We (five adults) wanted to go to the Baltics and MSC Poesia was the best option for us since we were to visit 9 ports including a two day stay in St. Petersburg. First time on MSC. We left from Warnemunde, Germany which is not an easy port to get to nor leave from Berlin. We could have embarked and disembarked in Copenhagen which after our experience in Warnemunde I would recommend. In Warnemunde the bus leaves you quite away from the ship and traveling with medium size bags to the ship is not easy. On our return we had decided to take the train but that was cancelled without any notification and we ended up taking a train, a crammed bus and then another train lugging our bags up and down various flights of steep stairs. Other than that, the cruise in itself was a great experience. The ship was comfortable and very clean. Cabin service was excellent. The entertainment was among the best I had experienced. The Cruise staff in charge of Adult activities consisted of young people from varios countries ( Spain, Brazil, Panama, Mauritania to name just a few) who entertained us daily with their charm, wit, friendliness and antics throughout the cruise. The nightly shows I considered excellent, very different and entertaining. Our main dining room service ( we had the late seating) was remarkable making up for the not so great food. The food preparation was average. Overall we had fun experience and visited some great places. As a last note May can be quite chilly in the Baltic so pack accordingly.
The cabins are average. The layout was a bit uncomfortable since the bathroom door was too close to the closets but the cabin was very clean and we had our choice of pillows (from soft to firm by just asking)
Beautiful city.