8-Day Alaska and North America Cruise Aboard MSC POESIA

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.

My mother and I recently sailed on MSC Poesia, and while I enjoyed the ports(this was an Alaskan cruise) , I think this ship needs some work. They did have a refit earlier in the spring, which boasted the addition of MSC Yacht Club and updated cabins. However, I noticed Poesia was missing quite a lot compared to other MSC ships. Honestly, I expected more with the refit as far as restaurants and venues are concerned. That was not the case. Also, it should be noted that if you book the Deluxe Balcony Cabin, it is quite small. What you want is the Premium Balcony Cabin. With that said, the food was amazing; the crew members were amazing, and the ports were excellent. Although I will warn you, the town of Hoonah and Icy Strait Point might not be to everybody's taste. Definitely try the crab legs at Icy Strait Point and do the rickshaw ride through Victoria, BC.

I was very disappointed with my experience on this MSC cruise. The biggest issue was being charged numerous inaccurate fees, which caused unnecessary stress during what was supposed to be a relaxing vacation. Trying to sort out the charges took time away from enjoying the trip.

The food was average at best and didn’t live up to the expectations I had for a cruise. I also found the ship to feel much smaller than I anticipated, making it seem crowded

Overall, this cruise did not provide the value or experience I expected. Between the billing issues, mediocre food, and smaller ship, I would not choose MSC again or recommend it based on my experience

I will give a couple positives. Staff was friendly and my cabin was always nice and clean. I did appreciate the excursions they did offer as well. Getting off and on the ship was with ease.