The Fantasia is one of the new ships in the MSC line. We were told it is currently the largest ship sailing the Mediterranean. the public areas of the ship are extremely attractive and inviting, with great attention to detail. Every asspect of the ship appeared to be well maintained. the cabin was nicely done, but not much different from other ships. Cabins could use a little more storage space. Though ships seem to get larger, the shower stalls remain the size of an upright coffin.
We boarded and disembarked at Barcelona without any problems, The circular route of the western Mediterranean made for an interesting situation. At every port, except Tunis, passengers were embarking or disembarking. the fact that you could begin your cruise in Spain, France, or Italy, seemed to make for continual upheaval. Every day the staff had to unload luggage and bring new luggage onboard. The staff had to treat each day as the first day of the cruise. Apparently the ship was repeating this same route for weeks at a time.
As the ship is Italian, that is the primary language. For the English-speaking passengers who boarded at Barcelona, a brief life-jacket presentation was done in one of the lounges, followed by a short introduction to the optional excursions. Two ports later, at Genoa, we finally had a "mandatory" lifeboat drill for the entire ship. It amounted to exactly what we did two days prior. As for "mandatory", there seemed to be no checks as to whether or not passengers attended.
Needs more storage space. Showers typically small. At the rear of the ship with great views of the ports. Some motion, but not a problem.