Planning a cruise on the MSC Poesia? If you’re looking to get acquainted with the ship before you set sail, join us for our full MSC Poesia ship tour! During our 7-night Alaska cruise, we explored the ship from the upper decks down to the lower decks, checking out the swimming pools, hot tubs, fitness center, restaurants, lounges, theater, atrium, and more.
In this deck-by-deck MSC Poesia walking tour, we’ll show you the ship’s layout and amenities so you can get a better idea of what to expect onboard.
🎥 Watch Our Full MSC Poesia Ship Tour
🏊 Exploring the MSC Poesia Upper Decks
We begin our tour on the upper decks, where you’ll find the Top 15 Exclusive Solarium, sports court, complimentary fitness center, kids and teens clubs, and outdoor viewing areas.
On Deck 13, the MSC Poesia features two outdoor swimming pools, four raised hot tubs, a children’s splash area, bars, and plenty of loungers. We also explore the Villa Pompeiana Buffet and some quieter outdoor seating areas with beautiful ocean views.
One of our favourite discoveries was the forward-facing observation balconies on Decks 9, 10, 11, and 14. These are wonderful places to enjoy the scenery, especially during an Alaska cruise!
One of the MSC Poesia’s outdoor swimming pools, with raised hot tubs and loungers on Deck 13.
🎭 Lounges, Restaurants & Entertainment Venues
As we make our way down to the lower decks, we’ll explore the outdoor promenade, Pigalle Lounge, Il Grappolo d’Oro wine bar, Casino Royal, and the beautiful Teatro Carlo Felice theater.
We’ll also visit the Zebra Bar, Bar dei Poeti, shopping areas, and both main dining rooms, Le Fontane and Il Palladio.
Inside Teatro Carlo Felice, the main theater aboard MSC Poesia, featuring tiered purple seating and decorative balconies.
🚢 The MSC Poesia Atrium & Public Spaces
One of the more interesting areas of the MSC Poesia is its three-story atrium, featuring decorative lighting that extends up the wall and across the ceiling.
Throughout our tour, you’ll see how the different decks connect, where the elevators and staircases are located, and how to find many of the ship’s public spaces.
The beautiful three-story atrium aboard MSC Poesia, featuring colourful lighting that extends up the wall and across the ceiling.
More MSC Poesia Cruise Planning
If you’re planning a cruise aboard the MSC Poesia, we also have several other guides you might find helpful:
Whether you’ve already booked your MSC Poesia cruise or are still researching the ship, we hope this deck-by-deck walkthrough helps you get acquainted with the layout and amenities before setting sail!
Wondering what the gym looks like on the MSC Poesia? During our 7-night Alaska cruise, we stopped by the complimentary MSC Poesia Fitness Center on Deck 14, located towards the back of the ship. Powered by Technogym, this modern fitness center offers a variety of workout equipment along with beautiful ocean views.
In our MSC Poesia Fitness Center Tour, we’ll walk you through the gym and show you what to expect before your cruise.
🎥 Watch the Video Tutorial
💪 What’s Inside the MSC Poesia Fitness Center?
The gym has a good selection of cardio and strength-training equipment, including treadmills, elliptical machines, stair climbers, exercise bikes, rowing machines, weight machines, benches, dumbbells, and free weights.
There’s also a separate fitness studio with spin bikes, a reception area, consultation room, and a gentleman’s barber located nearby. One of our favourite features was the large windows overlooking the ocean, making it a beautiful place to work out while cruising.
Technogym treadmills and strength-training machines inside the complimentary MSC Poesia gym on Deck 14.Dumbbells, workout benches, and beautiful ocean views inside the MSC Poesia fitness center on Deck 14.
⏰ Fitness Center Hours & Age Restrictions
During our sailing, the MSC Poesia Fitness Center was open daily from 6:00 AM to 10:00 PM.
Sports shoes were required, and the following age restrictions were posted:
Ages 13–15: Allowed with an adult after signing a waiver.
Ages 16–17: Allowed without an adult after signing a waiver.
Ages 12 and under: Not permitted.
These details may change depending on your sailing, so check the current guidelines onboard.
🚢 Explore More of the MSC Poesia
If you’re planning an MSC Poesia cruise, you might also enjoy our other guides:
Wondering what the casino is like on the MSC Poesia? During our 7-night Alaska cruise, we took a walking tour of Casino Royal, the ship’s casino located on Deck 7 towards the front of the ship. From slot machines and table games to the casino bar, we wanted to give you a closer look at what to expect before your cruise.
Casino Royal has a colourful, elegant atmosphere with large chandeliers, red carpeting, and rows of slot machines surrounding the central table games area. We filmed our tour shortly after boarding while the casino was closed, giving us a great opportunity to explore the space.
🎥 Watch Our MSC Poesia Casino Royal Tour
Join us for a complete walkthrough of Casino Royal on the MSC Poesia, where we explore the slot machines, table games, casino bar, and overall layout.
🎰 MSC Poesia Casino Royal Slot Machines
Casino Royal features a variety of slot machines throughout the gaming floor. During our sailing, we spotted popular games such as Dragon Link, Ultimate Fire Link, Huff N’ More Puff, Prosperity Link, Double Top Dollar, Phoenix Link, and more.
There were also video poker machines featuring games like Deuces Wild and Jacks or Better. With machines lining both sides of the casino, there were plenty of different gaming options to explore.
Some of the slot machines available inside Casino Royal during our MSC Poesia cruise.
🎲 Casino Royal Table Games
In the centre of the MSC Poesia casino, you’ll find the table games area. During our tour, we saw several familiar casino favourites, including blackjack, roulette, baccarat, three-card poker, Ultimate Texas Hold’em, and Dream 21.
The tables are surrounded by slot machines, with chandeliers overhead and seating throughout the casino. Whether you prefer traditional table games or slot machines, there was a good variety available during our sailing.
A look inside Casino Royal on Deck 7 of the MSC Poesia.
🍹 MSC Poesia Casino Bar & Smoking Policy
Casino Royal also has a bar located near the gaming area, where guests can purchase beverages while enjoying the casino atmosphere.
During our sailing, smoking was permitted in the casino during opening hours for guests who were seated and actively playing. Be sure to check the current smoking policies onboard, as these can change.
🚢 Where Is Casino Royal on the MSC Poesia?
You’ll find Casino Royal on Deck 7 towards the forward section of the MSC Poesia.
The casino is near the upper level of the Teatro Carlo Felice theater, and there’s also a staircase leading down to the Zebra Bar on Deck 6.
If you’re looking to become more familiar with the ship before your cruise, we also have a complete deck-by-deck MSC Poesia ship tour.
Watch our MSC Poesia Full Ship Tour:
Final Thoughts
We hope our MSC Poesia Casino Royal Tour gives you a better idea of the casino’s layout, slot machines, table games, and overall atmosphere.
Whether you’re planning to try your luck at the casino or are simply curious about the entertainment options onboard, we hope this walkthrough helps you get acquainted with another area of the MSC Poesia before you set sail.
Planning a cruise aboard the MSC Poesia and wondering what’s on the menu? During our 7-night Alaska cruise, we collected several MSC Poesia main dining room menus, including breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, Gala Night, and drinks menus. We’ve put them all together here so you can take a closer look at the dining options before your cruise.
We enjoyed several meals at the Le Fontane Restaurant on Deck 5 and Il Palladio Restaurant on Deck 6. From traditional breakfast favourites to seafood, steaks, pasta, and desserts, there was plenty of variety throughout our sailing.
Below, you’ll find links to the actual MSC Poesia menus from our cruise, organized by day. All menus are available as PDFs, making them easy to view.
Please note that menus, selections, and dining availability can change depending on the sailing, itinerary, and ship operations. These PDFs reflect the menus available during our cruise.
🎥 Watch Our MSC Poesia Free Food Tour
If you’d like to see what the food actually looks like, we also put together a complete MSC Poesia food tour on our Northern Viking Explorer YouTube channel.
In the video, we explore the complimentary food available throughout the ship, starting at the Villa Pompeiana Buffet on Deck 13. We take a look at breakfast, lunch, dinner, desserts, complimentary beverages, and soft serve ice cream.
We then head down to the main dining rooms to show you some of the meals we enjoyed, including breakfast, Tour de Brunch, lunch, and dinner. Some of our highlights included filet mignon, lobster tail, prime rib, and Baked Alaska.
One thing we appreciated about dining on the MSC Poesia was the variety of food available throughout our cruise. The main dining room menus changed regularly, giving us opportunities to try different appetizers, main courses, and desserts.
We also enjoyed having the option of a sit-down breakfast or lunch at Le Fontane instead of always visiting the buffet. During our sailing, we had dinner at Il Palladio, where we were assigned a table for two.
Our Gala Night dinner was particularly memorable, with filet mignon, lobster tail, and Baked Alaska among the options we enjoyed.
Whether you’re planning your first MSC cruise or have already booked a sailing on the MSC Poesia, we hope these menus help give you an idea of what to expect onboard.
🚢 More MSC Poesia Cruise Videos & Information
If you’re researching the MSC Poesia, we’ve also shared several other videos and articles from our Alaska cruise.
We hope these MSC Poesia main dining room menus give you a helpful look at the breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner options available onboard. We certainly enjoyed trying the different dishes throughout our 7-night Alaska cruise!
For an even closer look at the complimentary food, be sure to check out our full MSC Poesia food tour.
Watch the Full MSC Poesia Food Tour:
Thanks for visiting Northern Viking Explorer, and happy cruising! 🚢
After our seven-night Alaska cruise from Seattle, we’re sharing our honest MSC Poesia review to help you plan your own sailing. We cover the ship’s layout and amenities, our aft balcony cabin 11250, the complimentary food and restaurants, and the entertainment and activities.
We had a wonderful week aboard MSC Poesia, but there were also a few things we wished were different. Here’s a quick overview, with the full discussion in our video below.
In this section of our MSC Poesia review, we explore the ship’s layout, pools, hot tubs, fitness centre, lounges, and outdoor viewing areas. We discuss how the different spaces connect, where to enjoy the scenery, and what amenities are available onboard. We also cover the pool and hot tub hours and the differences between public spaces and areas reserved for certain guests.
The outdoor pool deck aboard MSC Poesia, one of the areas we discuss in our review.
🛏️ Our Aft Balcony Cabin 11250
We take you inside our aft balcony cabin 11250 on Deck 11 of MSC Poesia. This section covers the room’s layout, bed, seating, storage, charging options, and bathroom. We also discuss the balcony, wake views, and what to expect when staying at the back of the ship.
A look inside our aft balcony cabin 11250 on Deck 11 of MSC Poesia.
🍽️ Free Food & Restaurants
Our MSC Poesia food review covers the complimentary dining options, including the Villa Pompeiana Buffet and the main dining rooms. We discuss breakfast, lunch, brunch, and dinner, with examples of the meals and desserts served throughout our cruise. This section also covers dining arrangements, requesting a table for two, and additional charges to be aware of.
Baked Alaska, one of the desserts served during our MSC Poesia cruise.
🎭 Entertainment & Activities
We cover the entertainment and activities available during our MSC Poesia Alaska cruise, from theatre productions to live music, comedy, and onboard games. This includes the two different Dirty Dancing performances, Big Band at Sea, naturalist presentations, and themed parties. We also discuss the activities offered throughout the ship and what families can expect from the onboard attractions.
The evening Dirty Dancing: The Celebration show aboard MSC Poesia.
Whether you’ve followed our Alaska cruise vlog series or are just starting to research MSC Poesia, we hope this review helps with your cruise planning. Watch the full video for our thoughts on each of these four areas, including what we liked and what we wished was different.
Day 5 of our 7-night Alaska cruise aboard the MSC Poesia was one of those days that felt like we packed two completely different Alaska adventures into one. We started the morning sailing through the dramatic scenery of Endicott Arm toward Dawes Glacier, then spent the afternoon in Juneau on a trolley excursion out to Mendenhall Glacier and Nugget Falls.
Watch our full Day 5 MSC Poesia Alaska cruise vlog here:
🧊 Sailing Endicott Arm to Dawes Glacier
We were up early as the MSC Poesia made its way through Endicott Arm. The morning started out cloudy and a little foggy, but the scenery was beautiful, with steep mountains dropping into turquoise water, waterfalls along the cliffs, and icebergs floating around the ship.
As we got closer to Dawes Glacier, we headed to some of the forward outdoor viewing areas and listened to the ship’s naturalist provide information about the glacier and the surrounding area. The weather changed constantly, with rain, clouds, and even some sunshine breaking through, but it almost added to the atmosphere.
We ended up getting to within roughly two and a half miles of Dawes Glacier, which was one of the closer views we’ve had during our visits to the area. Between the glacier, icebergs, waterfalls, seals, and towering mountains around us, it was an incredible way to start the day.
Our view of Dawes Glacier from aboard MSC Poesia as we sailed through Endicott Arm.
☕ Brunch & a Little Time Aboard MSC Poesia
After heading away from Dawes Glacier, we warmed up and went to Le Fontaine Restaurant for brunch. There was a special brunch menu that morning with a mix of breakfast and lunch choices, which was perfect after spending so much time outside.
We also checked out MasterChef at Sea in the theater before getting ready for our afternoon arrival in Juneau. By then, it really did feel like we had already experienced a full day, and we hadn’t even reached port yet.
🚋 Juneau Trolley to Mendenhall Glacier
When we arrived in Juneau, the MSC Poesia was tendering passengers ashore before moving to the dock later in the afternoon. It did take us quite a while to reach shore, so if you are booking a private excursion on a tender day, we would definitely recommend leaving plenty of extra time.
Our excursion for the afternoon was the Mendenhall Glacier Shuttle Tour with Juneau Tours. We met near the Goldbelt Tram and boarded one of their trolley-style buses for a narrated drive through Juneau and out toward Mendenhall Glacier.
Along the way, our guide pointed out some of Juneau’s well-known sights, surrounding mountains, and other interesting spots around the city while sharing information about the area. It was a fun way to see more of Juneau while making our way to the glacier.
Our Juneau Tours trolley took us through downtown Juneau and out to Mendenhall Glacier.
🏔️ Mendenhall Glacier & Nugget Falls
Once we arrived at Mendenhall Glacier, we had about two hours to explore. We started at the visitor center, where there are some fantastic views overlooking Mendenhall Lake and the glacier.
From there, we walked the trail out to Nugget Falls. The trail is fairly flat and easy to follow, and the waterfall at the end is impressive. Standing near the falls, you can really feel and hear the power of the water, with Mendenhall Lake and the glacier nearby.
On the way back, we stopped at some of the viewpoints closer to the visitor center for more views of Mendenhall Glacier before it was time to meet our trolley for the ride back to Juneau.
A beautiful view of Mendenhall Glacier and Mendenhall Lake during our afternoon excursion in Juneau.
🌅 Back Aboard the MSC Poesia
We made it back to the ship in time for a beautiful evening sail away from Juneau. Since we had missed our normal main dining room time, we grabbed a late dinner at the buffet and then enjoyed some of the evening entertainment, including the Silent Disco and comedy in Teatro Carlo Felice.
It was a long day, but a fantastic one. Seeing Dawes Glacier in the morning and Mendenhall Glacier in the afternoon made Day 5 feel especially memorable, and the trolley excursion gave us a fun way to see more of Juneau along the way.
If you’re planning an MSC Poesia Alaska cruise, visiting Dawes Glacier, or looking for a Mendenhall Glacier excursion in Juneau, we hope our experience helps with your own Alaska cruise planning.
Day 4 of our 7-night Alaska cruise aboard the MSC Poesia brought us to Icy Strait Point, Alaska, and this ended up being one of the most memorable days of the entire cruise. We had a relaxed morning aboard the ship before heading ashore, with plenty of time to explore since we weren’t due back onboard until later in the evening.
Arriving at Icy Strait Point, Alaska for Day 4 of our MSC Poesia cruise.
Exploring Icy Strait Point
We started by making our way toward the historic cannery area, stopping to explore the shops, displays, and old equipment along the way. Even if shopping isn’t your thing, the cannery is worth walking through. There is a lot of history here, along with information about Alaska, salmon fishing, and the area’s past.
The historic cannery area at Icy Strait Point is filled with shops, displays, and information about the area’s fishing history.
Then came the biggest surprise of the day. As we stepped outside near the cannery, we spotted a large group of humpback whales incredibly close to shore. Several surfaced together, and before long people were following them along the beach as they made their way toward the MSC Poesia. We weren’t expecting anything like this, and it quickly became one of the best whale experiences we’ve ever had in Alaska.
One of the highlights of our day was watching a group of humpback whales incredibly close to shore at Icy Strait Point.
Mini Doughnuts & the Hoonah Sea Walk
After all that excitement, we stopped at Lil’ Gen’s Mini-Doughnuts and tried the salted caramel and snickerdoodle flavours. They were served warm and fresh, and the proceeds help support the local community, which made the stop even better.
We stopped at Lil’ Gen’s Mini-Doughnuts for some freshly made treats while exploring Icy Strait Point.
From there, we headed out along the Hoonah Veterans Memorial Sea Walk. It’s a beautiful waterfront walk even if you don’t plan on continuing all the way into Hoonah. We spotted a family of deer and enjoyed the scenery, but somehow the whales weren’t finished with us yet. A little later, we saw what appeared to be the same group of humpbacks coming back in the opposite direction, which had us hurrying along the shoreline trying to catch another look.
Nature Trail & Transporter Gondola
Later in the afternoon, we explored some of the trails near the ship and made our way through the rainforest toward Wilderness Landing. There are signs throughout the nature trail with information about the local environment and wildlife, including plenty of reminders that this is bear country.
We eventually reached the other cruise landing area and took the free Transporter Gondola back toward Ocean Landing. It’s a fun and easy way to travel between the two sides of Icy Strait Point, and by later in the afternoon the line was quite short.
Back Aboard the MSC Poesia
Back aboard the MSC Poesia, we cleaned up and headed to dinner at Il Palladio Restaurant before finishing the evening with the Total Divas production show in Teatro Carlo Felice. The show featured familiar music, lots of singing and dancing, colourful costumes, and plenty of energy from the performers.
We finished the evening with the colorful Total Divas production show in Teatro Carlo Felice aboard MSC Poesia.
Looking back, Icy Strait Point was one of those days where everything seemed to come together. We enjoyed the cannery, waterfront, trails, gondola, wildlife, and of course the incredible humpback whales right from shore. We went into the day expecting a relaxing visit to one of our favourite Alaska ports and ended up with one of the biggest highlights of the cruise.
Tomorrow, we’ll sail through Endicott Arm to view Dawes Glacier before making our way to Juneau for the afternoon.
Day 3 of our 7-night Alaska cruise aboard the MSC Poesia brought us to our first port of call, Ketchikan, Alaska. Ketchikan is known for its rain, but we ended up with an absolutely beautiful sunny day, which made it perfect for exploring on foot.
After breakfast and coffee aboard the ship, we headed ashore and spent most of the day simply walking around town. Ketchikan is one of our favorite Alaska cruise ports, and if you choose not to do an excursion, there is still so much to see within walking distance of the cruise docks.
We were docked close to downtown, making it easy to start exploring almost immediately. Several other ships were in port that day, including Anthem of the Seas and Queen Elizabeth, so Ketchikan was definitely busy.
One of our first stops was the Knob Hill Overlook, located above the tunnel near Front Street. There are quite a few stairs to reach it, but the views over the harbor, downtown Ketchikan, and the cruise ships make it worth the climb.
A beautiful sunny view over downtown Ketchikan with Anthem of the Seas docked along the waterfront.
From there, we continued walking through some of the streets above downtown before making our way toward the salmon ladder and Married Man’s Trail.
🐟 Salmon Ladder & Married Man’s Trail
The Ketchikan Salmon Ladder is an easy stop to add while exploring the area, especially during salmon season. We could see plenty of fish in the creek during our visit.
The salmon ladder in Ketchikan is a beautiful short walk from the downtown area and Creek Street.
From the salmon ladder, we followed Married Man’s Trail toward Creek Street. The trail and surrounding boardwalks were very busy that day, but it is a scenic walk and a fun way to approach one of Ketchikan’s most famous areas.
🏘️ Walking Creek Street
We always enjoy visiting Creek Street, and this visit didn’t disappoint. We walked along the wooden boardwalk, browsed some of the shops, and spent plenty of time looking down into the creek.
Exploring the historic Creek Street boardwalk during our day in Ketchikan, Alaska.
One of the fun things about Creek Street is that you never really know what you might see. During our visit we spotted lots of salmon and even watched a seal swimming around looking for an easy meal. We also saw a bald eagle later in the day.
The funicular up to Cape Fox Lodge was closed for maintenance during our visit, but there was still plenty to explore around Creek Street and the surrounding waterfront.
🌊 Walking the Ketchikan Waterfront
After Creek Street, we continued toward Thomas Basin and the viewing platform, walked along the waterfront, and then made our way back through downtown Ketchikan.
There are lots of signs throughout town explaining the local history, salmon, boats, and other parts of life in Ketchikan, which makes simply walking around a lot more interesting.
Eventually, we made our way back toward the ship and the large eagle sculpture near the tunnel, which was right around the area where the MSC Poesia was docked.
The large eagle sculpture near the tunnel was just a short walk from where the MSC Poesia docked in Ketchikan.
After a late lunch aboard the ship, we actually headed back into town again for another walk. This time we tackled one of the very steep hills above downtown before taking a more gradual route back toward the waterfront. It was a good way to get some exercise after lunch and enjoy a little more of Ketchikan before leaving port.
🌅 Back Aboard MSC Poesia
Sail away from Ketchikan was beautiful. The sunshine continued as we left the dock and sailed past the mountains, trees, islands, and other ships making their way out of port.
That evening, we enjoyed dinner at Il Palladio Restaurant before heading to Teatro Carlo Felice for the Mother Nature production show. The show featured plenty of dancing and acrobatics, with the aerial performances and other acrobatic acts being some of the highlights for us.
The Mother Nature production show aboard MSC Poesia featured impressive acrobatics, aerial performances, dancing, and dramatic stage effects.
Ketchikan ended up being a fantastic first port day of our Alaska cruise. We had great weather, spotted some wildlife, walked a lot of the downtown area, and once again remembered why this is one of our favorite Alaska cruise ports.
Next up, the MSC Poesia takes us to Icy Strait Point, Alaska.
Day 2 of our 7-night Alaska cruise aboard the MSC Poesia was our first full sea day as we continued north toward Alaska.
The morning actually started out beautiful. We had sunshine, fairly calm seas, and some great views outside. As the day went on, though, the ocean started getting a little rougher. The pool water was sloshing back and forth, and we even noticed seasickness bags appearing near some of the stairways.
We had plenty planned for the day, including breakfast in the main dining room, Alaska enrichment talks, some time relaxing around the ship, and of course Gala Night aboard MSC Poesia.
Watch our full Day 2 MSC Poesia Alaska cruise vlog here:
☕ Breakfast at Le Fontaine Restaurant
There were two main breakfast options that morning. The Villa Pompeiana Buffet was open from 6:00 until 11:00, while sit-down breakfast was available at Le Fontaine Restaurant from 7:30 until 9:30.
We decided to give Le Fontaine a try and arrived right around 7:30. It was already fairly busy, and by the time we left around 8:30 there was a lineup of people waiting to get in.
We asked for a table for two and ended up with a nice spot beside the window.
Some of the breakfast items we tried included the smoothie bowl with yogurt, banana, kiwi, and pineapple, steel-cut oatmeal, an omelette, French toast with bacon, and the All American Breakfast with eggs, bacon, sausage, and hash browns.
There were also pastries and plenty of coffee, so it was a nice relaxed way to start our first full sea day.
🐋 Learning More About Alaska
After breakfast, we grabbed our coffee mugs and headed to Teatro Carlo Felice for the morning’s Alaska enrichment presentation.
The first talk was called North to Alaska and covered a little bit of everything we might experience during the cruise, including whales, wildlife, forests, fish, culture, and the different areas we would be visiting.
We especially enjoyed the information about the whales. One of the whales shown during the presentation appeared to be the same well-known whale we had seen on a previous Alaska whale-watching excursion, which was pretty neat to see again.
One of the Alaska enrichment presentations aboard MSC Poesia helped us learn more about the ports, wildlife, excursions, and things to see during our cruise.
Right after that was the Cruise and Travel Show, which went through the different ports and some of the excursions that were still available.
If you’re sailing on the MSC Poesia and are interested in the excursions, it may be worth showing up a little early because they also handed out raffle tickets and gave away an excursion for each port during the presentation.
There were more Alaska presentations happening later in the day as well, including one called Glaciers, Volcanoes, and Wildlife, so there were plenty of opportunities to learn more about Alaska while we were at sea.
🌮 Lunch at the Villa Pompeiana Buffet
By lunchtime, we were ready to head back to the Villa Pompeiana Buffet.
There was a good selection of the usual buffet options, including burgers, hot dogs, fries, breads, deli meats, cheeses, and salads. We also found a Mexican station that looked pretty good, so that ended up being part of our lunch.
The weather had changed again by this point. It had been sunny, then cloudy, and suddenly the sunshine was back, although the ship was still rocking quite a bit.
After lunch, we figured we should probably walk some of it off.
🚶 Walking Around Deck 14
Above the main pool area on Deck 14, there is space that MSC lists as a power walking track.
It isn’t really marked like a traditional running track, and parts of it can occasionally be obstructed, but it is still a great area to walk around, get some steps in, and enjoy the views.
We spent some time walking around before deciding that the rest of the afternoon was going to be a little more relaxing.
🛁 Hot Tubs, Our Aft Balcony & Ice Cream
There were lots of activities happening around the ship that afternoon, but we decided to take things a little slower.
We headed to the hot tubs and ended up sitting there for about an hour while chatting with some other passengers. The hot tubs aren’t particularly large, so they fill up pretty quickly, but it was a really nice way to spend part of the afternoon.
After that, we came back to our cabin and spent some time sitting on our aft balcony.
We were really enjoying having that view from the back of the ship. The sun was shining and it was a great place to sit and watch the ocean, even though the seas were getting fairly rocky.
By this point, the motion of the ship was definitely becoming more noticeable, so some seasickness medication came in handy.
We also spent some time walking around the main public decks and discovered the soft-serve ice cream station outside the buffet. They had chocolate, vanilla, and swirl, with either waffle cones or cups.
Needless to say, that was a pretty good discovery.
✨ Getting Ready for Gala Night
That evening was Gala Night aboard the MSC Poesia, so we headed back to the cabin, got dressed up, and made our way to Il Palladio Restaurant on Deck 6.
One thing we noticed was that there was a really wide range of clothing around the ship.
We saw some men in suits, others wearing shirts and ties or collared shirts, and plenty of people dressed more casually. We even spotted one tuxedo. There were also some beautiful formal dresses, but you definitely didn’t have to dress extremely formal to take part in Gala Night.
It was really a mix of everything.
🥩 Gala Night Dinner at Il Palladio
Because we had the same assigned table every evening, we didn’t need to wait for anyone to seat us. We could simply walk into the dining room and head straight to our table.
There were quite a few tempting choices on the Gala Night menu.
For starters, we tried the lobster bisque, Alaska smoked salmon dip, and Caesar salad.
For our main courses, we both ordered the filet mignon with truffle-flavoured whipped potatoes, asparagus, and mushroom demi-glace.
We also ordered the Duo of Broiled Lobster Tail and Jumbo Shrimp to share. It came with asparagus and risotto and gave us a chance to try both the steak and seafood options from the Gala Night menu.
We ordered the Duo of Broiled Lobster Tail and Jumbo Shrimp to share during Gala Night at Il Palladio Restaurant.
For dessert, we tried the Royal Cake, a rich dark chocolate mousse with crunchy praline and vanilla anglaise, along with the classic Baked Alaska.
It turned out to be a really enjoyable Gala Night dinner and one of the meals we had been looking forward to trying.
🎭 Club Disco at Teatro Carlo Felice
After dinner, we headed back to Teatro Carlo Felice for the evening production show.
The show was called Club Disco, but the evening started with the captain and senior officers presentation.
For roughly the first 15 minutes, the cruise director introduced the captain and some of the senior officers, along with a few interesting facts about what goes on behind the scenes aboard the ship.
Then the Club Disco production started.
The Club Disco production show brought colourful costumes, singing, dancing, and acrobatics to Teatro Carlo Felice during Gala Night.
The show had a fun 1970s theme with lots of singing, dancing, colourful costumes, and some acrobatics mixed in.
One of our favourite parts involved a performer using a large ring on stage. There were a few moments during the performance that definitely got a reaction from the audience.
The Club Disco portion lasted around half an hour and made for a fun way to finish off Gala Night.
🎺 Big Band at Sea
We weren’t quite finished with the entertainment yet.
After leaving the theater, we headed toward the lounge at the back of Deck 7 where Big Band at Sea was performing again.
We had seen some of the musicians the night before, but this time there was also a vocalist performing with them.
Between the brass instruments, vocals, and classic big-band style, it was a really nice place to sit and enjoy some live music before calling it a night.
There was plenty of other entertainment happening around the ship as well, including a saxophone player performing in the atrium.
🚢 Final Thoughts on Day 2
Our first full sea day aboard the MSC Poesia ended up having a little bit of everything.
We learned more about Alaska during the enrichment talks, tried breakfast at Le Fontaine, spent some time walking around the ship, relaxed in the hot tubs, enjoyed our aft balcony, found some afternoon ice cream, and finished everything off with Gala Night, dinner, a production show, and live music.
It was a great sea day, but we were especially excited about what was coming next.
Day 3 would take us to our first Alaska port of the cruise, Ketchikan.
Our next Alaska adventure begins aboard the MSC Poesia! Join us for Day 1 of our 7-night Alaska cruise as we board the ship in Seattle, explore some of the public spaces, check out our aft balcony cabin, enjoy sail away, and experience our first evening onboard.
This sailing takes us to Ketchikan, Icy Strait Point, Juneau, Victoria, and scenic cruising through Endicott Arm toward Dawes Glacier. But first, it was time to get settled in and start exploring the MSC Poesia.
After making our way through the Seattle cruise terminal, boarding went smoothly and we were excited to finally step aboard. We started exploring some of the ship’s public spaces, including the colorful atrium, Zebra Bar, theater, and upper decks.
One of our first stops was the Lido Deck pool area. There are two outdoor pools, several small elevated whirlpools, a kids splash area, a stage, and plenty of loungers. We had beautiful weather in Seattle, which made it a great place to start getting familiar with the ship.
Exploring the outdoor pools and elevated whirlpools on the MSC Poesia shortly after boarding in Seattle.
🍕 Lunch at the Villa Pompeiana Buffet
Once we had explored for a while, it was time for lunch at the Villa Pompeiana Buffet on Deck 13.
There was a wide selection to choose from, including pizza, pasta, roast beef, salads, curries, ramen, fruit, desserts, and plenty more. We also discovered outdoor seating at the back of the buffet with views over the aft of the ship.
That location turned out to be especially convenient because our cabin was only two decks below via the outdoor aft staircase.
🛏️ Our Aft Balcony Cabin 11250
Our home for the week was Aft Balcony Stateroom 11250 on Deck 11, located right at the back of the MSC Poesia. This was our first time staying in an aft-facing balcony cabin, so we were especially excited about the views we would get throughout our Alaska cruise.
The room itself was on the smaller side, but we found the layout comfortable and there was a good amount of storage throughout the cabin. It included a king-size bed that could be separated into twins, nightstands with drawers, a vanity with several charging options, a TV, mini bar, closet space, and a compact bathroom.
Of course, the highlight was the aft-facing balcony. It was angled and not particularly wide, but it gave us a completely different view from a traditional balcony on the side of the ship. We were really looking forward to sitting out there and watching the wake as we sailed toward Alaska.
Our aft balcony cabin, Stateroom 11250 on Deck 11, would be home for our 7-night Alaska cruise.
After settling into our cabin, it was time to head outside for sail away from Seattle. The weather was absolutely beautiful, with blue skies, sunshine, and great views as the MSC Poesia pulled away from the city and began the journey north toward Alaska.
The pool deck quickly came to life with music, dancing, and passengers gathering outside to celebrate the start of the cruise. Between the skyline views, the warm weather, and the energy around the ship, it was a fantastic way to begin our 7-night Alaska adventure.
The sail away party gets underway on the MSC Poesia as we begin our Alaska cruise from Seattle.
🍽️ Dinner at Il Palladio
For our first dinner onboard, we headed to Il Palladio Restaurant on Deck 6.
We were happy to have been assigned a table for two, and because we had the early 5:00 p.m. seating, the dining room was especially quiet that evening. It made for a relaxed start to the cruise before we headed out for the evening entertainment.
🎭 Welcome Aboard Show & Evening Entertainment
Our first night included the Welcome Aboard Show in the main theater. It was designed as a preview of the entertainment coming throughout the week, with singing, dancing, comedy, and other performances.
Afterward, we checked out Big Band at Sea, featuring a full live band with brass instruments and vocals. It was a relaxing way to finish a busy first day aboard the MSC Poesia.
The Welcome Aboard Show on MSC Poesia included a Big Band sampler, giving us a preview of some of the entertainment offered during the cruise.
⭐ A Great Start to Our MSC Poesia Alaska Cruise
Day 1 gave us a great introduction to the MSC Poesia. We explored the ship, enjoyed the pools and buffet, settled into our aft balcony cabin, experienced a beautiful sail away from Seattle, and finished the evening with dinner and live entertainment.
Next up is a full sea day as we continue north toward Alaska!
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