My husband and I (37 and 42 years old, from Norway) had talked about taking a cruise for some time, and when we received a very favorable offer on a 11-nights cruise onboard MSC Fantasia, we decided that this could be a chance to check out this form of vacation. We arrived Genova by train from Milano and booked into Hotel Continental a few minutes' walk from the Principe train station. A very nice hotel, with a view of the harbor. We paid 95 euros for a double room.

We took a taxi to the ship and paid a few euros for a short ride. After reading some (mainly American and British) very unfavorable reviews before departure, we were a bit apprehensive when arriving the terminal. Luckily, the problems facing the maiden voyage passengers had all but disappeared on our trip. Embarkation was easy - no waiting at all at the check-in, and plenty of room to sit in the lounge before going through security and boarding the ship.

The ship is beautiful! It is colorful, elegant, cosy, BIG, and efficient in the layout. The color layout is warm and inviting. Our cabin (standard cabin with balcony, most cabins are like ours) were big, about 20 m2 with a large window facing the balcony with wicker chairs and table. We had a big double bed (my husband is 191 cm tall and felt comfortable) and a nice sofa and a desk - the cabin was bigger than most European hotel rooms. The bathroom was bigger than expected, with lots of storage space. There were shampoo and soap dispensers and thick towels. I was happy to discover thick white bathrobes in the closet. The cabin held warm green colors and we enjoyed every minute of our stay in it. Read more