Give me Olive Garden. It has to be better.

[pmacher61]

Short , but ...sour: http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=246817

[TravelRocker]

Who ARE you! Thurston Howell III ???

[Linerguy]

With the first two lines of your ridiculous rant, "I confess. I disliked immensely my previous cruise aboard an MSC ship", you blew your credibility – it's obvious that you had an axe to grind.

 

The only thing you left out was whining about the salad forks not being chilled.

[Typhoon1]

I find it difficult to believe CC published something so ridiculous.

[MotownVoice]

I've never been on an MSC Cruise and all this blather does is make me positive I'm going to have a great time, and that there will likely be someone on board so darkened by history they couldn't smile at a line of Rockettes in the lobby.

Edited January 9, 2014 by MotownVoice

[Danbee46]

Bah, humbug.

[neptuno]

Short , but ...sour: http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=246817

 

Sir, your review is just that, "sour", and might I add, "half empty", and petty. Yes, the pillows have been lumpy, and ice delivery slow, an occaisonal meal not perfect, some staff new to the English language; but on which cruise line do you find perfection, especially at MSC's price point. As for children, yes, be forwarned that "kids sail free". I have sailed Poesia on three occaisons and found the experience, while not perfect, to be an excellent value, and for that matter, above average when compared to other value cruise lines. Perhaps you should sail Regent, Seabourn, Crystal or Cunard.

[janny444]

Not so short...but very sour...

[rance]

The bacon was fatty?....weird

[citygirl62]

Short , but ...sour: http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=246817

 

Wow, the poor waiter had just arrived from Indonesia which is probably a 20 hour flight, he went straight to work and he didn't provide you with the service to which you are accustomed? You sound like one of those people who get annoyed if someone jumps off a bridge during rush hour and you experience a delay.

[moomoocow]

9 deluded cheerleaders and counting...... ;)

[sidari]

You sound like one of those people who get annoyed if someone jumps off a bridge during rush hour and you experience a delay.

 

Totally inconsiderate of them .... :D

[pmacher61]

9 deluded cheerleaders and counting...... ;)

Exactly.

p.s The food and service aboard the Infinity are fabulous.

[neptuno]

Exactly.

p.s The food and service aboard the Infinity are fabulous.

 

We would love to sail the Infinity, and checked her 27 OCT 14 sailing from Florida for pricing. For our family of four, a balcony quad cabin with pre-paid gratuities included was quoted at $3893 for seven days. Our current booking on MSC Divina 12 APR 14 is half the cost @ $1992 plus $252/week for gratuities for a quad balcony. So, my point is that hopefully you get what you pay for on Celebrity, whereas MSC is an exceptional value for a family of four at half the cost.

[Linerguy]

9 deluded cheerleaders and counting...... ;)

 

Oh, that's right, play the old, "cheerleader" card.

 

Perhaps you didn't notice but, most responses never even mentioned MSC. Most comments, including mine, were directed at the overall tone of the review, which, judging by the way it started, could only mean that it would end up being a public lynching – which it was.

[moomoocow]

Oh, that's right, play the old, "cheerleader" card.

 

Perhaps you didn't notice but, most responses never even mentioned MSC. Most comments, including mine, were directed at the overall tone of the review, which, judging by the way it started, could only mean that it would end up being a public lynching – which it was.

 

Cool your jets Linerguy.

 

I was paraphrasing the OP's oft cried lament that anyone who disagrees with his opinion is a "cheerleader" - as nine people had rubbished his review I surmised that he would call them that and probably add them all to his list of which I'm already a member.

 

I'm a card carrying MSC frequent sailer me dearie. And I thought this review was, albeit funny, one of the most affected and up its own fundament I've ever had the misfortune to be subjected to. There was a drunken xenophobic reviewer a while back who was less parsimonious and hateful.

 

Perhaps I should put my cruise history in my sig instead of just future cruises? I thought my frequency on these boards would speak for itself. Sadly not it seems. :D:D

Edited January 10, 2014 by moomoocow
Words spelt wrong due to auto correct - the scourge of the digital age.

[Linerguy]

Cool your jets Linerguy.

 

My jets are in freeze mode – most humble apologies for misinterpreting your post. All's well with me, if all's well with you.....but not the OP!

[moomoocow]

My jets are in freeze mode – most humble apologies for misinterpreting your post. All's well with me, if all's well with you.....but not the OP!

 

Cool as the proverbial cucumber. ;)

[Skipper Tim]

Reading that review made me feel for the OP. The opinions expressed reflect a different era of cruising when all cruise lines met the traditional expectations of Americans abroad, ice buckets, down pillows and the like, when shipboard entertainment consisted of reading books and playing cards, embarking guests were individually led to their staterooms and when cruise lines 'enforced the rules'.

 

Times and expectations have changed. Those who enjoy reading carry hundreds of books on their own Kindle, Nook or tablet. There is a professional team of entertainers running a variety of activities - guests don't have to resort to cards. Staterooms have become smaller cabins with computer-optimised use of space. Down pillows would not pass health and safety regulations now.

 

It was unfortunate that the fellow table mates were late and this is a very taxing issue to deal with effectively and politely. Suggestions are welcome.

 

Food is almost impossible to discuss with any degree of sense on these forums. I have tried and been shot down in a blaze of abuse. Suffice it to say that if one has no prior expectations of any foreign cuisine and one does not interpret the names and descriptions of menu items from one's own point of view, one will never be disappointed and often pleasantly surprised.

 

By all means criticise the bad from a personal point of view but also embrace the good and welcome change, innovation and new cultural experiences. If not, I am sure there are still some old, fuddy-duddy cruise lines still catering for a dwindling traditional market.

 

Tim.

[cruisetrail]

Short , but ...sour:

I confess. I disliked immensely my previous cruise aboard an MSC ship. In the hopes of discovering that MSC in So Am has improved, I hopped aboard the Poesia since I was already in the departure port (Buenos Aires) and it was only a 3 night cruise with a single port layover in Punta del Este. Besides, I needed to go to Uruguay anyway so I booked the cruise at the last minute through the US office of MSC. I paid $756 for a balcony guarantee for solo occupancy.

 

Embarkation would have been quicker if the cruise terminal didn't lose electrical power during the process. That might not be MSC's fault, nor could MSC be blamed for a separate line for AR Immigrations after checking in with MSC. On none of my approx. 65 previous cruise check-ins do I recall having to form a separate Immigrations line apart from the cruise line check in line where the required docs were submitted and processed. However, after waiting in the passenger terminal for my number to be called so that I could get to an MSC check-in desk, then waiting in line at the check-in desk, then waiting in line at the Immigrations desk, I was not in the mood to be told by the ship's photographer that I had to wait in another line to be photographed. To his surprise and apparent dismay, I ignored him and proceeded to walk past the others waiting to be photographed. I boarded the bus taking passengers to the ship.

 

On the short ride to the gangway, I noticed that, despite my request when I booked for a large table at second seating dining, my cruise card did not indicate a dinner table seating assignment. Upon boarding the ship I found myself near the reception desk. When I asked about a dining room assignment I was told, albeit it apologetically, I had to go to the meeting room on deck 6 to get one. Despite it being no fault of my own (after unpacking) I was required to wait in another line for about 20 minutes to get a dinner table assignment. I figured nothing with MSC had changed. That turned out to be only partially true.

 

I made my way to my cabin. No one assisted me. My cabin was standard although smallish for a balcony (I would guess about 160 sq ft). The flat screen TV was small (about a 16 inch screen), too small for decent viewing from the bed. The pillows were horribly lumpy. I ran into my cabin attendant and asked if down pillows were available. I also asked for my ice bucket to be filled.

 

After a quick unpacking and waiting to get my MDR seating assignment, I set off to explore the ship. It is handsomely decorated. There are quite a few large lounges (5?), but only one specialty restaurant - a Japanese one with an ala carte menu that did not look worth trying. I didn't spend a lot of time in the lounges and I never saw them fully occupied. This was due in part to the fact that I retired relatively early and also because of the large contingent of kids aboard the ship (the kids sail free promo works well in So Am). From the little I got to observe of the lounge acts and theater stage shows, the entertainment provided was quite good. I caught part of 2 shows in the theater and the singing and dancing especially of the ship's company was fine. Good costumes and production values for the shows. The animation team were most visible at the pool organizing games and dance lessons.

 

The small library was open only a couple of hours each day. There were no English language, non-fiction books. Most all books in all languages were paperbacks that appeared to be left by former passengers. The dance company captain that manned the library when I was there confirmed as much. The tiny card room on this 3200 pax ship contained 6 tables. Apparently bridge games, if they did exist, were conducted somewhere else. TV programming was okay. They actually contained the So Am Fox or ESPN channel that broadcasts Monday night football.

 

The welcome aboard buffet lunch was poor. This was a harbinger of things to come. The food in the buffet and dining room was simply bad. If I had received this level of food in any Buenos Aires hole in the wall at any price, I would never revisit the place. An indication of the type of "cuisine" that was served was that at the first night's dinner, the sauce for the risotto was identical to the sauce served on the few slices of flank steak. The exact same sauce for both dishes. And both were bad. The food was unacceptably poor in all venues at all times. That was the salient feature of my cruise experience. I am not exaggerating. My Argentine table mates concurred. This is especially unacceptable for a line that touts dining as the premier event aboard an MSC cruise (as MSC does).

 

I attempted breakfast at the buffet on the first morning. I arrived as soon as it opened. The fried eggs were already cold. The bacon was fatty. The sausages of poor quality. The melon and papaya were very good, but there were no berries. The fruit juice was artificial and tasted worse than koolaid. I headed to the MDR. At least the smoked salmon was good. That and the cured ham that I had at a subsequent meal were really the only dishes that tasted good on the entire cruise.

 

At another breakfast in the MDR, my eggs Benedict came hard boiled. At one dinner "roast piglet" (cochinillo asado per the menu) turned out to be the very same baked pork carved at the lunch buffet earlier that afternoon. When I pointed this out to the maître 'd he conceded that "asado" was a misdescription, but attempted to correct me by noting that the buffet carving was lamb. As I departed a head waiter ran after me to further explain that, in fact, the buffet carving was roast beef. Whatever it was, it was identical to the non-asado served at dinner (pork).

 

As bad as the food was, the service by our dining room waiters was worse. It got to the point where I had to excuse myself from the table and seek out the maître d. He apologized and explained that our waiter had just boarded after a long flight from Indonesia although I fail to see how that would excuse his obvious lack of experience. He spoke practically no English or Spanish. Most orders were taken by pointing to the menu. He didn't appear to be observant when one of his patrons sought his attention. When asked to recommend a sweet wine, he suggested a heavy cabernet sauvignon. Orders were taken in haphazard order and the courses likewise served haphazardly so that some patrons had finished dessert before others had received a first course! I had never experienced this kind of MDR dining. In part this circus was due to the failure of the dining room mgmt to enforce the rules about arrival to the room on time. Inasmuch as this was So Am and dinner is served late, the first seating began at 8:15 (10:45 for the second seating) and the dining room doors were supposed to close at 8:30. Patrons at my table arrived as late as 9 and were seated. This detracted from a polite, shared dining experience. Combined with the bad food, it made dining totally unsatisfactory.

 

My cabin attendant was able to obtain one new pillow that, while not down or feathers, was a little better than that which was initially furnished. He neglected to refill my ice bucket the 2nd day of the cruise. When I attempted to speak with him about the location of a lounge, he was unable to properly engage, looking away as if not paying attention to me. I turned and walked away and didn't see him for the remainder of the cruise.

 

Disembarkation was swift as I was self assisted and first off. Buses brought us from the gangway back to the terminal. There was no custom process to speak off. We simply were directed to a line for passing street taxis which were hailed by a couple of locals who helped load the bags. This was an improvement over what my previous taxi mafia experience had been. The cabs operated on the meter, although my driver told me this was the procedure just for locals coming off a 3 day cruise. The cruise ships with longer itineraries and international passengers had a different lineup to get cabs, entrance to which was still controlled by the mob.

 

 

Thank you for taking time to share your personal experience with us.

 

 

Report and recommendations based on personal experience! That's the kind of review I can take notice of.

 

 

IMO most things were quite predictable.

I am sorry the OP did not appreciate such "innovations" like limited dining options and kids sail free.

No surprise to hear about the OP personal experience with food in the buffet and MDR.

Glad to hear about good shows in the theater.

 

I consider a short cruise on MSC or Costa to complement my vacation in the Mediterranean.

I had no hesitation to book a cruise on an old and small Carnival ship when I needed a few more days after Disney.

You can have a good time even on a mediocre ship on the right time for the right price if you have the right attitude, do you home work and set your plans accordingly.

 

Cruising is a pleasure.:)

 

 

pmacher61,

I found your cabin on my photo of the Poesia.

Not the best (in the recessed part of the superstructure overlooking lifeboats 2 decks below), but not too bad (nothing to "ruin" a cruise):

 

 

.

Edited January 11, 2014 by cruisetrail

[papcx]

 

IMO most things were quite predictable.

I am sorry the OP did not appreciate such "innovations" like limited dining options and kids sail free.

No surprise to hear about the OP personal experience with food in the buffet and MDR.

Glad to hear about good shows in the theater.

 

I consider a short cruise on MSC or Costa to complement my vacation in the Mediterranean.

I had no hesitation to book a cruise on an old and small Carnival ship when I needed a few more days after Disney.

You can have a good time even on a mediocre ship on the right time for the right price if you have the right attitude, do you home work and set your plans accordingly.

 

All things you haven't personally experienced, but you seem so qualified to comment on!

[moomoocow]

All things you haven't personally experienced, but you seem so qualified to comment on!

 

Now then! You know the ignore function doesn't work if they're quoted!

 

Stop poking under the bridge :D

[neptuno]

Back to the original review, which on second thought has some merit. The OP paid $252 per day for one person, and therefor was entitled to expect a better experience. My family of four typically sails from Florida aboard MSC for about $250-$300(balcony cabin) per day for four persons plus gratuity of $36/day($12/adult+$6each child). At our price we find it difficult to complain. However, the OP was paying top dollar, similar to the high end luxury lines I mentioned previously. It goes to show that everyone's own experience (and review) is relative to cost.

[pmacher61]

With the first two lines of your ridiculous rant, "I confess. I disliked immensely my previous cruise aboard an MSC ship", you blew your credibility – it's obvious that you had an axe to grind.

 

The only thing you left out was whining about the salad forks not being chilled.

This makes no sense. I was candid. I had no axe to grind. What do you think of MSC food?

[pmacher61]

I find it difficult to believe CC published something so ridiculous.

This is a ridiculous comment. What part of my review was ´ridiculous?¨Was it the part where I said the sauce for the rissoto and the meat was identical?

Edited January 13, 2014 by pmacher61