Loyal Royals try MSC for the first time: MSC Poesia, 8 to 17 October 2014

Our family group consisted of 10 people ranging in age from 34 to 67. Six of us are Loyal Royals with C&A status of Emerald or Diamond, while the other four were complete cruise newbies.

The decision to try MSC was essentially down to price and convenience. For 150 euros per person less than we would have paid for a one-week RCI cruise out of Barcelona, we got a nine-day cruise out of Lisbon. Since we live in Portugal, the farthest any of us had to travel was a 3-hour train journey, meaning we also saved a fortune on air fares.

That said, “interporting” did have the downside of us joining the cruise, which started in Genoa, half-way through, which meant we were out of kilter with the gala nights. Our first gala night was the cruise’s third, which caused us some confusion when we were looking for our photos in the photo shop, where they were exhibited by “1st gala night”, “2nd gala night” etc., instead of by date. It also meant that the “Captain’s Welcome Aboard Cocktail” was held on what, to us, was day six.

So how did MSC compare to RCI? On the whole, they did well but with many years in the tourism business ourselves, we went into it with open eyes. We know you can’t expect 5-star service at 3-star prices. With nothing to compare their experience to, our cruise newbies got bitten by the cruise bug and the LRs all had a great time too, although inevitably we made a lot of comparisons. Let me share some of our trip with you.

With only sixty people boarding in Lisbon, check-in was done on board, and we were advised that there would be an emergency drill at 3 pm. This turned out to be incorrect; in fact, the drill was at 3.30 pm and as a result we, and around 15 other people, missed it. Consequently, a repeat drill had to be held the next morning, 15 hours after we sailed. This misinformation, and sometimes total lack of information, was a point on which MSC fell far behind RCI. Virtually no information was provided about the ports, the excursion desk could only confirm excursion times the evening before, the restaurant staff offered no information about the dishes on the menus, at the Captain’s cocktail we didn’t even realise the Captain had arrived at the lounge as the band kept playing without announcing his arrival, and on disembarkation morning the person who was supposed to come to the lounge where we had been told to meet to be escorted to the exit never appeared; people simply drifted off the ship at will after a wait of around 15 minutes.

Speaking of the Captain, he was conspicuous by his absence. The only time we saw him was at the aforementioned cocktail party and the presentation held immediately afterwards in the theatre. The LRs, used to the Captain’s interaction with passengers on RCI ships, thought it strange; the newbies didn’t.

Also conspicuous by her absence was the Cruise Director. We saw her only at the start of the shows when she raced through an introduction in five languages, and again at the end, when she raced through a have-a-nice-evening or a bingo-is-next spiel, also in five languages. Otherwise, she was invisible except for one occasion when she passed us in the hallway as we were preparing to go ashore. There was nobody else around but she merely glanced at us then looked at the floor and walked on past as if we weren’t there. To us, that was unacceptable. But it was also the exception. Every other crew member who passed us, on whatever occasion, invariably greeted us pleasantly and politely.

The Cruise Director’s team, however, were very visible. In comparison to RCI, we found them to be a bit amateurish, but they were greatly hindered by the fact that every single thing they did had to be explained in the same five languages, and they certainly were not lacking in enthusiasm and energy.

The shows in the theatre were consistently good, with a fair bit of variety bearing in mind that they had to be of the musical/visual type because of the language situation. There were some truly remarkable gymnastic/acrobatic performances, classical music, Broadway-style shows and flamenco dancing. The theatre itself is beautiful and has better sightlines than some of the theatres on RCI ships.

On now to the food, always a major part of the cruise experience. Our first meal was in the buffet since the main restaurant had closed by the time we boarded. The buffet restaurant was massive and there was quite a variety of food. The soups, pizzas and pastas were consistently good and the salad bar offered a great selection of different salad greens, far superior to RCI’s normally limited and boring lettuce selection. Coffee and an interesting variety of teas, as well as ice and water were available free of charge, but any other drinks, except for juice at breakfast, had to be paid for.

On the downside, although the buffet restaurant was open for 20 hours a day, there were times when food was extremely limited. Full breakfast began at 6.30 am and continued till 10 am; thereafter, it was continental until midday. That seemed topsy-turvy to us, especially on sea days, and it also meant that there was total chaos between 9.30 am and 10 am, as everyone rushed to get their bacon and eggs before the staff began removing them at 10 sharp. And remove them they did, even if the trays still contained food. And then they wrapped cling film around everything that was still out and was not considered “continental breakfast”, so that you could see it but not actually get it!

Lunch finished at 4 pm and was followed by afternoon tea, which included pizza, sandwiches, biscuits and cakes; in turn, that finished at 5.30 pm and from then until 7 pm, when dinner began, only pizza and sandwiches were available. To us, that was a big downer. We eat lunch late (2 pm-ish) and had 2nd seating dinner at 8.45 pm, so we did want a snack between those, but what was on offer was limited and boring, especially for the LRs among us, used to the copious choices on board RCI ships. On several days, we resorted to taking items from the breakfast and lunch buffets and storing them in our mini-bars to eat later.

As for the main restaurants, we were in Palladio on the upper floor. We were dismayed to find our party of 10 had been split between two tables that were quite close to each other, but not side-by-side and certainly too far away for conversation. However, the Maitre d’ was able to resolve the issue by allocating us what apparently is the only 10-top in the restaurant and which, we found out later from our Head Waiter, tends not to be assigned to passengers because it is next to the Captain’s table and is usually reserved for the officers. (We never saw the Captain dining there throughout our 9-day cruise.)

The Head Waiter was excellent, one of the best we have come across on any of our cruises. Our waiting staff was changed part way through the cruise and he made a point of coming to our table to apologise for any inconvenience and to explain that the change was due to logistical reasons related to the boarding of a large number of new Brazilian crew members in readiness for the ship’s transatlantic sailing and subsequent South American season in a month’s time. He also resolved an issue we had with the wine package swiftly and in an extremely professional manner.

Our waiting staff (both sets) were friendly and willing but this was where the differences between MSC and RCI really came to the fore. Firstly, there were never any explanations about the dishes or, on the first night especially, to even explain the layout of the menu, which featured starters, salad, soups, pastas and risottos, main courses and vegetarian dishes. And there was a glaring lack of technical skills: dishes were served indiscriminately from the left or the right or even across one person to the person sitting next to them; the servers simply chose a starting point on the table and worked their way around the table instead of serving the ladies first; on several occasions the soup bowls had become splashed during transportation from the kitchen and were not wiped off before being placed on the table; and on his first evening, the new, young assistant waiter actually held out my soup bowl to me for me to take it from his hand, instead of placing it on the table in front of me. That said, however, nothing was too much trouble for them and they did whatever they could to keep us happy.

As for the food in the main restaurant, on the whole it was good. A few dishes were very good and the ice cream was consistently excellent, smooth and creamy and totally devoid of ice crystals. The tiramisu on Italian night was fantastic. Conversely, a few dishes were not up to par: the beef stroganoff resembled stew served with pasta and neither of the two members of our party who chose it liked it. In fact, my DH disliked it so much that he asked for something else instead, a first in all our years of cruising. One thing we particularly missed was coffee being brought to our table after dinner; it sort of seemed like we hadn’t quite finished our meal, even though coffee could be purchased in any of the bars or obtained from the buffet at no extra charge.

Speaking of the bars (and other public areas), there were many. So much so that even on our last day aboard, we came across a couple we had not noticed before. The bars were attractive and comfortable, except for the rather vicious air conditioning, and several offered live music and/or entertainment organised by the entertainment team.

The pool area was also used as an entertainment venue, although again the language problem made it more difficult for the staff to get people involved. There were loads of sun loungers and I particularly liked the fact that they had a movable flap to protect your eyes and face from the sun. I cannot remember any of the sun loungers on RCI ships having this. When there was entertainment going on, it could be hard to find free loungers around the immediate pool area, but there were loads of empty ones, in both sunshine and shade, in a quieter area towards the back of the ship.

Although none of us used the spa, several of us made use of the gym located inside the spa area. RCI take note: the staff were extremely strict about enforcing the proper footwear rule. If you didn’t have appropriate footwear, you weren’t even allowed in to look; you were only allowed to look in through the window. Well done to them for that, since this is a safety issue. Those of us who used the gym thought that it was a bit small for the size of the ship. There was, however, a fair bit of open floor space which I found to be a plus in comparison to the RCI ships I have sailed on, where I have sometimes struggled to find a spot to do my floor exercises.

For fitness aficionados, in addition to the gym, there was a “not-quite-wrap-around”, wooden-floored promenade deck on deck 7, which could be used for walking and running. I made use of this on several occasions and reckon, from the time it took me, that each elongated U would have been somewhere between 450 and 500 metres.

On now to the ports. On this trip we called at Barcelona (afternoon), Marseille (full day), Genoa (full day), Malaga (afternoon) and Casablanca (extended full day). These are mostly ports where no excursion is needed if you prefer not to do one. In Barcelona, the port authorities provided a free shuttle bus to the city centre (bottom of the Rambla). There were also plenty of taxis available for anyone who wanted to take that option. In Marseille, the cruise ship provided a shuttle bus at a cost of 16.90 euros per person round trip. We reckoned it would be cheaper by taxi and it was. Our 4-seater plus 6-seater option worked out at about 10 euros per person and the taxis dropped us closer to the centre than the shuttle bus would have, right beside the mini-train stop. In Genoa, no shuttle bus was provided. This port was doable on foot if you are able-bodied and don’t mind walking. Otherwise, taxis were again available. In Malaga, the ship again provided a paid shuttle bus at 6.50 euros per person for the round trip. We opted instead for the mini-train at 5 euros per person. This could also be a “doable-on-foot” port but it would be a good 25-minute walk to the centre and we only had the afternoon there, which was why we used the transport. Finally, Casablanca. This was the only port where we used the ship’s excursion. At 60 euros a head, the half-day City Tour and Hassan II Mosque was overpriced (but then all ship-sponsored excursions are overpriced). However, it turned out to be one of the highlights of the trip. The mosque was simply stunning and the guide was outstanding. As a former tour guide myself and with 20 years in tourism, believe me, that is praise indeed. Within minutes of stepping on board the bus he had everyone eating out of his hand; he was knowledgeable, professional, funny and yet knew how to be assertive when necessary (like when the customary idiot – why is there always one on every excursion bus? – started taking photos of the policemen after having been specifically told not to do so). I can honestly say this was one of the very best cruise-ship sponsored excursions I have ever done.

So, all in all, we were more than happy with our cruise. Would we sail with MSC again? We would certainly consider it, for the reasons we took this cruise in the first place, although if all things were equal other than a slight difference in price we would almost certainly choose RCI over MSC. Why? Because we like the little touches and extra service that we get on RCI and don’t mind paying a bit extra to get them. And would we recommend MSC? Again, yes. Since we paid less for this cruise than we would have on RCI, our expectations were lower and they were largely met and sometimes exceeded. We felt we got good value for money and we all thoroughly enjoyed our trip. What more can you ask?

Thank you for your very helpful, detailed review. Glad you enjoyed your cruise!

Poesia has so far been our favourite MSC ship of the three we have sailed on, we are hoping the Orchestra which is also a Musica class ship like Poesia will be just as good.

Poesia has so far been our favourite MSC ship of the three we have sailed on, we are hoping the Orchestra which is also a Musica class ship like Poesia will be just as good.

I especially love reviews from veterans of other cruise companies who give MSC a go - thanks for sharing your experiences.

As I don't have anything to compare MSC with (other than my first ever cruise which was on Carnival - I thought I'd never cruise again after that experience!) I find interesting to hear what's similar and different between the companies.

Dave...........glad to see you're now able to look forward to your upcoming trip :)

Poesia has so far been our favourite MSC ship of the three we have sailed on, we are hoping the Orchestra which is also a Musica class ship like Poesia will be just as good.

It slipped my mind when I was writing my review, but I did mean to mention that the ship is absolutely beautiful.

Thank you so much for your review. It means a lot to me since I was born and raised in Lisbon and would love to Cruise out of Lisbon someday.

I just got off my first MSC cruise (Divina) out of Miami and although I was concerned with all the bad reviews I can truly say I was Pleasantly Surprised.

There were 17 of us and the only complain I heard was the poor bar service. The food was excellent, loved the presunto/Prosciutto and they even had Octopus stew, not as good as what I had in Lisbon but nevertheless very tasty.

In contrast with your cruise, the Divina Cruise director and Captain were seen at all major shows and events, in fact we questioned - "Who is driving this boat?" :)

The entertainment staff was one of the best that I have seen but granted without some of the louder events common of other cruise lines ( hairy man competition) which I can do without.

Although the pastries were good, my wife was expecting better from an European line, we are spoiled in Portugal (pasteis de nata). Your cruise may have had better pastries/desserts.

It means a lot to me since I was born and raised in Lisbon and would love to Cruise out of Lisbon someday.

There are not many cruises starting and finishing in Lisbon at the moment because the cruise terminal doesn't have the capacity to handle that many passengers embarking and disembarking. However that is set to change, as the terminal is about to be upgraded. I believe RCI is a member of the consortium that will be doing the upgrading, so hoepfully you will have an opportunity to sail from Lisbon sometime in the not-too-distant future. I can tell you that sailing under the 25th of April Bridge is an absolutely amazing sensation. The ship was almost as tall as the bridge and it felt like we only just managed to squeeze under it! :)

I was also on this cruise as a group of six adults from the states. We are also Loyal Royals, but wanted to spend a week in Lisbon (loved Lisbon) so choose this cruise.

I agree with Fiona on the waitstaff in the dining room were friendly, but lacked finesse. We did not ever meet the head waiter. I also agree food for the most part was good. I thought desserts were lacking compared to other cruises. Also had trouble making the breakfast time, would have liked more time to exercise, visit hot tub or sauna prior to breakfast.

We felt bar service was poor for the most part, very slow, and with some exceptions seemed uncaring. The other negative for us was the amount of children on the first half of the cruise. The pools and hot tubs were always full of kids, have never had this problem sailing in October. Perhaps MSC offering kids sail free is why.

As only being able to speak English, communication with staff was not a problem. We did miss comradeship with the other passengers, as there were very few other english speakers. We knew this going in, but did not know how much we would miss getting to know other passengers.

Thank you for your honest review. As a fellow loyal Royal, I would agree for the most part. However, Preziosa won my heart as the most beautiful ship I have ever sailed on. In general the design of cabins, public rooms etc on MSC is for me far superior to RCI. I think the food is much the same, and both deal with my Coeliac requests equally well. I miss the Diamond lounge though :)