Canada & New England on Poesia - "Cosi Cosa"

[lddam]

If you're familiar with Italian expressions, "Cosi Cosa" roughly translates to "So...So," and that accurately indicates our assessment of a recent trip on Poesia. What follows below is a copy of my review of that October 2, 2010, cruise on Poesia's New England and Canada itinerary recently posted in CC's Cruise Reviews . I have found that many critiques I've read often include generalizations without supporting facts and, therefore, are difficult to judge in terms of reliability. At the risk of having the reader lose interest due to its length, I tried to cite specific examples in this review of circumstances which caused us to draw negative conclusions regarding some of our experiences.

 

"MSC Poesia - A study in Inconsistency"

 

This was our second cruise on MSC and our 21st cruise overall. We previously sailed with friends many years ago on “Symphony” doing MSC’s 7-day Western Mediterranean itinerary out of Genoa, and the experience was an enjoyable one. With a prior satisfactory experience on MSC and wanting to cruise the coast of New England and Canada during the fall foliage season, this itinerary originating in New York was made to order, and we booked the “Autumn Along Atlantic Shores” cruise on July 12, 2010. The itinerary called for sailing round-trip out of New York City on October 2, for 14 nights with ports-of-call in Halifax, Charlottetown, Corner Brook, Quebec (overnight), Sydney, Bar Harbor, Boston, and Newport.

Because we live approximately 90 miles north of New York City in the Hudson River Valley region, a big plus for us was the fact that air travel was not involved in traveling to the port of embarkation. Anyone who has struggled with hand scales to make sure the suitcase is under 50 pounds, or has had to pay extra charges to the airlines for that second checked piece of luggage can appreciate my wife’s attitude regarding packing for this trip. She was totally cavalier in selecting clothing for this trip, and as long as the suitcase zipper could close, into the bag the item went. Four suitcases, two carry-ons, a camera case and a huge shoulder bag later, we piled into the limo and we were off to Pier #88 in Manhattan.

 

Although we did not receive luggage tags until we arrived at the port, completing the information took little time and checking in was quick and easy. Upon receiving our cruise-card, we noted that we were assigned first seating for dinner when we had requested second. We boarded the ship, and although we were not escorted to our stateroom, ship’s staff were available at key locations to assist us in finding our cabin which we accomplished with little difficulty. Our luggage arrived within minutes, and while my wife started her unpacking, I went down to inquire about changing our dinner time to second seating. I went to the designated area, received a number much like those at the supermarket deli counter and was told to wait in a lounge where I would be paged. The system works smoothly evidenced by the fact that within a few minutes I was paged and stood before the maitre’d making my request which was granted with a smile and a “Welcome Aboard.”

 

Because we saved on plane fare, we decided to splurge and we upgraded to a Balcony Suite (#15012) located forward on Deck 15 (Alfieri Deck), starboard side. Some of the amenities specific to a suite stateroom on Poesia include a tub in the bathroom, a small wardrobe for hanging clothes, and fresh fruit daily. Our cabin stewards were excellent, and with the exception of running out of facial tissues a couple of times, we could not find fault with any of the services they provided for us. However, just a short time ago we came off a 7-day cruise on Adventure of the Seas on which we had booked a Junior Suite. Perhaps our expectations were a bit high after that experience, and in both of our opinions, the “suite” on MSC could not hold a candle to the “junior suite” on AOS. The cabins are essentially comparable in terms of square feet, but the layout on Poesia made maneuvering around the cabin very awkward and created a feeling of "smallness." The large mirror and glass shelf opposite the bathroom door is a waste of space and only serves to make the passageway much too constricting for easy flow of traffic. My wife and I only utilize the shower when we travel, so having a tub, for us, is a waste of space which we would have preferred to have added to the living area of the cabin. Availability of a wardrobe for hanging clothes is a definite plus, but in this case, the position of the chest of drawers reduces the amount of usable space because the distance between the wardrobe and the interior wall is very small. The only clothing that would fit in that space were my slacks, and even then, they became crushed and wrinkled over time. Not much of a benefit. A peculiarity of having the suites located toward the bow is that the cabins are subject to pronounced “shuddering” in heavy seas. At night while sleeping, this shuddering created a sensation very much akin to having someone wake you up by shaking you vigorously on the shoulder. Until we got used to the sensation, it made for some very restless nights and dark circles under the eyes the following morning. Overall, it is our candid opinion that the extra amenities associated with booking the suite were not worth the increase in fare.

 

What really surprised us were the meager offerings afforded through room service which, by the way and along with housekeeping needs, must be requested through the reception desk. This is probably done in order to expedite dealing with five different languages on board, although it does make for a certain measure of inflexibility. Case in point: at one point, we wanted some crackers and an assortment of cheeses to enjoy with wine I had purchased through the in-cabin wine package. I tried calling room service and instead found myself talking to reception. When I made my request, the response was that it is impossible because it is not listed on the menu found in our cabin. I responded that since it is available at every lunch and dinner as a dessert plate of cheeses, grapes and nuts, it must be available in the kitchen and could she please check with room service to see if it could be made available. Again, she responded that it is impossible because it is not listed on the cabin menu. Like I said, “Inflexible.” Unless one is sick, neither lunch not dinner is available via room service as the directory found in the cabin clearly states the following: “We respectfully advise our Guests that Lunch or Dinner cannot be served in the cabin.” However, available 24 hours/day is a very limited menu of the soup of the day, a “Mozzarella Caprese,” a platter of sliced seasonal fruit, a couple of different salads, and your choice of tuna, shrimp, chicken or egg salad sandwiches. The room service menu also offers a Continental Breakfast available from 7:30 - 10 AM, except for the day of disembarkation. Although delivery is prompt, little can be said in a positive vein regarding the quality of food delivered. Rolls were stale, toast was literally ice cold and would not melt butter, and orange juice was not fresh but resembled a thin orangeade much like Tang.

 

Mention of the wine package above calls to mind just how disorganized this ship can be at times. We prepaid for two wine packages using the online services available via MSC’s website; one package for delivery to our cabin, and a second package for delivery to our dinner table. Bear with me because this takes some explaining. After unpacking, I called room service (#99 on the telephone keypad not knowing that, in fact, I was talking to Reception) and explained that I had vouchers for wine delivery to my cabin. I requested 2 bottles of white wine and 1 bottle of red to be delivered along with an extra ice bucket. After a pregnant pause, I was informed by the voice on the other end of the phone that they didn’t provide that service. I needed to go to one of the lounges and obtain the wine from a bartender. Into the elevator and down to the Zebra Bar I went with vouchers in hand. All I received from the bartender was a confused look and an indication that they didn’t provide that service either. If I wanted wine for my cabin, he said that I needed to go to Reception. Down to Deck 5 where I waited in line at Reception with four others for someone behind the desk to become available. The Reception Desk is well-staffed, so time passed quickly and again with vouchers in hand, I approached a staff member. After explaining that I was trying to redeem vouchers for wine, I was informed by this staff person that Reception doesn’t do that. For delivery of wine to the cabin it was necessary to contact Room Service. Now I’m back to square one and my patience is beginning to wear thin. I explained that it was a room service request that started me on this merry-go-round in the first place and that I did not intend to repeat the process. After consulting my account information on her computer, she verified that I had, in fact, prepaid for the wine packages, and only then did she seem inclined to assist me in the procurement of our wine. The young lady dialed room service herself and ordered 2 bottles of white, 1 bottle of red and an extra ice bucket to be delivered to my cabin.

 

However, the story is not quite over. A few minutes after returning to my cabin, there was a knock on the door. I opened the door to admit a steward carrying 3 bottles of red wine and neither white wine nor extra ice. When asked, the steward said that he could only deliver red wine to cabins... not white. My response was that that was absolutely ridiculous and I showed him the package details and my vouchers. I signed for 1 bottle of red, and sent him back to room service with the other 2 bottles of red. Believe it or not, it required 3 additional trips to Reception before the situation was resolved and only then through the capable assistance of a young lady named Charra. If it were not for her efforts, I think I would still be waiting for that white wine.

 

I will spare you from more tedium, but the situation was not much better at dinner that evening when I tried to redeem a prepaid voucher for a bottle of wine, a component of the second wine package we had ordered online at the MSC website. Our waiter, Ferry, looked at the coupon as if it were the first time he had seen such a thing. Finally, after bringing the Assistant Maitre’d to the table, the situation was rectified, and it was only through the graciousness of our table-mates that we were not embarrassed to death by the attention being directed to our table. Hardly the best way to begin a 14-day cruise on a ship that touts itself as being “graced with Italian hospitality and warmth, ...” I can only assume that the overall confusion on the part of staff may have come about because I had used the MSC website to order and prepay for our wine packages. I say this because, subsequent to our fiasco, I spoke to others who had ordered a wine package while on board and they reportedly had no similar problems.

 

We had also ordered and prepaid for our excursions via the website, and with the exception of having two of them cancelled once onboard, there was no similar confusion with the excursion department as there was with the bar and beverage department. Tickets for the excursions were accurately printed and efficiently delivered to our cabin. Of minor inconvenience is a policy that stipulates that if the excursion is prepaid via the website, then the credit for the cancellation can only be granted by the website. No shipboard credit is available and one must wait until they have returned home to apply for the credit. Seems like a rather cumbersome process to me, but I’m sure there’s some rationale for its practice.

 

Where the excursion department falls short, in our opinion, is in the communication of information and the execution of the individual excursions. The daily bulletin delivered to the cabin in the evening lists the various excursions scheduled for the following day and the meeting places for participants to gather beforehand. We booked an excursion for each and every port of call on the itinerary, and not a single one departed on time...not one. Every one was delayed by at least one-half hour, and one departure was 40 minutes late in leaving the lounge and exactly 65 minutes late by the time the bus was pulling out of the lot. One glaring example of miscommunication occurred in Bar Harbor where we signed up for Tour #BHB12, “Grand Tour of Acadia & Bar Harbor.” The literature on the website and also available onboard at the excursion desk describes this tour as having a duration of approx. 4 hours. Since the tour left the dockside at 11:05 AM, most passengers on the bus assumed that we’d be returning between 3:00 - 3:30 PM providing plenty of time to explore quaint Bar Harbor before the last ship’s tender at 5:15 PM. However, as 4:00 PM came and went, some passengers approached the tour guide and driver to inquire as to when we’d be returning to Bar Harbor. It was then that the tour guide informed us that our tour has a standard duration of 6 hours...and always had been such. Realizing our dismay at the news, she called her office seeking clarification. According to her, the office was under no instructions to customize the tour for a length of 4 hours. Subsequently, the tour guide and driver collaborated to modify the length of time at remaining venues in order to get us back to the ship in time for the scheduled departure. The last tender was scheduled for 5:15, and we arrived back at dockside by 5:05. As it turned out, we were not the only tour operating with inaccurate information as we observed from our veranda tenders operating for an additional 40 minutes before all passengers were back aboard. We met our scheduled departure time of 6:00 PM, but not without a lot of scurrying by a competent and efficient crew to secure the final tender and gangplank.

 

Many posters have made comments, both negative and positive, regarding the breakfast and lunch buffets at the Villa Pompeiana on Poesia and I don’t think it necessary to iterate comments regarding quality of food, presentation, and crowded conditions in this venue. Enjoyment of food and the dining experience is relative to one’s value system, and our evaluation of the various experiences can not be accurately translated and applied to what the reader values. Suffice it to say that my wife, who reads cookbooks like others read novels and is extremely adept in the kitchen, avoided the breakfast and lunch buffet on Deck 13 unless it was absolutely necessary. For her, the entire experience was disconcerting and made her very uncomfortable. For breakfast, we would either go down to the main dining room, or she would order coffee and orange juice from room service and I would go to the buffet and get a hot bagel and cream cheese for her and bring it back to the cabin. I, however, am not bothered by buffet lines, and would go to breakfast on Deck 13. To those who might enjoy buffets and are not bothered by crowded lines in confined spaces either, I offer the following. Once selecting your food items, proceed to the L’Obelisco A La Carte Restaurant located further aft on Deck 13. There you will usually find available seating, a quieter locale and a pace much less frenetic. For lunch, we found the Sushi Bar to be a quiet and elegant place to dine, and although we incurred an charged extra for this venue, we felt that it was well worth the price.

 

Preparing meals for between 2500 and 3000 passengers is no easy feat, and the ability to provide quality meals that are appealing in their presentation and pleasing to the palate requires both talent and skill. Unfortunately, in our opinion, the food preparation staff on Poesia came up short in this regard and the best descriptor we can use to indicate the quality of food and service in the main dining rooms is “inconsistent at its best.” Some of the food presented was absolutely delicious, and some items were at the opposite end of the spectrum and deplorable. Some specific examples of Poesia’s shortcomings include, but are not limited to the following: French onion soup with the consistency of canned Franco-American gravy; Creme Brulee that was extremely grainy in texture and lacking a sugar crust top, but instead was presented with what appeared to be a sugar syrup; rigatoni pasta with Bolognese sauce in which the sauce was obviously burnt and bitter tasting; what was tagged on the menu as “Chicken Piccata” was served with a brown mushroom gravy instead of a reduction sauce of lemon, butter, capers and white wine; fillet mignon that was tough and difficult to cut (how is that even possible?); risotto completely undercooked (some grains of rice even crunched) and with a consistency of paste, and finally, breakfast pancakes under the heat lamp for so long that the edges could not be cut with a fork. I could continue, but I believe I’ve included enough dining room faux pas to justify our conclusion that food preparation is not one of Poesia’s strong points. Quite simply, in our judgment at least, the hype presented in the menus does not match the reality of the plate placed before us on the table, and we found the overall quality of food served on Poesia to be disappointing.

 

Just as with food, music appreciation is also very subjective, and what one considers excellence, another might consider nothing but noise. That said, we especially enjoyed the guitarist, Carlo, who performed in the Zebra Bar, and also the Ottawa Band, who provided dancing music, again in the Zebra Bar. As for the production numbers in the Carlo Felice Theater, the only term that accurately describes our reaction to the quality of the entertainment is “sophomoric.” We attended the following shows: “Euphoria”, “Sam”, Exstraordinare”, “Follie Barock”, and”Atlantis,” and except for the changes of costumes, the shows seemed to follow a common formula: Lavish costumes worn by “dancers” who, while waving their arms in time to the music, merely moved to various stage positions and posed for a few moments while acrobatic performers a la’ cirque d’soleil did their thing center stage, and somewhere within the flow, a duo of synchronized dancers would emerge who could not maintain the synchronization. When a knife throwing act came on stage during the “Atlantis” production, that was when the level of ludicrousness reached a new high, and we left the theater. As we were leaving, quite fasiciously my wife made the comment that all that was needed for a revival of the old Ed Sullivan Show was for a dog act to appear on stage.

 

With all that I’ve indicated above, it may seem paradoxical to state that we had a good time on this cruise. We must have enjoyed ourselves because the 14 days passed very quickly, and as they say, “Time flies...” We were aboard a sleek, well-kept floating hotel visiting interesting ports-of call in the company of fascinating, vital people while enjoying the magnificent scenery of New England, the Maritime Provinces of Canada, the St. Lawrence River and Quebec. However, a cruise experience is more than a clean ship and a great itinerary. It is the sum total of what passengers encounter while aboard including stateroom amenities and service, entertainment venues, bar and beverage service, quality of food, and most importantly, whether or not passengers are made to feel confused, frustrated, needlessly inconvenienced, or unappreciated. In our minds, there is no such thing as a “bad” cruise. It’s just that some cruises are better than others. For us, the number of shortcomings we experienced on MSC Poesia has established a new benchmark at the low end of the spectrum. At the time we booked this cruise, we approached friends who had never cruised and proposed that they join us on Poesia. In hindsight, we are grateful that they had a conflict in their calendar and were unable to join us because we firmly believe that if this were their first cruise experience, it would probably also be their last.

 

Will we cruise again in the future? Most definitely,...Yes.

 

Will we sail with MSC again? ...Possibly.

 

Will we sail again on Poesia? Most definitely,...No.

[camofwilliamsburg]

My only comment is: You cannot judge any cabins of AOS which is 138,000 gross tons and Poesia is 92,627.

 

Also, how can you say you did not need the tub and would have liked the space when YOU knew what the cabin had before booking it.

 

Also, it is a known fact that the bow and the stern are the roughest place to be when you have rougher water that you are sailing in.

 

I never mind the limited room service menu. I do not use room service that much and there is plenty to eat in the dining rooms for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

 

Happy cruising.

[lddam]

my only comment is: You cannot judge any cabins of aos which is 138,000 gross tons and poesia is 92,627.

 

I beg to differ. Gross tonnage has nothing to do with the parallel I was drawing. If you read my post accurately, you would have noted that I said the cabins are relatively equal in square feet. 277 square feet on AOS, and 269 square feet on Poesia...a difference of only 8 square feet. My point was that the LAYOUT of the AOS was better than the layout on Poesia.

 

also, how can you say you did not need the tub and would have liked the space when you knew what the cabin had before booking it.

 

Of course I knew what the cabin had before booking. I also knew that the Junior Suite on AOS had a tub in the bathroom. Again, my point was that the layout of the Poesia suite created an impression of smallness, and that I would have preferred, in lieu of a tub, the extra square feet to be in the living area of the cabin. It is/was my opinion that, for us, the tub was a waste of space on Poesia,...just as it was on AOS

 

also, it is a known fact that the bow and the stern are the roughest place to be when you have rougher water that you are sailing in.

 

True, it is a known fact that motion is felt to a greater degree in forward and aft cabins, as well as upper decks compared to lower decks. As I stated in my review, this was our 21st cruise, so we are not neophytes, and we are well aware of cabin placement and its affect upon the sensation of motion. We have had cabins in those locations on Royal Caribbean, on a couple of Celebrity ships, and on HAL, and a certain amount of motion was anticipated. In fact, my wife welcomes the motion because it helps her to sleep soundly during her afternoon nap as well as throughout the night. However, the vigorous shuddering sensation we experienced was unique to Poesia and interfered with a good night's sleep. So, ...I fail to see your point.

 

i never mind the limited room service menu. I do not use room service that much and there is plenty to eat in the dining rooms for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

 

Good for you,...you didn't mind the limited room service. As for us,...we're used to the availability of a full menu which allows for the convenience and luxury of a quiet, leisurely breakfast in our cabin, and/or to the convenience of having nibblies delivered to our cabin in the late afternoon to have on the veranda with a good glass of wine, especially in a SUITE. If it doesn't bother you, fine. It did bother us because we've enjoyed this amenity on every one of our 20 previous cruises. And, this diminished component of room service definitely affected OUR overall assessment of this particular cruise. I thought that was the nature of a cruise review...to indicate what the individual found to be favorable and unfavorable about the experience, and to share those impressions with the reader. Different strokes for different folks.

 

happy cruising.

Thanks, and to you and yours, also.

[PC168]

Hi Iddam,

 

Thanks for posting the long reviews. Everyone is entitles to comment and share about their experience, doesn't matter if it is good or bad. This is why we call cruisecritic.

 

Hope your next cruise would be better.

 

Happy sailing.

[Capricruiser]

Iddam: The Italian expression you're referring to is "cosi' cosi'" and it means exactly so...so.

[lddam]

Iddam: The Italian expression you're referring to is "cosi' cosi'" and it means exactly so...so.

 

Thanks, Capricruiser. I'll stand corrected. My mother always used to say "menza...menza (sp)", but I didn't know how to spell it.:o

 

We had the good fortune to visit your island a few years ago. You live on one of the world's truly beautiful spots. I'm jealous.

[Capricruiser]

Maybe she was saying "mezza mezza" which would mean "half...half." Menza doesn't mean anything, but "mensa" would be like a table setting or secondly, a military dining hall.

Capri is beautiful now but not from mid-June through mid-September when its way overly crowded, chaotic, and hot.

[bobar]

enjoyed your review very much..consistant with my experience on most 90000 ton ships in reguard to crowded buffets. my experiences with food on msc have been real positive but i have sticked stickly to the italian stuff and i dont like bollognese sauce so i wouldnt have had that anyway.

it is a pleasure to read an in depth review of the finer points and it is obvious yall are seasoned travelers . i agree with you on some things and disagree on others,especially the entertainment but really enjoyed your review. thanks!:cool:

[lddam]

Maybe she was saying "mezza mezza" which would mean "half...half." Menza doesn't mean anything, but "mensa" would be like a table setting or secondly, a military dining hall.

Capri is beautiful now but not from mid-June through mid-September when its way overly crowded, chaotic, and hot.

 

"Mezza...mezza," huh? Makes sense now that you've enlightened me. See, that's what happens when the only time your parents spoke Italian was when they didn't want us kids to know what they were talking about. In hindsight though, I regret not being bilingual, especially in light of the fact that when I entered kindergarten here in the States, I couldn't speak a word of English. I've tried taking lesson as an adult, but it just didn't come back to me as easily as I had thought. I guess they simply could not teach this old dog any new tricks.:D

 

Thanks for the quick lesson.

[AmoMondo]

I enjoyed reading your eloquent review Iddam. I thought it was well balanced and provided clear explanations of the points you were making. I really sympathised with you over the wine voucher fiasco..I've sailed with MSc many times and generally enjoy the experience but it certainly doesn't make me blind to their weaknesses which include their ability to provide clear accurate information and communication between departments. I haven't experienced as extreme an example as your saga but can well imagine it happening and your frustration. Have occasionally been passed from pillar to post trying to get information in the past.

[MTL=CRUISEFAMILY]

Great review,

Thank you for posting, I must admit I needed an espresso before I started.

Agree with some of your points.

 

Enjoyed your balanced review.

[flag fan]

Thank you for the very specific information you provided regading your cruise. I agree with your point that general comments about whether a cruise was "good" or "bad" are not as helpful as specific information. I was seriously considering the New England cruise on MSC but now I'm not as sure. The things you have problems with--limited room service menu, problems with tours, and overly crowded and confusing buffet are things I would care about. The size of the cabin is not as important to me, but your commnets on the problems with the location are good to know--I may opt for a smaller cabin in a more central location.

 

I like shows and, to tell you the truth, your description of them makes me want to see them--perhaps I just miss the Ed Sullivan Show.

 

I'm still interested in trying out MSC and New England seems a better option than Europe--it is easier to avoid the ship tours and not worry about getting around easily--but your review has helped me prepare for some possible problems. Thank you.

[Deckhandoug]

Nicely written review, thanks for posting, never mind the ones that can't understand your reasoning.

 

We are in agreement that we won't revisit Poesia, it's a shame they can't get it together.

[AndrewK]

Thanks for your very extensive review Dave. Your experiences closely match ours ... but you're a much better writer than I am. :)

We too will not be cruising on Poesia again ... or with MSC. It is a shame because they have the potential to be brilliant.

[lauderdalebob]

We are booked on the Poesia in October for the Quebec to NYC cruise on 10/15. Thanks for posting your comprehensive review.

 

One question is about the tour where the time was mixed up about the length. I assume that there would have been no problem about ever missing the ship since this was a tour sponsored by the ship and not an independent excursion. That was always my understanding that the ship would always wait if it was an excursion sponsored by the ship line.

 

My main reason for taking this line is price and also that it stops at Newport (and I've always wanted to see the "cottages"). Well, at our scheduled docking time of in at 1 p.m. and out I believe by 6 :00 p.m.(5 hours there) we will definitely be taking the ship's tour and not doing something independently for fear of it sailing without us if we're not back on time.

 

Which of the Newport tours did you take? Looks like we'll only get to do the Breakers in that limited amount of time. Again, thanks for any input.

[lddam]

.

 

Which of the Newport tours did you take? Looks like we'll only get to do the Breakers in that limited amount of time. Again, thanks for any input.

 

Lauderdalebob, I believe your assumption about ship sponsored tours is correct. Although the scheduled last tender out of Bar Harbor was at 5:15 PM, we observed tenders bringing passengers back as late as 5:45PM. It was our understanding that many of these late-comers were on other MSC sponsored excursions and the tenders waited for them to arrive at the dock for transport back to Poesia.

 

Unfortunately, as we were sailing south toward New York, we were outrunning a nor'easter, and Newport was deleted from the itinerary due to heavy seas. Quite understandable and most passengers accepted the necessity of having to do so. The tour of the mansions was one of the excursions I mentioned in the review where I found it necessary to return to the MSC website for a credit instead of simply having the credit posted to my shipboard account. We have visited Newport in the past, so missing the port was not that great a disappointment for us. But, in our previous visits, for one reason or another, we never actually entered the Breakers for a tour and we were looking forward to finally getting inside. No such luck, and I think "Murphy's Law" applies to every attempt we make.

 

Bon voyage, and if the colors are out when you sail, the views of the Laurentian Highlands along the St. Lawrence and the mountains along the coasts of the Maine will be magnificent. Enjoy!!

[madjack]

Hi Dave - I too was brought up with Italian speaking parents who never spoke Italian with us. We took our first Med cruise in 2006 and when I heard Italian spoken while in Italy, I decided I had to learn it. So at age 61 I went out and bought several books. Then in January 2010 I bought the complete set of Rosetta Stone Italian. While only using R.S. would not be enough, I'd highly recommend giving it a try. It is really fun and you can do it whenever you have time. Now after all these years of studying, I am at the point where I can speak "la bella lingua" quite well. You are definitely right though, it is very hard to learn a language when you are older. I also enjoyed your review.

[readboat]

Hi Dave - I too was brought up with Italian speaking parents who never spoke Italian with us. We took our first Med cruise in 2006 and when I heard Italian spoken while in Italy, I decided I had to learn it. So at age 61 I went out and bought several books. Then in January 2010 I bought the complete set of Rosetta Stone Italian. While only using R.S. would not be enough, I'd highly recommend giving it a try. It is really fun and you can do it whenever you have time. Now after all these years of studying, I am at the point where I can speak "la bella lingua" quite well. You are definitely right though, it is very hard to learn a language when you are older. I also enjoyed your review.

My DH purchased the Rosetta stone Italian last Nov. I can not get him to use the service of talking to person at your same level or speaking with an instructor. Did you use that? We are both from italian Families and they did not speak Italian to us. We are going on a MSC cruise in Sept and then to Ravenna to visit his family. We were there three years ago and had a great time but they speak very little English and we spoke very little Italian. this time we should do better.

[madjack]

Hi readboat - The RS I bought does not have that service. They came out with Totale after I bought my version. But I too would be very intimidated to speak to anyone! I would suggest that you also buy a couple of instruction books that you need in addition to RS, especially a good Italian verb book. Through Facebook I have become friends with several people in Italy who speak no English and I write to one lady at least twice a week. I really need my Italian dictionary and verb book when I write in Italian. Good luck to you and your husband and enjoy your trip. We have done 2 Med cruises and two land trips to Italy. I love the land trips because you are really submerged with the people, food, culture, etc. How wonderful to have family to visit there.