3 Nights Northern Europe from Le Havre (Paris) Cruise

Return to a Heritage Homeland

This was a cruise that we have looked forward to for over a year. We had booked two connecting Fantastica Experience staterooms with included WiFi and the Easy Plus package. DSIL was coming along for her first trip to Europe so that made it special. We flew into Hamburg via Copenhagen with an open-jaw for our return flight so that we could include a visit to Copenhagen. We chose the Hotel Furst Bismark hotel directly across from the Hauptbahnhof to make travel simple from the airport. The Hauptbahnhof also had the cab rank which was handy for our embarkation day. The area also had a number of restaurants so it was a great location. The Hotel Association had a promotion which provided a two-day pass for public transportation. In our travels around Hamburg using the passes we boarded the Linie 62 ferry one day and saw the MSC Fantasia docked at Steinwerder Terminal before it's cruise that week. Embarkation day was nice and sunny. Our check-in time at Steinwerder Cruise Terminal was 1:00 pm so we left the hotel at 11:00 am. After a 25-minute cab ride, we checked our bags and proceded to wait for our time. Around 12:45, they started to allow us to check-in. It was very smooth and we were aboard in less than 1/2 hour. We dropped our carry-ons in our staterooms (which were still being prepared) and proceded to the Buffet for some lunch. This was our second time on a Fantasia-class MSC ship. Last year we were aboard the MSC Splendida in Yacht Club for a cruise in the Mediterranean, Our MDR was for First Seating (6:00 pm) in the L'Arabesque Dining Room. We had a table for three which was convenient as we are only English spealking. Food on a whole was very good with the deserts being excellent. Portions were the correct size for me but sometimes I did order a second appetizer. We had dinner there 9 of 10 nights only going to the buffet for dinner the evening we sailed away from Ringaskiddy. Breakfast was available in The Golden Lobster Dining Room which we did twice. Our other breakfasts were in the buffet along with lunch on our At Sea days. I needed to have my pizza fix when I could! Very good pizza! It was a full ship with the comments of between 3400 to 4000 passengers. Yet it never felt crammed at all! The shows were entertaining and lasted about 45 minutes. They were very well attended and rousing at times with the music! The emcee was very good with her command of the various languages with the need to make the announcements in six languages. The repetition never bothered us at all. For the six port calls we had booked the MSC excursions which we think are a very good value. Highlights were Kirkwall and Stornoway with a low for Dublin and Greenock. Weather was wet for Scotland but sunny for Ireland and sea days. We did have extended wait time for tendering, especially Stornoway, as the anchorages were some distance away. All of the MSC excursions were given priority before passengers that were on their own and private excursions. Very fair considering the circumstances. Disembarkation on our return went extremely quick. There were plentiful cabs in the cab rank so no waiting. Our train to Copenhagen wasn't until 12:53 pm so we sat in one of the lounges until approximately 9:00 am. When we left we were in a cab heading for the Hauptbahnhof in less than ten minutes. A word about the Hamburg Hauptbahnhof, there aren't many places to sit to wait for your train. Overall I would recommend the MSC Preziosa as we had a very good time. It was very reasonable priced and fully met our expectations. Our enjoyment was confirmed as we booked two more cruises for Fall 2024 while onboard!

good organisation, divine scones, lovely cruise employees

After many negative reviews I was so surprised, that MSC has devinitly levelled up! The Organisation of the cruise and the excursions was perfectly made, all passengers received a compensation of 50 euro after landing late in one of the harbours. The Opera Singers and the short version of "La Traviata" was excellent! I had expected high level parties, but received a wunderful journey with a lot of variety. The pizzas and the pasts were soooo good and the afternoon tea scones made in heaven. All employees were extremley friendly, tried to recognize names and cabin numbers. Only the space in the dining restaurant was too narrow and sitting together with other people of my country was disappointing, but negligable. The food there was good, but not outstanding. Me and my husband preferred to eat in the Maya Restaurant, which is open from 6am to 2 am, with wonderful views. On sea days with bad wheather I was glad to have a balcony cabin, wich was quite spacy. It would have been hard to find a place with nice views.

Excellent experience and customer service

I chose this cruise because I was interested in exploring Norwegian Sea all the way to Germany! I have not been before, but my first time over here was excellent. I can wholeheartedly say that MSC's cruises have been my favorite from my previous cruise experiences. It was packed with various amounts of food, leisure activities, and other events. I truly enjoyed my relaxing vacation here. Everything was amazing about the cruise from the foods to the various events offered. MSC has truly raised the bar as not only are their packages top-tier, but their customer service is too! I specifically want to shout out one housekeeper who was respectful and considerate of my time there! I believe his name is Rayesh(?). He cleaned my room well and by the time I returned from dinner, the room was as if I did not sleep in it! I am amazed by the respect and care he has put into his job, as I know it is not easy! Thank you in MSC cruise members and staff for making this one of the best cruise experiences I have gone on! :)