Tag Archives: Piraeus

Piraeus Welcomes First Ship of the Year, Costa Deliziosa

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The Port of Piraeus has welcomed its first cruise ship call of the new year with the arrival of the Costa Deliziosa on Tuesday, January 2, according to a press release.

To mark the occasion, the Management of Piraeus Port Authority hosted a special ceremony with the exchange of plaques and Christmas treats for all passengers.

The Costa Deliziosa arrived from Izmir, Turkey during its 14-night Mediterranean voyage sailing roundtrip from Trieste, Italy.

The ship then continued its trip to Dubrovnik, Croatia and will also call in Bari, Italy, before returning to Trieste on Saturday, January 6.

The port also reported historical records for cruise passengers in 2023, with approximately 1.5 million passengers, compared to 880,000 in 2022. Additionally, the total number of cruise ships that visited the port was 760.

The port expects record arrivals in 2024.

Four MSC Ships to Cruise in Europe for Winter 2021-2022

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MSC Magnifica

MSC Cruises announced that four ships will be deployed for the winter season in Europe for 2021-2022.

The MSC Grandiosa will sail from. Genoa as well as Barcelona and Marseille. In addition to these homeport options, the ship will call in the Palermo, Civitavecchia for access to Rome, and Valletta, Malta.

The MSC Fantasia will also sail a classic seven-night itinerary with the choice of multiple embarkation ports in MSC Cruises’ most visited destinations, Barcelona, Marseille, and Genoa, as well as Italian cultural highlights, including La Spezia and Napless, before calling in Palma de Mallorca.

The MSC Magnifica will offer extended 11-night cruises with two different itineraries. The first starts in Genoa and then to Greece, calling Katakolon, Piraeus, and Rhodes before reaching Haifa in Israel where the ship remains overnight allowing a full day to discover ashore, then on to Heraklion, Civitavecchia and back to Genoa.

The second itinerary visits five countries – starting in Genoa, Barcelona in Spain then on to Casablanca in Morocco for an extended stay, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Funchal in Portugal, Malaga in Spain, and then Italy with Civitavecchia and Genoa.

The MSC Poesia will offer 5- and 10-night cruises out of Genoa before embarking on the 2022 World Cruise from Genoa on 5 January.

Coronavirus: MSC Opera passengers ordered to stay on the ship in Greece

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Image result for msc opera

Passengers on MSC Opera were ordered to stay on board on Wednesday after an Austrian passenger from a previous cruise tested positive for coronavirus.

Austrian health authorities informed the line of the test results of the passenger who cruised in the eastern Mediterranean from February 17 to 28 on the 2,142-passenger ship.

MSC told passengers to remain on the vessel after requesting guidance from Greek health authorities.

The line has confirmed no passengers or crew members on the ship have any flu-like symptoms.

The Austrian passenger returned directly to Austria through northern Italy on February 28 after disembarking in Genoa.

A spokesperson for MSC said: “The Greek health authorities gave MSC Opera permission around 13:00 CET to sail from Piraeus, Greece, and continue its journey to its next scheduled port in Corfu, Greece.

“No additional health measures were required to be taken and the ship is currently sailing as planned.

“There are no passengers or crew members currently onboard the ship who have reported any flu-like symptoms.”

The spokesperson also added: “The health and safety of our passengers and crew will always remain our top priority.”

Last week MSC Meraviglia was denied entry to Ocho Rios, Jamaica, and George Town, Grand Cayman Island, over fears a crew member had coronavirus even though tests had shown they had Type A influenza.

The ship later was finally allowed to dock in Cozumel, Mexico and the line issued an apology to passengers for the missed ports of call.