MSC Poesia Review
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I have to admit this cruise was chosen based on itinerary, itinerary and itinerary. In fact there are very few cruise lines that would have turned me off based on a ship when looking at such a port intensive schedule of Katakolon-Olympia, Pireaus-Athens, Rhodes, Cyprus, Alexandria, Crete, Marmaris and Naples.
In any event, I was prepared for things to be different after reading so many negative reviews posted mostly by Americans, and was surprised it was not as different or problematic as I feared it might be. Then again, I have never had a truly "bad" cruise, so maybe my standards are flexible.
We traveled with my two older stepkids, both of whom have contributed to this review. One draw of this cruise in addition to the itinerary was that kids sail free, but the catch is that they have to be in a room with two paying passengers so you are in essence waiving the 3/4 fee.
Cabin Review
The Cabin-
We were in a balcony cabin on Deck 12, and an escort was assigned to help us find our room. The cabin was just big enough for the 4 of us but would not have held 4 adults comfortably. I would say bigger than NCL but smaller than Carnival.... probably most comparable to RCL. The love seat opened into a bed and there was a wall bunk that folded down at night for the 4th person. Matthew "called" the bunk which was just fine with Lizzie. The decor with its black and red bedspread was a little sharp, very Italian designer looking but not too over the top. The beds were comfortable and I did not wake up with any back pain as I often do when sleeping in cheaper beds.
In order to save energy, MSC has a system rigged into the rooms where if you don't have a card inside the power slot, the lights will shut off after 5 or 10 minutes. Each room also has 2 US (110) and 2 EUR (220) power outlets at the desk . I brought a plug adapter so we were able to use all of the outlets.
The bathroom was also on the small side, again comparable to RCL for those who are familiar with it. Very good water pressure and temperature in the shower. One minor annoyance was the shower curtain that stuck to you while showering and the fact that MSC doesn't provide washcloths for some reason. Also, the bathroom is not ventilated and has no fan which means it gets more wet than usual during a shower.
An odd regulation, smoking is not permitted on balconies but is allowed in cabins. We were only one deck below the smoking section on Lido and I am a "drinking-only" smoker so it wasn't much of an issue, but still a strange rule.