Back from MSC Poesia Sept 14 2023 sailing here is my Experience

[JAVinKC]

Sailed Poesia Sept 14, 2023. We  previously sailed on MSC Seaside in Feb of 2020 and it was a great experience so we were looking forward to our Cruise booked on Poesia. We chose this one as it had a very nice itinerary. The ship was beautiful and well taken care of.

The potential is really there but it seems as if MSC does not care. I am sure I am not the first person to list the shortcomings on their survey as they were apparent and most people I met on this cruise all chimed in with lots of the same issues, complaints and dissapointments.

 

First off the food was really lacking and way below all of the other cruises I have taken. I've been on lots of lines and the food on Poesia was equal to the Golden Corral if even that. I sent so many dinners back it was a joke with our waiter. He would actually wait for me to take a bite to see if the entree was a keeper. I am not a picky eater at all either. One bite of the fish and I had a mouthful of bones, that went back. Cannelloni was bland mush, that went back. One beef meal was very tough and full of fat so that it went back. The pineapple sorbet was outstanding. The small croissants in the buffet were great too.

 

There was no lobster night (sad) If you wanted steak it was an additional 18 Euros. After the low level of the food that we were served I was wary of spending 18 Euros to be disappointed for an additional cost. In the buffet they have done away with the egg/omelette station and serve pre-made omlelettes made with powdered eggs...not good. We certainly did not starve but nothing was a treat as in all of our previous cruises.

 

The entertainment in the lounges was so very sad. The Zebra Lounge is beautiful but they have a duo that are basically pitiful. When we walked in my husband actually thought it was Karaoke and a bad singer was having a turn. This singer in the duo used an I Pad of some sort while the other person played keyboard. If they had a good band in the lounge it would be hopping and they would be selling lots of drinks. The other beautiful lounge named the Piggalle had a band that was tired and so boring. People did not congregate for long at either of these beautiful as it was just boring.  No fun atmosphere AT ALL!

 

There was a young guy playing piano and he himself looked and sounded like he was about to fall asleep. I have been in Piano bars on ships that were jam packed and everyone singing along. Gosh I miss something like this. I guess MSC just does not want to pay for quality bands or musicians. The shows in the Theater were not too bad but nothing great.   On all my past cruises I never wanted to miss the Theater shows but after attending a couple shows on the MSC Poesia it was not a priority to attend.  There were not comedy shows either.

 

On Sea Days there was very little to do. Not even a movie was shown in the Theater or at the big screen out by the pool. One day they had a lady up on stage with something equal to an Etch a Sketch and she would create a photo of Elvis while his songs played. She made some Viking ships with sand...really an Etch a Sketch show???  This was not a comedy but sure laughable!

 

In the room there were only 3 English speaking channels which were only News and NO Movies. All the other channels were in different languages. On a high note there were many Australians on the ship and they are always fun friendly and great to talk to.  We made friends with some folks from Austraila and they really enhanced our experience.  Our table mates were also a nice group so  while we all sat there complaining about the food we still had a good time together and many laughs. 

I am now very leery of booking another MSC cruise. I think I will stick with Princess, RC, Holland America, even Carnival. 

 

 

[Até]

Thanks for also putting this in the Cruise Critic reviews section.

[Beamafar]

This is so disappointing to read.  We’ve been on Poesia and enjoyed it immensely (pre-Covid).
 

We’ve felt for a long time now that MSC has been going downhill rapidly.   It was acceptable when the fares were low, which made it a good value product.  Alas, prices increased, but the product hasn’t improved.  Food, in particular, isn’t any better than when fares were less than half the price they are now (and I include YC!).  I guess they have to make the money for all the fancy ships they’re building (with far too many passengers onboard, leading to an even poorer experience aboard). 
 

As for the T-bone steak for an upcharge.  It is definitely not worth it.  We’ve had it on a couple of different ships and had to send it back on each occasion - tough, cold, overcooked!

 

We’re embarking her sister ship, Musica, in a couple of weeks’ time.  I’m really hoping that the entertainment will be a lot better than your experience on Poesia. I’ve learned not to have any expectations regarding food quality or offerings. 🙄

Edited September 30, 2023 by Beamafar

[Frode]

Very sad (but not surprised) to read how the quality of the MSC cruise product has further declined! 😵

I saw it coming...and am so glad I resigned and quit MSC (within sales and marketing) 5 years ago, after 12 years of employment 

[lcpagejr]

4 hours ago, Beamafar said:

This is so disappointing to read.  We’ve been on Poesia and enjoyed it immensely (pre-Covid).
 

We’ve felt for a long time now that MSC has been going downhill rapidly.   It was acceptable when the fares were low, which made it a good value product.  Alas, prices increased, but the product hasn’t improved.  Food, in particular, isn’t any better than when fares were less than half the price they are now (and I include YC!).  I guess they have to make the money for all the fancy ships they’re building (with far too many passengers onboard, leading to an even poorer experience aboard). 
 

As for the T-bone steak for an upcharge.  It is definitely not worth it.  We’ve had it on a couple of different ships and had to send it back on each occasion - tough, cold, overcooked!

 

We’re embarking her sister ship, Musica, in a couple of weeks’ time.  I’m really hoping that the entertainment will be a lot better than your experience on Poesia. I’ve learned not to have any expectations regarding food quality or offerings. 🙄

Fortunately...  it doesn't appear the decline hasn't hit US market.... then again MSC hasn't been as established as in the European market so not as much past history to compare to 

[Beamafar]

We’ve done several US sailings and found that they’re only slightly better (in terms of food offerings) than when in Europe (or South America, South Africa, Middle East or Asia - areas we’ve also sailed with MSC).  Service tends to be more ‘attentive’, too.  Although we have had amazing service in other regions as well, mainly because we interact with the crew a lot. 

Edited September 30, 2023 by Beamafar

[CruisingFox27]

We were quite disappointed with the evening musical offerings on our Lirica cruise in April. The first time we haven't really found anyone we enjoyed listening to in the evening. However, the food was very good. 

 

We'll be embarking Splendida in October, and will definitely hoping for improved entertainment. 

[mackfam]

Disappointed to read this review. We are booked on an 11 day Baltic cruise on the Poesia this September. The itinerary is great and while we have only sailed on one MSC cruise outside of YC, we have always enjoyed sailing on the older smaller ships on Celebrity, NCL and RC and were hoping the same would be true on MSC. Now I’m wondering if we should look for alternatives.

[GonzoWCS]

Thanks for this review

 

Cheers