Fantasia-class cruise ship

The Fantasia class is a class of cruise ships, operated by MSC Cruises. At present, there are four active Fantasia-class cruise ships, the lead vessel, MSC Fantasia, MSC Splendida, MSC Divina and the MSC Preziosa, which were built by STX Europe in St. Nazaire. MSC Divina and MSC Preziosa are modified Fantasia-class ships. They have a 139,400 gross tonnage (GT) and have expanded amenities compared to their earlier sister ships.[2]

The lead ship, MSC Fantasia
Class overview
NameFantasia
BuildersSTX Europe in St. Nazaire
OperatorsCostaCrociereS.p.A
Preceded byMusica class
Succeeded byMeraviglia class
Cost$ 550 million
Built2008–2013
In service2008–present
Planned4
Completed4
Active4
General characteristics
TypeCruise ship
Tonnage
  • MSC Fantasia & MSC Splendida:
  • 137,936 GT
  • MSC Divina & MSC Preziosa:
  • 139,072 GT
Length1,093.5 ft (333.30 m)
Beam124.3 ft (37.89 m)
Height60 m (196.85 ft) waterline to highest deck
Draught27.72 ft (8.45 m)
Decks18 total, 15 passenger
Installed power2 × diesel-electric at 40 MW (54,000 hp)[1]
Propulsion2 propellers at 20.2 MW (27,100 hp)[1]
Speed23 knots (43 km/h; 26 mph)
Crew1,500 crew
Notespost-Panamax

The lead ship, MSC Fantasia, was completed in December 2008 and is the namesake of the class. The second ship, MSC Splendida, followed in March 2009. The third ship, MSC Divina entered service in May 2012 while the fourth and final ship, MSC Preziosa entered service in March 2013.

Overview

At the time of their construction the Fantasia class were the largest ships in the fleet of MSC Cruises, and were preceded by the much smaller Musica class, which are at 93,300 tons. The ships are designed to complement the previous Musica class.

MSC Fantasia and MSC Splendida have a 16,000 sq ft (1,500 m2) spa facility, four swimming pools, a Tex-Mex restaurant, a 1,700-seater showlounge, a mini golf course, a tennis/basketball court.[3] They also have 1,637 passenger cabins.[2]

MSC Divina and MSC Preziosa have 1,751 staterooms,[2] 114 more than the previous ships. They also have two additional elevators and their decks and restaurants are redesigned to allocate more space per passenger.[2]

Phoenicia/MSC Preziosa

On June 4, 2010 a letter of intent was signed between STX France and Libyan state-owned company General National Maritime Transport Corporation (GNMTC), to build one cruise ship similar to MSC Fantasia, and MSC Splendida. Nominally named Phoenicia she was specified by Hannibal Gaddafi, who had a 120-ton shark aquarium integrated into the design.[4] During construction, the Libyan Civil War broke out on 15 February 2011. In June 2011, STX France cancelled the contract, and began looking for a new buyer of the hull.[5][6] It was announced on March 13, 2012, that MSC reached an agreement to buy the ship for 550 million euros, and be named MSC Preziosa.[7]

Ships
ShipBuiltBuilderEntered service
for MSC		Gross tonnageFlagNotesImage
MSC Fantasia2008Aker Yards/STX Europe (St. Nazaire)December 2008137,936 tons Panama
MSC Splendida2009Aker Yards/STX Europe (St. Nazaire)July 2009137,936 tons PanamaOrdered as MSC Serenata and renamed MSC Splendida in 2008.
MSC Divina2012STX Europe (St. Nazaire)June 2012139,072 tons PanamaModified Fantasia class. Ordered as MSC Meraviglia and renamed MSC Divina in 2010.
MSC Preziosa2013STX Europe (St. Nazaire)March 2013139,072 tons PanamaModified Fantasia class. Originally ordered for Libyan-based General National Maritime Transport.[7]

Data
  • Gross tonnage: 138,000-139,000-GT
  • Length: 1,093 feet (333 meters)
  • Beam: 124.6 feet (38.0 meters)
  • Draught: 27.2 feet (8.3 meters)
  • Cost: $550 million

References
  1. "Technical information". STX Europe AS. Archived from the original on 2009-09-02. Retrieved 9 May 2010.
  2. "MSC Cruises to order new ship". eTurboNews.com. 1 March 2010. Archived from the original on 20 July 2011. Retrieved 26 March 2010.
  3. "MSC Splendida joins MSC Cruises' fleet". eTurbonews.com. 13 July 2009. Archived from the original on 3 March 2012. Retrieved 29 March 2010.
  4. Willis, Amy (16 March 2012). "The dictator's dream: Gaddafi's son ordered cruise ship complete with shark tank". The Telegraph. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
  5. "Libya's GNMTC confirms cruise ship order". Baird Maritime. 2010-07-01. Archived from the original on 2013-11-05. Retrieved 2013-12-30.
  6. "STX France cancels Libya cruise ship contract". MarineLog. 22 June 2011. Archived from the original on April 15, 2012.
  7. "MSC Cruises-UK News: MSC Cruises Welcomes MSC Preziosa". Msccruises.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2018-11-02. Retrieved 2013-12-30.
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