POESIA-Feb 20-March 6(Good,Bad,Ugly)

[blessedwith12]

Thank you for your very balanced review. When I read a review which is completely negative I discount it. Also, if someone always defends a certain cruise line and trashes all the others, I tend to ignore their viewpoints, too. I appreciate that you were able to tell the positive and negatives - giving examples to back up your opinions. This will allow those of us considering MSC to make an informed decision and not be caught by surprise by some of the differences. I also love that you had a great time and a great attitude - even though there were some mild disappointments. People like you are the people that I want to cruise with.:)

[smitty1952]

I have never been on Disney,but don't they have swimming pools and they must have cute little women wearing just enough to cover main things. What are you going to do? Put a blindfold on him or her,Not let them swim and enjoy the pool.If you don't want you kids to see all the bad or sexy things ,just lock them in the room till they get bigger to break it down.

[MTL=CRUISEFAMILY]

I have never been on Disney,but don't they have swimming pools and they must have cute little women wearing just enough to cover main things. What are you going to do? Put a blindfold on him or her,Not let them swim and enjoy the pool.If you don't want you kids to see all the bad or sexy things ,just lock them in the room till they get bigger to break it down.

 

You have taken coments out of context, where did you get the swimming pool and wearing skimpy outfits from?

 

As a responsible parent, I decide what is AGE APPROPRIATE for my kids.

I didn't say I was AMISH.

 

Wow, AND i am being accused of not being responsible? I chose to leave the movie because my kids are young and the subject matter was not AGE APPROPRIATE......I said that MSC could have opted, to show G, movies on the large outdoor screen, and PG13, or R rated on the tv's.

[MTL=CRUISEFAMILY]

Thank you for your very balanced review. When I read a review which is completely negative I discount it. Also, if someone always defends a certain cruise line and trashes all the others, I tend to ignore their viewpoints, too. I appreciate that you were able to tell the positive and negatives - giving examples to back up your opinions. This will allow those of us considering MSC to make an informed decision and not be caught by surprise by some of the differences. I also love that you had a great time and a great attitude - even though there were some mild disappointments. People like you are the people that I want to cruise with.:)

 

thanks, it is for people like you that I spend time posting my humble points....it seems that some readers do not make the connection, that these are forums, give your opinion and move on....we are all smart enough to cut through the mud (so to speak) and get a balanced review from a variety of sources.

[camofwilliamsburg]

Sorry MSC=Family I do not think that the movie screen should be showing G rated movies at night, and I think the movies were LATE NIGHT showings.

It is up to the parent( and I am not saying you did not do this) to monitor their children not a cruise line. NO child that young to only be watching G rated movies should be wandering around the pool deck at late night hours. There is an arcade for the kids.

[Zambini]

You have taken coments out of context, where did you get the swimming pool and wearing skimpy outfits from?

 

As a responsible parent, I decide what is AGE APPROPRIATE for my kids.

I didn't say I was AMISH.

 

Wow, AND i am being accused of not being responsible? I chose to leave the movie because my kids are young and the subject matter was not AGE APPROPRIATE......I said that MSC could have opted, to show G, movies on the large outdoor screen, and PG13, or R rated on the tv's.

 

I think we can safely assume that there were more adults aboard than children, how about showing the kiddie shows in the cabin and REAL movies for the majority on the outdoor screen?

[MTL=CRUISEFAMILY]

Bringing your kids also imparts responsibility on the parents part, don't assume all parts of the ship are "G" rated at all times.

 

I don't think they intend the ship or the kids programs to be a babysitter.

 

I disagree, if you offer a kids club/program , them yes, for lack of a better word it does become a babysitter........but that's not or ever was my point, it was merely to inform furure travelers of what to expect.

[FAMILYCRUIZING]

The movie I refered to was the INVENTION OF LYING, within the first 5 minutes there is a scene where the main character picks up his date at her apartment and she goes on at lenghth that she needs to pleasure herself befor going out with him, because they wil not be having sex...

 

...that AshNicole IS NOT APROPRIATE in my opinion to be viewed by a younger audience, and therefor we left..

... wether they are paying clients or not, is not the point , the deck is an open area, why should my kids be deprived of certain activities.

 

I certainly agree with you, not appropriate....I too will be bringing tweens and would not find it o.k as a general viewing on a ship.

[welove2cruisedou]

Wow, sense a cat fight here!! I just want to know if anyone has the daily newspaper that says what is going on for each day. NOt sure what MSC calls their daily newspaper. Just would like to know what kinda things there are to do all day. What age range are most to the people? I will be with people my age around 30ish. Will we be bored? We are used to Carnival and Royal Caribbean. Any input would be great whether good or bad. Thanks so much!!

[valee]

I'd also appreciate if anyone could post a pdf daily schedule here, or point me to a blog or website which has one. I know that it won't be the same on my cruise, but would like a vague idea of the activities. Thanks. We're getting excited about our departure next Saturday, and are hoping that the ash clouds don't interfere with flight down the East Coast.

[Satincruz]

Wow, sense a cat fight here!! I just want to know if anyone has the daily newspaper that says what is going on for each day. NOt sure what MSC calls their daily newspaper. Just would like to know what kinda things there are to do all day. What age range are most to the people? I will be with people my age around 30ish. Will we be bored? We are used to Carnival and Royal Caribbean. Any input would be great whether good or bad. Thanks so much!!

 

 

The age range of the passengers depends on your exact cruising week, but in general for the Caribbean cruises, there is a pretty wide range of ages.

 

MSC is a lot different than Carnival (much quieter and more laid back and more European), but there are still many activities. If you like to be involved in the poolside games and trivia, then you'll love the (mostly) Italian cruise staff. I really doubt that you'd be bored. Someone did post a link to the recent programs, so I'll search for that now ...

[Satincruz]

I'd also appreciate if anyone could post a pdf daily schedule here, or point me to a blog or website which has one. I know that it won't be the same on my cruise, but would like a vague idea of the activities. Thanks. We're getting excited about our departure next Saturday, and are hoping that the ash clouds don't interfere with flight down the East Coast.

 

 

Here's a post from last month, with a link to the daily programs from a March Poesia cruise:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1168894&highlight=daily

[valee]

Fantastic! Being able to see the daily schedules has answered so many questions. I'm still discovering things.

 

I see that the ship was scheduled to leave Key West at 1:30 pm. I'm hoping that our three day cruise will spend a bit more time in Key West, since we're headed next to Nassau.

[Satincruz]

HI valee,

 

It shows on their website that you'll stay in Key West until 5pm:

 

http://www.msccruisesusa.com/crociere/cruise.asp?id=26873&page_id=361

 

Have a great cruise!

[valee]

You can TELL I need a vacation! Looks like there will be plenty of time to play.

 

We're going to try to grab a morning snorkel and then walk around town after lunch. It looks like the snorkeling trips are frequently adversely affected by the swells, so I'll be tracking the wave height until we leave.

http://www.wunderground.com/MAR/flm.html?map=wave

 

Although I've snorkeled before, I'm not that strong a swimmer, and don't want to spend my excursion bouncing around the waves and then trying to snorkel around four foot waves.

[Satincruz]

You can TELL I need a vacation! Looks like there will be plenty of time to play.

 

We're going to try to grab a morning snorkel and then walk around town after lunch. It looks like the snorkeling trips are frequently adversely affected by the swells, so I'll be tracking the wave height until we leave.

http://www.wunderground.com/MAR/flm.html?map=wave

 

Although I've snorkeled before, I'm not that strong a swimmer, and don't want to spend my excursion bouncing around the waves and then trying to snorkel around four foot waves.

 

 

I hope you are able to do some snorkeling :) Thanks for that website--it's neat to see how high the waves are in different parts of the world.

[charliemikeoh]

We've been on the Poesia twice this season and LOVED it. Someone asked about the Dino playground. If I can figure out how to upload a photo, I will post one here. There are three sections, plus a small pool (only like 2-3" of water but enough for the little ones to cool off in). Two of the sections were like the one I'm trying to attach a photo off, separated by a covered multi-level climbing section. My niece and nephew spent their days on the playground, to their heart's content. When they left MN, there was after all 40 inches of snow on the ground, so they preferred to play outside rather than use the organized indoor Children's Program.:)

[MTL=CRUISEFAMILY]

You can TELL I need a vacation! Looks like there will be plenty of time to play.

 

We're going to try to grab a morning snorkel and then walk around town after lunch. It looks like the snorkeling trips are frequently adversely affected by the swells, so I'll be tracking the wave height until we leave.

http://www.wunderground.com/MAR/flm.html?map=wave

 

Although I've snorkeled before, I'm not that strong a swimmer, and don't want to spend my excursion bouncing around the waves and then trying to snorkel around four foot waves.

 

...thanks for posting, very interesting site

[FAMILYCRUIZING]

We're going to try to grab a morning snorkel and then walk around town after lunch. It looks like the snorkeling trips are frequently adversely affected by the swells, so I'll be tracking the wave height until we leave.

http://www.wunderground.com/MAR/flm.html?map=wave

 

.

 

Check the video and pictures area, especially worldview, the photos are spectacular!

[Satincruz]

Check the video and pictures area, especially worldview, the photos are spectacular!

 

 

Thanks--those are REALLY amazing photos! Here's the direct link, though I guess they are updated frequently:

 

http://www.wunderground.com/worldview/

[grimpil]

Have sailed on the opera(1) and lirica(2) and enjoyed the value of MSC cruises.

 

Sorry if this was answered previously but when you returned to fort lauderdale midweek did you have to remove your luggage from the ship? I assume that you had to disembark as well. Was that process the same as any new passengers coming on the ship or were you expediated through a different process?

[MTL=CRUISEFAMILY]

Have sailed on the opera(1) and lirica(2) and enjoyed the value of MSC cruises.

 

Sorry if this was answered previously but when you returned to fort lauderdale midweek did you have to remove your luggage from the ship? I assume that you had to disembark as well. Was that process the same as any new passengers coming on the ship or were you expediated through a different process?

 

We booked a back to back cruise

when we returned to ftlauderdale after the first week we were escorted by MSC staff throgh customs and were able to re embark after a short period, no need to bring luggage , this is coordinated for you, and in the daily program you will have info on this process too.

[Cruiser23490578]

Thanks for your informative review. We are scheduled to sail in a few months and I'm researching the Poesia so we can be better prepared for our trip. All of your info is much appreciated. Patty

[familyof4cruising]

I requested a table for 4...is MSC good with giving you what you want as far as table size?

[AmoMondo]

I requested a table for 4...is MSC good with giving you what you want as far as table size?

 

Depends on how many other people have also requested that size too. They do their best in my experience to give you what you ask for but it is not always possible.

 

I suggest you check when you get onboard (your table assignment will be on your cruise card) and if it is not what you wanted have a word with the Maitre D' to see if it is possible to change it.