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MSC Cruises launches 2017/18 programme

17/01/2017

London, March 04 2016 – The launch of a brand new ‘Wellness’ Experience takes centre stage in the MSC Cruises 2017/18 brochure, to be launched on Monday March 14.

The new on-board category has been designed for guests who want their holiday to be active and healthy. Designed in partnership with global fitness brand Technogym, ‘Wellness’ joins MSC Cruises’ existing on-board Experiences ‘Bella’, ‘Fantastica’, ‘Aurea’ and ‘MSC Yacht Club’.

Guests opting for the Wellness Experience will receive a personalised exercise and nutritional programme along with a raft of dedicated activities and privileges during their cruise. These will include exclusive active shore excursions, specially created menus, fitness classes, and sporting goods such as clothing and towels, sports drinks and free laundry for their kit. All guest activity will be monitored via an MSC Cruises version of Technogym’s ‘mywellness’ smartphone app.


Also new in the brochure is the introduction of All In One fares, a special deal for one-parent families. The offer allows single parents to pay the regular adult fare, while the first child pays 60% of the adult fare rather than the industry standard of cabins being priced on adult double-occupancy. Any additional children are charged at the usual low MSC Cruises rates.

The new-look brochure has been designed to give guests more of an insight into holidaying with MSC Cruises as the business ramps up awareness in the UK. Consequently, the brochure features a much more image-led design, highlighting life on board its ships, facilities, cuisine and a snapshot of the range of itineraries offered to UK guests. Itinerary pages are accompanied with an easy-to-read price grid showing lead-in cruise-only fares, with a ‘Fly & Cruise’ icon detailing flight costs where applicable.

MSC Cruises executive director UK and Ireland Giles Hawke said: “The entire UK team has worked exceptionally hard over the last two years to spread the news about MSC Cruises. The new 2017/18 brochure will capitalise on this – it really focuses on the amazing product we offer and shows why we are a serious player in the market.

“Our brochure tells the ‘MSC Cruises story’ like never before. Modern ships, great facilities and incredible destination choice. We’ve got the wow factor and we are doing all we can to show it off to potential guests.”

The 2017/18 brochure majors on the cruise line’s comprehensive summer and winter selection in the Mediterranean, with many itineraries available with multiple ports of embarkation. The brochure also features core cruises aimed at UK cruisers – year-round sailings from Miami and Cuba; winter in the Emirates and selection of ex-UK departures aboard MSC Preziosa.

Guests booking before June 30, 2016 will be able to take advantage of price reductions of up to £300 per person. Upgrades from Inside to Outside cabins are available from £50pp, and Inside to Balcony cabins from £150pp.

The brochure features a number of other debuts and innovations. These include the first programmes of new-build ships MSC Meraviglia in the western Mediterranean [to be launched in May 2017], and MSC Seaside in the Caribbean from Miami [to be launched in November 2017]. A number of Caribbean itineraries on a selection of ships also feature the new Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve – the company’s purpose-built resort island in the Bahamas which is scheduled to open in time for MSC Seaside’s inaugural season.



MSC Cruises 2017/18 brochure: selected highlights

Med Summer 2017 - Seven-night sailings: Seven vessels operating eight ‘core’ seven-night itineraries in the Mediterranean from Venice and Genoa [Flexible embarkation at other European ports is also available]. Examples include…

MSC Meraviglia: Seven-night Western Med fly-cruise from Genoa (Portofino), calling at Naples, Italy; Messina, Sicily; Valletta, Malta; Barcelona, Spain; Marseille, France and Genoa. June-November 2017. From £619pp [Barcelona and Marseille embarkation available].

MSC Armonia:
Seven-night Western Med fly-cruise from Genoa (Portofino), calling at Marseille, France; Palma, Majorca; Ibiza (overnight stay); Olbia, Sardinia; Livorno, Italy; and Genoa. June-September 2017. From £799pp. [Marseille, Palma and Livorno embarkation available].

MSC Orchestra:
Seven-night Western Med fly-cruise from Genoa (Portofino), Italy, calling at Cannes, France; Palma, Majorca; Barcelona, Spain; Ajaccio, Corsica; Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy; La Spezia, Italy; and Genoa. April-October 2017. From £699pp. [Barcelona and Civitavecchia embarkation available].

MSC Splendida:
Seven night fly-cruise from Genoa (Portofino), Italy, calling at Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy; Palermo, Sicily; Cagliari, Sardinia; Palma, Majorca; Valencia, Spain; Marseille, France; and Genoa. April-November 2017. From £699pp. [Civitavecchia, Valencia and Marseille embarkation available].

MSC Musica:
Seven-night Eastern Med fly-cruise from Venice, Italy, calling at Brindisi, Italy; Katakolon, Greece; Santorini, Greece; Piraeus (Athens), Greece; Corfu, Greece; Kotor, Montenegro; and Venice. April-Oct 2017. From £699pp. [Brindisi embarkation available].

MSC Poesia:
Seven-night Eastern Med fly-cruise from Venice, Italy, calling at Bari, Italy; Katakolon, Greece; Izmir, Turkey; Istanbul; Dubrovnik, Croatia; and Venice. April-October 2017. From 699pp. [Bari embarkation available].

‘Longer’ cruises: A selection of ‘longer’ Mediterranean fly-cruises (from nine to 12 nights) are featured. Examples include…

MSC Magnifica: Nine-night Western Med fly-cruise from Barcelona, Spain, calling at Marseille, France; Genoa, Italy; Malaga, Spain; Casablanca, Morocco; Lisbon, Portugal; and Barcelona. September and October 2017. From £799pp.

Ex-UK sailings: MSC Preziosa will offer six ex-UK sailings – the first time UK guests have been able to experience the newest Fantasia-class vessel in home waters.
The Southampton departures include a five-night mini-break with calls at Hamburg, Germany and Le Havre, France. September 2017. From £359pp.

Additionally there will be five seven-night continental coastal cruises, featuring calls in Zeebrugge, Belgium; Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Hamburg, Germany (overnight stay); Le Havre, France; and Southampton. From £549pp.

Caribbean: For summer 2017 MSC Cruises will have two ships in the Caribbean – MSC Opera from Havana, Cuba and MSC Divina from Miami. Both ships will offer alternating seven-night ‘butterfly’ itineraries from their home ports, giving guests the option to create longer 14-night sailings

MSC Opera: 14-night Cuba and the Caribbean sailing from Havana, Cuba (includes two nights in Havana) and calls at Montego Bay, Jamaica; George Town, Cayman Islands; Cozumel, Mexico; Havana (overnight stay); Belize City, Belize; Isla de Roatan, Honduras; Costa Maya, Mexico; Isle of Youth, Cuba; and Havana. April-November 2017. From £1,369pp cruise-only.

MSC Divina: 14-night Eastern Caribbean fly-cruise from Miami, US; calling at Nassau, Bahamas; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Philipsburg, St Maarten; Miami, US; Ocho Rios; Jamaica; George Town, Cayman Islands; Cozumel, Mexico; Nassau, Bahamas; and Miami. April-December 2017. From £1,599pp.


Winter 2017/2018

Mediterranean: For some winter sun closer to home guests can opt for seven-night or 12-night cruises aboard MSC Meraviglia and MSC Fantasia.

MSC Meraviglia: Seven-night Western Med fly-cruise from Barcelona, Spain; calling at Marseille, France, Genoa (Portofino); Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy; Palermo, Sicily; Tunis, Tunisia; and Barcelona. November 2017-April 2018. From £519pp [Marseille, Genoa and Civitavecchia embarkation available].
MSC Fantasia: 12-night Western Med fly-cruise from Genoa, Italy, calling at Marseille, France; Barcelona, Spain; Casablanca, Morocco; Santa Cruz, Tenerife; Funchal, Madeira; Malaga, Spain; Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy and Genoa. October 2017-March 2018. From £659pp.  [Marseille, Barcelona and Civitavecchia embarkation available].

Caribbean: the arrival of MSC Seaside in December 2017 means UK cruisers are spoilt for choice in the Caribbean. MSC Cruises will have four ships in the region for winter season - MSC Seaside and MSC Divina from Miami, US; MSC Orchestra, operating out of Bridgetown, Barbados;  and MSC Armonia from Havana. MSC Divina will offer five ‘long’ sailings of either 10- or 11-nights to the Dutch Antilles and Central America, and the Eastern Caribbean.

MSC Seaside: 14-night fly-cruise from Miami, US, calling at Charlotte Amalie, USVI; Nassau, Bahamas; Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, Bahamas; Miami; Ocho Rios, Jamaica; George Town, Cayman Islands; Cozumel, Mexico; Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve; and Miami. December 2017-May 2018. £1,599pp.

MSC Divina: 11-night Central America sailing from Miami calls at Ocho Rios, Jamaica; Cartagena, Colombia; Cristobal, Panama; Puerto Limon, Costa Rica; Belize City, Belize; Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, Bahamas; and Miami. January-February 2018. From £609pp cruise-only.

MSC Orchestra:
14-night fly-cruise from Bridgetown, Barbados, calling at Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago; St George, Grenada; Roseau, Dominica; Fort de France, Martinique; Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe; Philipsburg, St Maarten; Road Town, Tortola/British Virgin Islands; La Romana, Dominican Republic; Basseterre, St Kitts & Nevis; St John's, Antigua and Barbuda; Fort de France, Martinique; Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe; Castries, St Lucia; and Bridgetown. Dec 2017-Feb 2018. From £1,699pp.

Emirates: MSC Cruises continues with its commitment to the region with MSC Splendida taking over operations. It will offer two alternating seven-night cruises over a 14-week season, with embarkation. The two itineraries both include a call at Abu Dhabi’s Sir Bani Yas nature reserve. Embarkation at Dubai and Abu Dhabi available.
MSC Fantasia: Seven-night fly-cruise from Dubai, calling at Abu Dhabi; Sir Bani Yas island; Bahrain; Doha, Qatar; and Dubai 9Overnight stay). December 2017-March 2018. From £849pp. Or
Dubai; Abu Dhabi, UAE; Sir Bani Yas Island, UAE; Muscat, Oman; Khor al Fakkan, UAE; and Dubai (overnight stay). December 2017-March 2018. From £799pp.
All prices based on two sharing.



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