Just booked Poesia

[Rinderoo]

Hi All... just booked the MSC Poesia for March 30 out of Ft Lauderdale. We're a family of four somewhat seasoned cruisers. I sail a lot of DCL, and generally like all of our cruises.

 

Kids are 18 and 16... they don't care about activities for them which is why we don't care what cruise line we sail. I selected the Poesia because of their itinerary and I have to say that the price for two staterooms was pretty nice.

 

Anyone here able to tell me about entertainment and dining? I've browsed some posts and there seem to be lots of different opinions. I believe this to be a very European cruise, and I don't depend on the cruise line to help me enjoy myself. Just looking for decent internet (I work all the time), good food, a clean ship and friendly crew. The menus that I have found on the MSC site are appealing to me. (Plus, no one starves on a cruise ship, even one with lousy food, ;) )

 

Also, I am looking for actual photos of the Poesia and have not been able to find much online. If anyone has an album that they are willing to share I would be most appreciative.

 

Thanks!

[canny_cruiser]

Passenger pics and videos here

http://www.holidaycheck.com/ship-travel-information_MSC+Poesia-sid_686.html

[jff50]

We've been on the Poesia once (over Xmas last year), and are booked again (over New Years this year). While I don't recall using the internet last year, I do recall that we didn't have wireless in our cabin (not sure if you get wireless anywhere on the ship). They did have the availability to hook up your computer with an ethernet cable in your cabin. Can't speak to speed. My understanding/recollection is that the pricing is pretty good, compared to other cruise lines. I seem to recall pricing that is about $.14/minute--compared to more than $.50/minute for large packages on other lines.

 

We thought that the ship was great (look and layout), food and staff were very good. Enjoyed the sushi restaurant on the Poesia as much as any other cruise ship's specialty restaurant we have eaten at. On a least one night, they had all you can eat for $25. We ate there that night and enjoyed everything we had. We'll probably try the sushi restaurant again as well as the other specialty restaurant on our upcoming cruise.

[kkttc]

We have been thinking about the Feb 23 cruise from Florida too. My wife and I have been on 2 cruises (RCCL in 1996 and Carnival Conquest in 2008) but the kids haven't - they are ages 17/14/11. I have done a good amount of research on this ship and line and I agree with you - our kids probably won't care about the kids clubs and it appears to be a nice relaxing ship.

 

The price looks good too...just wish they had cabins that sleep 5.

 

I also know that since this is a feb vacation week there will be other kids on the ship (our feb vacation is a week later than most people).

 

Haven't booked yet, but might soon.....

 

I like the fact that I can spend a minimal amount on the cruise fare and have more money for excursions, etc. Spending $6k to just get on a ship is in my opinion ridiculous (mouse or not) and I like Disney!

[Frenchsnowhite]

We've been on the Poesia once (over Xmas last year), and are booked again (over New Years this year). While I don't recall using the internet last year, I do recall that we didn't have wireless in our cabin (not sure if you get wireless anywhere on the ship). They did have the availability to hook up your computer with an ethernet cable in your cabin. Can't speak to speed. My understanding/recollection is that the pricing is pretty good, compared to other cruise lines. I seem to recall pricing that is about $.14/minute--compared to more than $.50/minute for large packages on other lines.

 

We thought that the ship was great (look and layout), food and staff were very good. Enjoyed the sushi restaurant on the Poesia as much as any other cruise ship's specialty restaurant we have eaten at. On a least one night, they had all you can eat for $25. We ate there that night and enjoyed everything we had. We'll probably try the sushi restaurant again as well as the other specialty restaurant on our upcoming cruise.

 

Jff50, are you on the December 28th sailing? We are!!!! A group of 25 (adults + teens);) Come see our roll call right here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1569638

[Rinderoo]

We've been on the Poesia once (over Xmas last year), and are booked again (over New Years this year). While I don't recall using the internet last year, I do recall that we didn't have wireless in our cabin (not sure if you get wireless anywhere on the ship). They did have the availability to hook up your computer with an ethernet cable in your cabin. Can't speak to speed. My understanding/recollection is that the pricing is pretty good, compared to other cruise lines. I seem to recall pricing that is about $.14/minute--compared to more than $.50/minute for large packages on other lines.

 

We thought that the ship was great (look and layout), food and staff were very good. Enjoyed the sushi restaurant on the Poesia as much as any other cruise ship's specialty restaurant we have eaten at. On a least one night, they had all you can eat for $25. We ate there that night and enjoyed everything we had. We'll probably try the sushi restaurant again as well as the other specialty restaurant on our upcoming cruise.

 

Thanks for the info on internet. I usually go through about 600+ minutes, and typically a cruise ship package is $100 for 250 minutes.

 

I don't like that there is no guest laundry on board, but I can send it out. (Last family cruise on the Eurodam had an unlimited laundry package for about $49, and I sent stuff out daily. On DCL and CCL I just go to the laundromat) Also would like to bring my own bottled water on board for excursions, but we can't bring anything. So it looks like I'll buy overpriced ship water--but I know about it in advance and that's fine.

 

There is a Caribbean promotion for half price second cabins, which is what I booked through my agent. I have two balcony cabins for what I usually pay for one on Carnival and HAL. Cruise pricing right now is quite a bit higher than I am accustomed to paying, and MSC seems to have everything I need at a price I like, so I think we're going to take the plunge. The extra space will be great and I really like this itinerary.

[jff50]

Jff50, are you on the December 28th sailing? We are!!!! A group of 25 (adults + teens);) Come see our roll call right here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1569638

I am already on the roll call. Not a lot of activity. Looking forward to the cruise over New Years. We did a New Years cruise spanning 2010/2011 on Princess and loved it. Were on the Poesia over Xmas last year and loved the ship. We prefer a New Years cruise to a Xmas cruise.

[Frenchsnowhite]

We also did a NY cruise on the Carnival Triumph out of New Orleans, it was a great cruise, chilly but great:)

[monicajay]

Also would like to bring my own bottled water on board for excursions, but we can't bring anything. So it looks like I'll buy overpriced ship water--but I know about it in advance and that's fine.

 

Not sure why you can't bring anything.

 

The ship's tap water is excellent. Buy wide-mouth refillable bottles and you can put lots of ice in and top up with water. Perfect for excursions.

[Rinderoo]

Not sure why you can't bring anything.

 

The ship's tap water is excellent. Buy wide-mouth refillable bottles and you can put lots of ice in and top up with water. Perfect for excursions.

 

When I cruise I always board the ship with a case of bottled water, and a case of diet Coke. (I don't bring the soda on Disney because it is included.) According to the 'rules' of MSC, no food or beverages, even bottled water, is permitted. I've had norovirus from hotel drinking glasses so beverage container sanitation is a big thing to me. And yes, I am "that person" who has a bottle of pump hand soap in hotels and cruise cabins and I carry hand sanitizer for when I can't use soap and water. There is no refillable container that I will ever get clean enough without my dishwasher.

 

So yes, I am slightly neurotic about sanitation and the only thing that makes me happy is bottled water brought on board. I'll check on this further though but it is not a deal breaker. Worse case scenario is that I purchase overpriced cruise ship water.

[AmoMondo]

When I cruise I always board the ship with a case of bottled water, and a case of diet Coke. (I don't bring the soda on Disney because it is included.) According to the 'rules' of MSC, no food or beverages, even bottled water, is permitted. I've had norovirus from hotel drinking glasses so beverage container sanitation is a big thing to me. And yes, I am "that person" who has a bottle of pump hand soap in hotels and cruise cabins and I carry hand sanitizer for when I can't use soap and water. There is no refillable container that I will ever get clean enough without my dishwasher.

 

So yes, I am slightly neurotic about sanitation and the only thing that makes me happy is bottled water brought on board. I'll check on this further though but it is not a deal breaker. Worse case scenario is that I purchase overpriced cruise ship water.

 

If you do end up going for the ship's bottled water, then get a water package onboard. It will save a few $s.

[tupperwarebysue]

My family of 4 (DH, DD-14 and friend -14) will also be on this cruise. This is our second with MSC - we had a fantastic time on our first cruise. While we did not take advantage of the kids clubs at all, the kids found other things to do like Italian lessons every day.

 

The food is fine and if you have later dining they offer the shows twice so you would see the show before dinner.

 

There is a roll call on this site that you can join.

[monicajay]

When I cruise I always board the ship with a case of bottled water, and a case of diet Coke. (I don't bring the soda on Disney because it is included.) According to the 'rules' of MSC, no food or beverages, even bottled water, is permitted. I've had norovirus from hotel drinking glasses so beverage container sanitation is a big thing to me. And yes, I am "that person" who has a bottle of pump hand soap in hotels and cruise cabins and I carry hand sanitizer for when I can't use soap and water. There is no refillable container that I will ever get clean enough without my dishwasher.

 

So yes, I am slightly neurotic about sanitation and the only thing that makes me happy is bottled water brought on board. I'll check on this further though but it is not a deal breaker. Worse case scenario is that I purchase overpriced cruise ship water.

 

Well, in that case you will find you can likely bring a 12 pack of water on board despite what they tell people, we also brought a 6 pack of coke for the cabin. We had no questions asked in Fll on the Orchestra and didn't bother on the Poesia because the water was nowhere near as overpriced as on other cruise lines. We also drank tap water filled in our cabin each in our own refillable container. On MSC you can buy buy jugs of water too.

 

PS They also have the cheapest beer packages we have found on any cruise line. 14 tickets must be pre-ordered and pre-paid. Best wine packages also.....

 

Hope you enjoy your trip!

[jdvmd]

OP, we are looking at this cruise also with our 15-year-old. Have never been on MSC but would like to try it out. Especially with the prices I am seeing.

[jdvmd]

Well, in that case you will find you can likely bring a 12 pack of water on board despite what they tell people, we also brought a 6 pack of coke for the cabin. We had no questions asked in Fll on the Orchestra and didn't bother on the Poesia because the water was nowhere near as overpriced as on other cruise lines. We also drank tap water filled in our cabin each in our own refillable container. On MSC you can buy buy jugs of water too.

 

PS They also have the cheapest beer packages we have found on any cruise line. 14 tickets must be pre-ordered and pre-paid. Best wine packages also.....

 

Hope you enjoy your trip!

Do you remember what the wine or beer packages cost?

[Rinderoo]

Attached is what MSC sent me today about the add-ons. I'm not entirely certain that it will be correct for our US cruises beginning in September but at least we have an idea of what to expect.

 

I'll bring some water, and now a few cans of diet Coke but am planning on buying the litres in the dining room.

 

Love the base cruise pricing of this trip, but I suspect that there are extra charges not found on other cruise lines... like juice for breakfast. But as cruise passengers we don't want to spend much to get on board, and the cruise lines need to make money somehow.

 

Hope the attachment comes through.

Special Services Packages.pdf

[ejdl4]

We have sailed twice on Poesia and this February 16th which will be our 3rd with 2 of our boys 17/14. They have enjoyed themselves very much.

[kkttc]

We are considering the Feb 23 sailing on Poesia with our kids ages 17/14 (boys) and 11 (girl). Each TA I've spoken to always tries to steer me away from MSC and to RCCL and Carnival telling me that they think our kids might be bored and the other ships are more family friendly. I frankly think the other lines are pricy to just be on a ship - I'd rather spend the $$ on excursions!

 

Our kids aren't wild sports adventure types, and have frankly told us that what they look forward to the most is just swimming and eating 24x7 soft serve ice cream.

 

The MSC price is great, but we have to get 2 cabins since we have 5. Leaning towards 2 inside connecting cabins as we are trying to do this as inexpensive as possible (it would be their first cruise but not ours).

 

How are the inside cabins? Any pointers, locations that are better?

 

Thanks for any input/advice...

[Frenchsnowhite]

As I can see, MSC is a lot of trouble for TA. Not easy to work with MSC as I've been told :(

 

Maybe that is why they are trying to make you change your mind;)

 

I'm sure you will all have a nice time on the Poesia:D

[Rinderoo]

MSC is no better or worse than any other cruise line from a TA perspective... :-)

 

It is a totally different cruise experience than the other mass-market lines, and I am finding a lot of 'extra costs' which would be annoying for people who do not research.

 

Food has mixed reviews--and no fast places to grab a burger like on other cruise lines. No one starves on a cruise ship though and seriously, I could stand to lose a few pounds.

 

There is no teen center on the Poesia. My kids would rather hang with us so I quit booking cruises with them in mind. Plus now that I have an 18 y/o he can't go anyways.

 

It is a different cruising concept and I think the low fares do come with some differences from mainstream US lines. There are not a lot of extras on MSC and as frequent cruisers we will notice them. But whether or not we miss them is another story.

 

Agents are not as familiar with the product because MSC does not do much in the USA. With the Poesia homeporting in Miami in late 2013 agents will be more familiar with the product and will be better able to advise clients. I'm sailing MSC because I get two cabins for the price of one on another cruise line, and it crosses them off my list.

[Frenchsnowhite]

MSC is no better or worse than any other cruise line from a TA perspective... :-)

 

It is a totally different cruise experience than the other mass-market lines, and I am finding a lot of 'extra costs' which would be annoying for people who do not research.

 

Food has mixed reviews--and no fast places to grab a burger like on other cruise lines. No one starves on a cruise ship though and seriously, I could stand to lose a few pounds.

 

There is no teen center on the Poesia. My kids would rather hang with us so I quit booking cruises with them in mind. Plus now that I have an 18 y/o he can't go anyways.

 

It is a different cruising concept and I think the low fares do come with some differences from mainstream US lines. There are not a lot of extras on MSC and as frequent cruisers we will notice them. But whether or not we miss them is another story.

 

Agents are not as familiar with the product because MSC does not do much in the USA. With the Poesia homeporting in Miami in late 2013 agents will be more familiar with the product and will be better able to advise clients. I'm sailing MSC because I get two cabins for the price of one on another cruise line, and it crosses them off my list.

 

Can you kindly give us some exemples of the extra cost? That way I will be prepared!!!!!;)

[Rinderoo]

Perhaps others who have sailed MSC can chime in... but I'm learning that tap water in the dining room can be a challenge, and pax usually buy bottled water.

 

Juice for breakfast can be extra charge depending on what you read. (Juice is part of their extra-cost beverage packages and is included, which makes me think that the fee is accurate.)

 

Room service after a certain hour has a fee.

 

The premium restaurants do not have a cover charge like other cruise lines: it is menu/ala carte dining and you pay for what you order. For example last year I dined in the Pinnacle Grill on HAL and paid either $25 or $30 per person for anything we wanted to eat (kids loved it). On MSC we would pay per item. On the plus side, it could be less... but it could cost more too.

 

Regardless, all of these things are choices made by the passenger. I've decided that I will probably need to order bottled water in the dining room and will probably skip the per-diem restaurants. Since I always tip room service a fee is not a problem. Most cruise ship coffee is awful, so I've been visiting the coffee shops for a drinkable cup for years. Buffets are always crowded at peak meal periods. Since I sail Disney a lot, I'm used to crowds and lines for food, so I'll just go at an off time or visit the MDR.

 

They do not permit anything to be brought on board (water, soda) which is in their written policies and verbally stated by reservation staff. Worse case scenario is that I'm buying their water or getting some in port. Its OK because I know about it and while I'd rather bring my $5 case of Dasani on board with me, I might get pulled over at embarkation and get it confiscated.

 

I've pretty much sailed all of the major cruise lines and MSC is a bargain, price-wise, at initial booking. They also allow pax to pre-purchase some things and I'll look into the beer package for hubby. We are not big drinkers so I won't be doing any of their packages for alcohol, but for people who sit on the ship and want plenty of adult beverages, that is the way to go.

 

It is what it is... not like they didn't put it on their site or tell us in advance. Agents are not familiar with extra charges (for things like juice at breakfast), and with passenger reviews being all over the place for positive and negative the best thing for an agent to do is to try it out for themselves. For me, its just another cruise line to cross off my list and my family is along for the ride. I like the itinerary and think the ship is beautiful and have read mostly favorable experiences regarding stateroom attendants and cleanliness (which is more important to me than whether or not I have to pay for bottled water.)

 

We're just going to roll with what happens once we get on board as far as extra costs as we'll be expecting them.

[Frenchsnowhite]

Well thanks alot!!!! We don't need the bottle water, regular tap water is fine with all of us! As long as we don't have to pay for it, because I'm a big water drinker!!!

As for juice, I don't know how it works in morning at the buffet....but like you said, we won't loose weight for sure:p

[Rinderoo]

On a related note, the Poesia homeporting in Miami in late 2013 may change what MSC offers. I think it is too early to tell, but right now it is likely that we are booking a "european experience" out of a USA port.

 

I also think that people who are nice and ask for things get more than those who demand something. We usually drink tap water with dinner which I don't think is too much to ask for, but getting it may be a problem due to the experience of others. And that is why I am prepared to buy bottled water in the MDR.

 

Hopefully people who are sailing the Poesia out of FLL when she gets here will pop in and give a report.

[monicajay]

On a related note, the Poesia homeporting in Miami in late 2013 may change what MSC offers. I think it is too early to tell, but right now it is likely that we are booking a "european experience" out of a USA port.

 

I also think that people who are nice and ask for things get more than those who demand something. We usually drink tap water with dinner which I don't think is too much to ask for, but getting it may be a problem due to the experience of others. And that is why I am prepared to buy bottled water in the MDR.

 

Hopefully people who are sailing the Poesia out of FLL when she gets here will pop in and give a report.

 

We sailed twice on MSC out of FLL and have booked again for March of 2013. We had no problem getting tap water in the MDR at all meals and it was refilled often. We were never charged for juice at breakfast in the MDR, I believe there is a charge at other times of day. In the Sushi restaurant there was an all inclusive price (don't remember amount), we opted to go a la carte as it was cheaper. It was top notch sushi, we will go back