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MSC Cruises |
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| MSC Cruises is a division of Mediterranean Shipping Company (one of the largest container shipping lines in the world). This Italian company features a Mediterranean-inspired cruising experience, with a slogan of "Beautiful. Passionate. Italian." MSC Cruises stresses hospitality and comfort, and you are sure to see during an MSC cruise that the crew is very friendly and the ships have a very relaxed decor. The most direct competition to them is Costa Cruises, a somewhat similar Italian cruise line. What was once a small cruise line with mostly older ships, MSC Cruises is quickly becoming a young and premium cruise line. In its quest to give a great luxury cruising experience, MSC Cruises has hired Richard Sasso, the former President of Celebrity Cruises, to serve as its President and CEO. MSC Cruises is not very well known in North America, but it is a rapidly expanding line with one of the youngest fleets in the world. As a result of a major expansion plan MSC Cruises is becoming one of the largest cruise lines in the cruising industry. In fact, by 2010 they will have 12 ships in its family of cruise ships. Furthermore, recent announcements include the addition of two more ships to MSC's fleet by 2012, MSC Meraviglia (in 2011) and MSC Favolosa (in 2012). Both ships will be 93,000 tons and will accommodate 2,550 guests (based on double occupancy) in 1,275 staterooms. These ships will members of MSC's "Musica" class of ships. In an effort to further their fleet's youth movement, MSC Cruises sold MSC Rhapsody in April 2009. A nice promotion that MSC often has available (on select sailings) is a "Kids Sail Free" deal, where kids 17 and under only have to pay some taxes and fees when there are two full fare paying adults traveling in the same stateroom as them. MSC usually offers a 30% discount for children under 12 on their shore excursions, which is another great family-friendly value. Theme cruises are a feature available on select sailings on some of MSC's ships. Among the themed cruises that MSC has available are: baseball greats, well-being, astral, hobbies, golf, chess, singles, big band, bridge and culinary. |
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| MSC Cruises specializes in Mediterranean itineraries, but also features Caribbean, Northern Europe, South America and Transatlantic cruises. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Over the past few years MSC cruises had made great strides in improving their overall cruise experience. They used to get complaints about having a slow moving crew, but this is no longer the case. The Italian crew members that are now onboard the MSC cruise ships are very friendly and fun. Many of the MSC cruise ships tend to have staterooms (and showers) that are smaller than those of other major cruise lines. Tipping is automatically charged to your onboard expense account (at a rate of $12 per person, per day). You can adjust this amount to be higher or lower, per your request. Since MSC Cruises is a European cruise line, the currently onboard the MSC ships is the Euro. While on a Caribbean cruise, onboard announcements are generally done in at least two languages (English and Italian). In fact, MSC publicizes that each of their crew members is fluent in English, French, German and Spanish, to put all of their guests at ease. During the day most of the typical daytime cruise activities are available. For instance, there are usually fun pool games going on out on deck. There is usually a bingo game available at some point during the day. Dancing lessons are also given during a typical MSC cruise. Pilates and yoga classes are available in the fitness center (at an additional charge per class). The main focus of the evening entertainment is the main show room. Each night there is a show, ranging from Vegas-style production shows to comedians and magicians. Many of the shows have European influences, such as Spanish dancing and Italian opera singers. In addition to the shows, other popular options include gambling in the casino and going to one of the bars or lounges for a drink or to listen to live music. There are no alternative dining restaurants on the MSC cruise ships. The only evening dining options besides the main dining rooms are room service, a buffet and pizzeria. The main dining rooms are based on a traditional assigned dining format, with two fixed seating times. Italian cuisine is definitely a focus of the MSC menu options. A special vegetarian menu is available. There is a children's program available, with a small children's center on each ship. In cabin babysitting is available at an additional, per hour, cost. The typical age range of an MSC cruise passenger is mid-40's and older. In Europe cruises you'll find a large majority of the cruisers being from Europe, while in the Caribbean you'll find mostly American passengers onboard each ship. |
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| The past passenger program of MSC Cruises is the MSC Club. You become a member of the MSC Club after your first MSC cruise. Benefits of club membership include exclusive discounts and more. View our MSC Club page for additional details. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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There are currently eleven ships in the rapidly expanding MSC Cruises fleet, with additional ships scheduled to debut during 2011 and 2012. The newest of their ships is the 92,400-ton MSC Magnifica, the fourth of MSC's beautiful Musica Class ships. MSC Rhapsody was sold and is no longer a part of MSC's fleet.
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