This was our second cruise after a great introduction to cruising in 2009 with Royal Caribbean in the Eastern Med. This time we wanted to cruise the Western Med and MSC Cruises itinerary from Barcelona seemed perfect for us. Their flagship MSC Fantasia was also very temptating. September is also a great time for Med cruising as the weather is stil hot and the ports are somewhat quieter. Ports of call on this itinerary was Marseille-Genova-Naples-Palermo-Tunis and Palma. Very smooth embarkation, we were onboard in less than 15 minutes. Bright and airy terminal in Barcelona. MSC Fantasia is truly fantastic and we was really impressed by the size of the ship as well as the modern and shiny interior. The ship is spotless and extremely clean. We had a outside cabin on deck 13 "Arcobaleno" but we should have choosen a cabin of the same category a deck lower. This is due to nois from the sundeck above in the morning and evening when move around the sundeck chairs, creating some noise. The balconies in some parts of deck 13 is also shadowed by the sundeck above som beware of the cabinposition when you book. Otherwise the cabin was nicely decorated and the size was average, about 20 sqm.The food onboard was varied and plentiful, both in the buffet and main dining room. But don't expect juicy steaks in the diningroom. This is Italian cruising with a lot of different pasta dishes. There are two spesiality restaurants end in the Tex Mex you can have great steaks, as the t-bone steak we had there. The french resturant is also great value for money. You pay on a a'la carte basis there. Beware of pushy italians in the buffet and elevators onboard. They excisted on RCCL and at no surprise, on MSC. A lot of entertainment options are available and we preferred the bars with live music, so cozy and relaxed. Shows every evening and we attended the great Michael Jackson show, a 5 star show. As said, the ship is beautiful and the sundecks and pools are great and the adult area in the aft, called "ZEN" area was a heaven for us. Silent and cozy as well as great service from the barcrew. Very nice to talk with them as well. There are some shops onboard selling everything from duty free goods to jewellery. Great bargains som evenings in the shops onboard. Disembarking was quick and efficient and the luggage was already in the hall when we went off the ship. All in all MSC Cruises deliver great value for money and MSC Fantasia is truly fantastic.