My wife and I are not great fans of cruises, but we were seduced by a low price for a “superior balcony” cabin on the MSC Poesia, sailing from Port Everglades, Florida, on a 10-day western Caribbean cruise, Dec. 11-21, 2012.
An email notified us of the offer, available for 24 hours. The price was $859 per person plus $92.16 each in fees and taxes and $120 each for gratuities (a daily charge of $12 per person that the cruise line said “cannot be modified”). For the two of us, the total was $2,142.32.
MSC (Mediterranean Shipping Company) Cruises is an Italian line, a branch of a freight line. Here are a few thoughts on our experience.
Embarkation was reasonably smooth. Our cruise cards (ID and credit) were ready, and passengers were embarked in groups rather than having to stand in line. The whole process took about an hour for us, probably helped by our arrival at the dock soon after noon.
Disembarkation went like a charm. MSC offered the option of “self assist,” meaning you could be part of the first group off the ship if you managed your own luggage. Since we always travel very light, this was a great help in our getting home at a reasonable hour.
The Poesia is big. There are 1,275 staterooms, housing more than 3,000 passengers. Our cabin was adequate, but we had to be careful in movement when we were both there, as the open floor space was limited and narrow.
There appeared to be no soundproofing, and conversation was audible from neighboring cabins and from above. The “superior balcony” was just large enough for a small table and two chairs.
The ship provided no overall itinerary of the cruise and no information or “port talks” about the ports of call, only flowery descriptions of the shore excursions.
We found the food to be adequate, with a rather short rotation of menus. However, we felt the service was appalling. We were assigned to the main restaurant, Le Fontane, but abandoned it after two evenings, having spent over 2½ hours each night waiting to be served a 3-course meal. Fellow passengers reported finishing the 8:30 p.m. sitting at 11:30! Fortunately, the ship had a buffet restaurant with longer hours and reasonable choices.
It seemed the pool areas of this ship were not big enough for the number of passengers, and the overcrowding was depressing. The plan of the ship showed a “power-walking track,” but, unless we were in a port, it was usually blocked by an array of sun beds. There was another track on a lower deck, but it was not a complete oval, and a horseshoe shape does not work for serious walkers.
We considered the ship-sponsored shore excursions to be very expensive, so we tended to do our own thing. As we had previously visited most of the ports of call, we signed up, four days in advance, for a trip on a glass-bottomed boat at the only island new to us, Sint Maarten.
This excursion was scheduled to leave at 7:30 in the morning, but at 8:30 the previous evening we received a phone call informing us that it was canceled. I went down to the excursion office and was told that the boat for our excursion was broken. A similar excursion (more expensive) was still going but was full. In a way, the cancellation may have been a blessing, as Philipsburg harbor was housing six megaships!
On the plus side, the cabin stewards were excellent, quite the best we have ever had, and we only hope that they got the lion’s share of that mandatory gratuity we paid.
The entertainment was also the best we have seen on a cruise ship — varied, precise and well executed. After all, how many ships dare to put on an evening of classical music and opera? This was a first, in our experience.
By the way, MSC laid out restrictions in its theater on flash photography, food, drink and reserving seats but then ignored regular infractions in all these areas.
We presented these comments to MSC Cruises on their cruise-review sheet but failed to elicit any response.
CHRISTOPHER HARTLEY
Ormond Beach, FL
ITN emailed a copy of Mr. Hartley’s letter to MSC Cruises and was sent a copy of their response to Mr. Hartley (excerpts shown below) plus these comments from Gail Nicolaus, Vice President, Marketing, PR & Customer Service, MSC Cruises (USA), Inc.: “We reviewed our records, and no letter was ever received by Mr. Hartley. MSC, like other hospitality companies, does not respond to individual comment-card remarks (though we do take all the feedback into account). We always respond to letters sent to us directly, however.
“A service charge of $12 per person per day is added to our guests’ onboard accounts. However, in the event they do not receive satisfactory service, they are free to remove any of the daily charges by reaching out to the Guest Relations manager on board.”
We are delighted that a self-proclaimed “non-fan” of cruising enjoyed our theater shows and cabin steward service as well as the quick embark and debark processes.
MSC Cruises’ Mediterranean heritage is reflected in many of the experiences our guests have on board. This includes our dining. Our dinner menus feature many courses, which in true Mediterranean style are meant to be savored over time, hence the dining took longer than what you may be accustomed to.
We can certainly appreciate your disappointment that your excursion in Sint Maarten was canceled. Once MSC Cruises is advised of an excursion cancellation by the independent contractor, we do our best to immediately advise each guest participating in it.
Cruising remains a strong value. Included in the price (in this case averaging approximately $95 per person per day) are a minimum of three dining experiences a day at the main restaurant, three dining experiences at the buffet and nearly round-the-clock food available at no additional charge, not to mention the nightly theater shows and complimentary acts in bars and lounges nightly.
We would like to thank you for your valued input.
SAUNDRA LAMB, Supervisor, Customer Service, MSC Cruises (USA), Inc., 6750 N. Andrews Ave., Ste. 100, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309
