Johannesburg - MSC Armonia, the first of four MSC cruise ships to be enlarged and enhanced under the company’s “Renaissance Programme”, was relaunched amid much fanfare in Genoa, Italy, this week for a 10-day inaugural cruise to the Canary Islands.
MSC Cruises chief executive officer Gianni Onorato said: “I’m proud of what we and our partners at Fincantieri have achieved with MSC Armonia. Not only is she smarter and more spacious, but we have given her a new lease of life that will appeal to experienced cruise travellers and first-timers. We call her ‘the ship that suits you’.”
The R2.7 billion Renaissance Programme is the first step in a fleet enlargement plan that includes four new ships, built to two state-of-the-art designs, to be delivered by STX France and Fincantieri, in Italy, between 2017 and 2019, with options for three more by 2022.
In 2004, MSC Cruises carried 80 000 guests a year. Today the company has grown by 800 percent. The fleet’s capacity is to be doubled by 2022, meaning it will be able to take 3.4 million people a year.
The MSC Armonia has more balcony cabins, new clubs for children, and a stunning new outdoor Spray Park – a wet zone with interactive jets, slides and ingenious water features. It is also the first cruise ship in the world with areas for children designed and equipped by Chicco and Lego.
All these are in addition to the ship’s two open-air swimming pools, distinctive restaurants and bars and beautiful Fenice Theatre.
Key new features:
l Ninety-four beautifully appointed balcony cabins.
l Redesigned restaurants and bars; buffet open 20 hours a day.
l Twenty hours of entertainment a day.
l Five clubs for children, for ages 0 to 3 years, 3 to 6, 7 to 11, 12 to 14, and 15 to 17.
The MSC Armonia set sail on Wednesday and is calling at Marseille, Cartagena, Gibraltar, Cadiz, Funchal, Santa Cruz de La Palma and Santa Cruz de Tenerife before reaching Las Palmas in the Canary Islands.
MSC Cruises has arranged a one-off programme of in-port entertainment, with dancers and musicians, gifts for guests and fireworks displays in Marseille and Tenerife. Celebrations on board include a gala dinner and spectacular theatre performances.
Passengers may also watch a documentary explaining the engineering feat involved in enlarging the MSC Armonia – work that will also be carried out on the MSC Sinfonia, MSC Opera and MSC Lirica. The programme is to be completed in November.
After her inaugural cruise, the MSC Armonia will begin a winter season of seven-night cruises to must-see destinations on the way to the Canary Islands and Morocco.
MSC Cruises has compiled a range of excursions to take passengers to the heart of the places visited. They include tours of cities, such as Aix-en-Provence, Cartagena and Cadiz; a tour of Seville’s Gothic cathedral – the world’s third-largest church – and a visit to the Jerez de la Frontera cellars to learn about the famous Jerez sherry.
Saturday Star