MSC Fantasia 3/15-22 FULL REPORT:

[AlanF]

This is my trip report of a recent journey (March 15-22) on the MSC Fantasia. We had a group of 11 family members (4 rooms) and we split in numerous groups for shore excursions.

Forgive the length and the typos (spelling errors)

 

These are some notes that I bet can help if you are taking this cruise. We flew from Alabama to Genoa to board. We spent the nite in Genoa on the Saturday before the cruise.

 

Day 1-The F (Fantasia) arrives at 8 in Genoa. We boarded at 11 ish. The process has had the kinks removed apparently as it was very smooth and quick. It took maybe 30 minutes before you move to the room selling alcohol and excursion packages. (The young man that scanned our passports said you will have a great time but "watch your wallets in Naples ok?" -more on that later)

 

My 10 year old daughter and I walked to the Aquarium. It was a pretty day and the line to get in was rather large. It is a nice placed albeit packed. It is not in the same league as the massive one in Atlanta but very nice. After 90 minutes she was done and starving. The area around the port proper is a tad seedy so we hopped a cab to go eat. I thought at Ferrari Piazza where we had been Saturday nite. It looked like Times Square the nite before. But on Sunday-it was empty. Every store is closed. So the cabbie took us to a place nearby that can only be described as an Italian cafeteria. It was really perfect for my 10 year old. (Steam tables of pasta pesto and other pastas). The place was packed.

 

After emerging and figuring out where I had been dropped for my 8/10 Euro cab fare, we walked to Ferrari Piazza which was totally dead. But if you wander this area you will stumble on a delightful market in the area near the Church said to contain the ashes of John the Baptist. San Lorenzo Cathedral. This market is a delight with cheeses, pestos, and meats to sample. We even got flowers for the cabin on the F. You can also enter the Cathedral and see the interesting black and white mosaic tile and the shrine of the ashes. It is short stroll from there past many gelato shops to the port area. As you walk near the boat you pass a large grocery store. I picked up some cokes, a bottle of wine and some snacks. At 4:15 we entered the boat past the scanners with no problems. (I have the names of 2 great restaurants in Genoa -we ate at one Saturday nite--but both are closed Sundays)

 

Day 2-The F arrives at 11 in Naples. (I wish earlier). I never saw Naples as I hired a driver (Alberto of AP Tours http://www.aptours.it/Site/default.asp?Lang=EN ) on this day. 6 of us entered his Mercedes Van --he was waiting at the end of the gangplank for us. We drove to Pompeii for 2 hours which was enuff time there. (BTW: Lotsa tour guides there and you can hook up with a group easily as we did. We paid 6 Euros each to do. Otherwise you will get lost at Pompeii.) Alberto was delightful. We loved him. He wanted to take us to lunch at a special place but Monday and off season was tough as well as the short time so we went to Sorennto and had pizza and bought limoncello (49/53 San Ceasereo (sp) Way is where Mario Batali buys the limoncello served at his places.) After an hour there we drove the Amalfi Coast to Poistiano and back. Breathtaking. This was a great day. We returned to the boat at 6:15. The cost was 400 Euros for the 6 of us. I bore half as I had 3 slots in the car.

 

I will say my father in law (only 3 with him) walked to the pier and hired a cabbie to take him to Sorrento and back after a moment of haggling for 120 Euros. The cabbie even offered to stop at Pompeii. His group stayed at Sorennto for several hours.

 

Day 3-Palermo. On this day I paired with 2 16 year old children. We walked off the boat and to an information booth. The person there told us to reach the catacombs take the bus to here and switch buses, etc. It is tad out of the way. So I relented to the teenagers and asked a cabbie with great sideburns what the fare would be. He said 10 Euros so I agreed. But once in the cab he asked if we wanted him to drive us all over Palermo (He pointed to a book of sites Monreale etc) for 120 Euros. I said no. He said 80. I said NO. Then 70. He took 65.) I am unfamiliar with the concept of a meter off 3-4 hour cab tour but it works. (PS I talked to some folks on the F that did the same thing but took the 120 price!) The cabbie spoke no English but took us to the catacombs (creepy and sorta empty at 9:30 am-if you stay there more than a half hour you worry me), Monreale (be sure and stroll the block for cute shops and a cappuccino), and then all over Palermo (the Cathedral of Palermo and he wanted us to see the Teatro where a Godfather scene was filmed) until we really wanted to eat. He keep us for close to 4 hours. He would drop us off and say come back here so he trusted us. We would shop walk and go find him. We ate at a really great place Vinezia cafe (very near La Roma a small cafe). Palermo has the worst traffic I have ever seen and really dirty streets on La Roma the main street. But we had a fun day.

 

We then strolled back to the boat along La Roma with stops at a gourmet market and the ceramics store frequented by the Clintons which are both on Via Arari. (Tre Erre Ceramiche ceramic shop Via E. Arari, 49).

 

Day 3 Tunis This was a crazy day. The most exotic port for sure. You pull in to sounds of crazy music and camels parading by the boat. You only have 5 hours. We exited and talked to a cabbie. For 20 Euros each a van and small cab took the 11 of us on a tour. This was the only day we all stayed together. We were lucky because our cab was driven by a guy whose wife is employed at the US embassy. He took us to the souk for one hour with all the warnings, then to the ruins of Carthage, the Roman amphitheater and aqueducts, and the American cemetery. His comments on the history and current politics of the country were fascinating. His E-mail is alibenmeftah@ yahoo.fr (I put a space in before yahoo) If we had less folks or more time we would have seen the "blue houses" area but it was a good day. (And we had a 78 year old man and a 10 year girl so be warned: There are no public restrooms in Tunis. Ali bribed a spot for these 2 to use but it was not easy.)

 

Day 4 Palma Da Mallorca. The F pulls in late this day (1 pm) and what a gorgeous place. On this day (sorta unannounced) the F sold round trip shuttle bus rides to the town for 6 Euros. The bus ran from arrival to 9:30 pm. Almost everyone seemed to take this option as the buses rolled all day. The bus stops near the beautiful Cathedral and we toured it and walked the town. This is a gorgeous and huge resort town that I was mostly unfamiliar with. Just off the old town walls area (lower left as you face the Cathedral) are numerous VERY high end stores. (really too chilly in March to beach it) We had a great time and ate outside and strolled the town. At 5 ish we rode the bus back as some were tired and wanted to boat explore. At 7 my wife and I took the bus back to town (they never looked at the RT tickets) and had a fantastic meal at place I had read about. It was a packed tapas bar with locals and vacationing Germans. The food was super--one waiter spoke English and was a delight. Go to La Boveda (Calle Boteria 3, 971-714-863)! and try the A'oili (garlic mayonnaise) and various tapas with the 8 Euro house red bottle. We cabbed back to the F as it was after 11 (cab fare was 8 Euros as I recall). The F leaves at 12:30 am.

 

Day 5 Barcelona My 16 year old daughter and I did Barcelona. Once again, the F sells a shuttle to town for 10 Euros round trip. It drops you at the Christopher Columbus statue. (You can go up in it but we did not.) We bought subway tickets at the start of La Rambla and subway'd to the Sagrada Família. Easy ride. There was a huge line to go inside. It was odd because it is crammed into a busy city area with cranes and scaffolding all over it so it seems less impressive because you can not get prospective. You need to see from above. We opted to pass on going inside --my in-laws did that. We hopped a cab to Park Guile 6 Euros (Gaudi's famous park with the mosaic tile and famous steps) The park is a very cool place--great city views. We had a drink and watched the folks.

 

After that we cabbed back to the La Rambla to see the action. Very odd strip--everyone walks in the center. Birds, turtles, flowers for sale. I have never seen so many of those painted goofy street performers performing in my life--many were quite theatrical .

 

We entered the Boqueria (center of La Ramble) and it blew my mind as a big foodie guy. I went down every aisle. I have never seen a food pavilion like that--everything to eat was for sale. Eventually we hit a small stand at the back (maybe 6 seats) where i had a beer and the guy served us small fried fishes, pimentos, these great deviled egg looking things, and an eggplant dish.

 

After that we walked to the Picasso Museum. (we stopped on Ferrion?) and ate at one place (Miguel Ixtea) a lawyer here recommended. We had the sorta fried potatoes with this glob of hot looking pimento cheese (flavas) in the middle and one other tapas dish. Very good --

 

The Museum (we got my 10 year a Barcelona soccer jersey as we passed the big team store en route) was a nice setting but was mostly his early stuff. It seems more a celebration of his life. Interesting but I like the later and blue stuff better.

 

Then I had told my daughter about this huge shopping store there called La Cortez's Ingles --they have lots leather jackets so we walk back there --Catalunya place at the top of La Rambla. 2 stores near each other that are massive. I went to the sporting goods part--funny all the motorcycle and formula one stuff--jackets etc-- ( as well as fox hunting attire) there you never see here.

 

After that we went back to Boqueria to get wine and snacks/food for the boat--we had a cappucino and desserts. I actually almost bought a huge bottle of anchovies I tried--made it back with a small bottle. That place was incredible.

 

We detoured off the beaten path because I saw a store that sold those Catalunyan figurines of people well using the bathroom. They sell candies and such at Christmas of people well fertilizing to bring good fertilizer. The stores sell ceramic ones--very bizarre thing. They had ones of Obama Bush etc crapping--but all ceramic and expensive so I got the traditional little boy as a joke.

 

Day 6 Marseilles The boat pulls in to Marseilles at 7 am. Very early. We chose to just spent the day at Aix in Provence. And we had a super day there. Once again, cabs charged a flat 50 Euros and we packed 9 into 2 cabs. We left at 10 ish. It takes maybe 35 minutes.

The town was much much bigger than I pictured. They have a 50 cent shuttle that is fun to hop on. Until 1 a huge market with awesome Provence products is in the main square--Le Reichbleu (sp)--go there first and see plenty of dining potions and more pastry candy almond macaroon options than can be visited. It is a really bigger city then I would have thought. All sort of upscale shopping. By 3 ish, the town is parade of locals out for Saturday shopping/strolling. A bus can take you back for 5 Euros every 10 minutes. We walked that way but it gets kinda run down so opted for a cab (15 for bus and then you have to cab to boat so). There must be 25 lined up at the town base so we left at almost 5:30 or 6 after buying a few bottles of Rose from Provence. (Nicholas Wine store near H & M) Aix in Provence is a good choice. Those that hung around the port were not so thrilled.

 

The boat then returns to Genoa at 8 am. (Not much is open so not sure I would rush off) My family then took the 10:52 train to Rome for 5 nites. The boat deportation is slower (off by 9:20) but we had no problem in making the train and buying the tickets. Be sure and find out where the passports are being distributed the last day as it was in the disco for us and was the longest line of the trip. Get your passports and then go to your designated by color deportation area.

Boat tips:

1) You can bring some snacks and a few bottles of wine in each day and not be stopped. Keep them in your day bag to be scanned. That is not a problem. (Put a corkscrew in your luggage and a small pair of sport binoculars are fun to watch the boat maneuver)

 

2) We ate at the buffet for breakfast each am and that was great. Variety and huge American coffees. We ate lunch on board only the Tunis day (boat leaves at 1pm that day) and the Tex Mex place was very good. The food at the big seated dinner is sorta a B. The meat dishes tended to be overcooked--hard to serve 3,000. But fine-some courses were better. We enjoyed the family time. On the last nite we ate at the French restaurant and the food was super. The price was a bargain too. I wish we had done that twice.

 

3) I lost 15 Euros (25 cents at time) in the casino slots and never hit but a 4 winner once. Tight slots.

 

4) The rooms have a great satellite tv set up. I never watched but CNN was always on. The rooms were cleaned very well (one next to us had 3 teenage girls/2 mine--and they did a great job cleaning.)

 

5) I only saw snippets of the shows. My girls enjoyed. I went to cigar bar most nites to smoke and made pals there of cigar folks.

BTW: IF the midnite buffet is on 5 or 6-skip it (platters of small stuff). If on 14 (the big cafeteria area)-go. The big buffet deal is Barcelona nite and is rather wild. Lavish stuff (ice sculptures etc) and crazy food for not that many folks. Worth a look.

 

6) Formal nite--sportcoat for guys with tie is fine. Many were wearing sweatshirts and pools to be honest. I had the blue blazer and tie. I wore basically the same Gala nite-maybe a few more dressed up but a sport coat and tie is fine (in the upper dress bracket really).

 

7) re the wallets: I talked to maybe 30 folks on board. Mostly in the cigar room. A few in the casino one nite. We ate as a family and "excursioned" together. I met 5 folks that were the victims of petty crime--a wallet with 500 lbs stolen from a guy (Cornwall) in Naples and 4 in Barcelona (American-wallet, Norway-husband and wife someone threw bird crap on them and stole purse and wallet, Denmark-lady that someone cut purse with razor and ran). I can not imagine this but if the 30 I talked to are representative –wow how many wallets were taken. It must be astounding. So be careful.

8) The F excursions are 50 Euros or more per person. (Some had small kid breaks) If you have only 2—I’d maybe do one or two (100 Euros). But if you have a big group or much of sense of adventure, you can do much better on your own for cost and flexibility. Talk to a cabbie.

 

We had a fun time. And I can answer any questions if you have any.

[Daisy59]

Thank you so much for the review. We will be on Fantasia leaving Barcelona in April and have been eagerly waiting for reviews with the same itinerary.

We are in the process of planning our own excursions, so a couple of questions?

How long did it usually take to disembark for excursions on your own?

How long does it take by taxi to get to Pompeii from Naples?

How long to Sorrento from Pompeii?

How far is it to Monreale from Palermo?

You said something about getting your passport at the end of the trip, so it is taken for the duration?

Great to know we can bring food and drink back from the ports.:)

[AlanF]

1) Walk right off as soon as the boat docks (well 15 minutes as they hook up). Only delay we had was rounding up our own group! Really there is no delay. (BTW: Barcelona was the most popular port for folks to get on it seemed to me--most Americans fly there.)

 

2) Taxi from the port to Pompeii is maybe 15-18 miles of big highway. I bet no more than 35 minutes tops to take a taxi. (Negotiate your price and add Sorrento.)

 

3)The drive to Sorennto from Pompeii which we did (Alberto kept saying the tunnel is closed/it is for repaits for months) is not far--maybe 15/20 miles BUT over crowded windy NOT big highway so it is maybe 45 minutes-slow go and often back up for trucks. Both those times are probably maximums.

He took us to Poistiano and back to Port but there really is barely time for that. BUT wow is that a gorgeous drive.

 

4) Monreale is way up at the top of a hill overlooking Palermo. A 10/15 minute cab ride from the town. NOT a walk of course. I did meet a couple from Colorado that walked to the catacombs-a hike! There are buses and the odd Palermo cab for the day options. BTW: That was the most scenic site in Palermo by consensus. A nice clean area to walk and shop (lunch too I bet)

 

5) Yes they take passports for the trip. This sorta botherd my sister in law and some doctor from Belgium ? went on and on re this at the desk per my wife. We ran into him at the Cathedral in Palma and he was still fussing. If you exit for Tunis you have to retrieve and then you get a note to return that nite. You might be able to retrieve the nite before disembarkation.

 

And yes take a messenger bag or something and all is fine re wine etc. (I doubt a case of Rose form Provence would go thru but a few bottles are ok) I ran 4 limoncellos and a wine and snacks thru in Naples!

 

You will have a great time. We appended Rome for 5 nites as 9 of our 11 had never been. Barcelona be great also!

 

Any ?'s ask me

[sea-explorer]

I'm so pleased you had a good time. :)

 

Thanks for the great review, very helpful for my trip in October. If you get the time, I'd also love to hear about your time in Rome. We leave in 4 days.

[AmoMondo]

Alan, really glad you and your family had such a great time. I got my tickets today and am really looking forward to it. i found your review really helpful, especially the info about the port shuttles. many thanks for taking the time and trouble to share your experiences. I will also heed your warnings about the pickpockets

[Boucalatrem]

:confused:Thank you Alan for your report of your trip. We will be sailing may the first departing from Barcelona after spending the week on the Costa Brava. We will be a group of thirty french canadians. Our cabin is on deck Sogno (10).

 

With your description of the ship, I can wait to cruise.

 

Boucalatrem:cool:

[AmoMondo]

:confused:Thank you Alan for your report of your trip. We will be sailing may the first departing from Barcelona after spending the week on the Costa Brava. We will be a group of thirty french canadians. Our cabin is on deck Sogno (10).

 

With your description of the ship, I can wait to cruise.

 

Boucalatrem:cool:

 

Boucalatrem, we will be overlapping with you as we board on 26th at Genoa. There will only be 2 of us - 2 Scots from Edinburgh

[AlanF]

I enjoyed posting and "reliving"Rome was BTW unlike any place I have ever been.We had 4 days ruffly--the highlights:We had a great apt. on Via Crispi near the Spanish Steps Each nite we walked to the Trevi Fountian for Gelato and views (very close) Day 1 Monday we visited the nearby Crypt of the Cappuchins (wow) at 9 am--beyond bizarre Then subway'd to the Coliseum and Forum (BTW: Roma Pass is DEAL if you are there 3 days!)With gelato and coffee breaks at 2 pm, the 5 hardy folks hit the church of St Peter in Chains with the Moses by Michangelo (near the Coliseum)After that we hit the subway to see the Scala Sancta (Holy steps) at which I found really moving http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scala_Sancta Day ended at 4:40 pmDay 2 We had 11 am Scavi Tour tickets at the Vatican That was the highlight of the trip to me-very movingwe walked the Basilica after and then we ate a wonderful lunch nearby http://www.stuardtclarkesrome.com/dino.html After lunch we then back at close to 3 for Vatican Museum Tickets-NO line that late My gosh it is slog walking thru the Museum to the Sistine Chapel!!We made it maybe 4:30 after lots of looking at various artifactsIt is a thrill but the Scavi tour was more so to me Day 3 We walked to the pantheon-very pretty and then to Piazza Navona At this point I split with my 10 year old daughter and went to piazza del poppolo where I bought a Borsalino hat Afterwards my daughter and I entered the Borghese Park and rented bikes for 2We biked an hour -a blast--and caught a glimpse of the Queen of Sweden exiting the Borghese Gallery!At 5pm 8 of us went to Borghese Gallery-Actually did the audio tour -a manageable and lovely museum that nite we ate at http://www.allarampa.it/super Gelato at San Crispino near the fountain and home the next day !af

[sea-explorer]

Thank you Alan.

My plans for Rome keeping chopping & changing, but I'm sure all will work out in the end.

I don't think I could face the crypt but I had forgotten to include the Santa Scala, so thanks for that. We've got Scavi tickets too but haven't booked the Museum. Hopefully if we go late afternoon we will avoid the queues...then probably back to bed after the trek. :D

[MimikaCO]

Boucalatrem and Amomondo, I think I promised you a report about our MSC Fantasia cruise before you leave for yours. However, AlanF did a great job and provided a wonderful report, as you have noted

Boucalatrem, you specifically asked about the embarkation and disembarkation. Embarkation in Barcelona was a breeze and took literally just a few minutes. We got on the ship fairly early-on, too. Disembarkation was a little frustrating. I haven’t seen anyone else discuss this, but we had to go to deck 5 to clear our account, a bar on one of the very top decks to get our passports and deck 8 to wait to get off the ship. I would’ve been fine with it, but hauling up to the bar on the top deck to get the passports was the frustrating part. I couldn’t find the right bar to begin with and when I did there was one person sitting in this huge disco with a small box of passports. I have no idea why the passports weren’t available in the reception or account desks on deck 5. Oh well. Not that big of a deal.

By the way, since you likely speak French, you will have great opportunities to meet even more people on the ship than we did. And this was one of my favorite parts of the cruise – the cab driver and his wife from Austria, the recently widowed mother and her daughter from Belgium, the retired couple from France, our dinner partners from Texas and of course AlanF and his family from Alabama. Enjoy!

Just a couple more notes. Someone said to miss Monreale in Palma de Mallorca because of the tour busses. We took a 5-minute bus ride up there in the afternoon and there were very few people around. No tour busses in sight. Don’t miss it. It’s just beautiful. We stopped in one of the cafes for a café con leche, my new most favorite coffee in the world, and I remember noting that there was only one couple from France, one from Germany, one from England and us from the U.S. Each enjoying a sunny Mediterranean afternoon.

Also, we are the couple from Colorado who walked to the catacombs in Palermo from the Cathedral area, as AlanF noted! It was one of those situations in which you think … well, it’s got to be very close … it’s probably the next street … it must be just a few feet away. It took us about 25 minutes to climb up, but only 15 to come down. I do not recommend this trek. J My husband refers to the entire catacombs experience as a long run for a short slide. AlanF put it best, “If you stay there more than a half hour, you worry me.” I think we were in there for a grand total of 15 minutes.

[Boucalatrem]

:DThank you MimikaCO for your informations. We will be in Barcelona the 24 of may and sailing the first of may. My wife and I are preparing our bagage slowly to be sure not to forgot something.:cool:

 

Boucalatrem

[AmoMondo]

Just a couple more notes. Someone said to miss Monreale in Palma de Mallorca because of the tour busses. We took a 5-minute bus ride up there in the afternoon and there were very few people around. No tour busses in sight. Don’t miss it. It’s just beautiful. We stopped in one of the cafes for a café con leche, my new most favorite coffee in the world, and I remember noting that there was only one couple from France, one from Germany, one from England and us from the U.S. Each enjoying a sunny Mediterranean afternoon.

 

 

Thanks MimikaCO,

 

Where about did you catch the bus to Monreale, was it close to where the ship docks? How regular was the service for getting back? What else is there to see and do in Monreale that you'd recommend?

 

Thanks

[MimikaCO]

:DThank you MimikaCO for your informations. We will be in Barcelona the 24 of may and sailing the first of may. My wife and I are preparing our bagage slowly to be sure not to forgot something.:cool:

 

 

Don't overpack, I always say! I took way too many nice clothes, and I never overpack. As a man, you can away with one nice suit for both formal nights. Your wife can take two nice outfits and call it good.

[MimikaCO]

Thanks MimikaCO,

 

Where about did you catch the bus to Monreale, was it close to where the ship docks? How regular was the service for getting back? What else is there to see and do in Monreale that you'd recommend?

 

Thanks

 

AmoMondo, I just spent a half hour composing a detailed reply to your questions, and somehow they were deleted. Just call me and I'll tell you what I wrote. 970/590-6028. Frustrating.

[raz68]

Hi Alan,

Thank you very much for your review.We have just returned this week from cruising on the Fantasia and your review was very helpful.I will be posting a review this week too. We were 2 families making a party of 8 and we had a wonderful time on board.

[AmoMondo]

Thank you very much for the offer but as I'm not sure about the time difference between the UK and where you are located, it could be a bit awkward (not to mention expensive)