This was our second MSC cruise, the fist having been on the Lirica last April. Despite all the negative postings that we had read prior to this cruise, we had one of our most memorable cruise experiences on the Lirica and expected a somewhat comparable experience on the Poesia. Seldom can two ships from the same parent company have been so different. The Lirica was not perfect, but it had enough redeeming features to compensate for sub standard cuisine and dining room service. The same cannot be said of the Poesia.

I do not intend to dwell on all the negatives which by and large have been addressed by other reviewers who shared the cruise experience with us. Rather, I will highlight some select areas of concern.

The first night of our cruise my wife and I went to the Pigalle Lounge, a spacious environment, and asked to be seated in a non smoking area. We were directed to the port side of the ship. The next night we returned to the same lounge and noted ash trays on all the tables. When I asked a waitress if the port side was still the non smoking side I was told it was. When I questioned why there were ash trays placed on all the tables the waitress seemed surprised and said it must have been a mistake. A second waiter then contradicted her and said that the Pigalle was a smoking lounge. Not satisfied with the answer I went to the Reception Desk to ask about the smoking policy. The staff at the reception desk did not seem to know what the policy was but after calling the lounge confirmed that it was a smoking area. Later that evening I spoke with the cruise director who confirmed that smoking was permitted in all areas of the lounge. I pointed out that it was a large enough lounge that an area might easily have been designated as a non smoking area. He said he would bring it to the attention of the Hotel Manager but of course, nothing was done. My point here is this: On the Lirica the ship's smoking policy was spelled out each day on the front page of the daily program and the policy was largely adhered to by passengers, European and American alike. Why create unnecessary confusion when it could so easily have been avoided. Read more