Fantasia vs Magnifica

[EllieinNJ]

For my first time on MSC which ship would you choose?

[stuart2468]

Depends which of the Fantasia ships you're looking at. Magnifica is actually a newer ship than both Fantasia & Splendida albeit slightly smaller. All have indoor pools. 

 

I believe staterooms generally, are slightly bigger on the fantasia class, although someone with better knowledge may just call me out on that. 

 

I can highly recommend Divina & Preziosa though. Beautiful ships.

[korpo024]

4 hours ago, EllieinNJ said:

For my first time on MSC which ship would you choose?

Fantasia. 

[drsel]

On 5/26/2021 at 6:42 PM, EllieinNJ said:

For my first time on MSC which ship would you choose?

I would choose Bellissima.

it's supposed to be the most beautiful ship in the world till date.

But practically, you should take any Cruise on which you are getting a great deal

[Até]

Are they similar itineraries?  I could see looking at the older Magnifica for some of the more interesting itineraries, but Fantasia mostly does runs that would be better on a newer ship.  Both of these are very different than NCL ships.

[EllieinNJ]

1 hour ago, Até said:

Are they similar itineraries?  I could see looking at the older Magnifica for some of the more interesting itineraries, but Fantasia mostly does runs that would be better on a newer ship.  Both of these are very different than NCL ships.

I am taking an NCL transatlantic NYC to Barcelona next April.  I have my choice to continue with the Fantasia around the med or to take the Magnifica through Spain and Portugal ending in Southampton.  What would you choose?

[Nunagoras]

On 5/26/2021 at 2:23 PM, stuart2468 said:

Depends which of the Fantasia ships you're looking at. Magnifica is actually a newer ship than both Fantasia & Splendida albeit slightly smaller. All have indoor pools. 

 

I believe staterooms generally, are slightly bigger on the fantasia class, although someone with better knowledge may just call me out on that. 

 

I can highly recommend Divina & Preziosa though. Beautiful ships.

Been there, done that on the 2 ships, I can confirm mostly what you're saying.

 

Cabins on the Fantasia might to be smaller (especially balconies) depending on where they're located, but they're generally better laid out, hence they seem bigger!...

 

So, for me: If similar itineraries: Chose the Fantasia. Some more guests, better crowd management. If different itineraries, consider whatever works better for you. They're both wonderful ships!...

[Até]

1 hour ago, EllieinNJ said:

I am taking an NCL transatlantic NYC to Barcelona next April.  I have my choice to continue with the Fantasia around the med or to take the Magnifica through Spain and Portugal ending in Southampton.  What would you choose?

On all MSC European sailings Americans will be a very small percentage.  MSC Med cruises are often described as large ferries due to their frequent embarkation ports, usually several more than say Epic.  If you enjoy meeting new people over a cruise it will be difficult, additionally the CC Roll Calls are practically non-existant.  I personally find the Fantasia ships a bit lackluster compared to other, newer MSC ships that will be sailing similar Med routes (I've not been to Tunisia though).  Fantasia class practically have no (comparative to NCL) specialty restaurants, very few outdoor areas and basically not really a lot to do on the ship.  Meraviglia class or Seaside class are much more similar to the NCL on board features if that's what interests you.  But if your main objective is the ports and you're looking more for transportation that may not matter.

 

Magnifica is in the previous class to the Fantasia class (even though it's newer than Fantasia) and suffers some of the same issues I mentioned above.  Magnifica is currently about 2/3 the size of Fantasia, and in my opinion, it is unfortunate MSC will soon be stretching her.  I believe the typical cabin is smaller than on Fantasia class, which for the most part has very acceptable cabin sizes.  I've not been on a "Magnifica" class of ship but I am sure the class currently offers a bit more space per passenger than Fantasia, hence MSC adding a whole new section.  While after the stretch the ship may be somewhat more crowded hopefully it will be offset by a little more deck and public space also - two new restaurants and as a plus they will do a bit of a refurb to the rest of the ship.  I'd consider a cabin in the new section to hopefully avoid a shower curtain.

 

Based on that I've done the typical Med itineraries, the prices, and the two ships you mention I would do Magnifica.  That might change for me if it was against a newer Med ship, but if it matters to you remember those have an even higher passenger density so if you're not in the Yacht Club it can sometimes be a mess getting on and off the ship.  On board I find the newer ship's general passenger load typical/acceptable.  On Magnifica there will be a lot of Italians and central Europeans getting on in Italy and a lot of Spanish, French and English in Barcelona but they will be on board with you for the whole cruise.  One other consideration is if the Bay of Biscay unpredictable weather is of concern to you.

[Nunagoras]

16 hours ago, Até said:

On all MSC European sailings Americans will be a very small percentage.  MSC Med cruises are often described as large ferries due to their frequent embarkation ports, usually several more than say Epic.  If you enjoy meeting new people over a cruise it will be difficult, additionally the CC Roll Calls are practically non-existant.  I personally find the Fantasia ships a bit lackluster compared to other, newer MSC ships that will be sailing similar Med routes (I've not been to Tunisia though).  Fantasia class practically have no (comparative to NCL) specialty restaurants, very few outdoor areas and basically not really a lot to do on the ship.  Meraviglia class or Seaside class are much more similar to the NCL on board features if that's what interests you.  But if your main objective is the ports and you're looking more for transportation that may not matter.

 

Magnifica is in the previous class to the Fantasia class (even though it's newer than Fantasia) and suffers some of the same issues I mentioned above.  Magnifica is currently about 2/3 the size of Fantasia, and in my opinion, it is unfortunate MSC will soon be stretching her.  I believe the typical cabin is smaller than on Fantasia class, which for the most part has very acceptable cabin sizes.  I've not been on a "Magnifica" class of ship but I am sure the class currently offers a bit more space per passenger than Fantasia, hence MSC adding a whole new section.  While after the stretch the ship may be somewhat more crowded hopefully it will be offset by a little more deck and public space also - two new restaurants and as a plus they will do a bit of a refurb to the rest of the ship.  I'd consider a cabin in the new section to hopefully avoid a shower curtain.

 

Based on that I've done the typical Med itineraries, the prices, and the two ships you mention I would do Magnifica.  That might change for me if it was against a newer Med ship, but if it matters to you remember those have an even higher passenger density so if you're not in the Yacht Club it can sometimes be a mess getting on and off the ship.  On board I find the newer ship's general passenger load typical/acceptable.  On Magnifica there will be a lot of Italians and central Europeans getting on in Italy and a lot of Spanish, French and English in Barcelona but they will be on board with you for the whole cruise.  One other consideration is if the Bay of Biscay unpredictable weather is of concern to you.

Hi, Até!...

 

Let me just to clarify something from your post as someone whom has made the 2 ships:

 

Considering the YC and the new specialty restaurant on the Fantasia class, real space for regular passengers on the Fantasia felt nearly the same as the one in the Magnifica; but, considering that MSC has most of the main attractions spread out from just 2 decks on the Magnifica (one for evening events, one for daily events at the pool deck) and those attractions were spread out for some 5 decks on the Fantasia (some 3 decks for the evening events, 2 for the daily ones) it is easy to understand that the Fantasia has far better crowd management on order. I've never felt crowded on the Fantasia cruise apart when it was expected at Theater exits for example, while I've almost always felt crowded on the Magnifica once everyone wanted to stay at the same places together.

 

I know, a stretch has been planned for the Magnifica, but while there's no official word from MSC, I believe that it won't happen. No demand to fill those additional cabins on the next years to come. I believe them to have changed that work with a full renewal on the existing facilities... If only they could replace that disproportionate old school style photo shop by turning it on some digital kiosks spread out within the ship with an attraction that helped to spread out some of the evening deck 6 crowd to deck 7, I'd me more than thankful to them...

 

Have a nice day!...

[Até]

6 hours ago, Nunagoras said:

Let me just to clarify something from your post as someone whom has made the 2 ships:

I'll try to clarify my own post.  I recognized the OP from my time on the NCL boards and since they pointed out that they will be coming off the Epic I oriented my reply a little towards a comparison to that line.

 

There may be some confusion due to my starting with Fantasia and my use of the term lackluster.  My fault with both these MSC classes has more to do with that even with pretty large passenger numbers they have remained classic older design ships and are without significant specialty restaurants, modern water slides, planned activities, and are basically what I would call a classic cruise experience like you had 15 to 20 years ago.  What I should have emphasized is in my opinion NCL has made more of an attempt to update their older ships to try to bring the experience closer to a newer NCL ship standard while conversely MSC really hasn't changed the experience as much as the sizes.  I've booked the Armonia fully expecting that past times experience, to many it is actually a plus.

 

Currently Magnifica and Fantasia have similar passenger to gross tonnage ratios, after the stretch I don't know.  I will defer to your comparison that crowds around the public area "attractions" were more concentrated on Magnifica.  I try not bring up the Yacht Club unless it's specifically mentioned.  Although since YC was not mentioned I might have subconsciously given a slight benefit to Magnifica for being a little less class stratified.  My choice of Magnifica was based on that if I were to choose between these two equally aged ships (I am assuming the refurb/stretch will happen) with fairly equal amenities and on board experience I would pick based more on passenger capacity, itinerary and price.  Fantasia didn't win with me in any of those categories.

[Nunagoras]

11 hours ago, Até said:

I'll try to clarify my own post.  I recognized the OP from my time on the NCL boards and since they pointed out that they will be coming off the Epic I oriented my reply a little towards a comparison to that line.

 

There may be some confusion due to my starting with Fantasia and my use of the term lackluster.  My fault with both these MSC classes has more to do with that even with pretty large passenger numbers they have remained classic older design ships and are without significant specialty restaurants, modern water slides, planned activities, and are basically what I would call a classic cruise experience like you had 15 to 20 years ago.  What I should have emphasized is in my opinion NCL has made more of an attempt to update their older ships to try to bring the experience closer to a newer NCL ship standard while conversely MSC really hasn't changed the experience as much as the sizes.  I've booked the Armonia fully expecting that past times experience, to many it is actually a plus.

 

Currently Magnifica and Fantasia have similar passenger to gross tonnage ratios, after the stretch I don't know.  I will defer to your comparison that crowds around the public area "attractions" were more concentrated on Magnifica.  I try not bring up the Yacht Club unless it's specifically mentioned.  Although since YC was not mentioned I might have subconsciously given a slight benefit to Magnifica for being a little less class stratified.  My choice of Magnifica was based on that if I were to choose between these two equally aged ships (I am assuming the refurb/stretch will happen) with fairly equal amenities and on board experience I would pick based more on passenger capacity, itinerary and price.  Fantasia didn't win with me in any of those categories.

Oh, many thanks!...

 

TBHH, for me, on this post covid era, crowd management is the deal breaker, unless my interest for a particular itinerary on a less crowd friendly ship. Fantasia class crowd management is far better than Musica class one. I can't even to imagine more passengers on that mix on a Musica class ship... Huh!...

 

Yeah, it seems that NCL is modernizing their experience on the older ships... Hope MSC doesn't follow the trend. There is a place for affordable elegance on the market... At that side of the pond the Fantasia class is for me best compromise size, passenger numbers and general features and itinerary schedule... Hope that for the next year they don't replace the Splendida (or any other of the Fantasia class) doing the usual fall southern med 10 nighters, because I'm planning on to do one of them... But for the last years they used to move a newer ship here by January/February of the proper year... With all the consolidations taking place, we can even to "dream" on a World Europa short season if the ship is available then and it can go below the Lisbon's April 25 bridge...

 

Have a nice day!...

[EllieinNJ]

As the OP I  would like to thank you all for your thoughts  and opinions.  I would have loved to try one of the newer ships as my first MSC experience.  In fact I  was about to book the Meraviglia out of NYC to Canada and back for September 2020 when the pandemic hit us and it was cancelled.  The Fantasia and Magnifica are the only two available to me within my time line.  I have been waiting about two weeks since I  put in for a card match to NCL platinum so hopefully will decide then.  ELLIE