MSC Fantasia - first timer questions

[Coanteen]

Hello all,

 

my family is booked on the Med cruise on Fantasia later this year. We have never cruised before, on any line. I've been reading the forums and looking at their drinks packages, and I'm still a little confused and hoping for answers.

 

- people have said that MSC provides free water vouchers for US passengers. We're Canadian; do they do it for Canadians too, or not? And though the passports are Canadian I'm currently working in the US so the cruise was booked with a cc with a US billing address.

- does Fantasia have the free water fountains during lunch?

- do many people have lunch on the ship while it's in the port? Can you just get on/off the ship for lunch, and continue sightseeing?

- the drinks packages have names like "water package - European (514)" and "American soft drink package (593)"; does this mean anything? I mean, is it for US vs Euro passengers, or are these just the names they picked for these packages and anyone can order them?

 

I want to buy a wine and a water package, but to figure out how much I need I want to know if free water is available at lunch, and about the possibility of free water vouchers.

 

Thank you!

[Coanteen]

Oddly, even though I edited it once, I can't find the edit button again.

 

Last question: this is an 8-day cruise, but on 8th day arrival at port is at 9am. If I were to book one of the pppd drink packages, would the 8th day count as a "day", or would it calculate the package as 7 days?

[Norwegian Cruiser 73]

Firstly, congratulations with your booking on the magnificent MSC Fantasia.

 

I don't know so much about the drinkpackages as I didn't buy them on our last cruise on here. Have a look at this page:

 

http://www.msccruisesgetforms.com/

 

In the buffet there are water and ice machines that is free to use during lunch hours:)

 

In the ports you can leave and enter the ship as often as you want. Quite a lot passengers did choose to have lunch onboard during porttime. You can alos have a more quiet lunch in the main dining room. The last boarding time is stated in your daily cruiseprogram which is delivered to your cabin every evening.

 

Here is there the review from our cruise on Fantasia.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1287794&highlight=

 

Best rgrds

 

Norwegian Cruiser

[Justjayce]

Just cruised with them in December... there were no free water vouchers offered. You will pay for bottled water in the restaurants, but I had no problem sneaking water and soda onboard for use in my cabin. A 1 liter bottle was 2.07 EUR with mandatory 15% gratuity. A single can of soda was 3.11 EUR. When walking around the towns ask someone where a supermarket is. 1.5 liter bottle of water was .26 -.33 EUR and soda was .99 - 1.3 EUR in the supermarkets.

 

The taps for the free water are located on the ice machines in the buffet. They are available at breakfast and lunch.

 

The American drink packages are only for "FOR POSITIONING

CRUISES FROM USA / CARIBBEAN TO EUROPE" (sorry for the caps took it directly from their forms) You will need to buy a package in Euros and (my favorite part) "**An ALL-INCLUSIVE package must be purchased by ALL guests sharing a stateroom or traveling together." That can get expensive quick if one person in your party does not drink.

 

I loved having lunch on the ship while docked in Alicante. The meals in the sit down restaurants were fantastic - the buffet is good as well. In my opinion sitting down to lunch in the restaurants is better, even if you have to pay for a bottle of water. What they lack in quantity they make up for in quality. You can get on/off the ship as many times as you like, but in some ports there was a charge to use the bus to get to the end of the port.

 

I will have a full review posted sometime next week. Hope this helps :)

[electro]

Just off the fantasia 6 jan.

We are Canadian and recieved a book of 14 water vouchers. They gave them to us the first night at dinner.

It says you can only use them in the dinning room but we were able to use them in some of the bars.

Check the MSC website under already booked/ special services / special sevice med 2010-2011 to find the drink packages that are availible on your sailing.

The package would be for 7 days.

 

Lois