either we were too far back on the ship or it was sorted. :) Our only problem with the cabin was that we did indeed have the 'neighbours from hell'. The noise! :eek: I'm also sorry to report they were American, or at least immigrant American. Sorry if that sounds awful, it's just the way it was. The parents were constantly shouting every time they spoke to the children, the children were pretty loud too. The hammering & shouting at the door every time some-one returned to the cabin was also something to behold. I don't think they ever used their cabin 'key'. Unfortunately, just one of those things, certainly not MSC's fault.

 

Food

This is indeed the area where reviews have been mixed, and I'm afraid I have to agree. In general, it was the food in the dining room that let it down. I did find the food on the Lirica better. maybe it's the difference in the ships or maybe it's just the credit crunch that has set in?

 

On the whole, the buffet was good. The good news too is that the buffet was kept open for lunch until 4.30pm on embarkation day, so you can afford to make the most of your day in Venice if you have the time and lunch will be waiting for you when you board. On the first day I did try a piece of what I think was akin to 'weiner schnitzel' which was both tough & greasy at the same time, but everything else was fine. As far as the buffet is concerned, a few dishes change daily, for example, one day goulash, one day lamb curry etc. Salads change too, caesar, waldorf etc on different days. There are burgers, which I thought were quite good, hot dogs & pizzas every day, a pasta dish which changed too. What you do have to be aware of though is to use both sides as some dishes only appear on one side..my son soon sussed out that it ws better to walk right round. :D

 

For breakfast we tended to use either room service, the buffet or both! I'm quite happy with a continental breakfast, but the men seem to want more. The bacon though was not good. hardly any meat, mostly fat, and then very greasy. Everything else was fine though. The cabin service breakfast juice was more watery but the coffee was much better. I wasn't too keen on the buffet coffee. The orange juice in the buffet was fine too, although one day I think I was served what Tuva described as yellow acid. I think I was given the grapefruit juice by mistake. I wouldn't recommend it either. We didn't use the dining room at all for breakfast on this cruise, although we used it every time last time. The dining room only served until 9am which was too early for us on sea days and late port days, & on other days we needed an early start & didn't feel we had the time to wait to be served in the dining room.

 

We did try the dining room on one day for lunch, but weren't too impressed. There was more choice in the buffet. On this day I tried sweet and sour pork. Well, the rice was risotto rice and the sweet and sour sauce was really only a watery gravy. Enough said!

 

On to evening meals. Well, on the whole they were okay, some days were better than others, but I must admit to struggling on some days. I was also suprised on the first day when presented with the menu. I said I would try the regional menu shown on the left, but was immediately informed I couldn't have it as we could only chose a maximum of three dishes from the main menu. I know for a fact I had a full regional menu on the Lirica, and also, I could order whatever I wanted from the main menu. On one of the days the waiter actually inferred we'd be better off ordering our meal from the always available section, so I thought I'd try the salmon. I was expecting a nice salmon steak but actually received a quite flat piece of tough fish which was also very greasy. On Gala evening I had a beautiful piece of steak. However, you didn't get a choice as to how it would be cooked and it came quite rare. This is how I like mine but my husband can only eat his well done..so there was a perfectly good piece of meat gone to waste.

 

We didn't ever try afternoon tea...too soon after lunch, or the midnight snack or buffet magnifique. This was too late for us. Yes, I know..midnight! However, this was usually served later, 12.15 or 12.30 & we often had an early start in the mornings.

 

I will return later with a little more...bars and entertainment, ports & shore excursions. If there is anything in particular you would like to know just ask. :)

[MMDown Under]

I really wanted to write a glowing report about this cruise, but did however have a few niggles. I have previously sailed on the Lirica & on the whole would probably prefer it. Maybe we are just smaller ship people, I don't know.

 

:)

 

Thank you for your review Sparky1664. Looking forward to the second half, in due course.

 

As we're sailing on Lirica on a TA in November, I'll let you know if this ship has maintained its good reputation. I know we are smaller ship people.

 

Glad you didn't have the smell problem.

 

Did you ask your neighbours from hell if they could try to keep the noise level down? I find people are mostly just thoughtless, rather than obnoxious. Failing that, did you report the excessive noise to the Purser's Office. Do you think the problem was compounded by thin poorly insulated walls?

 

Your food experiences certainly sounded like a mixed bag, which is a shame. There is no excuse for inedible food/food waste. Some of the best meals I've enjoyed in my life have been made from the least inexpensive ingredients. Do you think MSC try to be all things to all people and, in so doing, fail badly? What do you think is the problem?

 

Did you enjoy the fresh fruit bowl in your cabin?

 

We're hoping the meals on Lirica are enjoyable, as meals, on cruises with many sea days, in particular, are a vital part of the overall cruise experience.

 

We're looking forward to trying afternoon tea at least once.

[misand]

Food

 

On to evening meals. Well, on the whole they were okay, some days were better than others, but I must admit to struggling on some days. I was also suprised on the first day when presented with the menu. I said I would try the regional menu shown on the left, but was immediately informed I couldn't have it as we could only chose a maximum of three dishes from the main menu. I know for a fact I had a full regional menu on the Lirica, and also, I could order whatever I wanted from the main menu. On one of the days the waiter actually inferred we'd be better off ordering our meal from the always available section, so I thought I'd try the salmon. I was expecting a nice salmon steak but actually received a quite flat piece of tough fish which was also very greasy. On Gala evening I had a beautiful piece of steak. However, you didn't get a choice as to how it would be cooked and it came quite rare. This is how I like mine but my husband can only eat his well done..so there was a perfectly good piece of meat gone to waste.

 

 

Referring to the above quote-

Something you said concerns me, where you not allowed to order 2 soups a salad, an appetizer and two entrees if you wanted? We always enjoyed being able to order multiple things to try. Usually the portions are fairly small. My husband cruises mainly for the food. What is the difference between the regional menu and the main menu. Help, now you have me concerned.

 

 

Also I am curious about the deck parties, and kids area.

Thanks,

Misand

[cabrfam]

Firstly I would like to thank you Sparky for your wonderful posts. Not just this one, but all your posts. You manage to put in the positive even if your post is negative and I love that. I really like the fact that you remember in every thing you say people have their own opinion and yours is just that, your own opinion. Keep up the great posts and I look forward to the rest of yours.

Pepper;)

[jezziew]

I was so happy to read your review ... I am so happy that you did not encouter the smell ... and I think our cabin is pretty much where yours was. I hope we are just as lucky. Sorry about your neighbors ... and the consistent reviews of the food have set my expectations for my trip. I would love to hear which excursions you went on.:)

[sea-explorer]

Did you ask your neighbours from hell if they could try to keep the noise level down? I find people are mostly just thoughtless, rather than obnoxious. Failing that, did you report the excessive noise to the Purser's Office. Do you think the problem was compounded by thin poorly insulated walls?

 

We didn't complain officially, although they were aware. The first time he was banging on the door he knew he had brought me out of the cabin like a shot, I really did think it was some-one at our door. He just glared at me though when I spoke to him. The daughter, bless her, did try, I often heard her trying to 'shhhh' the others. Fortunately it was only in the mornings and during the day when we were usually off the ship. ( I heard later they stayed in their cabin all day, the only port they alighted at was Dubrovnik.) It appears they were in bed before we returned each evening. If it had been at night too we would have had to complain. I don't really think it was poor insulation as we didn't hear our neighbours on the other side, apart from occassionally on the balcony when they were just chatting.

 

Your food experiences certainly sounded like a mixed bag, which is a shame. There is no excuse for inedible food/food waste. Some of the best meals I've enjoyed in my life have been made from the least inexpensive ingredients. Do you think MSC try to be all things to all people and, in so doing, fail badly? What do you think is the problem?

 

Oh, I only wish I knew. To be fair, the food wasn't on the whole inedible. As I said, I wasn't thrilled with the salmon and I did abandon the 'turkey cordon-blue' on the last night. That tasted like what I would have expected a 'Bernard Matthews turkey twizzler' to taste like (re-constituted gunge) if I had ever tried one! Our family's choice is also limited in that I am the only one who will eat any type of fish (apart from good 'ol British fish & chips of course ;)) and then my range is limited. Our table mates tried quite a few of the fish dishes and enjoyed them. Everything else was okay, some things better than others. I did try the risotto a couple of times but found the rice somewhat chewy & starchy. I thought the idea of risotto was for the rice to absorb all the moisture thus becoming quite soft..but who am I to tell the Italians how risotto is to be cooked?. Maybe it was just me. The filet mignin was good, but I suggest if you prefer it well done you ask in advance, otherwise it will arrive quite bloody.

 

Did you enjoy the fresh fruit bowl in your cabin?

 

Yes, but now you've reminded me, there wasn't a fruit bowl in the cabin when we arrived. I simply asked the stewardess for one & asked for it to be kept topped up. An advantage of having sailed the line before, you tend to find how things work. ;)

 

We're hoping the meals on Lirica are enjoyable, as meals, on cruises with many sea days, in particular, are a vital part of the overall cruise experience.

 

I hope so too. I hope I haven't put you off, The food on the whole really was fine, it's just some dishes were tastier than others. Everyone's taste differs but I think on the whole you will find something you like.

 

We were on the Lirica in August 2007 & perhaps were a little spoilt as we had a very good Head Waiter..Kamal. He was really good fun. Strangely, on debarkation day, My husband bumped into him on the Poesia. How he remembered us I do not know. You think perhaps they are pretending to remember you, but in this case it certainly wasn't true, as it was actually Kamal that spotted my husband & made a bee line for him, not the other way round. He immediately asked where 'his lady' and 2 sons were. My younger son then went down to find him & Kamal gave him a big hug. It seems he has been working on the Port side of la Fontaine restaurant on deck 5..we were on the other side. If anyone spots him, say hi from us. :) He is in the process of training to be a butler & will be on the Fantasia when she launches later this year.

[sea-explorer]

 

Referring to the above quote-

Something you said concerns me, where you not allowed to order 2 soups a salad, an appetizer and two entrees if you wanted? We always enjoyed being able to order multiple things to try. Usually the portions are fairly small. My husband cruises mainly for the food. What is the difference between the regional menu and the main menu. Help, now you have me concerned.

 

Yes, you have it exactly right unfortunately. This was not our experience when we were on the Lirica last year. I cannot say if this rule just applies to the Poesia, or whether it has changed to all their ships. Maybe it's just a timing issue on their larger ships, I really don't know.

 

Basically from memory, the menu consists of

Entree

Soup

Salad

Pasta/risotto

Main course

Vegetarian Option

 

with 2 or 3 options within each course. I was told you are only allowed 3 of the above courses!!!

 

After this you can also choose 1 more course from cheese & biscuits, a desert, ice cream or sorbet etc.

 

There is a section, always available, where you can substitute for any course, chicken, salmon, steak (but I suspect this is the thin beef slice type,) & spaghetti bolognese.

 

The regional menu doesn't really differ from the main menu. It is rather a selection of 5 courses..4 of the above and a sweet, which is specific to a particular region of Italy, Sicily, Lazio etc. Each course is also available on the main menu of the day. It's just on the first day when I tried to order everything from the regional menu, the waiter looked horrified and told me I couldn't have all the courses. I had to drop a course.

 

I must admit I was surprized. I will admit to being somewhat overweight & am one of those dozy people who scream, 'but I really don't eat a lot' when I look as if i don't stop eating. I really don't think I am a greedy person though. For breakfast, juice, coffee & roll & perhaps a yoghurt is enough for me. For lunch, maybe some meat or pasta with salad is enough. I'm not a 'sweet' person & rarely have room for one & rarely eat betwen meals, maybe the odd ice-cream when out & about on a hot day. In the evenings though, on my annual holiday, when I am being waited on, I too like to order & try different courses. I generally like to order a salad course to eat with my main meal too.

 

Later in the week I noticed with interest that one of my table mates ordered 4 courses. The waiter did seem flummoxed & went through the order twice, but went off without saying anything. I kept watch though & we later found that one of the courses he ordered had indeed been dropped. You certainly wouldn't be allowed to order 2 entrees etc to try..at least not with the waiter we had. Maybe others would be more accommodating, I just don't know.

 

 

Also I am curious about the deck parties, and kids area.

Thanks,

Misand

 

I really can't help much with this, sorry. Our youngest is 14 and did go to the teens club meeting on the first night with one of our table mates. However, they found there were no other native English speaking children there, so didn't go again. There were some activities on deck, but we didn't try these. Our days were generally filled with port visits, followed by lunch and a general unwind. To be honest, I suppose this is where we felt a little outnumbered and it's where the Italian lines in the Med at least are not the best choice for us.

[sea-explorer]

Firstly I would like to thank you Sparky for your wonderful posts. Not just this one, but all your posts. You manage to put in the positive even if your post is negative and I love that. I really like the fact that you remember in every thing you say people have their own opinion and yours is just that, your own opinion. Keep up the great posts and I look forward to the rest of yours.

Pepper;)

 

Thank you. :)

 

 

I was so happy to read your review ... I am so happy that you did not encouter the smell ... and I think our cabin is pretty much where yours was. I hope we are just as lucky. Sorry about your neighbors ... and the consistent reviews of the food have set my expectations for my trip. I would love to hear which excursions you went on.:)

 

I hope the smell issue has been resolved. I must admit I was very concerned. As this was our very first balcony cabin, I didn't want my family to be put off & think it was the norm on all ships.

 

 

I will try & return as soon as I can. At the moment I am busy washing, shopping etc & trying to get my 3 children (husband & 2 sons ;)) prepared to go back to work/school.

[sea-explorer]

Entertainment

To be fair there was a good deal of entertainment we didn't even try but I did feel it was lacking a little in some of those we did and also I felt there were times on some evenings where there really needed to be something else to do. The entertainment team does work very hard though. There were games and activities on the pool decks in the afternoons, cookery & vegetable carving demonstrations, art & crafts sessions, a chess tournament, a couple of English quizzes, bingo, the silent art auctions of course (it always beats me why anyone would pay those prices :eek: ) and of course the shows.

 

We tried the quizzes, they were fine, but we didn't win. My son entered the chess tournament and did quite well but was eventually beaten by an adult in the semi-final (how dare he!!) We tried the bingo one evening and it was a disaster. Five languages, yes, I could cope with that. The problem was, the English wasn't at all clear. We were unsure of the rules, so when the first line was called, we assumed we were playing for a full house. Wrong! Another line was called. By this time we felt we had missed so many numbers, either because they weren't clear to start with, or because the constant noisy traffic through the lounge on the way to the theatre made hearing the numbers impossible, we gave in & left.

 

The shows.

I didn't go to them all, but after the first one I decided to perservere on the grounds they couldn't get any worse. I was right, the later shows were better. :D In the first show we had a juggler who perservered until he completed a section without dropping anything and then stopped to congratulate himself before moving on to the same repertoire with hoops and then boomerangs. There was a shadow puppet artist. Whether I was sitting too near the front I don't know, but I struggled to recognize anything familiar in most of the shadows being portrayed, although I did have a good view of his hands and the light bulb. Oh yes, & there were singers too to rival those in a Beijing Opera. Well, probably not quite, but I did find them funny. The following nights there was a magician and then a mime artist who were good in parts and I always enjoy the acrobats and trapeze artists. The can-can girls in one show were another matter. I have been fortunate enough to visit the Moulin Rouge in Paris. It was obvious their choreographer had not. The whole idea I thought, was to tease with a glimpse not to clomp about the stage with skirts permantly hoisted above their waists. Oh, & their squeals were something else. :rolleyes:

 

Sorry, I am joking a little. I did enjoy the shows, they were fun, but Broadway they were not of course. It is always difficult catering to so many nationalities and taken in the right spirit I'm sure you will enjoy them. They must have had something as the theatre was always packed, especially after first seating dinner.

 

We were on first sitting at 7pm. (Second seating is at 9.30pm) This was just right for us. We would then have a coffee in the bar before going on to the show. After the show, there was music in the lounges. I did find this a little loud though & it's difficult to sit & chat. My husband was more fortunate as he is a little deaf..or maybe that is just when I am talking to him, I'm not too sure now I think about it. It was at this time I felt there could have been something else. On some nights there were, Miss Poesia contest, for example, whilst on others, there were dance sessions. These were fine if you wanted to join in, but I did feel it would be better if there was another form of entertainment in this time slot too.

 

The bars were fine too, as usual a variety of different music styles to suit all tastes. As I suspected, I did find the zebra bar a little dazzling, stripey walls, stripey floors and stripey furniture, and thought the Bar dei Poeti a little dark. Perhaps that's just me though..too old to appreciate the ambience!

 

The Ports

I had spent some time researching the ports and most, with the exception perhaps of Bari, went according to plan. We had no problems geting off the ship as soon as we wanted to, apart from Dubrovnik, which quite frankly was a bit of a mess. We didn't take any shore excursions. We tend to either do ports alone or make other arrangements as we can be a little slow keeping up with large tour groups and my dodgy knees don't cope too well with standing for long periods listening to tour guides. I did hear from other passengers, tours they took in Katakolon, Izmir & Istanbul were excellent with extremely good guides.

 

Venice

We stayed 2 nights pre-cruise here & took it at a very leisurely pace. We walked the streets, rode the vaporetto along the Grand Canal, visited St. Marks, The Doge's Palace and The Arsenale and even spent a lovely afternoon on the beach at the Lido. Loved it. The 24 hour vaporetto pass has increased in price from the 16 Euros I found on the internet to 26 euros. It was therefore cheaper to buy a 72 hour Venice card (22 euros) for the boys, but I'm not sure if this is available to non EU citizens.

 

Bari

For some unknown reason I came off the ship here without the map I had printed off & 'my papers'. I seemed to have completely forgotten the fact that I'd spent some time on researching my ports. Must be old age settling in. The plan here was simply to ride the little touristic train and then wander the old town & visit St. Nicholas Church. Nothing too dramatic. When we docked we waited for the crowds to clear before venturing off. We asked the MSC rep about the shuttle I had read about to the port gates. She said there wasn't one. We also asked her about the little tourist train. She said there wasn't one but pointed us in the direction of the waiting taxis. We were then quoted 15 euros to the old town. However, by this time we had spotted the port gates & ventured off on our own. I cannot believe the old town was just across the road outside the port gates and a taxi driver was wanting to charge 15 euros for a virtually non existent journey!.

 

We wandered the narrow streets and eventually found the church. Afterwards we sat outside a small cafe watching the locals zip past on their little scooters with a strange array of passengers, including one with a large chow dog! We walked back along the sea front to the port..and what did we find waiting just inside the port gates..you guessed it..the non existant little green train! Too late for a tour now, but at least my family realized my vision of a little green train wasn't akin to visions of little green men. ;)

 

Katakolon

We booked George the taxi driver for our visit here and had a wonderful day. He was waiting for us right by the port gates and took us to Olympia. There was actually more here than I thought and we really enjoyed it. Unfortunately the museum is closed on Monday mornings so we drove into the village & had a drink together. A little souvenir shopping, a camera & a newspaper & we were on our way. George showed us where the recent fires had been & earthquake damage in the villages. He took us to his house and we picked fresh oranges & figs from his trees. We then went on to the winery for a quick visit & a little wine tasting, and then a drive along the beach and back to the port.

 

Izmir

We had booked Levent Solmaz here, and again had an excellent day. We were picked up at the port and first of all went to Mary's House and then on to Ephesus which was wonderful. Afterwards, Levent took us to a little shop where we could purchase turkish delight & teas etc. before returning to the ship. If I had just booked Levent for Ephesus, I would be here singing his praises. He is easy to get along with and very informative. However, we had also booked him for Istanbul. We actually confirmed the original booking in September 2007. A couple of weeks prior to our cruise however, he informed us he would provide another guide for Istanbul as he had to be with his mother who was having an operation. It transpired however, this wasn't true, but rather he had had a later but more lucrative booking (12 people) so we were re-allocated.

 

Istanbul

There were one or two hiccups...hiccoughs ?? :D here, mainly due to change of guide, delays and confusion over payment which I won't really go into. Having seen Istanbul I would advise most of you to just go alone. The Hippodrome, The Blue Mosque, The Hagia Sophia, The Cisterns and Topkapi Palace are all together and you must walk from one to the other. They really are so close together it would be impossible & pointless to use any form of transport here....and that is from some-one who doesn't walk unless things are close together. A taxi from the port to the Hippodrome, and then maybe from Topkapi Palace to the Grand Bazaar is all you need. I loved Istanbul. Being in the centre of things and listening to the call for prayer is wonderful. It is one of my 'wish to return to' spots.

 

Dubrovnik

A do it yourself port for us, & most people I believe. We tendered here, alongside Celebrity Summit, as there were several ships in port that day. I took this news with both some exitement and nervousness. Having never tendered before I was somewhat apprehensive, a combination of dodgy knees, steps and vertigo. As it turned out, my fears on this turned out to be unfounded. It was quite easy and I'm glad I had the experience. We docked, or rather anchored, early so everything was going well. As I heard the tender numbers before us called, we moved to the lounge on deck 6 to await our turn. We must have waited here for at least 30 minutes & would have had time for a coffee, but didn't want to risk it. It was okay though, we were still early and were waiying comfortably. When our number was called we moved to the stairways..and here we waited...and waited...and waited...and waited. You get the picture. People crammed on landings and stairways going down two decks, with no movement whatsoever. After a while, some people started shouting, demanding to see an official, to find out what was happening. Funny how every-one can suddenly speak English when an international language is required isn't it? This state of affairs continued for about 40-50 minutes, before anyone started to move..an utter shambles. I heard later that some passengers had been to complain, only to be met with a raised eyebrow, a shrug & the comment, 'some people are so impatient!'

 

On to Dubrovnik. A pretty little town. The main street was shorter than I expected, and full of little souvenir shops. The side streets are quaint, but the steps along them can be quite steep. We visted the monastery, the Cathedral, St. Blaise's church was shut, the little market, poked around in the souvenir and art shops and found a little cafe to sit and have a drink. It was very pleasant. We didn't attempt the wall. Too hot & energetic for us.

 

Disembarkation

Firstly I had expected a form to fill out your flight details etc, but this didn't happen. The process is the same as for all ships. However, your colour depends on your deck, the higher your deck, the later you leave. We were therefore given a colour near the end. As we had an 11.35 flight, we were a little concerned and tried to get our colour changed. this proved difficult. At reception we were simply told if we had an MSC transfer we could discuss our colour, otherwise, we were on deck 11, we were to have a brown ticket..end of. My husband made several visits, but to no avail. I don't know if it was a language issue, but we just kept getting, what is your cabin number, yes you are on deck 11, you should have a brown ticket..have you got a brown ticket, yes, then what is the problem...round and round in circles. Again, I think we were unlucky as it depends on who is on duty on Reception at the time. Eventually, the English hostess Nicky sorted it for us. The moral of this, if you need to sort anything with reception, find Nicky. She will be near the desk between about 4 and 5pm everyday.

 

Disembarkation itself was also a bit of a mixed bag. Our colour was called, but we waited in the queue for quite a while to leave. At first I think the delay was because they were not letting anyone off, then I think it was simply some passengers not having their cruise cards available and instead of standing aside to let others off whilst they found them, the queue was just held up. Anyway, this took us an extra 15-20 minutes and we were then charged an excess fee by the taxi firm we had booked for waiting time. The baggage was waiting and easy to locate. We were soon on our way and in plenty of time for our flight.

 

Phew..I think that's it.

A few ups and downs but on the whole, we really enjoyed the cruise. The cabin, the ship, the ports etc.

If I've missed anything let me know. :)

[sea-explorer]

Ooops. A quick correction...sorry.

 

Apart from the spelling mistakes or typos..:o ..I also stated a 24 hour vaporetto pass in Venice was 26 euros. This should have been 26 euros for a 48 hour pass.

[liverpoollad]

Thanks Sparky for a marvellous report.it would have taken me a few days to type that amount:p

 

I would like to ask a couple of questions....Firstly I have read in the past that MSC don't make too much of taking wine etc., on board,but recent reviews on another site say they were very strict on one of their other ships.Is it OK to take wine on board Poesia? Finally can you take your own bottle of wine to your dinner table & pay corkage ?

 

I am glad you had a good time on your cruise,as i'm sure that my wife & I will.

Cheers

[sea-explorer]

Hello liverpoollad.

 

We didn't try to take too much on board. However, in Katakolon we carried on a large pack of water and two bottles of retsina. We just popped them onto the security belt on our return and no questions asked. :)

 

As for the dining room, we didn't try it, but from the 'bumph' we received it seems it should be fine:

 

Alcohol Policy

All alcohol purchased at the shops on board will be safely stored for you during the cruise, and delivered directly to your cabin the evening before disembarkation. Receipts for all bottles held safely for you will be given at the time of collection in the shops. Corkage fees ranging from E2.50 to E9.60 will be charged to your cruise card for each bottle of private wine opened in the restaurants.

[liverpoollad]

Thanks Sparky for the information.

I have also noted the mistake you made re the vaporetto, Phew!!!!! I must admit I was very disappointed when I read 26 euros.as my wife & I usually get a 24 hour pass & we thought that we would n't get it this time as the charge had gone too high.

Cheers

[Camelia-]

Thank you very much.It was so well written that I felt like I was there! I was on the Sinfonia in June and I think the overall experience was similar to yours. I admit that my expectations were not very high..judging from alot of negative comments from other posters but I had a great time overall. Of course there were little things here and there but I've encountered that on all the cruises I've been on. Your experiences with the front desk made me laugh..though I'm sure it wasn't funny to you!

 

By the way..I've noticed the comments about the "smell"..may I ask what that is actually? I remember last year when I went on the Star Princess..I had read many a note about a sewage smell on that ship..I was really concerned because we had a balcony cabin but in the end there was NO smell whatsoever..I was relieved to see..could this be the same problem?

 

Camelia

[jezziew]

Quick question ... what is the dress for dinner? I've read that some nights suggest very dressy but when I went on a Costa cruise a few years back people did not dress up for dinner. What should I expect? Does my husband need a suit and tie? Thank you!:confused:

[sea-explorer]

By the way..I've noticed the comments about the "smell"..may I ask what that is actually? I remember last year when I went on the Star Princess..I had read many a note about a sewage smell on that ship..I was really concerned because we had a balcony cabin but in the end there was NO smell whatsoever..I was relieved to see..could this be the same problem?

 

Camelia

 

Hi Camelia, thank you.

Yes, I think it is the same problem. There have been quite a few reports of a sewerage smell on the starboard side, some saying it was stronger than others. Maybe it is intermittent, maybe it has now been sorted. I can only say I was worried about this before we went, but thankfully we didn't encounter a smell at all. I sincerely hope it has finally been sorted.

 

Quick question ... what is the dress for dinner? I've read that some nights suggest very dressy but when I went on a Costa cruise a few years back people did not dress up for dinner. What should I expect? Does my husband need a suit and tie? Thank you!:confused:

 

Hi jezziew,

I think you may find the dress very similar to Costa. It was a little mixed, some dressing up, others not, but few men were in dinner suits on formal nights. I always tended to wear a dress in the evenings anyway...as I don't get out very much....ahhhhhh...I like to dress up a little when I have the chance. On formal nights my husband wore an ordinary suit jacket with a shirt and tie but often discarded the jacket after dinner. He didn't look or feel out of place at all. As long as you are reasonably smart on formal evenings you should be okay.

 

From the paperwork on the cruise...

 

MSC DRESS CODE

 

Following are the required modes of attire for evening dress (after 6pm nightly). The dress code of the day is dispalyed on the front of the Ship's Daily newspaper each day.

 

Formal: Gentlemen - Tuxedo, Dinner Jacket or Dark Suit and tie.

Ladies - a dressy outfit, formal gown or cocktail dress.

 

Informal: Gentlemen - Jacket, trousers (no jeans)

Ladies - Informal dress or pants and blouse

 

Casual: Gentlemen - Sports shirt, slacks or jeans.

Ladies - dress, pant suit or sporty outfit.

 

I'm not really sure what a sporty outfit consists of. :) In reality, casual appeared to be anything apart from shorts and swimwear, informal was similiar. My husband didn't wear a jacket on these nights and I don't recall many others doing so.

[Booked]

Hi Sparky:

Really enjoyed reading your review...I'd been watching for it, and

wondering how you'd make out.

So happy you - and family - enjoyed the cruise and made the return flight with time to spare despite the odd bump.

Too bad about missing the Bari "train", but glad you spotted it in the end...otherwise you'd be thinking I'd been imagining things when there.

So what's next for your family????

Cheers

CA

[sea-explorer]

Hello Booked. :)

 

Yes, it was a shame about the train..but we enjoyed our day anyway. I also forgot to mention I also saw the 'non-existant' shuttle bus on the way back too. It does make me laugh, the MSC rep standing outside the terminal had less idea of what was available than I had.:rolleyes: (Thanks to you & this board of course, reading this board should be a compulsory part of MSC training I think.)

 

Next??? Shhhhhhhhhhh!! We're jumping ship. :D

 

Next is this one...http://www.costacruises.co.uk/B2C/GB/ShoppingV2/CruiseDetail.htm?&Period=200904&Iti=CIV08000&VIti=CO_11_CIV_S_F0B0H0_CIV_SVN_KAT_ATH_IZM_RHO_LMS_ALY_CIV&Cru=CO11090407

 

We were looking for Egypt early in the season..before it gets too hot, & this was the only cruise I could find which would fit our school Easter holidays exactly. MSC and most other lines too, don't seem to be offering Egypt in April, and the others that do (RCI & NCL) are just that bit too late.

 

After this? Who knows? :)

[vjmatty]

Thank you for giving us such a balanced review. We are on the Poesia in December with an entirely different itinerary but your review was helpful to know what to expect from the ship itself.

 

By the way, did you like the retsina wine? I ask because many of us Greeks don't even care for it, so I am curious to what the rest of the world thinks.

 

Since I happen to be reading a Grisham book about a man who is relocated to Italy and has to learn the language quickly, I got the idea to learn a bit myself before this upcoming cruise. Do you think that would be helpful based on your experience on the ship? We leave out of Genoa and only have one other stop in Italy which is Naples, but I have heard that the crew mostly speaks Italian. Did you find communication difficult?

[sea-explorer]

 

By the way, did you like the retsina wine? I ask because many of us Greeks don't even care for it, so I am curious to what the rest of the world thinks.

 

The retsina was for gifts, so I'm not sure. I'm not really much of a wine drinker I'm afraid, so I'm the wrong one to ask. :)

 

Since I happen to be reading a Grisham book about a man who is relocated to Italy and has to learn the language quickly, I got the idea to learn a bit myself before this upcoming cruise. Do you think that would be helpful based on your experience on the ship? We leave out of Genoa and only have one other stop in Italy which is Naples, but I have heard that the crew mostly speaks Italian. Did you find communication difficult?

 

We didn't have any difficulty with communication at all. Our waiter was Italian, but could speak enough English for our needs at the table. The bar staff tended to be Eastern European and our cabin stewardess was Balinese. Our only problem came with Reception as outlined above, but then it can depend on who is on duty at a particular time.

 

However, I do think it is nice to try and learn some of the language before you travel. I really did try, but I think old age & stupidity came into play and I kept getting mixed up with the French I knew! In the end I was left with a few stock phrases which I didn't use very much.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

 

Are you on the itinerary that visit's Egypt? If so, I'd love to hear of your experiences when you return.

[vjmatty]

That is what I am afraid of since I speak French and Greek I might start replacing words without thinking. Oh well, see what happens I guess.

 

Yes we are doing the Egypt itinerary and it is one of the reasons we chose it. I will fill you in when I get back.

[sea-explorer]

liverpoollad

 

I don't know if you are still out there but it's just struck me it must be nearly time for your cruise.

 

Something I've read somewhere is ringing alarm bells. I've got the impression I think you are thinking of taking the train to Olympia. It may be possible, but the Poesia isn't in port for that long & I'm not sure you will get back in time. Have you thought about hiring a car? It is something we would perhaps consider if we were to visit again, (although I was pleased we hired George for our first visit).

 

If you don't make the train, there is a car hire place just near the port gates...so all will not be lost. Website here:

 

http://www.rentacarkatakolo.gr/cars.htm

 

I believe you can rent a car from about 33 euros plus a little more for petrol.

 

Hope you have a wonderful time. :)

[liverpoollad]

Hi Sparky.

 

Yes I am still here,and looking forward to the cruise. I have been looking into going to Olympia by train,but I noted that the return train arrived back 20 mins before the ship leaves,so I will not chance it. Thanks for the reminder though. I may hire a car,but I think my wife & I will have a relax day.

 

We are flying out next Wednesday to stay three nights in Venice pre cruise.

Due to a mix up with payment between myself & MSC I haven't got my documents. I paid them five weeks ago, but I did it wrong & it has laid in their account pending since,why they didn't get in touch with me weeks ago,is bad on their part. I have spoken to them today & sorted it out, they have posted the documents to me,and they advise I should get them by Monday,but just in case I didn't get them in time I received an Email from them today at 5.00pm with copy docs., Thank goodness!!!

 

I will post my thoughts on the cruise when I return.

 

Cheers