The cruise terminal was heaving! We dropped our suitcase at the bag drop area and went to join the queue. Luckily as loyal MSC customers we have learnt the Black Card, their highest status in their reward scheme. One of the perks of this is priority boarding. It still took about 45 minutes to an hour to get onboard.

I believe the issues with embarkation were the culmination of a few factors.
MSC usually pick up passengers at a number of ports. As it was Easter weekend and there had been a number of deals there were many more passengers joining than there normally would be
The Altona cruise terminal is relatively small, with only three x-ray machines (this is managed by the port, not MSC)
A good majority of passengers had a later boarding time, but all turned up as early as they could, which created a glut. Apparently there had also been further technical issues (I think a scanner broke but not sure)

Whilst I can understand people being annoyed at it taking a few hours to board a good number of those who have compla

Once we got onboard we purchased the deluxe drinks package at 50 per person per night. This is more expensive than previously but in our opinion it was well worth it.

Following a glass of wine it was up to the cabin to collect our cruise cards. We had a lovely, spacious Fantastica balcony cabin on deck 10 – a bottle of Asti and a couple of bowls of fruit were waiting to greet us – a very nice touch and another perk of having the black card.

As wed missed lunch we headed to the buffet for a snack – the welcome onboard buffet was still in full swing with plenty of choices – traditional Italian dishes, roast beef on the carvery station and even shepherds pie so a really good variety to suit most tastes.

After a bit of food it was off to explore the ship. Ill be open and honest here – I really love MSC Fantasia, it almost feels like home. Knowing Magnifica is a different class, we went with an open mind. We were not disappointed. The ship is frankly absolutely stunning. Whilst there are no Swarovski crystal stairs, there is a rand atrium spanning three decks with sweeping marble staircases.

The focal points of the atrium are a back-lit, colour changing water features which has a beautiful grand piano on an island.

The multitude of bars around the ship are all well executed, each with a different colour schemes and decoration themes. Topaz, Tiger, Amethyst, Sports Bar the list goes on! The bars are constructed of high quality marble or granite, with a great standard of furnishing. The maintenance on MSC is second to none with an exemplary level of cleanliness. This ultimately means that an eight year old ship looks as good as it did the day it was Christened in Hamburg by Sophia Loren in March 2010.

Our first nights dinner was taken in the Oriental Plaza Asian Fusion restaurant. A set menu with a number of different courses, savours and flavours was offered free of charge to us as Black Card holders. MSC Magnifica had just completed a Grand Voyage from Brazil, which ultimately meant that several items were missing or unavailable – noodles being one of them.

Whilst frustrating, this does unfortunately happen after long cruises. Weve previously taken one such cruise and have another coming up. As the stores start to run out of stick items will disappear. The ship is then re-stocked but it takes time for this to be sorted – having seen the stores on MSC Splendida it is like a military operation in warehousing.

The first evening (and early morning hours of the second day) were spent in the various bars and the disco,

Our second day was a full day at sea. We got up fairly early and had breakfast in the main dining room – eggs Benedict with smoked salmon for me and a cooked breakfast for Andy. Quick, attentive service in the dining room provided for a great experience first thing in the morning – very easy and no searching for a table etc.

As we moved around the bars during the day we met several crew members weve seen on previous cruises. The most notable was probably Anastasia in the Tiger Bar – she was very pleased to see us again and gave us a hug to say hello and welcome us back!

The mornings entertainment was an Oktoberfest theme party, with a good selection of bottled beers available (not included in the standard drinks package), sausages, pretzels and sauerkraut to give that authentic German feel – as we had spent two days in Germany we decided not to indulge in the food but to just have a beer in the spirit of good fun!

Lunch was taken in the main dining room – a very interesting menu, with starters of spring rolls, salad and soup and main courses of pasta, sandwiches and octopus! Whilst all of the options were tempting I opted for salad and octopus. The octopus came and it was hot, well presented and well cooked – it can go rubbery if over-cooked but this was perfect!

During the afternoon the sun came out so we took the opportunity to go for a swim – even the outdoor pool is heated which was great as on other ships the outdoor pools have been incredibly cold and a shock to the system! The hot tubs were also quite welcome when the sun started to shine through.

The final night of our cruise was a gala night – we arent dinner suit people unless going to a ball so took dark lounge suits. The whole feeling of a gala night is that it is something special. Passengers get dressed up, the crew have a smarter than usual uniform (bow ties etc), the menu is something extra special, theres the opportunity to have a photo with the Captain etc.

Wed had a card put through the cabin to let us know our dining table had been changed to a different number. A lovely table for two was waiting for us, in a good spot of the restaurant. The Easter Day gala menu was a completely new one on us, with some wonderful different options any foodie would love!

The scallops, turkey, risotto and guinea fowl were excellent, followed by a melt in the middle chocolate pudding. A bottle of Muller Italian white wine accompanied the meal, with a glass of dessert wine as a digestive. I think this was one of the best meals Ive had on cruises so far.

The rest of the night was spent dancing in the various bars and the disco, before a final night cap and a spin on the fruit machines in the casino.

This mini cruise to me completely embodied all of the best parts of MSC. Yes there were a few little hiccups, but no deal breakers and nothing to cause any major upset.

We had intended this cruise to be a taster of the changes MSC are making to cater more to the British market, however the official cruise season from Southampton didnt start until today when we disembarked. This meant a number of the tweaks werent available.

Before disembarking we spoke with Alastair, the hotel director this morning and had a great chat about the ship and intended changes. Alastair has a fine background, having brought Princess and RCCL ships to the UK market previously. A British chef will soon be onboard, meaning roast beef and Yorkshire Pudding will be available on Sundays, there will be British comedians and tribute acts. The menus will stay largely the same but there will be some more British themed items to suit the palate.

I think that this formula seems completely the right way to go for MSC to attract more British cruisers and the season will be a success once the changes are embedded and settle down. Thank you to MSC for another wonderful cruise – we look forward to being on board again very soon.