Lousy cruise line

[AmoMondo]

Bashing an entire. Ruse line on the basis of a 5 day them cruise? I can accept the OP didn't enjoy his trip and the food wasn't to his fast. I do however disput his claim that food is not fresh - what none of it?

 

I've spent months on MSC ships (and I do know which ones) and on every single one of them regardless of the destination

- Bread is baked fresh every day and a whole variety of it

- Gelato is made onboard

- Pizza may not be the type you are used to but you can watch them make it at the pizza bar

- the food on the ethnic corner at the buffet changes every day to a different type of cuisine

- salad bar? You never seen them chopping fresh stuff and putting it out as it got used up?

- they make their pasta and you can't reheat risotto

 

I could list more but can't be bothered. My point is that where someone says everything is bad (or good) , they lose credibility.

[sidari]

Unless something drastically changed after the Poesia arrived in FLL last November after our transatlantic there was not much wrong with the food apart from a lack of choice for my other half who does not like certain food, and that cannot be blamed on the ship or cruise line!

 

I think it was more a case of they were serving the food they do in Europe and not what you expected to get at home, that being the case why not just cruise with the likes of Princess,RCI etc.

[travelberlin]

We have sailed with Magnifica and although not every thing was perfect, we certainly have enjoyed the food. We are booked on two itineraries with the Poesia. I am hoping to enjoy the food there also. Let you know once I am back.

[paulfradin]

Good luck and I do hope they have improved the food and service. The ship itself is clean and well appointed

[Deckhandoug]

We didn't like it either

[Sadie cruiser]

One poster mentioned because it was a chartered cruise it very well may have been catered food and not of the usual MSC quality or variety. I would almost ask a MSC Travel Agent or Rick the CEO of MSC if this is indeed what happens when a ship is chartered for a theme cruise. That would make this man obviously upset regarding his cruise experience.

On another note, for those cruising on the Divina when it comes to Miami....isn't it exciting to be able to try out the "EATALY" restaurants? That will be something different. 18 years ago we sailed on a Costa ship in the US and loved the European atmosphere and especially the Italian food. That is why we are trying another "italian " influenced cruise line.

[Shippy]

...they really varied from those who loved it to those that hated it.

It seems that has happened on other cruises.

I am not sure if it was because it was a themed cruise that it was so expensive.

I would also be mad about that.

if not, you need a new travel agent.

We are paying $3200. Total for both of us for our January cruise. And we were lucky enough to snag a 2 room YC2 suite !

[mapsmith]

Was every meal bad? Of course not; but most we're incredibly mediocre at best. My GF and I couldn't wait to have a decent meal in Georgetown, Grand Cayman-which we did.

 

I stand by comments; that's my experience. So I got the name wrong of the ship, BFD.

 

I have cruised on Noreegian Epic ( good) and Disney Dream ( great). This line was LOUSY.

 

If u like stale bread, cold food, and crappy burgers that sat in a pan for god knows how long ( that's just a few examples) and lousy service, go for it.

 

I know my experience and I can't help it if you have low expectations about decent food and great service.

 

 

Stale Bread? The Italians love their bread and each night ( on three different ships) The bread basket had between 3 and six different breads. Many of the Italian Breads are hard crust but definitely not stale.

Cold Food?. The Buffet has some of the best coldcuts and cheeses found on any cruise line. Mortadella, Proscuitto, and Capacolla should never be anything but cold.

BURGERS??????????????? Who would expect to eat burgers when you can have sandwiches made with Fresh (crusty) Bread, Fresh Sliced cold Cuts, and good Italian Cheese.

 

Italy is definitely not known for Beef. Any Burgers, Steaks, etc. should always be taken with a healthy dose of Parmigiano Reggiano and Calabrese Tomatoes.

 

Expectations that an Italian Cruise Line would have decent burgers is like expecting McDonalds to have decent burgers. (they both probably come from the same supplier)

[MotownVoice]

Stale Bread? The Italians love their bread and each night ( on three different ships) The bread basket had between 3 and six different breads. Many of the Italian Breads are hard crust but definitely not stale.

Cold Food?. The Buffet has some of the best coldcuts and cheeses found on any cruise line. Mortadella, Proscuitto, and Capacolla should never be anything but cold.

BURGERS??????????????? Who would expect to eat burgers when you can have sandwiches made with Fresh (crusty) Bread, Fresh Sliced cold Cuts, and good Italian Cheese.

 

Italy is definitely not known for Beef. Any Burgers, Steaks, etc. should always be taken with a healthy dose of Parmigiano Reggiano and Calabrese Tomatoes.

 

Expectations that an Italian Cruise Line would have decent burgers is like expecting McDonalds to have decent burgers. (they both probably come from the same supplier)

 

Could not agree with Mapsmith more. Only caveat might be that if a cruise was known for a burger, or bragged about it, then I'd expect to have saloon grill quality burgers. MSC Brags about its Italian fare.

 

They can't help that some not-very-well-traveled customers think that just because American pasta recipes might include a cheap hamburger doesn't mean that authentic Tuscan fettucini sauces should.

 

Some people approach visiting other countries like the camper who complains about no toilets or electricity in a state forest.

[GOLDENBONNY]

Cruise was to Nassau, st Martin, St. John.

 

What could be more delicious than grilled fresh chicken with some spice; damn straight I eat jerk chicken-it was fresh and delicious unlike any of the crap I ate on that ship.

 

 

Poesia on St.John?? :rolleyes:

[icat2000]

Thanks for the laugh of the day.

[TravelRocker]

Hi, I was on a cruise last year in March as well on the Poesia, in fact it was a theme cruise just before yours, "Monsters of Rock". It was my first cruise on MSC and I thought the ship was spectacular! Clean, shiny and huge. I also thought the food was good, we did eat at the buffet most meals because we were too busy seeing all the bands we had on board.

 

I did note with much interest that the reviews for the Moody Blues cruise were in the negative because of the band, (not the food), there were several complaints about the band not being accessible to the cruisers as advertised. Just flew thru the VIP Meet and Greets, security all around, an advertised "Story Teller" concert was nothing special, there were some mighty disgruntled people.

 

Maybe our OP didn't like the food, I don't know, can only take his word but maybe their "total theme cruise experience" was not as they thought and is affected the whole cruise food and all.

[earn]

I have Coeliac disease and therefore need to know what is in my food or I will be ill. MSC burgers are 100% beef with no fillers, and I can eat them RCI supply burgers with wheat fillers in them, except at Johnny Rockets, and I can't eat them. We are from Scotland so that might make the difference, but for myself, husband and two teenage sons, MSC burgers are great!

[camofwilliamsburg]

Search some of my posts which have reviews of my experience on MSC. Msc has been from the very first cruise on MSC Orchestra ( MSC USA division only!) our favorite. It has been so much more than just a cruise. It has been an experience. We have seen staff over and over and they remember us. One very big difference on MSC is that the staff are encouraged to interact with passengers. They talk, they dance and they entertain. They are non stop with great poolside fun from 9 am to 5 pm. They also begin again in lounges leading fun interactive games and dance lessons. Each lesson is followed by live music to dance to. The ships are beyond beautiful. Someone said who cares what the ship looks like. We do. It is just magnificent to walk around and see this beauty. The staff work hard to bring you anything. I have witnessed where passengers treat staff as their personal attendants.... Maybe this is why they are so disappointed. We smile at everyone, say hi , thank you.... We even learn a few Italian phrases for the dining head staff. We have never been treated with anything less than gracious service.

We LOVE MSC USA and continue to sail with MSC. It remains our favorite because it is not like all the others. WE enjoy the languages , the best entertainment of any cruise line, the laid back atmosphere.

Their food gets knocked all the time. When asked on the ships why they are not liking the food I have found that most stick to the stars and stripes menu. This is not what this ship is all about. Venture out and order the true Italian specialties. When they are preparing a special pasta ask for a small portion. Most of it is fantastic. We have found stellar dishes on the menu that have been our favorite over any other cruise line. Their lasagna is to die for. The pasta is melt in your mouth. Their are so many great dishes. Stick to the menu that changes daily and you cannot go wrong. If you do not like something, ask for something else. If you want more vegetables, they have brought us great family style platters of wonderful vegetables.

I hope this does help a bit. A lot of people do not enjoy MSC because they think it is budget like Carnival and expect that kind of service and entertainment. It is so far from Carnival. Service is there, but in the background. No one has ever badgered me to buy a drink. Theater shows are true experiences of wonder. The singers are all trained in europe and sing fantastic. The dancers all can dance. They show very unique acts which are delightful to see. While in the theater no food or drinks are allowed. People who are use to CCL complain about this. They want every venue to serve them drinks. MSC is different, we embrace the differences and look forward to our time on their ships.

[BeeBerry]

We sailed on the Poesia in the Caribbean in April as part of our honeymoon and loved the cruise, in fact I think it was one of our favourites. I had read all the negative reviews and comments on this forum beforehand so was a little apprehensive but we didn’t find any of the issues so many have reported about. :rolleyes: We had only sailed with Royal Caribbean before but MSC did not compare unfavourably at all! In fact we are looking at two Med cruises with MSC next year after a ridiculously expensive RCI family cruise in August, with the rudest people ever!!

 

We had no issues with the food and I had a couple of fantastic dishes in the MDR - I remember one was duck and I think the other was veal. We also had some nice pasta courses and salads and I usually hate salad. Yes, we had some dishes which were disappointing but that is nothing new for cruising and has happened on both Royal Caribbean and Carnival (who we have also sailed with since). Again, the food in the buffet was fine – lovely pizza, pasta and breads in particular. The selection of fruit, cheese and meats is far superior to anything I've seen on any other ship. I also thought the desserts were much better on MSC, I have had some truly disgusting desserts on RCI, especially anything chocolate which is totally tasteless. At dinner we were also sat on a table with two other English couples and an American couple and really enjoyed our first set dining time, sometimes lasting two hours.

 

We had the premium drinks package and it was great being able to get pretty much anything. I loved the gelato, the cocktails were so much nicer than the American cruiselines (which can be way too sweet), we were given whole bottles of wine at dinner, and also bottled water as we had the package. Even if we didn’t and had to pay for water it wouldn’t have been a big deal we would have just stuck to wine. ;)

 

Also, we had great service. It wasn’t in your face which we hate, and some bar-tenders/waiters are better than others (again, same on every cruiseline) but the staff were friendly enough. We LOVED that we only saw our room attendant once all week. :p

[Tatka]

Good luck and I do hope they have improved the food and service. The ship itself is clean and well appointed

 

I can assure you service and food were improved right after you got off the ship. :)

 

I feel bad for you, as we had a terrific time, including good food and great service, sailing on Poesia March 30 - April 6.

[cliffy97]

I have Coeliac disease and therefore need to know what is in my food or I will be ill. MSC burgers are 100% beef with no fillers

 

Earn - According to the MSC website they work with Coeliac UK as well. Our friend has Coeliac and when we were on the Splendida they bent over backwards to ensure all was "safe" for her They even had Gluten Free beer on the ship :-). The Splendida and Opera (I think) even have a separate kitchen so there is no cross contamination.

 

I wish I would have done a review at the time we did have a few issues, but overall loved it it. Looking forward to trying out the Lirica in just over a week.

 

Dan

[Hstergo]

Stale Bread? The Italians love their bread and each night ( on three different ships) The bread basket had between 3 and six different breads. Many of the Italian Breads are hard crust but definitely not stale.

Cold Food?. The Buffet has some of the best coldcuts and cheeses found on any cruise line. Mortadella, Proscuitto, and Capacolla should never be anything but cold.

BURGERS??????????????? Who would expect to eat burgers when you can have sandwiches made with Fresh (crusty) Bread, Fresh Sliced cold Cuts, and good Italian Cheese.

 

Italy is definitely not known for Beef. Any Burgers, Steaks, etc. should always be taken with a healthy dose of Parmigiano Reggiano and Calabrese Tomatoes.

 

Expectations that an Italian Cruise Line would have decent burgers is like expecting McDonalds to have decent burgers. (they both probably come from the same supplier)

 

Mind you in his first post he said the food was lousy day in and day out now he said not every meal was bad. He also changed when he traveled, what ship he was on, and what islands he went to... Other then those tiny little things his review and replies are very consistent.

[footzz]

Stale Bread? The Italians love their bread and each night ( on three different ships) The bread basket had between 3 and six different breads. Many of the Italian Breads are hard crust but definitely not stale.

Cold Food?. The Buffet has some of the best coldcuts and cheeses found on any cruise line. Mortadella, Proscuitto, and Capacolla should never be anything but cold.

BURGERS??????????????? Who would expect to eat burgers when you can have sandwiches made with Fresh (crusty) Bread, Fresh Sliced cold Cuts, and good Italian Cheese.

 

Italy is definitely not known for Beef. Any Burgers, Steaks, etc. should always be taken with a healthy dose of Parmigiano Reggiano and Calabrese Tomatoes.

 

Expectations that an Italian Cruise Line would have decent burgers is like expecting McDonalds to have decent burgers. (they both probably come from the same supplier)

 

Without a doubt, the subject of food is totally subjective. For instance, some people consider LaChoy and Chef Boyardee to be Haute cuisine.

[Sadie cruiser]

How sad this post has gone on this long. I have read most these comments and have learned nothing. Stop this ridiculousness! Is this a good representation of the cruising world? Wow.

[MotownVoice]

I can't speak for anyone else, but I don't view this website as one tasked with "representing the cruising world."

 

It represents advice and opinions based on either anecdotal, or empirical evidence or, as in this case, the lack of it.

 

I think you're over stating the important of this or any website designed almost entirely for information and entertainment.

[Kelownabccan]

There are a group of about 38 of us on the Divina....it sure will be interesting to see the commemts from the group members about being on the ship for 18 days... I am sure lots of the group members will have opinions.....everyone keep tuned....we are waiting for an email from MSC about the time and place for our first meeting....I sure hope we will have a great time and enjoy the cruise.....

[teegeezfun]

There are a group of about 38 of us on the Divina....it sure will be interesting to see the commemts from the group members about being on the ship for 18 days... I am sure lots of the group members will have opinions.....everyone keep tuned....we are waiting for an email from MSC about the time and place for our first meeting....I sure hope we will have a great time and enjoy the cruise.....

 

Yeah 18 days is a lot for any cruise line to uphold the fine experience. it will be interesting. do you know what the make up of the cruise will be american/north americans vs europeans? that also matters. the last time i was on msc i had the pleasure of meeting tons of folks from overseas. as an american, for me, that was the cool part of the cruise. of course, if you are not interested in meeting others and exploring other cultures, msc isn't the cruise line for you. when exactly do you leave?

[Kelownabccan]

I think the group as a whole are really looking forward to a great time....as you say 18 days is a long time to keep us entertained .....I think the cruise will be hard for the crew... as a change over from strictly a European experience to...a mix... American/European....will be a challenge......and different expectations.....the market for North American sure will expect certain things that the Europeans do not expect as a given....ie..... iced water by the glass at lunch and dinner on the table.....or ......iced tea in the buffet....I am sure there are others.....

[ISLANDCRUSO]

MSC USA stated on these boards that ice water will be available in the Dining room in the evening for the repo cruise! sure will be hell to pay if it is not!