Group Cruises

News
from: MSC Cruises
www.msccruises.com
Source: Cheryl Fenske, DMOA
Published: May, 2007

ABOVE: An MSC "Musica"-class ship under construction.

MSC will add two ships and year-round Mediterranean cruising in 2008

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. – MSC Cruises will add two new ships to its fleet in 2008, including the newest in its “Musica” class of Panamax vessels and its largest ship ever.

Sister ship to MSC Musica and MSC Orchestra, MSC Poesia is slated for spring delivery. The ship is 89,600 gross registered tons, 961 feet long and 108 feet wide and can host 2,550 guests (double occupancy). Like its sister ships, MSC Poesia will have more than 236,800 square feet of public space and 80% of the outside staterooms will have balconies.

On April 12, 2008 MSC Poesia will begin sailing 7-night Eastern Mediterranean roundtrip itineraries from Venice, calling at Bari, Katakalon, Izmir, Istanbul and Dubrovnik.

The line’s largest ship ever, MSC Fantasia, is scheduled to be delivered in the latter part of 2008. She will sail alternating Canary Island and Egypt itineraries. MSC Fantasia is first of two post-Panamax ships on order by the cruise line. MSC Fantasia and sister ship MSC Serenata (scheduled to debut in 2009) will be the largest ships commissioned by a European ship owner to date. At 133,500 gross registered tons, 1,093 feet long, and 125 feet wide, each will have a passenger capacity of 3,900 and 1,313 staff members.

Also featured in the Italian-style cruise line’s exciting 2008 plan are the following:

Year-round Mediterranean sailings

All of the fleet’s 10 ships will be in the Mediterranean at some time in 2008. As a result of MSC Cruises’ extensive presence in the region, guests can depart on their MSC Cruises experience from almost any Mediterranean port the line visits.

Variety in Mediterranean itineraries

This includes cruises of varying lengths (from weekend cruises to 11-night itineraries) and port calls. In addition to the MSC Fantasia and MSC Poesia, the following will be available:

MSC Orchestra will sail 11-night Eastern/Western winter itineraries from Genoa and 7-night summer itineraries from Barcelona or Genoa, visiting Naples, Palermo, Tunis, Palma and Marseille.

MSC Musica – After completing the 2007-08 winter season with 11-night roundtrip sailings from Genoa, the ship will sail 7-night Eastern Mediterranean roundtrips from Venice beginning March 16, 2008, visiting the beautiful Greek islands of Katakolon, Santorini, Mykonos, Piraeus and Corfu as well as Bari and Dubrovnik.

MSC Sinfonia will return to the Mediterranean from its winter in South America to sail 7-night Western Mediterranean roundtrip itineraries from Genoa or Rome beginning in March, calling at Monte Carlo, Spain, Malta, Tunisia.

MSC Melody will return from South African waters to sail 7-night roundtrip cruises from Barcelona or Rome, calling at Ibiza, Tunis, Messina, Livorno and Monte Carlo.

MSC Rhapsody, the line’s other classic vessel, will offer 7-night Western Mediterranean roundtrip itineraries from Genoa from March to October that features four Italian ports of Livorno, Salerno, Taormini and Sardinia along with Malta and Tunisia.

MSC Armonia will spend the fall of 2008 sailing 11-night Eastern Mediterranean itineraries from Genoa to Egypt or the Black Sea.

MSC Opera and MSC Lirica will be sailing 7-night itineraries in Mediterranean waters in the fall of 2008, with MSC Opera sailing the Greek islands and Dubrovnik from Trieste and MSC Lirica from Genoa and Rome, calling at France, Spain and Morocco.

Three ships in Northern Europe

MSC Cruises will continue to have three ships in Northern Europe, maintaining its popular variety of cruise lengths and itineraries.

MSC Lirica and MSC Opera will sail alternating 7-night Norwegian Fjords and Baltic Capitals itineraries.

MSC Armonia will offer 10- and 11-night cruises as well as four sailings to the exciting Cape North.

And there’s much more – including the classic MSC Melody sailing in South Africa and a variety of transatlantic and repositioning cruises.

For more information about MSC Cruises, visit msccruises.com or call Chuck Shinn at Cruise Planners at 1-800-697-2301.