If you’re thinking about booking MSC Poesia, or you already have a cruise coming up, you may be wondering how much you’ll need to spend once you’re onboard. MSC cruise fares can sometimes look surprisingly low, especially compared with other cruise lines sailing from the UK. My own MSC Poesia cruise cost just over £500 as a solo traveller, and even the Easy drinks package was only just over £200 for the week.
When prices are that low, it’s easy to assume there must be a catch. You may expect the cruise fare to cover very little, with extra charges appearing every time you want to eat, relax or take part in something onboard. That wasn’t my experience.
Because I sailed from the UK, gratuities were already included in the price of my cruise, and I didn’t have any additional daily service charges added to my account while I was onboard. Once I started exploring MSC Poesia properly, it also became clear that there was much more included than people often assume.
This guide covers ten MSC Poesia free things that can make a real difference to your cruise, including included dining, drinks, quiet spaces, outdoor decks, entertainment, pools, activities and ways to explore the ports without paying for an MSC shore excursion.
MSC Poesia 10 Free Things Video
For a closer look at what’s included onboard, here’s my MSC Poesia 10 Free Things You Don’t Need to Pay For video.
1. Eat Lunch in Le Fontane on Embarkation Day
One of the first free MSC Poesia tips worth knowing is that you don’t necessarily have to eat in the buffet when you first board the ship. Most passengers head straight to the buffet on embarkation day because it’s the most obvious option and it normally opens as soon as boarding begins.
That also means it can become busy very quickly. People are arriving with hand luggage, trying to find tables and working out where everything is. Even when there’s plenty of food available, the first buffet visit can feel hectic.
A calmer option is to head to Le Fontane, one of MSC Poesia’s main dining rooms. Le Fontane is often open for lunch on embarkation day, and the meal is included in your cruise fare. Instead of collecting food from the buffet and looking for a seat, you’ll be shown to a table and served by the dining team.
It makes the start of the cruise feel much more relaxed.You can sit down properly, order your food and take a few minutes to settle in before exploring the rest of the ship. This can be particularly helpful if you’re travelling solo. You won’t need to manage your hand luggage, a tray, your phone and a drink while trying to find an empty table.
The buffet is still there if you want it, but Le Fontane gives you another option that many passengers don’t realise is available.I t’s one of the simplest free upgrades you can give yourself on embarkation day without paying anything extra.
2. Use All the Included Dining Options
The included food on MSC Poesia is better than many people expect, especially when you consider how affordable some MSC cruise fares can be. The buffet provides most of the casual food onboard and is open at several points throughout the day.
You can use it for breakfast, lunch and dinner, along with afternoon and late-night snacks. That means you can usually find something to eat without waiting too long for the next full meal service. There’s enough variety across the week that you shouldn’t need to eat exactly the same thing every day.
MSC is also well known for its pizza, and the pizza in the buffet was consistently one of the strongest casual food options during my cruise. It’s ideal if you want something quick between activities or don’t feel like having a longer meal.
You’re not limited to the buffet, though. Le Fontane is normally open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, giving you a quieter table-service alternative.
Breakfast in the main dining room can be a much calmer start to the day than the buffet, particularly on a sea day when there’s no need to rush ashore.
Lunch is also included, and on sea days this can become a more structured brunch-style service. This feels different from the standard breakfast and lunch routine and is worth making time for at least once during your cruise.
In the evening, you’ll have full table-service dining included every night. This also includes the themed evenings and Gala Night menus. You don’t need to book speciality dining to have a proper sit-down evening meal.
If you’ve booked the Fantastica experience or above, continental breakfast room service may also be included. This can include items such as pastries, fruit and coffee delivered to your cabin without an additional delivery fee. It’s particularly practical on an early port morning when you’re getting ready to leave the ship and don’t want to go to the buffet first.
MSC Poesia does have paid dining options, but you can still eat well throughout the week without booking any of them.The main thing is to use the full range of included venues rather than relying on the buffet for every meal.
3. Make Use of the Included Drinks
MSC sells several different drinks packages, and drinks are one of the main areas where passengers may choose to pay extra. However, there are still some basic drinks included in your cruise fare. At breakfast, you’ll normally find juices available in the buffet. Tea, coffee and water are also available from the buffet drinks stations throughout the day.
These aren’t the same as ordering a speciality coffee or a branded bottled drink from one of the bars, but they’re enough to cover the basics if you’re trying to keep your onboard spending down.
Another small MSC touch is that when you order a drink in one of the bars, you may also be served crisps, peanuts or another small snack. This isn’t promoted as a major benefit, but it changes the atmosphere in the lounges. You can sit with a drink, listen to music or watch the sea without feeling like you need to keep ordering more items just to stay there.
The included drinks won’t replace a drinks package if you want cocktails, wine, beer, bottled water or speciality coffee throughout the day. However, they do mean you won’t need to pay every time you want a basic hot drink or a glass of water.
4. Use the MSC For Me App Without Buying WiFi
The MSC For Me app is one of the most useful free tools you’ll have during an MSC Poesia cruise. You don’t need to buy an internet package just to use the app onboard.Once you’re connected to the ship’s internal network, you can use the MSC For Me app to check the daily planner, view restaurant menus and make certain reservations.
This is important because much of the daily information on MSC Poesia is app-led. The app shows you what’s happening around the ship, including entertainment, activities, dining information and show times. Without checking it, you could easily assume there isn’t much going on. In reality, there may be activities taking place in several different venues at the same time, but you need to look at the planner to find them.
You don’t have to use your phone for everything. Paper menus are available if you ask for one in the restaurants, so you’re not forced to read the dining menu from your screen. You may also be able to request a printed version of the daily programme if you prefer using paper.
However, downloading and logging into the MSC For Me app before you travel will make it much easier to understand what’s available once you’re onboard.
5. Find the Hidden Outdoor Decks
One of my favourite free features on MSC Poesia is the collection of small outdoor deck areas hidden at the ends of some cabin corridors. These areas are very easy to miss. When you walk towards the forward or aft end of a cabin deck, it can look as though the corridor simply comes to an end. However, you may find a door that leads outside to a small open deck. These spaces can give you fresh air and sea views without having to walk all the way up to the main pool deck. They’re particularly useful if you’re staying in an inside cabin.
You may not have your own balcony or a window, but these outdoor areas give you somewhere nearby to see the sea, check the weather or watch the ship arrive in port.
They were also much quieter than the main outdoor decks during my cruise. Because many passengers don’t realise they exist, you may find that you have the space almost to yourself. They aren’t large observation decks with rows of sunbeds, but that’s part of the appeal. They’re simple, peaceful outdoor areas that feel like hidden balconies shared by the deck.
If you enjoy quieter sea views, it’s worth walking to the ends of the cabin corridors and seeing which outdoor doors are accessible during your sailing.
6. Relax in the Pigalle Lounge During the Day
MSC Poesia has several lounges, but one of the best quiet daytime spaces during my cruise was the Pigalle Lounge. Pigalle is located towards the aft of the ship and has excellent views over the wake. In the evening, it can be used for entertainment and events, but during the day it was often extremely quiet. There was plenty of seating, and it felt almost hidden compared with some of the busier areas in the centre of the ship.
It’s a good place to take a coffee, read a book, work on your phone or simply sit and watch the wake. The views from the back of a ship are often some of the best onboard, and you don’t need a balcony cabin to enjoy them.
There’s also a card room area with tables, games and a small selection of books. MSC Poesia doesn’t have a large traditional cruise ship library, but there are still places where you can sit quietly away from the music and activity around the main atrium.
The main thing is knowing where to look. Some of the lounges can appear closed or unused during the day because they’re much busier in the evening. However, they may still be open and available as seating areas. Pigalle was one of the best examples of this on my cruise.
7. Collect the Complimentary Gala Night Drink
Gala Night is included as part of the standard MSC cruise experience, and there may also be a complimentary drink available before dinner. On MSC Poesia, free prosecco was served near the entrances to the main dining rooms. The drinks were positioned around the bar areas on Deck 5 and Deck 6, close to where passengers were entering the restaurants.
Depending on the sailing, the complimentary option may be prosecco, a cocktail or a non-alcoholic drink. The important thing is that it isn’t always heavily announced. You could easily walk past the drinks and assume they were part of a paid bar service. They’re normally served for a limited period around the Gala Night dinner times, so they may not remain available throughout the evening.
If you notice the drinks after you’ve already been shown to your table, you can usually walk back out and collect one. There’s no reason to miss it just because you didn’t spot the service as you first entered the restaurant. It’s only one drink, but it’s a nice included extra and one that many passengers may not realise is available.
8. Use the Pools and Hot Tubs
The main swimming pools and outdoor hot tubs on MSC Poesia are included in your cruise fare. You don’t need to reserve them, buy a day pass or upgrade to a spa package. You can simply use them as part of the standard pool deck facilities.
This is separate from the thermal suite inside the spa, which does carry an additional charge. My MSC Poesia cruise was a Northern Europe winter sailing, so the weather wasn’t always ideal for sitting around the outdoor pools.
There were cold and windy days when the pool deck was naturally much quieter. However, the hot tubs were properly heated. That made them genuinely usable even when the weather wasn’t particularly warm. They weren’t just decorative pools of lukewarm water. You could sit comfortably and enjoy the hot tub without needing to pay for spa access.
On a warm-weather itinerary, the pools and sun decks will naturally be much more popular. On a colder sailing, the hot tubs can be one of the best ways to use the outdoor deck space without spending anything extra.
9. Check the Planner for Free Activities
There’s more free entertainment and activity included on MSC Poesia than you may realise from simply walking around the ship. The gym is included, so you don’t need to pay an entrance fee to use the main exercise equipment. The sports court and mini golf are also included. Opening times can vary, and some areas may be affected by weather, but there’s no additional charge for using them during the available hours.
Across the week, MSC also organises a range of daytime activities. These can include dance classes, arts and crafts, quizzes, games and enrichment talks.
Sea days had more structure than I expected. There were even afternoon theatre performances during my cruise, including a show featuring some of the ship’s headline performers and another involving guest artists. These shows were separate from the main evening entertainment and gave passengers another included option during the day.
The challenge is that many of these activities are easy to miss. They may only take place once, and they may be held in a lounge or theatre you wouldn’t naturally walk past at that time.This is why checking the MSC For Me app or the printed daily programme each morning makes such a difference. Save or make a note of anything you’re interested in rather than relying on remembering it later.
You don’t need to join every class or attend every show, but looking through the full schedule will help you get more value from what you’ve already paid for.
10. Explore the Ports Independently
MSC sells shore excursions in every port, but you don’t have to book one to leave the ship. There’s no charge simply for walking ashore and exploring independently. MSC doesn’t usually provide complimentary shuttle buses in every port, so you may still need to pay for local public transport or a taxi depending on where the ship docks.
However, that can still be much cheaper than booking an organised shore excursion. On my Northern Europe itinerary, several of the ports were straightforward to explore independently.
In Hamburg, public transport was close to the cruise terminal. It was possible to walk to the U-Bahn and travel into the city centre without needing an organised tour.
Rotterdam was also easy to explore using public transport. The metro and tram connections made it simple to reach central attractions such as the Cube Houses and Markthal. You could also use the wider rail network if you wanted to travel further.
I didn’t book a single MSC shore excursion during my cruise. With planning, Google Maps and a basic understanding of the local transport system, I was able to explore ports including Hamburg, Rotterdam, Zeebrugge and Le Havre independently.
Not every cruise port will be as easy. Some terminals are located far from the main destination, and in those situations a shore excursion, transfer or taxi may make more sense. However, it’s worth researching each port before assuming you need to book an MSC tour.
Some of the best port days can be the simplest ones. Walking around the city, using local transport and exploring at your own pace can give you more freedom while keeping your spending under control.
What You May Still Need to Pay For on MSC Poesia
Although a lot is included, MSC Poesia isn’t an all-inclusive cruise unless you’ve booked a package that covers additional items. Alcoholic drinks, bottled water, speciality coffees and many soft drinks will normally cost extra unless they’re covered by your drinks package.
Speciality dining, spa treatments, thermal suite access, casino spending, shopping, shore excursions, WiFi and some other services will also cost extra.
However, you don’t need to buy every upgrade to have a good cruise. You can eat in the included restaurants, use the pools and hot tubs, attend the entertainment, join daytime activities, exercise in the gym and find quiet sea-view spaces without paying anything more than your cruise fare.
The biggest decision for many passengers will be whether a drinks package makes sense. That will depend on what you drink, how often you order from the bars and the price available for your sailing.
Is MSC Poesia Good Value?
MSC Poesia can be one of the cheaper cruises available from the UK, but onboard it doesn’t have to feel like a stripped-back experience.
On my sailing, the UK fare included the gratuities, and there weren’t any unexpected daily service charges added at the end of the cruise. Most of the things I used throughout the week were included.
I could eat in the buffet or main dining room, use the app, attend shows, use the gym, sit in the lounges, relax in the hot tubs and explore the ports independently.
There were still opportunities to spend more, but they were choices rather than things I needed to buy to enjoy the cruise.That’s why MSC Poesia felt good value to me. The cruise fare was affordable, but once onboard there was still enough included to make the overall experience feel complete.
Useful Guides for Your MSC Poesia Cruise
If you’re planning an MSC Poesia cruise, my What’s Onboard MSC Poesia guide gives you a full look around the ship, including the main public spaces, pools, restaurants, bars, entertainment venues and facilities.
My MSC Poesia embarkation day guide covers what happens when you first arrive at the terminal, how boarding works and the main things to do after you step onboard.
My MSC Poesia Refit Guide explains what’s changing during the ship’s refurbishment and what passengers can expect after the work is completed.
My MSC Poesia Dining Guide explains the main dining rooms, buffet, included food and extra-charge dining options available on the ship.
You can also read my MSC Poesia bars guidefor a closer look at the bars, lounges, drinks venues and packages available onboard.
MSC Poesia Free Things FAQ
What’s included in the MSC Poesia cruise fare?
Your MSC Poesia cruise fare includes your cabin, buffet and main dining room meals, most entertainment, daytime activities, the gym, pools, hot tubs, mini golf and use of the MSC For Me app onboard. Some drinks, speciality dining, WiFi, spa services and shore excursions cost extra.
Is food free on MSC Poesia?
The buffet and main dining rooms are included in your cruise fare. You can eat breakfast, lunch and dinner without paying extra, along with selected snacks at different times of the day. Speciality dining and some premium food options cost extra.
Is Le Fontane open for lunch on embarkation day?
Le Fontane is often open for lunch on embarkation day, although opening arrangements can vary by sailing. It’s worth checking the daily programme after boarding because it can be a much quieter alternative to the buffet.
Do you need WiFi to use the MSC For Me app?
No, you don’t need to buy an internet package to use the MSC For Me app onboard. The app works through the ship’s internal network and can be used to check the daily planner, view menus and manage some reservations.
Are the pools and hot tubs free on MSC Poesia?
Yes, the main pools and outdoor hot tubs are included in your cruise fare. The spa thermal suite is separate and normally costs extra.
Are there free drinks on MSC Poesia?
Basic drinks such as tea, coffee, water and selected breakfast juices are available from the buffet without an additional charge. Alcohol, bottled water, soft drinks and speciality coffees normally cost extra unless they’re included in a drinks package.
Does MSC Poesia have free entertainment?
Yes, most theatre shows, live music, quizzes, game shows and organised daytime activities are included. It’s worth checking the MSC For Me app or daily planner because some activities only take place once.
Do you have to book MSC shore excursions?
No, MSC shore excursions aren’t compulsory. You can explore ports independently using local transport, taxis or by walking, depending on where the ship docks.
Useful Cruise Items to Consider
These are a few simple items that can make your cruise more comfortable and help you stay organised onboard. I personally use variations of these when cruising, and they’re all practical rather than essential.
Magnetic hooks Perfect for extra storage in your cabin
Packing cubes Keep your suitcase organised
Cruise luggage tags Protect your tags at the port
Travel Extension Lead UK For charging multiple phones, cameras, and laptops
Toiletry organiser Great for small bathrooms
You can also browse my full Cruise Essentials list for more useful items I use or recommend for cruise holidays.
This article may contain affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Cruise eSIM from Saily
Buying the ship’s WiFi package isn’t the only way to stay connected during a cruise. Saily has launched a cruise eSIM that provides mobile data at sea and in supported ports, which could be worth considering if you mainly need internet access for messaging, maps and general browsing.
You can check the available plans and coverage here: Saily Cruise Esim
Use discount code solotravel10 to receive 10 % off your purchase.
Affiliate disclosure: This section contains an affiliate link. I may receive a small commission if you make a purchase through the link, at no additional cost to you. I haven’t personally tested the Saily cruise eSIM yet, so check the current coverage, data allowance and compatibility with your phone before purchasing.