Following 2 cruises with Princess on the Ruby we wanted to try another cruise line. We had a 25Th wedding anniversary coming up and a birthday both in the same weekend so we decided to celebrate both on a cruise and booked one that spanned the weekend of both celebrations. Check in was a bit of a battle but we were on the ship in about 30 minutes, the balcony cabin was nice with a large bed and sofa bed for our 13 year old boy and that's the end of the good bit apart from one item, the crew, we read that the crew on the Fantasia were rude and anti British. Apart from the odd problem due to language differences we found all the staff we encountered helpful and polite, some were excellent. We wanted to celebrate our special occasions in the French restaurant Le Etoile as advertised in the brochure, when we tried to book we were told that the French restaurant was only for Yacht Club class passengers and that we would have to use one of the other speciality restaurants. Just what you want on a special occasion a TEX MEX or a make shift pizzeria, it was the buffet with table cloths, However, we ended up paying to eat in both these places on several occasions as the food in the dining room was so bad, even some of the staff apologised for the food it was dreadful and we are people who eat anything and enjoy trying different cuisine but this was awful even the buffet was poor.I can't comment on the entertainment it was like amateur night at a local pub.

One of the big drawbacks to MSC is the cost of everything on the ship which you have to buy in order to enjoy your holiday, 15 euros for 2 Bacardi and cokes, you can't even have a glass of water with your meal unless you pay for it and no coffee afterwards. We are non smokers and found the amount of smoking areas impossible to get away from, it wasn't too bad but sometimes you could find yourself surrounded by large groups of people all smoking, and of course breakfast the next day was like a coughing competition. We read before we left that the announcements in several languages was a bit of a problem but we found them quite short and to the point. One mystery on this ship is the huge screen on deck, on Princess ships this is used for movies under the stars on MSC it is used purely for advertising shore excursions. We organised our own shore visits so we have no experience of the MSC trips. The highlight of our cruise was visiting Rome, not just because of the history and buildings but how we did it. Before leaving the UK I contacted a cab company in Rome called ROME CABS and enquired if the did pick ups from the ship and tours of the city, they replied saying that they could pick us up, visit all the major sights, have lunch, visit the Vatican and return us to the ship, it sounded good so we booked them. You never know what to expect in these situations so we kept an open mind. A we got off the ship we were greeted by our driver and guide for the day, Luca. He escorted us to his car a, luxury people carrier, and drove us to Rome, he spoke perfect English and provided a running commentary on the history of the area all the way to the city. We visited all the sights and the ones that required tickets Luca got them for us, he knew exactly what he was doing and saved us a lot of time. We then went to lunch in an inexpensive local restaurant the food and wine were first class. Luca then took us to the Vatican and there waiting for us was a guide, she took us round the Vatican which took 2 hours, she was very knowledgeable and once again she knew exactly where and when to go. as we came out of the other side of the Vatican Luca was waiting for us, he then drove us to several very interesting places that are off the tourist trail before returning us to the ship and it is only then when you pay so there is no risk, it this a first class service I would highly recommend. I can't say the same for MSC we certainly will not be going with them again.