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MSC to Debut 2 Newbuilds in Winter 2022-23 Sailing Program

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MSC Cruises has revealed the details of its winter 2022-2023 sailing program for 21 ships – including two newbuilds making their debut – to nearly 200 global destinations in 85 countries.

According to a press release, MSC next winter will introduce its first World-class of the ship and first LNG-powered vessel, the GT 205,700 MSC World Europa.

She will be based in Doha for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 football tournament to be staged during November and December.

The vessel will then offer cruises calling Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sir Bani Yas Island in the United Arab Emirates and Doha, plus Dammam in Saudi Arabia, with a mini-cruise on Dec. 20 before starting seven-night cruises in the Gulf region.

The Seascape next winter will become the second new ship to join MSC Cruises’ fleet and the line’s second Seaside EVO class vessel. She will offer two different seven-night itineraries from PortMiami with the first sailing on Dec. 11.

Winter 2022/2023 Sailing Program:

Middle East

The MSC World Europa will offer seven-night voyages including Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sir Bani Yas Island, Dammam and Doha.

The MSC Opera will also homeport in Dubai and sail to Abu Dhabi, Sir Bani Yas Island and both Muscat and Khasab in Oman.

The MSC Splendida will homeport in Jeddah calling at Yanbu and Al Wajh in Saudi Arabia, Aqaba in Jordan and Safaga in Egypt.

Caribbean Sea

The MSC Seascape will start her inaugural season from Dec. 11 from PortMiami. She will offer seven-night East Caribbean itineraries calling at Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, Nassau in the Bahamas, San Juan in Puerto Rico and Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic. The ship will also sail 7-night West Caribbean itineraries calling at Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, Cozumel in Mexico, George Town in the Cayman Islands and Ocho Rios in Jamaica.

The MSC Meraviglia will offer three- to seven-night Caribbean cruises from Port Canaveral including Nassau, Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, Costa Maya in Mexico, Cozumel and Belize City in Belize.

The MSC Divina will offer three- to 10-night sailings from PortMiami with all itineraries calling at Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve. Other destinations include Belize City, Isla de Roatan in Honduras, Costa Maya, Ocho Rios, Cartagena in Colombia), Colon in Panama) and Puerto Limon in Costa Rica.

The MSC Seaside will sail seveb-night cruises from Fort de France in Martinique, Pointe-a-Pitre in Guadeloupe and Philipsburg in St Maarten. There will be two different itineraries that include calls to destinations such as Castries in Saint Lucia, Bridgetown in Barbados, Saint George in Grenada), or St John’s in Antigua and Barbuda, Basseterre in St Kitts and Nevis and Roseau in Dominica.

Mediterranean Sea

The MSC Grandiosa will sail seven-night cruises from Genoa, Civitavecchia and Palermo in Italy, Valletta in Malta, Barcelona in Spain and Marseille France.

The MSC Virtuosa is offering sailings from Genoa, La Spezia and Naples in Italy, Palma de Mallorca and Barcelona in Spain and Marseille.

The MSC Lirica will operate 11-night voyages from Genoa to Civitavecchia and Messina in Italy, Rhodes in Greece, Limassol in Cyprus, Haifa in Israel and Heraklion in Crete (Greece). The ship will also operate 10-night sailings from Genoa to Marseille, Barcelona, Tangier and Casablanca in Morocco, plus the Spanish ports of Ceuta, Malaga and Alicante.

Northern Europe

The MSC Preziosa is to sail seven-night sailings from Hamburg in Germany, Zeebrugge in Belgium, Rotterdam in the Netherlands, Le Havre in France and Southampton in the UK.

South America

The MSC Seashore will do the new seven-night itinerary from Santos calling Maceio, Salvador and Buzios in Brazil.

The MSC Seaview will homeport for the first time in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil between December to March. She will offer 3 to 8-night cruises with different itineraries including the Brazilian destinations of Buzios, Ilhabela, Ilha Grande/Angra dos Reis, Ilheus and Salvador, as well as to Uruguay and Argentina.

The MSC Fantasia is Homeporting in Santos with a range of 3 to 7-night cruises with domestic calls including Ilha Grande, Buzios and Ilha Grande/Angra dos Reis, plus Montevideo and Punta Del Este in Uruguay and Buenos Aires in Argentina.

The MSC Armonia will homeport in Itajai/Santa Caterina with 7-night itineraries to Uruguay, Argentina and Ilhabela in Brazil.

The MSC Musica will homeport in Buenos Aires with sailings to Brazil including Ilhabela, Rio de Janeiro, Buzios and Ilha Grande/Angra dos Reis.

South Africa

The MSC Sinfonia will homeport in Cape Town with sailings to Mossel Bay in South Africa, plus Walvis Bay and Luderitz in Namibia.

The MSC Orchestra will homeport in Durban for voyages to Pomene and Portuguese Island in Mozambique, Walvis Bay and Cape Town.

MSC World Cruise 2023

The MSC Magnifica and MSC Poesia will both perform the MSC World Cruise 2023. The two ships, in an industry-first, will host more than 5,000 passengers for journeys around the world. Both vessels will depart from Civitavecchia and Genoa on 4 and 5 January 2023 respectively, Marseille one day later and Barcelona on 7 January. Once the two ships leave the Mediterranean Sea, they will part ways in the Atlantic Ocean for their separate global itineraries.

MSC Preziosa will sail a winter season of northern European cruises from Southampton

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MSC Preziosa arriving in Southampton.

Preziosa will arrive in early October offering itineraries visiting five European cities, with its 2022/23 winter season due to run through to April 2023.

Sales will open in the coming days, said MSC. Preziosa will replace MSC Virtuosa, which will sail in summer 2022 from Southampton.

Virtuosa’s season will get underway with a Guernsey mini-cruise departing 29 April and will wrap up with a final Mediterranean sailing scheduled to depart on 4 November.

MSC managing director the UK and Ireland, Antonio Paradiso, said Preziosa’s deployment from Southampton underlined MSC’s commitment to the UK market and travel trade.

“We are proud that we are providing agents with such a variety of products to sell in the ex-UK space this year,” said Paradiso. “Sailing MSC Virtuosa from Southampton last year allowed us a great opportunity to access the new-to-cruise market, which made up 50% of our sales for summer 2021.”

Preziosa will offer a seven-night winter itinerary featuring five European city destinations, with calls in Hamburg, Zeebrugge (for Bruges and Brussels), Rotterdam (for Amsterdam) and Le Havre (for Paris).

MSC Cruises has extended MSC Virtuosa’s 2022 Southampton season by an extra month

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MSC Virtuosa entering the river Mersey, photo credit Spacejunkie2

The Meraviglia Plus-class vessel, which launched in the UK last year, will return at the end of April and operate 23 voyages until early November.

Itineraries range from five two-night mini cruises, including calls at Guernsey’s St Peter Port, to 12-night Baltic voyages and 14-night Western Mediterranean sailings.

Speaking to TTG, Antonio Paradiso, managing director UK and Ireland, said the extension decision had been made following agent and consumer requests for more ex-UK options around October half-term.

The four additional cruises will visit the Mediterranean, including a call in Palma de Mallorca, the East Atlantic visiting Portugal and Spain and a Canaries sailing during October half-term before Virtuosa repositions to Genoa.

Paradiso said the vessel, which debuted from Southampton in May last year amid the restart of UK cruising, had become “such a popular ship” in the British market.

“I think she’s now even more popular than Bellissima that we launched in Southampton – she’s become one of the UK’s favourite ships,” he said.

Paradiso added that ex-UK Southampton sailings had proven MSC’s “best-sold cruises” for 2022 with the line wanting to meet demand.

“Last year, after Virtuosa left the UK in mid-September, we realised there were more opportunities to take advantage of to stay later in the year,” he said. “We have an open dialogue with our trade partners and want to give them something they can really get behind and sell.

“We have the right ship and we’ve never had so much variety from the UK. There is a very nice mix of itineraries and I think we’re ticking all the boxes.”

The line is also extending its MSC Big Cruise Giveaway trade campaign – with a further 30 cabins to be won by the UK and Irish agents between 1-15 February.

Agents must book any sailing included as part of MSC’s all-inclusive wave promotion to be entered into the prize draw.

News of MSC’s extended ex-UK season follows the line’s announcement on Monday (31 January) of plans to lengthen its season in the Arabian Gulf. 

MSC Bellissima will finish its planned Red Sea itineraries homeporting in Jeddah on 26 March before repositioning to Dubai to take over from Virtuosa from 2 April as the ship heads to the UK.

Bellissima will then offer seven-night cruises calling in Sir Bani Yas and Doha through to 25 June – the first time MSC has had a ship in the region during the summer.

Paradiso said the move was a “win-win” for the UK and Irish market due to the popularity of both ships with customers.

Next month, MSC will launch a new TV advertising campaign, Only the Sea, featuring on ITV, Channel 4, Sky channels and video on-demand services. Paradiso said the month-long campaign could be extended if it proved successful.

“January was an opportunity for us to wait and see what things were going to look like. We’ve gathered as many insights as possible and now we want to gain momentum and leverage the demand we’re seeing,” he said.