Tag Archives: Genoa

MSC Grandiosa Completes Drydock Ahead of Winter Season in Brazil

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The MSC Grandiosa recently set sail from the Palumbo Shipyard Malta after spending three weeks in drydock at the facility.

Set to spend the upcoming winter season in South America, the ship arrived in Genoa, Italy, to kick off a repositioning cruise on Nov. 16, 2024.

Following visits to destinations in France, Spain and Portugal, the trans-Atlantic crossing is set to end at the Brazilian port of Santos in early December.

Among the ports of call set to be visited by the Grandiosa during the 21-night itinerary are Barcelona in Spain’s Catalonia region and Funchal on Portugal’s Madeira Island.

Upon arriving in Santos, the 2019-built vessel is poised to kick off a five-month deployment that features a series of seven-night cruises to Brazilian destinations.

Set to be offered through early April, the ship’s regular itinerary includes visits to Búzios, Santos, Maceió and Salvador.

Except for Búzios, passengers can start the cruise, which also features three days at sea, at any of the ports of call.

Leading a six-ship winter season in the region, the MSC Grandiosa is the largest ship ever to sail in South America.

Before starting its repositioning cruise, the 4,888-guest ship underwent routine maintenance and class work as part of its three-week drydock in Valletta.

The work also included technical updates, as well as the upkeep of public areas and staterooms with the replacement of tiles, carpets, upholstery and more.

After completing its winter season in Brazil, the 177,100-ton vessel is set to kick off a summer deployment in the Western Mediterranean in late April 2025.

The ship continues to operate week-long cruises to Italy, Spain and France through late December, when it’s set to embark on a repositioning cruise to the United States.

Debuting in the country, the MSC Grandiosa offers cruises to the Bahamas and the Caribbean from Port Canaveral during the 2025-26 winter season.

MSC Magnifica to Reposition to Europe in 2025

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MSC Magnifica berthed in Queensferry, Photo credit Spacejunkie2 Flickr

Previously scheduled to offer short cruises to the Bahamas, the MSC Magnifica is now set to sail in Europe during the summer season of 2025.

Joining MSC Cruises’ lineup in the Western Mediterranean, the 2010-built cruise ship will offer a new seven-night itinerary to Italy, France, and Spain.

The itinerary, which is set to run between early May and early October 2025, includes visits to Genoa, Marseille, Valencia and Tarragona.

With only one day at sea, the itinerary also includes stops in Civitavecchia and Livorno, from where guests can visit Rome and Pisa, respectively.

Following the summer program, the MSC Magnifica is scheduled to offer varying itineraries in the Western Mediterranean before kicking off MSC Cruises’ 2026 World Cruise.

Taking over the global voyage from the MSC Poesia, the 2,550-guest vessel is set to depart from Genoa on January 6, 2026.

During the 119-day world voyage,, the 89,600-ton ship is scheduled to travel 36,000 nautical miles and visit 47 destinations in 32 countries and five continents.

Currently sailing from PortMiami, the MSC Magnifica has been offering three- and four-night cruises to the Bahamas and Florida since late 2023.

In addition to Nassau, Freeport, and Key West, the vessel’s itineraries also include visits to MSC Cruises’ private island destination, Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve.

Now, the MSC Seascape is scheduled to offer three- to seven-night cruises to the Caribbean and the Bahamas departing from PortMiami in 2025.

After entering service next April, the 5,400-guest MSC World America is also set to sail from the South Florida homeport on a year-round basis.

MSC Cruises fleet in the United States for the summer of 2025 also includes the MSC Meraviglia sailing from New York City and the MSC Seashore sailing from Port Canaveral.

Explora II Floats Out and Steel Cut For Explora III

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Explora Journeys today celebrated two maritime milestones at builder Fincantieri’s Sestri Ponente shipyard near Genoa in Italy with the float out of the Explora II and the steel cutting of Explora III

The new Explora II will enter service in summer 2024 and spend her first season operating in the Mediterranean Sea, the company said in a press release, as construction of the ship began in October 2021 at Fincantieri’s Castellammare di Stabia yard in Naples, Italy where the ship’s keel was laid in May 2022.

The Explora III will launch in the summer of 2026 and be the first of Explora Journeys’ four luxury vessels to be powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG), the world’s cleanest maritime fuel available at a scale that plays a key role towards the decarbonization of international shipping.

Construction of the Explora IV, also powered by LNG, will start next year with a completion date of early 2027.

The double ceremony today was witnessed by Michael Ungerer, Chief Executive Officer, of Explora Journeys, Pierroberto Folgiero, Fincantieri’s CEO and General Manager and the Mayor of Genoa, Marco Bucci.

Michael Ungerer, Chief Executive Officer, of Explora Journeys, said, “The double event today marks another major step forward on our mission to redefine ocean travel for today’s discerning luxury travellers.  Following the successful launch of Explora I and the incredibly positive feedback from the first guests, travel advisors and media, who had a chance to experience the Ocean State of Mind, the story continues, and we are now beyond thrilled to witness the next important construction milestones for both Explora II and our first LNG powered ship Explora III. We are proud that our four ships are built by Fincantieri, further underlining our commitment to Italy.”