First Cruise with MSC on Fantasia

first cruise with MSC have cruised many times with Princess. Was looking at the deck plans and don't see any laundry rooms on the stateroom decks! Are they available for passengers to use for ironing and doing laundry. We are also cruising with our toddler for the first time she is only 2.5 what can we expect? We have booked the all inclusive drinks package as well will we be able to get water and tea and coffee in the MDR? We have prepaid our gratuities will there be any hidden costs we are not expecting. Cruising Fantasia 1st October from Barcelona 11 nights.

There are no self-service laundry facilities, however the laundry packages MSC offer are very good value.

With your drinks package you will definitely be able to get water in the MDR, tea / coffee isn't usually served in the MDR but there are many bars that will be open.

In terms of hidden costs, there shouldn't be anything else to pay, although do bear in mind to keep cruise fares low MSC don't tend to offer port shuttles without paying, and they're not overly generous with info on each port, so research them before you go

Thank you for the reply much appreciated. Are the shuttles expensive?

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Thank you for the reply much appreciated. Are the shuttles expensive?

They tend to be. Usually you're better off checking out what's offered locally. You'll need to do some homework here. The 'Ports of Call' forum on this site might be a good start:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=5

If it's a Med itinerary, you could check out a website called Shore Bee - they allow you to put together a booklet and print it off with helpful info such as maps of the port, bus numbers to catch and the main attractions

Get a copy of Rick Steves' Mediterranean Cruise Ports and see what you can do on your own. We were on a different cruise line to Corfu, but they provided a shuttle into town - for a fee and it is a very walkable place. But best for you, they left us off by a large fort, and on the other side of the street was a large green park, which would be great for a toddler to run off energy. Bring a ball or a frisbee...EM

Thank you all for the replies we have been to all the ports before just looking to see how MSC operate and what's available for our toddler. Another question how does the cantina Toscana work and is an evening in the TexMex restaurant worth it?

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The cantina Toscana is a wine bar that opens about 5:30pm and runs throughout the evening, the food in there is free, the waiter / waitress will usually offer it when you sit down.

If you have the standard drink package then you can have the normal included wines, or pay for different wines by the glass / bottle. With the premium all inclusive package there is also a good list of wines by the glass - the cuvee lampe rose from provence is very nice ;)

Tex Mex depends on your taste in food - I can't say I'm a massive fan - can have fajitas / chilli at home

We ate in El Sombrero Tex-Mex when on Fantasia last February. It was very disappointing, to say the least!

Can you get a decent steak in El Sombrero? As it's an additional charge restaurant I was hoping it was worth it. I have a special birthday while on board and was hoping to celebrate with a special dinner. We've dined in additional charge restaurants on other cruise lines and always found the food, service and atmosphere worth paying for.

Can you get a decent steak in El Sombrero? As it's an additional charge restaurant I was hoping it was worth it. I have a special birthday while on board and was hoping to celebrate with a special dinner. We've dined in additional charge restaurants on other cruise lines and always found the food, service and atmosphere worth paying for.

the steak is better than the mexican food

Most nights you can pay extra for a steak or lobster in the MDR - they do an offer for it to include a glass of red wine with the steak or champagne with the lobster, can't remember how much it was though

It was €18 for a T-Bone when we were onboard Sinfonia last September - it was huge! The red wine that was served with it was very nice, too! The lobster was €21 and included a glass of Prosecco Superiore DOCG "Aneri". We didn't try it. I don't remember seeing lobster offered in Feb on Fantasia but the steak was. IIRC, the price was the same.

We had steak once in the Tex-Mex (can't remember if it was on Splendida or Fantasia) - it wasn't good. We had the mixed grill on Fantasia in El Sobrero in Feb which included a small steak - it was really bad. The whole meal was extremely disappointing.

Hi guys,

New to this Roll card thing, can't seem to find a roll card for my cruise this Nov 2017 on the Fantasia, from Genoa to Barbados,

We are keen to chat to fellow cruisers doing the same journey to exchange info,

Regards, and happy cruising.

Hi guys,

New to this Roll card thing, can't seem to find a roll card for my cruise this Nov 2017 on the Fantasia, from Genoa to Barbados,

We are keen to chat to fellow cruisers doing the same journey to exchange info,

Regards, and happy cruising.

The roll calls for MSC cruises tend to be very quiet as the majority of passengers are non-English speaking.

The lobster was €21 and included a glass of Prosecco Superiore DOCG "Aneri". We didn't try it. I don't remember seeing lobster offered in Feb on Fantasia but the steak was. IIRC, the price was the same..

Curious, Bea. We had the Lobster offer on Fantasia in March but no steak!! I am hoping the Splendida will have the steak offer next week!

Curious, Bea. We had the Lobster offer on Fantasia in March but no steak!! I am hoping the Splendida will have the steak offer next week!

You have me thinking, now, Ken. Maybe I'm confused between the Sinfonia trip and the Fantasia one. That's what happens when you do cruise trips too close to each other LOL. Plus, age is taking its toll! :eek: I know we had the steak on our Aug/Sep trip and I have a photo in my phone of the lobster offer - the very next photo is from Fantasia in Feb so I don't know if the photo is from that cruise or the previous one!

Bytheway, I was thinking about you only yesterday (don't tell her and I won't tell him :evilsmile:) and hoping to see you about the boards this week to wish you bon voyage as you're heading off this weekend. :*

Thank you for all the info so far, we just have a few more questions if you all cal help. Just wanting to know on an 11 night cruise how many formal/gala nights will there be and is the dress code formal for these. I can only go from experiences with Princess where most guests wore cocktail dresses and tuxedos. Also the white/Italian/Disco nights do most people dress up for these. Also when will we receive our pre cruise documentation. Hope you can help.

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Thank you for all the info so far, we just have a few more questions if you all cal help. Just wanting to know on an 11 night cruise how many formal/gala nights will there be and is the dress code formal for these. I can only go from experiences with Princess where most guests wore cocktail dresses and tuxedos. Also the white/Italian/Disco nights do most people dress up for these. Also when will we receive our pre cruise documentation. Hope you can help.

There will be at least 3 Gala nights. The following will give you an idea of the suggested dress codes:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=53212942&postcount=8

Very few dress for the themed nights except for White night and maybe Italian night depending on the number of Italians onboard.

When we book thru' a TA we usually get our tickets a fortnight before sailing. We booked our upcoming cruise directly with MSC and our etickets were issued 3 weeks beforehand.

My partner Andy and I wear lounge suits and a tie for gala night rather than full on dinner suit - this gives us the flexibility to wear the trousers / jacket / shirts on other nights if needed. Plan for 3 or 4 of those on an 11 night cruise.

For ladies it's as glam as you wish to go, ball gown type dresses really are the exception, with far more LBD's, sparkly cocktail dresses and even maxi dresses and nice skirt / blouse combinations being the norm. Take something that you can dress up with accessories or play down

Agree with Bea regarding white nights - I tend to take a really nice crisp white shirt and linen trousers for this, or a t-shirt with a pattern on

The other party nights people just wear what they would wear going to the local pub

Bytheway, I was thinking about you only yesterday (don't tell her and I won't tell him :evilsmile:) and hoping to see you about the boards this week to wish you bon voyage as you're heading off this weekend. :*

Haha! Nobody will ever know! Really looking forward to the cruise now. I will report back the following week. Hope you love Meraviglia! Bôn voyage! :D

First time for uploading photos to the site and used this subject to try it out LOL

first cruise with MSC have cruised many times with Princess. Was looking at the deck plans and don't see any laundry rooms on the stateroom decks! Are they available for passengers to use for ironing and doing laundry. We are also cruising with our toddler for the first time she is only 2.5 what can we expect? We have booked the all inclusive drinks package as well will we be able to get water and tea and coffee in the MDR? We have prepaid our gratuities will there be any hidden costs we are not expecting. Cruising Fantasia 1st October from Barcelona 11 nights.

They don't have them.