The port of Southampton has welcomed the first call of MSC Euribia to the UK to start her winter sailings around Northern Europe.
The Friday arrival was celebrated by a traditional exchange of crests between the ship’s master Captain Christopher Pugh, who studied at the Warsash Maritime Academy in Southampton, and local authorities.
The ship will offer options to sail to Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and France until April 2024.
Antonio Paradiso, Managing Director – UK & Ireland, MSC Cruises, said: “The arrival of MSC Euribia in the UK is an exciting moment, welcoming another ship in our fleet to the port of Southampton. After seeing the success of no-fly cruises on MSC Virtuosa, our newest flagship will give British travellers another chance to explore a variety of destinations through the convenience of a cruise.”
MSC Euribia is the second ship in MSC Cruises’ fleet to be powered by liquefied natural gas, the company said.
Steve Masters, Harbour Master, Port of Southampton, added: “We are very pleased to welcome MSC Cruises’ newest flagship vessel to Southampton as her home port and look forward to working with the MSC team during their winter sailings in Northern Europe. Having launched our Ready for Tomorrow Sustainability Strategy earlier this year, it is great that MSC Cruises shares our sustainability values by powering their new fleet with liquefied natural gas reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”
The MSC Euribia is set to debut in the Middle East next year. Currently the newest ship in the MSC Cruises fleet, the LNG-powered vessel will offer a series of cruises in the region during the 2024-25 season.
Recently announced by MSC Cruises, the ship’s winter program features departures from three different ports in the Arabian Gulf: Abu Dhabi and Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates; and Doha, in Qatar.
Extending between late November 2024 and early April 2025, the schedule includes two different itineraries that sail to destinations in UAE, Qatar and Bahrein.
Replacing the MSC Virtuosa, which is scheduled to sail in the Middle East in 2023-24, the Euribia will also offer repositioning cruises that link Europe to the region.
The program will also mark the ship’s first operation outside Northern Europe. After debuting in June 2023, the Meraviglia-Class ship is scheduled to continue to offer a year-round program in the region throughout late 2024.
The deployment includes week-long itineraries to the Norwegian Fjords during the summer, in addition to seven-night cruises to Belgium, England, France, the Netherlands and Germany during the winter.
In early 2024, the 4,888-guest is also scheduled to offer a 21-night itinerary to Western Europe and the Canary Islands interpreting in various ports in Northern Europe.
Built at the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard, MSC Euribia is currently one of the largest cruise ships in the MSC Cruises fleet.
At 177,100 gross tons, the vessel offers a series of public areas and features, including 21 bars, ten restaurants, five pool decks and more.
In related news, MSC Cruises also confirmed its return to the Red Sea for the 2024-2025 winter. Replacing the MSC Orchestra, the MSC Musica is set to debut in the region, offering a series of seven-night cruises that sail to Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.
MSC Cruises today opened sales for a range of its winter 2024-25 season sailings. The line will soon provide details for its winter 2024-25 sailing programs in South America, Southern Africa and the Far East but today unveiled the voyages now available to book, according to a press release.
Highlights include six ships serving the Caribbean Sea and MSC Cruises’ flagship MSC Euribia operating for the first time in the Middle East.
Details are:
NORTH AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN
The MSC Meraviglia will operate from New York with seven- to 11-night itineraries to Port Canaveral for Orlando, Nassau in the Bahamas and MSC Cruises’ private island Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve.
The MSC Seascape will sail every Saturday from Miami with either 7-night cruises to the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Ocean Cay or to Jamaica, the Cayman Islands, Mexico and Ocean Cay.
The MSC Seaside every Sunday will offer 7-night voyages from Miami, alternating between the Bahamas, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic or Mexico, Honduras or Belize, and the Bahamas.
The MSC Divina will also be based in Miami and offer an array of three- to 10-night itineraries, all including calls to Ocean Cay. Longer sailings will take guests to Jamaica, Aruba, Curaçao, Dominican Republic and the Bahamas.
The MSC Seashore will homeport in Port Canaveral for three- to four-night mini cruises to the Bahamas, including calls at Ocean Cay, and also sail seven-night voyages with additional stops in Cozumel and Costa Maya in Mexico.
The MSC Virtuosa will homeport in Fort-de-France, Martinique and embark on back-to-back 7-night itineraries including Guadeloupe, the Virgin Islands, St. Maarten, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Antigua & Barbuda, Saint Vincent & The Grenadines, Barbados, Grenada, and Saint Lucia.
ARABIAN GULF
The line’s newest flagship the MSC Euribia will make her debut in the region from Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). It will offer seven-night sailings to two other UAE destinations, Abu Dhabi and Sir Bani Yas Island, plus Doha, Qatar and Manama in Bahrain.
MEDITERRANEAN SEA
The MSC World Europa will sail every Sunday from Genoa for a seven-night voyage with calls at Civitavecchia for Rome, Messina in Sicily, Valletta, Malta; Barcelona, Spain and Marseille, France
NORTHERN EUROPE
The MSC Preziosa will operate seven-night voyages every Sunday from Hamburg, Germany with calls at Zeebrugge for Bruges and Brussels in Belgium; Rotterdam in the Netherlands; Le Havre for Paris and Southampton for London. Additionally, one 21-night long cruise from Southampton will visit the Canary Islands, Madeira and Morocco.
RED SEA
The MSC Musica will offer seven-night sailings from Safaga, Egypt to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; Aqaba for Petra in Jordan, Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt and Sokhna Port for the country’s capital Cairo before returning to Safaga for an opportunity to visit Luxor.
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