ABOUT MSC CRUISES

MSC Cruises unveiled its new summer 2024 'Stay & Cruise' programme This enables guests to extend their seven-night cruise into a nine or ten-night holiday on land and sea. The programme includes a new cruise add-on package to extend their holiday before or after their seven-night sailing. The cruise add-on comprises an additional two-night stay with breakfast included at a four-star hotel in Athens, Venice and Rome. There is also a three-star hotel in Miami option as well as two or three nights at a four-star hotel in New York. Included in the package is a half-day city excursion. The 'Stay & Cruise' offer features private ground transfers from the airport to the hotel and then from the hotel to the ship or vice versa. Antonio Paradiso, VP of International Sales for MSC said: "We know guests enjoy the flexibility of tailoring their perfect holidays as well as exploring new destinations.” The 'Stay & Cruise' offer is available on various MSC Cruises summer 2024 sailings in the Mediterranean and Caribbean and currently available to book through MSC Cruises Contact Centre or travel agents. For guests looking for an extended Western or Eastern Mediterranean cruise holiday from Rome, the offer is linked on MSC Divina, MSC Fantasia, MSC Musica, MSC Seaside and MSC Seaview from Civitavecchia before or after their cruise. For Eastern Mediterranean cruises, the add-on package for Venice is available pre-or post-cruise with MSC Armonia, MSC Lirica and MSC Sinfonia from Marghera-Venice. Additionally, guests sailing on MSC Opera, departing from the port of Piraeus, can opt to extend their holiday in Athens before their cruise. The offer can be booked with Caribbean itineraries on MSC Seascape departing from Miami for an additional two-day stay in Miami before the cruise or on MSC Meraviglia departing from New York. Air travel can also be booked through MSC Cruises and added to the 'Stay & Cruise' packages. The option for an add-on package for Istanbul will soon be available this month for MSC Cruises winter 2024/2025 'Stay & Cruise' programme. The MSC Cruises 'Stay & Cruise' packages have been put together in partnership with its 100% owned Italian tour operator, Going. 

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MSC Cruises marked two key milestones with shipbuilder Chantiers de l'Atlantique for two of its upcoming World-Class ships. Work has officially commenced on its third ship, to be called MSC World Asia. This ship is due to be delivered in 2026, following the ship steel cutting ceremony. The name follows the format of the World Class ships that pay homage to the different continents, following MSC World Europa and America. Sister ship MSC World America completed another important milestone with the float out this week at the shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France. The flagship enters her final phase of construction ready to be officially named on April 9, 2025 at MSC Cruises' new terminal in PortMiami. It will end with a celebratory sailing to Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve. Pierfrancesco Vago, Executive Chairman of MSC Cruises said: "MSC World America is another example of the incredible professional partnership between us and the Chantiers de l'Atlantique.” “We are pleased to confirm that MSC World Asia will offer even more advanced new features in terms of future-proof marine and onboard hospitality technologies." MSC World America launches in a year, showcasing a host of new features specially designed for all segments of the North American cruise market. This includes the first ever swing ride at sea, called ‘Cliffhanger.’ World Class ships comprise 22 decks, with more than 2,600 cabins and suites, and offer more than 40,000 sqm of public space. MSC World Asia will become the fourth LNG powered ship to join the MSC Cruises fleet. MSC World America and MSC World Asia, following all new MSC Cruises ships, will be fitted with shore power connectivity as standard. 

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  Graham McKenzie engages in a lively discussion with Steve Williams, representing MSC, about the highly anticipated launch of their 2026 Southampton cruises. Williams reveals the strategic decision to launch earlier than usual, driven by feedback from trade partners and the desire to offer diverse itineraries. From short party cruises to scenic routes including Cove, Ireland, and the Icelandic fjords, MSC aims to cater to varied preferences. The interview highlights the overwhelming interest in the new itineraries, underscored by strong initial bookings, while also shedding light on MSC's loyalty program, offering enticing benefits to prospective cruisers.  

MSC Cruises UK and Ireland is opening sales for ex UK 2026 itineraries this week, earlier than ever before. From 14 March, customers can book ex UK 2026 itineraries from Southampton on MSC Virtuosa. Summer 2026 itineraries range from short two to 14 night cruise holidays offering a wide range of destinations. They include the Nordic Fjords, the sunny Canary Islands and the Mediterranean. The 2026 itineraries include a seven or 14-night cruise to Iceland and Norway, including an overnight stay in Reykjavík and brand-new destinations Akureyri and Isafjordur. Guests can also choose a nine-night Mediterranean cruise calling at Lisbon, Gibraltar, Malaga and Cadiz on 20 August or a two-three-night mini cruise from Southampton to Cherbourg, Bruges or Cobh, Ireland. Antonio Paradiso, MD for the UK & Ireland said: "I'm really excited about our summer 2026 itineraries as we really do have something for everyone.” “The itineraries are extremely varied and we are visiting destinations all over Europe, some for the very first time.” "I am pleased that we are offering our customers the opportunity to start booking their cruise holidays over two years in advance. For the first time ever MSC Cruises will have three summer seasons open at the same time.   

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MSC Cruises will base a ship in the Canary Islands for the 2024-25 winter season and sales are now open.   MSC Opera will operate seven-night itineraries between 3 November 2024 and 16 March 2025. The ship will sail from Santa Cruz in Tenerife for Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, Puerto del Rosario in Fuerteventura, Funchal in Madeira, Santa Cruz de la Palma in La Palma and Arrecife in Lanzarote. The new itinerary also offers flexible embarkation options, including Santa Cruz de Tenerife on Sundays, Las Palmas on Mondays, Madeira for Funchal on Thursdays or Fridays and Arrecife on Saturdays. With extended stays in ports, the itinerary gives ship guests up to 16 hours in port. Antonio Paradiso, VP of International Sales for MSC Group's Cruise Division said: "We know this sailing will be popular amongst European guests, especially those from the UK and Ireland." The new Canary Island cruise itinerary is easily accessible with regular international flights to Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Madeira and Lanzorote. It replaces MSC Opera's previously scheduled Red Sea winter 2024-25 programme, which is cancelled in light of the current risk to shipping in this region. 

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MSC Cruises has rolled out a new flexible ‘book now, choose later’ policy. The 'Open Booking' program allows guests enjoying a cruise to book a future voyage without committing to a specific ship, sailing date or itinerary. It is part of the line’s 'Future Cruise' policy launched last year. With open booking, guests pay a deposit while on board and are given a certificate. This certificate is good for one year, allowing the guest time to select their preferred sailing date and ship. There are also incentives to confirming a booking early. Guests will also receive up to $200/£200 of onboard credit per cabin if they select their voyage within 60 days of making the onboard booking. Those who book after 60 days will receive up to $100//£100 in onboard credit. The certificate can be gifted to friends or family. Travel agents who made the original cruise reservation will also receive full commission when the ‘open booking’ is confirmed with a ship and sailing date. Steve Williams, Director of Sales at MSC Cruises UK & Ireland, said, "We want to offer our guests more flexibility in choosing their next ship and sailing date." MSC Cruises' updated 'Future Cruise' program launched six months ago, and rewards travel agents. This enables the original booking agent to receive full commission for any new booking made on board. 

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• Limited number of flights from £99/ Є99 per person from Manchester, Glasgow and Dublin to the Mediterranean
• Flash sale starts on Friday, 16 February and also includes flights from £499 per person to the Caribbean for winter 24/25
• Sail onboard some of MSC Cruises ships including MSC World Europa, MSC Seaview and MSC Virtuosa this summer

  Tomorrow, MSC Cruises is set to launch its February flash sale, offering flight seats from as little as £99/€99 per person to the Mediterranean this summer. With a limited number of seats from Manchester, Glasgow and Dublin, travellers should act quickly to be able to enjoy a summer sailing around destinations including Venice, Rome and Barcelona. Those looking to travel west this winter can find flight seats to the Caribbean starting from £499 per person (exclusive to UK customers only).   Customers can take advantage of this offer and fly directly to the departure port of their MSC Cruises sailing from airports in Manchester, Glasgow and Dublin. They can then enjoy the sights of the Mediterranean across a number of ships in the fleet, including MSC World Europa and MSC Seaview, among others.   Experience a 7-night sailing onboard MSC World Europa, departing from Barcelona on 26^th April 2024 for £899pp for an interior cabin and flights, visiting Marseille, Genoa, Naples, Messina, and Valletta.   Experience a 7-night sailing onboard MSC Seaview, departing from Barcelona on 22^nd June 2024 for £978pp for an interior cabin and flights, visiting Cannes, Genoa, La Spezia, Civitavecchia, and Palma de Mallorca.   The offer also includes flight seats from £499 per person to the Caribbean for those wishing to explore the picturesque islands during winter 2024/2025. Fly from Heathrow directly to Barbados and depart on a sailing onboard MSC Virtuosa around the Caribbean.   A sailing included in the offer is a 14 night sailing on board MSC Virtuosa, departing from Barbados on 26^th November 2024 for £1,808pp for an interior cabin and flights, porting at St Vincent & the Grenadines, Grenada, Martinique,  Guadeloupe, St Maarten, Tortola, St Kitts & Nevis, Antigua and Barbuda.   Commenting on the offer, Steve Williams, Director of Sales for MSC Cruises UK and Ireland said “We want to make it easy for our customers to enjoy some of the best destinations around the globe on our outstanding ships, which is why we are proud to offer flights from £99  per person, from Manchester, Glasgow and Dublin as part of our popular fly and cruise packages. Guests should act fast, because once the seats are gone, they are gone!”

MSC Cruises has made amendments to its spring cruise schedules due to ongoing security issues in the Red Sea region. The cruise line has cancelled three repositioning 'Grand Voyage' sailings in April from South Africa and the United Arab Emirates to Europe because of the risks in the Red Sea. The 24-night cruise of MSC Splendida from Durban to Genoa, a 21-night sailing of MSC Opera from Dubai to Genoa and a 23-night voyage of MSC Virtuosa from Dubai to Southampton, UK are scrapped. The safety of passengers and crew is the number one priority, MSC Cruises says, and found no viable alternative itinerary. The three ships will transfer directly to Europe without any passengers and avoid transiting through the Red Sea. Instead, they will sail around the west coast of Africa with no ports of call on their journeys to their respective European homeports for the summer 2024 season. It doesn’t affect any other ships in the fleet. All passengers booked on the three repositioning cruises have been, or are in the process of being, contacted directly or through their travel agent. They can transfer to a future Grand Voyage of a similar duration for free. Impacted passengers can rebook to any other cruise, with either a partial refund or additional payment for the difference in price Alternatively, they can opt for a full refund with no cancellation fees. 

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MSC Cruises has unveiled its new Galveston, Texas homeport. Galveston will become home for MSC Seascape from November 2025, becoming MSC Cruises' fourth US home port. The cruise line opened sales for year-round sailings from the port, offering week-long itineraries with Sunday embarkation. Caribbean cruises will serve ports of call like to Costa Maya and Cozumel and Roatan (Honduras) with the first departure set for 9 November 2025. MSC Cruises' CEO Gianni Onorato said: "This announcement is the latest step in our strategy to continue to grow our US footprint.” "We began operations from our third US home port, New York City, where we now sail year-round, and we are proud to add Galveston to that growing line-up.”  We are committed to bringing our newest, most innovative ships to the US. and are pleased that MSC Seascape will be more easily accessible to guests in central and western US." MSC Seascape offers an upgraded family-friendly experience with  7,500 square feet of dedicated kids' facilities and amusement options. 

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MSC Cruises has kicked off the new year with the 'Big Cruise Giveaway,' exclusively for UK and Irish travel agents. Until 31 March 2024, MSC Cruises will distribute scratch cards to travel agents throughout the UK and Ireland, offering 13 balcony cabins for lucky agents to win on a seven-night cruise for two on select sailings. Successful UK-based travel agents are given the chance to pick any seven-night sailing aboard MSC Virtuosa from Southampton during specific seasons this year. Irish travel agent winners can choose any seven-night voyage on MSC Cruises ships sailing the Mediterranean this summer. Among the ships included in this offer for Irish agents are MSC World Europa, MSC Seaview, MSC Seaside, MSC Grandiosa, MSC Divina, MSC Fantasia, MSC Armonia, MSC Lirica, MSC Musica, MSC Opera, MSC Orchestra, MSC Sinfonia, and MSC Splendida. Steve Williams, Sales Director at MSC Cruises UK & Ireland, said, "This big giveaway is the perfect motivation for agents to boost sales this Wave season and seize the chance to win an extraordinary holiday experience." "Our Wave season comes loaded with incredible all-inclusive offers for our customers. I'm confident this Wave season will be our most successful yet." The ongoing MSC Cruises Wave promotion, available until 31 March 2024, encompasses both summer 2024 and winter 2024/25. 

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MSC Cruises has successfully connected MSC World Europa to in-port shore power for the first time in the Mediterranean. It did so in the port of Valetta, Malta. The line is committed to the use of shore power where available. Using shore power allows the ship to connect to the local power grid and removes the need to keep a ship's engine running. This eliminates direct emissions while the vessel is connected in port. MSC Cruises performed the first tests earlier this year at Valletta. MSC World Europa will now connect to the shore power facilities when in Valetta. The ship will call every week at Valetta throughout the whole of next year and 2025. Since 2017, every new ship joining the fleet has been equipped with a shore power connection. Plans are underway to retrofit older ships. The shore power connectivity in Valetta follows the recent successful connections in Northern Europe  including Warnemünde in Germany, the Norwegian ports at Bergen, Aalesund and Haugesund, and Southampton in the UK. Earlier this year, MSC Cruises inaugurated the new shore power facility in Kiel, Germany. Shore power hook up is an integral part of MSC Cruises’ journey towards net zero greenhouse gas emission operations by 2050. MSC Cruises aims to add at least 15 new ports to its shore power plan between 2024 and 2026. This focuses on a number of ports in Italy, including Genoa, La Spezia, Civitavecchia, Naples and Trieste, as well as ports such as Barcelona, Hamburg, Valencia, Marseille, Copenhagen, and the new cruise terminal in Miami that opens next year. The company has signed a Memorandum of Understanding to enhance shore power facilities in the Baltic Sea region, and similar commitments are being pursued with other ports in the Mediterranean. MSC World Europa was MSC Cruises' first vessel to be powered by liquefied natural gas.

MSC World Europa is front and centre of a new Channel 4 documentary. It has the starring role in the 60-minute documentary, Building the Billion Pound Cruise Ship, which airs on 16 December. The show follows the 22-deck LNG-powered cruise ship from the first steel cutting in 2019 to welcoming the first guests in late 2022. It follows the designers, project managers and shipbuilders as work to deliver a brand new ship prototype under a tight deadline. The programme shows the construction techniques used to build MSC World Europa from over 42,000 tonnes of steel. It goes behind the scenes to see what it takes to operate a ship with almost 7,000 guests. MSC World Europa was constructed by Chantiers de L'Atlantique. It is MSC’s first World Class category ship with 33 restaurants, bars and lounges, six swimming pools, and much more. MSC World Europa is sailing the Mediterranean for winter 2023/2024 and summer 2024.