kevg1889

Glad you had a great time Stockjock. We booked the Allegrissimo at the time of booking & plan to get our moneys worth, especially on cocktails. I bought a 4 plug extension lead after advise on here, so hopefully that will see us through. I cant wait to see the shows, and just take in the luxury of the ship. Got a feeling I could become hooked!!

Just 5 days to go until my DW and I board our first cruise from Marseille on the MSC Fantasia - really excited - any last minute tips for us first timers??

What are the chances of getting a table for two in the MDR on the Fantasia? As we're celebrating our anniversary I want it to be as romantic as possible so without being anti-social I'd love to get a table for the two of us

Just 19 days to go until our first ever cruise on the MSC Fantasia - excitement is intensifying & we're still open to any tips or advise for making this an holiday to remember

Has anyone had experience of the Golden DVD Package?? Do they film you boarding and at various points throughout the cruise? What other photography passages have you had & are they good value for money??

Thanks guys we are both really excited its been something we've wanted to do for a long time but with my wife being a teacher we are restricted to school holidays & everything tends to double in price. My brother has done a couple of MSC ships but not the Fantasia - we are in a balcony cabin on the 13th floor !3115 - quite close to the lifts which I think could have advantages & disadvantages! Any thoughts?

I have signed up for the loyalty programme, but its early days points wise!! The itinerary is the same as ours ghockley but we are boarding at Marseille - I have done quite a bit of research on the Ports of Call, with only Valletta & Palma being ones where we may just walk around blindly! Great tips about the lift & pool bar - we'll look out for those

How was the cruise? any tips? best bars etc? our first time so the next 4 weeks wont go fat enough!! which ports did you visit?

We can't wait - its a whole new experience for us - I dont want to miss out on anything - do they always have an Italian night? I think I read somewhere that people dress up for these special theme nights, is this correct?

Are you still allowed to get drinks on the Allegrissimo drinks package on the day of disembarcation. Also do you have to leave the ship immediately on docking or can you stay on board for a while?

Can anyone tell me whether the formal night on the Fantasia is always on the same day, and if so what day is it? Just trying to plan ahead & having never cruised before we're not sure how it works. I've also read a few posts that mention a baked Alaska parade? Is this something that always happens?

Does anyone know which part of the Port at Marseille that MSC dock in? I'm trying to plan my routse from the station to the port, and I have been advised to get off the number 35 bus at the Littoral Gourret stop, which is then a short walk to the port, but the port looks quite massive so I'm hoping that this is the right stop. Do MSC inform you of the exact location? Sorry if this is a silly question but I've never been on a port before (other than from a bottle!!)

I have booked my tickets online & you just print them out. We went for 4-15pm for our visit time with a 5-15 slot for the Tower - we chose the Tower of the Passion Facade, as that seems to be the most popular. This gives us 2 hours to get from the port, and if we get there quite quickly we can look around the outside etc. On the website, it looks like there is a set number of places for each time slot, and certain time slots had already sold out so I thought I'd better book quickly. The total for both of us was 39 euros, including the towers. - Can't wait to see it now!!

i've signed up on roll call but can't find any fellow cruisers yet - hopefully a few will appear over the next few weeks

So basically, as our trip will be on the 25th October we will be unable to get the ferry back from Portofino to SML? We should easily be in Portofino by 10-30am but would need to start our return journey on the 14-35 bus to catch the 15-07 train - is that long enough in Portofino to make it worthwhile? ( I think the MSC trip is only a 4 hour one anyway, so they must think its long enough!)

Finally, is it far from the train station in SML to either the bus stop or the ferry just so I can make sure our timings work?

Thanks again for your help I think we will be brave & go it alone, even though it will be our first ever port of call.

Thanks Bea - probably better if I don't find out scores so it doesn't ruin my holiday!!

Does anyone know whether Sky Sports is available anywhere on the MSC Fantasia? I don't often go away in the football (soccer) season so its a first for me this year, and wondered whether I would be able to get the scores or live action from the English football while on board?

Thanks euro cruiser that's brilliant information - is there anything to see in Santa Margherita Ligure? Do you know how often the ferry runs from SML or is it best to just plan on taking the bus & do you know how often that runs? Finally do you have any idea on the cost of all the transport? just trying to work out whether its worth doing it ourselves or taking the MSC excursion which I believe is £52 per person.

Good to have somebody that helps us newbies out - thanks a lot.

Hi everyone, my DW & I are due to dock in Genoa on the MSC Fantasia on the 25th October at 8am, leaving at 5pm. I think, having read a few posts on Genoa, that we might look at the Portofino option, but I cannot decide whether to book the MSC tour, or try to get there & back on our own. I think I read somewhere of closures at the railway station, and I have tried to look up the train times on the Italian rail website, but it keeps saying N/A for the date & time we would need to travel. This worries me slightly, and also I think the boat service from Santa Margherita Legure is not too frequent in October.

Can anyone offer any advise on this, as we are first time cruisers, with a fear of missing our ship, but we do want to be a bit adventurous.

Are there other options from Genoa, or is Portofino the best bet? We don't really want to do the Aquarium or Historical Centre in Genoa, so are looking for the best alternative options for our special trip

Can anyone advise me on whether there are luggage holding facilities in Marseilles? We are due to disembark from MSC Fantasia at around lunch time on Saturday 31st October, and our flight is not until around 10pm that night, so we do not want to be carrying cases around all day. I think we will need to be on the shuttle bus from the railway station to the airport at around 7pm.

Do you have to leave the ship immediately on docking or are you allowed to stay on board for a while?

This is our first cruise so any help & advice would be greatly appreciated

That would be good if we could find someone to share Tomvet - what did you think of Fantasia? any tips that you can pass on?

we have thought about that but my DW has always wanted to go to Pompeii so I guess thats where we will end up, I always do as I'm told!!

Hi - We will be venturing on our first cruise on the MSC Fantasia in October, sailing from Marseille. I have booked the shuttle bus from the airport through to the St Charles railway station, but would appreciate any advise on the best way from the station through to the port.

We are due to land at 11-50am so I am thinking we may be best making our way straight through to the port, especially with suit cases etc. I would like to board the ship as early as possible, to get our bearings & take in the magnificense of the ship etc

So excited, and want everything to fall into place as its a special trip for my DW and I

Thats what I am thinking at the moment - possibly a bit risky

Hi we're booked on the MSC Fantasia which will be calling at Naples in October, and I was wondering if anyone has ever done the MSC excursion from Naples to Pompeii. This is one place my DW really wants to visit, and I don't know whether to make our own way there or do the planned excursion. The notes I have downloaded from the MSC site don't really explain too well what is included (i.e. does it include entrance into Pompeii). This is our first cruise, and I want it all to be perfect, as we are celebrating our anniversary.

We don't arrive in Naples until 1pm and leave again at 7pm so I'm just worried about having time to make our own way there etc. Any advise would be greatly appreciated.

Hi, can anyone recommend anymust see sights in Genoa? its our first Port of Call on our first ever cruise so I'd like to make it a special day