MSC Poesia Review

4.0 / 5.0
501 reviews

Some hits and misses, but overall way better than expected

Review for the Caribbean Cruise on MSC Poesia
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Ottawaquail
6-10 Cruises • Age 50s

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Additional details

Sail Date: Feb 2017
Cabin: Balcony Stateroom

For our eighth cruise, my husband and I decided to try MSC for the first time because of the itinerary, which included two islands we had not visited before (Guadeloupe and Dominican Republic). We have sailed with Royal Caribbean and Celebrity in the past. On this cruise we were traveling with a toddler and my husband’s elderly parents.

Honestly, I was a bit apprehensive considering all the poor reviews I read on here about Poesia. Following the cruise, I’m not certain where most of the complaints are coming from; some others I can understand to a certain extent.

First off, more than half the passengers on this ship were from French-speaking countries, notably France and Martinique, and most of the others were European as well (German, British, and Italian). The announcements were made in several languages. As Canadians, we were definitely in the minority. I wouldn’t refer to a culture shock per say; perhaps a slight cultural adjustment. I am fluent in French so there were no problems on the linguistic side. Maybe some unilingual English speakers don't like being in the minority, which would explain some of the bad reviews?

Cabin Review

Balcony Stateroom

Cabin B3

No issues; well laid-out, well maintained, lots of storage space.

Port Reviews

Martinique

We got to spend some time there before and after the cruise. Rented a car and went to Habitation Clément (rum distillery) Musée de la Pagerie and Jardin de Balata. All highly recommended sites! Beautiful island.

Guadeloupe

Took a quick taxi ride, we saw some falls and not much else as the cruise ship was leaving early in the afternoon. I wish it was there for a longer time. I want to go back for sure.

St. Maarten

I've been there so many times that this was a beach day. The taxi driver took us to an area of Orient Beach that did not have proper facilities to change. It seemed like they had an agreement with the bar. We had gone to another part of Orient Beach in the past, and I will ensure the taxi takes me to a better area next time.

Tortola

Again, the ship was not docked there very late. Also, this was tender since there were two other cruise ships docked. This was another trip to the beach. Crowded enough, but awesome beach!

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