A Travel Seller’s Report: MSC Poesia – Benvenuto Rick Sasso

(continued from MSC Poesia – Now that’s Italian — Entertainment)

With former Celebrity Cruises president Rick Sasso now the president of MSC Cruises, expectations run high from those that remember how he ran Celebrity. I was not disappointed. The Poesia is beautiful and spotlessly clean (as are all of the MSC ships), the food quality and preparation is very good and the overall service is good to very good. The service staff was attentive and friendly, the entertainment was fabulous and there is a feeling of warm Italian hospitality. Many times, I spotted Captain Romano mingling among his passengers, creating a friendly and warm environment for all.

But remember, an MSC cruise isn’t like a Carnival, Royal Caribbean or NCL cruise. It is an Italian cruise line with Italian officers and a very European ambiance. While you won’t hear announcements in five languages ad nauseum, your fellow guests will be from all over the world.

Personally, I enjoy meeting people from different countries, so this is actually a positive feature for me. While the officers are Italian, the crew is mainly Eastern European, Filipino and Indonesian. On occasion there can be a language barrier between guest and crew, from the beauty salon to the dining room. But with a little patience, your clients will find the crew extremely willing to please and go the extra yard to be sure they are happy with their service.

MSC offers the best cruise value that you can find. With 10 gorgeous ships, one more on the way for 2010, and two more on the drawing board, MSC has so far invested over $7 billion in their fleet. Yet they somehow are still able to offer incredible rates, continental dining, great entertainment and a quality cruise experience. The varied itineraries for the Poesia include 3-, 5-, 7-, 10- and 18-night cruises through spring 2010.

I must mention that MSC offers a plethora of themed cruises while in the Caribbean: baseball greats, polka, Big Band, Rock and Roll and of course, Italian, to name just a few.

Staying Connected

Like all ships sailing today, the Poesia has WiFi. There are various hotspots throughout the ship, mainly in the public areas. The Internet cafe has plenty of computer stations and no one was ever waiting to use the public computers. The cost of the Internet packages is competitive with the other cruise lines. As on other ships, connectivity can be frustrating at times due to satellite coverage, lack of bandwidth, etc. 

My Tip: If you bring your laptop, here’s a little known secret. At the reception desk, you can borrow an ethernet cable and connect it right to an outlet on your cabin’s flat TV. You’ll still need to purchase an Internet package in order to get online, but it is so nice to be able to use your own laptop in your cabin. Except for one day at sea when nearly all Internet was down, I was able to use my laptop in my room, which was wonderfully convenient.

Would I sail on the MSC Poesia again? Absolutely.

Sherry Laskin, ACC is the owner of Florida-based Vacation Shoppe. She is a member of the CLIA Advisory Board and has been quoted in Travel and Leisure, Frommers.com and msnbc.today.com.

Read last week’s articles: MSC Poesia – Now that’s Italian!
MSC Poesia – It Wouldn’t Be Italian Without Food

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