Tag Archives: MSC Cruises

MSC Cruises Donates School in Rebuilding Caribbean

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Virgin Gorda, British Virgin IslandsPHOTO: The semi-permanent school will serve the island of Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands. (photo via Flickr/kansas photo)
MSC Cruises continues to assist in the rebuild of the Caribbean following September’s devastating hurricanes.

The Swiss-based cruise line announced Thursday that it has joined forces with government officials in the British Virgin Islands to donate a new 4,000 square-foot, the pre-fabricated building that will function as a semi-permanent school on the island of Virgin Gorda.

All 15 of the territory’s schools were destroyed in the recent hurricanes.

“It is our responsibility as a family-owned company in the seafaring business for more than 300 years, to come to the aid of our family, friends and neighbours in dire times,” said MSC Cruises USA chairman, Richard Sasso in a statement. “This donation is one of many ways we are working to set the industry standard to help those who need it most and we’re proud to utilize our global resources to assist as the Caribbean works to recover and rebuild.”

The donation represents just one example of MSC Cruises’ ongoing effort to restore the British Virgin Islands and the surrounding Caribbean as a whole.

“With most cruise ports in the Caribbean region now open for business, MSC Cruises, along with other players in the cruise industry, are working to support local governments in their efforts to restore normality and rebuild the damaged infrastructures on the islands impacted,” the cruise line stated on its website.

With the help of its global network of partners, MSC Cruises has already helped ship food, water, medical supplies and building materials to the British Virgin Islands as well as hard-hit places in Puerto Rico, St. Maarten and Dominica.

The cruise line recently provided shipping services to bring emergency lighting to Puerto Rico.

Another aspect of the global cruise’s effort to assist the islands is by ultimately returning to the coveted destinations.

Travelers seeking a holiday sailing to the Caribbean with MSC Cruises this December can have their pick of the MSC Divina or the brand new MSC Seaside.

Click here to learn more about some of the ways MSC Cruises is aiding in the Caribbean’s recovery.

MSC Cruises’ first Meraviglia-Plus ship to be named MSC Grandiosa

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MSC Cruises has announced that its first Meraviglia-Plus class ship will be named MSC Grandiosa when it enters service in November 2019.

The announcement was made by MSC executive chairman Pierfrancesco Vago, as the line celebrated the steel-cutting ceremony for the ship as well as the traditional coin ceremony for MSC Bellissima, which is due to join the fleet in March 2019.

In addition to the two ships now under construction at the STX France shipyard, MSC also has two ships being built at the Fincantieri shipyard in Italy, as part of a 10-year investment plan which will see €9 billion invested in 11 new ships.

Vago said: “Today we are celebrating a truly unique moment, as it is the first time that key shipbuilding milestones for two different ships are celebrated on the same day. This is a testimony of the strength and ambition of our investment plan.”

He added: “The Meraviglia generation of ships is already setting a new standard for the cruise industry and is just one of the three brand new prototypes that we have designed to bring the cruise guest experience to the next level.

“MSC Grandiosa is named to signify magnificence and grandeur, a fitting name for this even richer, ultra-modern mega-ship.”

In addition to the first fine art museum at sea, MSC Grandiosa will be one of four MSC ships to feature Cirque du Soleil at Sea in the custom-built Carousel Lounge, Vago said.

The Meraviglia-Plus ships are an evolution of the Meraviglia class (pictured), which includes MSC Meraviglia – in service since June of this year – and MSC Bellissima.

The Plus class will be 331 metres in length, compared to the Meraviglia class at 315 metres, and will have a maximum capacity of 6,334 guests.

MSC Cruises Announces World Voyage

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The MSC Magnifica in the Port of Hamburg in GermanyPHOTO: The MSC Magnifica will be embarking on an epic journey in 2020. (photo via Flickr/Sera Tu)
MSC Cruises announced the opening of sales for the cruise line’s second world voyage.

The world cruise will set sail in 2020 on the MSC Magnifica. MSC Voyagers Club members are eligible to start booking immediately, with all other customers able to book their spot on the voyage November 23.

For the 2020 MSC World Cruise, the new itinerary will include more than 40 ports of call in 23 countries. With four different embarkation ports and dates to kick off the three-month voyage, travelers can select their ideal starting point for a customized vacation experience.

Guests who embark on the world cruise from Rome, Genoa, Marseille and Barcelona on January 4, 5, 6 and 7, 2020, respectively, will cross five continents and visit 43 popular destinations, including Argentina, Easter Island, Australia, India, Oman and more. Eight destinations will include an overnight stay in port.

“Following the highly successful launch of our first MSC World Cruise last year, due to set to sail in January 2019, we are now delighted to open sales for a new world cruise for 2020 developed to offer guests experiences and destinations that they will never forget,” MSC Cruises CEO Gianni Onorato said in a statement.

“In addition, the experience onboard MSC Magnifica – one of the jewels of our fleet – has been designed to reflect the cultures and cuisines of the countries that the ship visits, giving guests the opportunity to fully immerse themselves in a true around the world voyage of discovery both on board and on shore.”

MSC Cruises is also providing experiences through its wide range of 15 shore excursions included in the cost of the booking, plus the cruise line will offer additional excursions available to book in advance or during the voyage.

Some of the experiences offered during the world cruise include visiting Turtle Bay in New Caledonia, exploring the ancient city of Petra, climbing to the top of the Kuala Lumpur Tower and more.

On board the ship, passengers will be able to enjoy a complimentary Mealtime Restaurant Drinks Package, a 30 percent reduction on all laundry services, more than 90 shows performed in the ship’s Royal Theater and an activity schedule with theme evenings, language classes, cultural guest speakers and more.