An amazing trip aboard Preziosa is no fantasy

THIS $687 million ship includes the longest waterslide at sea, a 4D cinema, nightclub, teens area, playroom, theatre, shops, Formula One simulator and four pools.

msc preziosa

HANNIBAL Gaddafi, son of former Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, originally commissioned the newest ship in MSC's fleet.

When the regime ended in June 2011, so did the contract and a not-yet-complete $687 million cruise ship was on the market.

Preziosa is the fourth Fantasia-class ship to join the European cruise company's fleet. Seeing it for the first time in Genoa, Italy; 18 storeys high with the capacity to hold 3500 guests and 1400 crew, it's easy to see why it was too good to refuse.

During a tour of the ship I count no fewer than five sit-down restaurants, two buffets, 20 bars, a casino, a big gym, an even bigger spa, a bowling alley, 4D cinema, nightclub, teens area, playroom, theatre, shops, Formula One simulator, four pools and the longest waterslide at sea.

My balcony cabin (80 per cent of the rooms on the ship have balconies) is a testament to modern-day cruising. Once a sought-after feature of premium cabins, balconies practically come standard these days.

It's Preziosa's maiden voyage around the Mediterranean and my first cruise.

You can pay extra and arrange shore excursions on board the ship.

In Naples I opted for a tour of Pompeii. The size of this archeological site is astounding. A complete city - buildings, homes, Roman baths, ceramics, art, bread and bodies buried for 1700 years.

In Marseilles I arranged to do a half-day tour of Aix-en-Provence.

There's an inextinguishable joie de vivre as people go about their daily business; buying potatoes and pears at the Saturday market and queuing at the boulangerie for baguettes.

On the advice of my guide I stopped at the Old Port of Marseilles to try the famed bouillabaisse at seaside Restaurant Miramar, before returning to the ship. At €59 ($A76), it was the most expensive, single course I have ever ordered but it was delicious.

In Barcelona I scoured the city on instinct. I'd been there before and relished the fact I could still (after eight years) remember the lie of the land. Up La Rambla and Catalunya streets and then into the maze of side alleys - tapas, music, chorizo, cheese, honey, artisan markets and life.

Knowing I was unlikely to return, I booked a full day tour of Tunis, the capital of North Africa's smallest country, Tunisia. At the Bardo Museum richly detailed Carthage mosaics adorned the walls and floors. In the medina quarter a mix of restored and crumbling buildings created a suitable backdrop for exploring the rabbit warren of souks, where you can find perfume oil, silk carpets, gold, silver and tailors.

A walking tour through the ruins of Carthage, which dates to the first millennium BC, helped the group appreciate what a powerful trading centre the city used to be.

By the end of the cruise I had visited one of the best archeological sites in the world, discovered a new destination that I hope one day to return to, revisited an old favourite and immersed myself in a city I was unlikely to see again.

The writer was a guest of MSC Cruises.

Go2 - GENOA

Getting there: Qantas flies to Milan, Italy with partners Emirates. MSC Cruises can arrange transfers from Milan Airport to the port at Genoa.

Cruising there: Departing October 27, spend seven nights cruising the Mediterranean on MSC Preziosa from $1419 for a balcony cabin or $809 for an inside cabin.

On November 10, MSC Preziosa will do its maiden Grand Voyage from Genoa, Italy to Brazil. This 16-night cruise will stop in Spain and Portugal before continuing via Salvador and Buzios in Brazil before completing its cruise in Santos, Brazil. It's priced from $1149 for an inside cabin.

Prices quoted are a person, twin share, and include all meals and entertainment evenings, and port charges.