MSC pulls out of UK departures
MSC Cruises is pulling out of ex-UK sailings to concentrate on its Med fly-cruises.
The cruise firm has announced plans to halt ex-UK sailings for a year from ‘early 2015’.
It says it has every intention of returning to the UK but that the deployment for 2015/2016 is still being decided.
MSC Opera – currently sailing out of Southampton – will be out of action for the first half of summer 2015 as the company’s two-year ‘Renaissance Programme’ sees the Lirica class ships in dry dock for 38 weeks.
MSC will be dramatically increasing its fly-cruise capacity by taking more UK passengers on fly-cruises to the Mediterranean than ever before.
The cruise line has already announced its redevelopment of MSC Armonia, MSC Sinfonia, MSC Opera and MSC Lirica as part of its focus on its Mediterranean heritage in 2015.
MD for UK and Ireland Giles Hawke said: "As market leader for Mediterranean cruises it is important that we work to reinforce this position by increasing our fly-cruise capacity, along with improving our ships to include more balcony cabins, more on board entertainment and additional technological advancements.
"We are considering various charter options and working with our air partners to come up with the best approach to keep up with the current customer demand for fly-cruises direct to the Mediterranean.
"We will also be introducing tools supporting travel agents in order to make the fly-cruise booking process easier than ever."
During 2014 MSC Opera is cruising from Southampton on a selection of mini cruises, Baltic cruises, Fjord cruises and the ‘Continental Discovery’ cruise.
MSC Magnifica also starts a short programme of seven night cruises for Autumn 2014 from Southampton featuring an overnight stay in Amsterdam plus visits to Belgium, France and Hamburg in Germany.
Diane
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Digital Travel Reporter of the Mirror totally seduced by HotelPlanner AI Travel Agent
Strike action set to cause travel chaos at Brussels airports
All eyes on Qatar as Qatar Airways leads a season of global events