Even in the super-hyped, hyper-glam universe of international cruising, it’s a bold claim. According to her owners, Fantasia is “the most beautiful ship in the world”.

Launched last month in Naples by Sophia Loren, the new liner has all the makings of an instant European icon: she is taller than the Tower of Pisa, longer than a prostrate Eiffel Tower and capable of carrying almost 4,000 people.

Her Italian owner, MSC Cruises, is little known in the UK - a fast-growing, family-run line in a business dominated by American giants. The company has built up a 10-strong fleet of new vessels since 2003, and hopes to make a huge splash with its new mother ship.

So how does Fantasia measure up? Is she as drop-dead gorgeous as they say? Sunday Times Travel was on the jetty in Genoa for her maiden voyage, and among the first to step aboard.

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First impressions? On the outside, Fantasia looks much like any other whopping great super-liner - an XXL leviathan built as a destination in itself rather than as a vessel for exploring the world. But wait - beauty does lie within. Many new ships scream bling and brass, but Fantasia’s design is subtle and imaginative.

MSC’s greatest trick is to make a colossus of a vessel feel relatively intimate. As you journey around the ship, you pass from one distinct environment into another, each a triumph of good looks.

The ultimate in Fantasia’s “let’s go big but try to look small” approach is the Yacht Club - a private, four-star-plus world of 99 suites at the pointy end of the ship.

Segregated from the riffraff, Yacht Club passengers pay about £1,000 a week extra for “ship within a ship” exclusivity, and enjoy a private lounge and their own sundeck with pool, hot tubs and bar. They also get pampered by frock-coated butlers, who will help to unpack, sort laundry, fix drinks and bag front-row seats for the shows.

The standard cabins are pretty shipshape too. Decked out in lots of wood and tasteful colour schemes, 80% are outside and almost all have balconies.

Don’t expect wide-open spaces, though - there’s room to swing the ship’s cat, but only just. The bathrooms are, unfortunately, a disappointment: a bit poky and basic compared with the overall lavishness of the boat.

Where can we go? Don’t choose Fantasia if you want a rich repertoire of routes. Between March and December, she’ll be plying an identical week-long circuit around the Med, casting off in Genoa and calling at Naples, Palermo, Tunis, Palma, Barcelona and Marseilles.

Winter will bring the occasional detour - to the Canaries, for example - but that’s your lot. On the standard sailing, passengers can opt to board either in Genoa, Naples or Palermo, but still have to stick to the one-week package.

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