The good, the bad an the … other things behind the scene

Here we want to summarize what happened to us on board the Poesia, what we liked, what could have been improved and which people we got to know, in other words things that happened apart from the previous blog.

First of all, there is of course the inadequate planning by MSC in terms of being able to reach the promised locations and the equally inadequate communication between the command bridge and the passengers regarding the course of the tour.

We knew before we left that we would not be going to Ilulissat. To compensate for this disappointing news (after all, everyone wants to go to Ilulissat because of the many icebergs), we were credited with 200 euros in advance to our on-board credit. To compensate, we were supposed to go to Qaqortoq...should, mind you.

On the journey from Isafjördur to Greenland, we found out that the entire boat tour was completely different to what had originally been planned.

All passengers were asked to go into the large theater hall, where the captain wanted to explain how and why the trip could not go ahead as planned. It was "all hands" on stage. The captain and two Arctic pilots, who were supposedly on board because of the bad ice conditions, explained why we were not going to Ilulissat and why we could not take the planned route across the Prins Christian Sund from the east. It was also very uncertain whether we would reach the second point, Qartotoq. Here too, the excuse given was that the "most extreme ice conditions since 2012" would not allow this.

We were assured that on the way back to Iceland we would definitely be able to enter the Sound from the west. We were also told that after visiting Nuuk we would make a two-day stop in Paamiut. This is the port that is always ice-free and therefore accessible.

OK, so instead of Qartotoq Paamiut and the Prins Christian Sund from the other side... The faces were getting a little longer. Let's see what's going on with the Prins Christian Sund...

After we left Nuuk, we thought we would go to Paamiut. The small town doesn't have much to offer for two days, but it's easy to "take it all off" in one day, but oh well.

The morning before we docked in Paamiut, we only woke up after we had turned around at the entrance and almost passed the icebergs. Shortly afterwards, we were informed by an announcement that we could not go to Paamiut after all, as there was too much ice there. The fact that the entire ice situation could only be recognized at short notice left us a little stunned. What do we have the supposedly experienced Arctic pilots here for? If their only job was to stand on board and look out for icebergs, then we could have done that too...

What annoyed us most was the indifference of the command bridge as to whether we saw anything or not. Why couldn't they have told us the evening before that we would try to sail to Paamiut and that it would definitely be worth getting up a little earlier to see the icebergs from the upper deck. It's summer and the sun hardly ever sets... it would have been bright enough. Then we would at least have had a chance. Other passengers who always get up early told us that they could have seen icebergs. This is a big dislike for the captain. We also know that whales can be spotted fairly easily. Here too, it would have been nice if the captain had kept a closer lookout.

Instead, the announcement kept coming that they apologized for these changes and that the ship would sail as close to the Greenland coast as possible so that they could “enjoy the beauty of the Greenland coast on our beautiful ship.”

We were unable to find anyone who could enjoy, let alone see, the coast from a distance of 150 kilometers at sea. The coast remained invisible to us too.

At some point we were informed that we would not be able to use the western entrance to the Sound, which was so safe. In the end, in order to stick to the schedule, we sailed for five days at sea without stopping.

For the ports we didn't call at, two out of three, we received an on-board credit of 200 euros. So we now have 400 euros on the card. And, as I said, we couldn't withdraw it.

Disappointment set in. In the end, we were happy that we could at least see Nuuk and be in Greenland.

Despite all these shortcomings, we received good news from MSC at the end: we received 15% of the travel price transferred to us and another 15% of the travel price for the next MSC cruise within a year. That was a nice gesture. We had already thought that we would definitely not get anything back and that MSC, according to its terms and conditions, would put the safety of the passengers and the ship first. They would practically declare it as an act of God.

There is still a lot that could be written here about MSC, but at some point it has to stop...

Let’s talk about our fellow travelers:

At first we thought we would all board the ship in Copenhagen and the crew would stay together for the four weeks... But the ship was like a hop-on, hop-off bus. After the tour of the Baltic Sea, some of the guests changed and then stayed together for the rest of the time.

Many cruisers came from the east of the country. Many had been at sea many times and had “experience”… and a lot of money.

A couple talked about helicopter flights in Nuuk, boat trips into the ice and their plans to book the trip again next year. This time with their children and grandchildren. Dad/Grandpa is paying. He said it would cost around 20,000 euros for the six people.

Another older couple told us about a 120-day trip around the world that was starting in December. We looked it up and the cheapest (inside) cabin on deck 1 costs 34,000 euros for two people. Not bad for anyone who can/wants to afford that. After the four weeks, we realized that four weeks on a ship was too much for us.

The weather in the north wasn't particularly nice, but there were always special people who seemed to spend every day from morning to night lying in the whirlpool or splashing around in the pool. And there was always a "lifeguard" sitting on the chair... usually wrapped up warmly because it was cold and most of the staff on board were Asian...

We also saw some highlights in terms of clothing and figures. But there's no accounting for taste. It just seems that some people don't have a mirror at home...

Of course, the constant availability of really delicious and varied food and the lack of exercise also leave their mark outside the ship. We have also gained pounds that we cannot measure in terms of quantity. You can tell by looking at our clothes... and it is time for us to get back into a regular eating routine...

All the staff were super friendly and in a good mood. You could even hear the kitchen staff singing in the kitchen. Our "John-Boy", the cabin steward, was also very nice and always there, whether you needed anything or not. If we had wanted him to, he would have "cleaned" our cabins three times a day...

In the end, we were a little "stressed" about using up our onboard credit. As a result, we had consumed around 250 euros on drinks. When you consider that an evening with two Aperols or Hugos or beers each costs 40 euros, that is acceptable for four weeks.

Now we're enjoying two more days in Copenhagen before we fly back to Cologne. The blog about the cruise with MSC is now closed.

We'll see each other again in October when the next big trip is coming up ... 😊