22-Day Caribbean Cruise aboard MSC POESIA

Embarkation- Process was the best we’ve ever experienced on any cruise line. We were whisked past the queues of other passengers by a Yacht Club greeter and once on the ship were shown straight up to the Yacht Club lounge without any requirement of further check in processes. Very quickly we were given our suite and taken to it by our cabin steward.

Suite - First impressions were excellent. There was plenty of storage. Lovely large bathroom with extremely large shower. The double balcony was long and narrow but we didn’t use it much due to the very hot weather. My husband requested a memory foam pillow and this was provided immediately. The bed itself was very comfortable.

The living area was spacious, but the sofa bed was not particularly good for two people to relax comfortably on during the day. The table was far too small to be practical.

Yacht Club Restaurant - Lovely room with a nice ambiance. Waiting staff were excellent and learned what you like and how you like it cooked. Breakfast was delicious. We never had lunch in the restaurant. Dinner was good, my husband (a plain eater) was able to get exactly what he wanted each night. I found the steak a little tasteless, possibly under-seasoned, but usually found something I liked. I found the starters more interesting than the entrees, and the staff were happy to increase the size of any starter to make it an entree for me.

Top Sail Lounge - Service from concierge and waiting staff was outstanding. Good range of drinks which were not available elsewhere on the ship.

Yacht Club Sun Deck and Grill - Came here for lunch occasionally. You could get fresh food made to order. It was an excellent place to view our Panamá Canal passage from.

Main buffet restaurant - we came back late in the day from an excursion and just fancied something simple from the buffet. However my husband, a plain eater, couldn't find anything he fancied. This is our only negative comment about the whole cruise.

Entertainment - Good range of activities you could choose to do. We particularly liked the excellent range of quizzes and game shows run by the friendly and enthusiastic entertainment staff.

We don’t go on cruises to see most of the theatre shows, but the Tango Show performed by Luxury Dance Company was excellent ! And the more intimate show they did the following night in the Pigalle Lounge was even better as you felt up close and personal.

The comedy act, Dave Rave, was terrible.

As MSC is a major sponsor of F1, we were surprised that there was no F1 coverage available anywhere on the ship.

Captain - we have cruised around the world on many cruise lines and he was the most visible and approachable captain we have ever experienced on a large ship.

Onboard Shops - Good range of items at sensible prices.

WiFi - Excellent service.

Drinks Package - excellent.

Disembarkation - definitely nothing like embarkation. There was no priority for Yacht Club guests.

This was our first experience of MSC and Yacht Club and we found it excellent in all ways and would be happy to recommend it to friends.

The Msc poesia

is a medium sized ship

When we were on it there was approximately 3200 on board

It has a very traditional layout which means that it has lots of character

There are lots of different bars and lounges and a very well designed theatre

We had a cabin with a round window which was a good size , very spacious with plenty places to store items

The app that msc use has improved a lot giving you all the info about what is happening on board the ship as well as restaurant menus ,there was even an AI assistant in the app

We found the staff were very friendly and the caption was very visible and funny

The cruise director was also very good

We had a meal in the speciality restaurant (butcher cut) which was excellent

On the whole the buffet items were very good great choice and good quality especially the pizza

The breakfast buffet had mainly american breakfast options with a few odd items(apple crumble)

We opted for the top drinks package so there was a good choice of drinks available

The entertainment was also very good and varied with a good assortment of shows

Our only slight negative (which apparently is because of the ship being in alaska) was the dinning times

5pm or 7.15pm with no freedom dining option

On this cruise we were part of a group of approximately 500 british (cruise with derek who is a cruise company presenter)

So this meant we had our own events as well as the msc ones

So it was a very packed schedule

When we booked the cruise there was meant to be a sail past of a glacier but due to the weather and operational issues this got cancelled and we ended up having longer in juneau

Embarkation - Getting onboard was very easy.

Food and Dining - We gave the restaurant multiple tries with 30-45 min waits between each course of the meal every time resulting in 2+ hour meals. Drink orders not taken, wrong entrees delivered, table given away after 10 min wait for the line to shorten all resulted in not using the main dining room. The meals were tasty small portions, but too painful to be bothered to wait for. This poor service was in stark contrast to a MSC cruise I took a year earlier. The Buffet was ok, nothing great. Essentially the same meals everyday with nowhere to sit.

Onboard Activities - The Hot tubs were jam packed with kids, and/or the same adults all day, every day. Couldn't use them. Fitness center was great. Not much else to do since I do not go to the casino.

Entertainment - Caught a few of the stage shows, which were entertaining. Karaoke was entertaining as well, even though it seemed like the same three people sang all the songs. Other music options were ok.

Service and Staff - Food service was terrible. Drink service was sub-par. Multiple times I had a drink waiter put a paper coaster under my near empty glass without asking if I wanted another drink. Most times I would have to go to the bar myself and wait to order.

Ship Quality - The ship overall was well maintained and the layout was fine; however, the public bathrooms were not particularly clean. The decor is horrible imho.

Cabin / Stateroom - It was a cruise cabin. Not overly roomy, but satisfactory in size and clean. The couple next to us were coughing up a lung from day 1, which you could hear anytime we were in the cabin, day or night.

Ports of Call:

Ketchikan, Alaska - Small village with some personality. Cool to see the Salmon and the seals.

Cruise Endicott Arm & Dawes Glacier - Absolutely breathtaking scenery with beautiful weather.

Juneau, Alaska - Nice to visit, but how many t-shirt shops can you visit.

Icy Strait Point (Hoonah), Alaska -

All the action was in the water and trees. Whales and Eagles up close. Nice walk to Hoonah, but what a depressing little town. Nothing to see or do.

Victoria - Didn't get off the ship.

Overall, I got to see places that I had never been and likely will not see again, so I'm glad I made the trip. If the weather hadn't been as perfect as it was, it would have been an absolutely terrible trip as the ship experience was so poor. There were people coughing all over the place and it eventually got me day 5, so I didn't leave the cabin for the last few days. I somewhat blame the lack of cleaning in some of the public areas, but who knows. For Alaska at least, I would try another cruise line.