Our Arabian Adventure onboard MSC Fantasia - 4th - 11th March 2017

Beamafar · March 6, 2017

Dinner 9.15......? Hope this changes back to 8.30pm after the two embark/disembark days.....

Nope ............... the late seating is 9.15pm for the duration of the cruise.

where to next? · March 6, 2017

Nope ............... the late seating is 9.15pm for the duration of the cruise.

So why do they say pre cruise that its 8.30pm?

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Beamafar · March 6, 2017

How did you rate the cruise overall Bea?

I've been on the Divina in the Caribbean, presuming it will be similar, we loved that, also did NCL Getaway last year. Loved that even more!

It's a similar ship to Divina but the cruise experience was different. It's kinda hard to put it into words - there's a different atmosphere onboard depending on the region you sail in and the ship you're on and I got the impression there were quite a few who didn't enjoy the cruise. Quite a few (legitimate) complaints IMO. Mainly about lack of drinks choices e.g. for me it was the difficulty in getting the particular wine that I upgrade to premium for and also Janneau XO was only available in the Cigar Bar. For someone else we knew, Captain Morgan Spiced ran out early on which they had purchased the premium package for. I believe it was the same with Jameson whiskey (and there were a number of us Irish onboard!) Apparently, the ship is not being stocked properly as the ship is not in the Med and we kept hearing that they were expecting containers to arrive in the ports to re-stock. DH and I are both Black Cards - we received ONE gift in the cabin. When I queried it I was told by the Cruise Consultant that they were being rationed due to low stock!

Most of food was good onboard - except the beef! It looked good on the carvery at the lunch bistro but was chewy and unpalatable. I saw another offering in the buffet that had been cooked beyond redemption! I (still) tried it on 2 nights in the MDR and, while it looked nice, unfortunately it wasn't. All our meals were hot except for the last night when DH ordered bolognese. It was only lukewarm - served by our assistant waiter. Our waiter came by and DH asked him to change it. He was all apologies and explained that he'd had to leave the station for a couple of minutes so hadn't discovered that the meal wasn't hot - had he been there, he would not have served it - that's how good a waiter we had.

Pete is doing a great job here with his review so I'll follow along and share where appropriate - hope that's ok with you, Pete.

Capricruiser · March 6, 2017

Cruising in Yacht Club you can enjoy the positives and avoid the negatives. In a couple weeks we'll be doing a B2B with the last one week Persian Gulf cruise followed by the long repositioning cruise back to Italy. Providing those containers arrive with the resupply I hope there won't be shortages. The crew should also be in better humour since they'll be returning "home."

where to next? · March 6, 2017

So why do they say pre cruise that its 8.30pm?

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Msc still say 8.30pm for 2nd sitting, so we are changing to 6.30pm . First time with MSC.. ....!!!!.

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peteukmcr · March 6, 2017

Day 2 continued

So after muster drill as you can imagine lines were long for drinks at a bar, especially on the pool deck. Anyway we went to Il Transatlantico and managed to get 2 glasses of wine, but I have to say I'm amazed at the inconsistency in what is available at various bars. For example Bombay Sapphire is not stocked at Il Transatlantico, but is available at some others such as the pool deck, no real issue but sometimes frustrating as the staff always have to check, the same applies to Jack Daniels bourbon. The wine availability is more frustrating for me, no Woodbridge Chardonnay at some bars (luckily up to now always available in the dining room!) so staff try and offer other varieties such as Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio which I do not enjoy, then miraculously as I decline those, a bottle of Woodbridge is located in the fridge.

Anyway off to dinner and tonight we have new table mates as the family from last evening must have got their table for 4 that they had requested. Now we are joined by a couple from Scotland, so we're still keeping the northern U.K. represented. They didn't join us on day 1 as they too were tired from the journey overnight from Scotland and the hanging around waiting for their cabin on arrival.

The gentleman from Yorkshire turns up to say he's not joining us and he has his head bandaged as he slipped from a stool onto the floor and has been advised to take it easy. So nice of him to come and let us know though.

Conversation and drinks flow well and dinner for me is a seafood cocktail with a salad and then turkey cordon bleu for main followed by apple crumble for dessert. Service is better this evening and I reckon this is down to our wait staff getting to know us which is understandable and I think it's amazing with the work they have to do.

Tonight dinner finishes (just) before we sail away from Abu Dhabi at 11 pm.

After watching from deck 15 we head up to the Liquid Disco for a bit of a boogie and then after a espresso and brandy we hit the buffet for a ‘make your sandwich’ – goodness knows why, it's because it's there I suppose!

We retire and discover our complementary voucher for 1 hour in the thermal suite and dinner at Tex Mex and the daily program for tomorrow which is a day at sea.

peteukmcr · March 6, 2017

Day 3 – at sea

We awake and I think it's 9:30 am (according to my iPhone and we must have been catching up on sleep!) and as full breakfast finishes in the buffet at 10:30, we shower and dress only to find for some reason my phone is set to the Iran time zone and so it's 30 minutes behind ship time and so now it's really 10:30 am as per my partners iPhone and Watch and the ship clock that can be seen from our balcony.

Well at least a continental breakfast is available but as we enter buffet (we use the stairs to go up 2 decks near our cabin which brings you in the middle of the buffet) to find hot breakfast is still available so that's good!

After breakfast we catch the Voyagers club representative to ask why only 1 complementary coupon for the benefits and he advises that on Fantasia they deliver only 1 per cabin but if both people are the same level then for example 2 complementary dinners are possible. Once again on Fantasia the complementary bottle of Spumante is only delivered on the first gala evening, which is today, so we should see it later. All different than on Splendida when everything is delivered on day 1 when you board.

I notice that 2nd sitting dinner is still 9:15 pm which I was hoping (as the 2 muster drills in Dubai and Abu Dhabi which had delayed dinner on the 2 previous evenings were not taking place) would be a little earlier as it was on Splendida of 8:30 pm. But it's not to be, so a late lunch will be required to see us through, not that we'll starve I'm sure! I must admit this is the one thing I do miss on MSC and it's a flexible dining option, which I know is available if you've purchased the Aurea or Yacht Club experiences, but I suppose it's not too big a deal.

After breakfast we hunt for a wifi signal but to no avail, so that's why this update is a few days late. No doubt the number of people accessing the internet as it's a sea day (you can tell that from the crowds on the pool deck) doesn't help, nor possibly our location as we sail through the Gulf of Arabia and the Strait of Hormuz towards Muscat for satellite coverage.

So we relax on our balcony which as you can see is huge. Pity there's no loungers but never mind, again not a big deal and I'm not bothering our cabin attendant and asking him because he's really nice and I think he may find it awkward refusing.

So I spend time writing this and listening to some music, watching the tankers pass us by, with a couple of dhows passing us in the opposite direction and then a group of stingrays (not sure what the collective term is!) swim past. The sea is very calm and we're sailing at 12.1 knots towards Muscat where we due to arrive at 8 am tomorrow.

Just spotted another cruise ship in the distance and it's a Costa ship that sails a similar route to this I believe.

CruiseIreland · March 6, 2017

Loving the review, Pete! Thanks for taking the time. Getting excited for Friday. Ken.

where to next? · March 6, 2017

Day 3 – at sea

We awake and I think it's 9:30 am (according to my iPhone and we must have been catching up on sleep!) and as full breakfast finishes in the buffet at 10:30, we shower and dress only to find for some reason my phone is set to the Iran time zone and so it's 30 minutes behind ship time and so now it's really 10:30 am as per my partners iPhone and Watch and the ship clock that can be seen from our balcony.

Well at least a continental breakfast is available but as we enter buffet (we use the stairs to go up 2 decks near our cabin which brings you in the middle of the buffet) to find hot breakfast is still available so that's good!

After breakfast we catch the Voyagers club representative to ask why only 1 complementary coupon for the benefits and he advises that on Fantasia they deliver only 1 per cabin but if both people are the same level then for example 2 complementary dinners are possible. Once again on Fantasia the complementary bottle of Spumante is only delivered on the first gala evening, which is today, so we should see it later. All different than on Splendida when everything is delivered on day 1 when you board.

I notice that 2nd sitting dinner is still 9:15 pm which I was hoping (as the 2 muster drills in Dubai and Abu Dhabi which had delayed dinner on the 2 previous evenings were not taking place) would be a little earlier as it was on Splendida of 8:30 pm. But it's not to be, so a late lunch will be required to see us through, not that we'll starve I'm sure! I must admit this is the one thing I do miss on MSC and it's a flexible dining option, which I know is available if you've purchased the Aurea or Yacht Club experiences, but I suppose it's not too big a deal.

After breakfast we hunt for a wifi signal but to no avail, so that's why this update is a few days late. No doubt the number of people accessing the internet as it's a sea day (you can tell that from the crowds on the pool deck) doesn't help, nor possibly our location as we sail through the Gulf of Arabia and the Strait of Hormuz towards Muscat for satellite coverage.

So we relax on our balcony which as you can see is huge. Pity there's no loungers but never mind, again not a big deal and I'm not bothering our cabin attendant and asking him because he's really nice and I think he may find it awkward refusing.

So I spend time writing this and listening to some music, watching the tankers pass us by, with a couple of dhows passing us in the opposite direction and then a group of stingrays (not sure what the collective term is!) swim past. The sea is very calm and we're sailing at 12.1 knots towards Muscat where we due to arrive at 8 am tomorrow.

Just spotted another cruise ship in the distance and it's a Costa ship that sails a similar route to this I believe.

Thanks for this Pete. On hearing about the 2nd sitting time i have phoned our agent and instead if being waitlisted for 8.30pm (or 9.15pm as MSC know it) we are now waitlisted for 6.30pm.....lets see what we get once onboard... looking forward to next update.

Cruising in Yacht Club you can enjoy the positives and avoid the negatives. In a couple weeks we'll be doing a B2B with the last one week Persian Gulf cruise followed by the long repositioning cruise back to Italy. Providing those containers arrive with the resupply I hope there won't be shortages. The crew should also be in better humour since they'll be returning "home."

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1fifthavenue · March 6, 2017

Thanks for the review so far Pete... Must say some of this is making me a little apprehensive about our forthcoming cruise

andyjbrum · March 6, 2017

Thanks for the review, im a little concerned about the drinks package and the comments about items not available, we love champagne and to sit in the wine bar with a few nice glasses of Provence, would like to know if there are a lot of items missing across the whole ship or just on specific bars? Once did a repositioning on NCL Epic and during the cruise everything was running out :-(

Would be good to know how bad it is?

plucasana · March 6, 2017

what a lovely rview. thank you so much. seems like this should be on my bucket list... oh so many beautiful places and oh so little time and money [emoji383]. Wish you a wonderful cruise!! will follow your review!

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jodieh12 · March 6, 2017

Love this review, doing the same itinerary Saturday 16 march xx

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where to next? · March 6, 2017

Pete..just a quickie..any body lotion in the bathrooms on board please? Hand pump soap or bar of soap? Thanks in advance

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LINCS GIRL · March 6, 2017

Hi Pete thank you for the info you are posting. We are joining the ship in Dubai and finding your posts very informative. Can I ask the website suggests a light jacket in the restaurant for men in the evening? Is that the case?

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mara93 · March 6, 2017

I don't cruise on the Fantasia until June but this review is making me a bit anxious. Hope all kinks are ironed out soon.

1fifthavenue · March 6, 2017

I don't cruise on the Fantasia until June but this review is making me a bit anxious. Hope all kinks are ironed out soon.

I've spent many nights on Fantasia before, some of these nuances seem a little out of the ordinary... On her in three weeks, also hoping these issues are sorted

1fifthavenue · March 6, 2017

Hi Pete thank you for the info you are posting. We are joining the ship in Dubai and finding your posts very informative. Can I ask the website suggests a light jacket in the restaurant for men in the evening? Is that the case?

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Hi Lincs Girl - Pete, apologies for butting in, just hope it will help you out :D

In all my time on MSC the number of men wearing a jacket in the MDR has been minimal - I think this is really suggested in case the air con feels chilly. My partner and I will normally just wear a shirt or polo shirt / smart t shirt depending on the dress code of the evening - on formal nights a lounge suit is more than adequate

peteukmcr · March 6, 2017

Pete..just a quickie..any body lotion in the bathrooms on board please? Hand pump soap or bar of soap? Thanks in advance

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Soap dispenser in the bathroom but be prepared to have to report the lack of to reception as our stateroom attendant didn't know it was empty