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First passengers have embarked yesterday and the ship will leave Saint-Nazaire this afternoon for a cruise to Marseille with called to Bordeaux, Vigo and Lisbonne.
Next year, STX will deliver to MSC two ships, MSC Splendida (Fantasia Class) at the end of June and MSC Magnifica (Musica Class) in november.
See herehttp://www.voyage-autocar.be/croisieres.html
Lisbon / Gibraltar / Alicante / Barcelona
See image HERE
Tony
quote:Originally posted by Thad:I think she might be the nicest looking post-panamax cruise ship...See image HERE
The only thing I don't like is the cage-mesh on the aft-part of the funnel. It seems too angular.
http://video.aol.com/video-detail/msc-fantasia-101208-033/3096609882
This ship is absolutly beutiful!Andy Cruiser
[ 12-11-2008: Message edited by: andy cruiser ]
Pam
cruiseshipluver
[ 12-11-2008: Message edited by: cruiseshipluver ]
quote:she blows SOLTICE out of the water 100x over.
I fear Eroller will be apoplectic when he returns from his time on Solstice. So far this week we have had people claiming the aesthetic superiority of both Carnival Dream and MSC Fantasia over Solstice.
This will just not do!!!
Brad
http://www.meretmarine.com/article.cfm?id=109030
Just one word :splendid, splendid
No doubt, I prefer Aponte Design than Farcus Designh
Greetings Ben.
Fantasia makes the Solstice look like a Marriott.
Tim
[ 12-12-2008: Message edited by: Ernst ]
Her forward superstucture is very pleasing.
-Russ
quote: Fantasia makes the Solstice look like a Marriott.Tim[/QB]
Tim[/QB]
Having now spent almost a week onboard SOLSTICE, I can assure you that NO ship will make her look like a "Marriott". Keep telling yourself that if you want to convince youself, but it's simply not possible.
Without question SOLSTICE is the most sophisticated ship I have sailed on yet, with an attention to detail that is almost absurd. I have looked at the pictures of MSC FANTASIA ... yes she looks nice, but I don't see anything that compares to the level of sophistication and detail that is offered on SOLSTICE. MSC FANTASIA looks cheap and glitzy in comparision, and at least in pictures, the quality of the furnishings and art do not compare to what I'm experiencing on SOLSTICE. Fake palm trees by the pool and a few Disney-esque inspired lounges are simply not something you will see on SOLSTICE. Parts of MSC FANTASIA almost look like a European version of Carnival to me. When I am home I will study the pictures in more detail, but from what I see I don't think the claim of "the most beautiful ship in the world" holds true. When I sail on MSC FANTASIA (and I will), I'll let you know for certain.
Ernie
On the other hand, most of the other areas shown in the excellent photos on Mer et Marine (thanks to Christophe for the link) do look very stylish and elegant, just like all the other ships MSC has built so far. As long as they keep the kitsch confined to a few spaces it is tolerable, though I am sad to see it at all.
In particular the MSC Yacht Club looks really elegant and luxurious; if it is as good in person as it looks in photos they have really gotten the "yacht" look right.
Overall, a stunningly beautiful ship inside and out - and for that matter, at least on the inside, I think SOLSTICE looks great too. They are both very exciting-looking new ships and I really want to try both (or their sisters). Certainly if you compare SOLSTICE with EURODAM and FANTASIA with COSTA SERENA (or whichever one is newest at the moment) there is really no comparison, the Carnival-owned ships simply look dull.
After seeing the initial photos of SOLSTICE I thought she was probably a shoo-in for best large ship this decade (the competition being so incredibly feeble) but I think FANTASIA will give her some stiff competition on this. So in the space of a month we have had two huge new ships that show two very different visions of what a stylish, modern, and luxurious new mega-ship should look like and I cannot wait to try and compare them...I think these two are both going to be "must-sail" ships.
Not so much Venice as Milan perhaps.
Solstice is distinctive and has a contemporary edge that Fantasia does not, from pics of her it just seems so much more thought has gone into the design and while Solstice is modern and contemporary for me her designs still reflect the traditions of that age of ocean travel that we refer to as golden, so on Solstice you still feel that you are on a ship (disco excepted) where as Fantasia could be anywhere ? And they is never an excuse for fake trees or bushes etc. Cunard take note.
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