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Contact Information:
MSC Cruises
6750 North Andrews Ave.
Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33309
(800) 666-9333
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Why MSC Cruises?
 Bread-and-butter itineraries are in the Mediterranean
Editor's Picks: Best Ships for First-Timers
Caters to Europeans with a decidedly Old World Italian ambience
MSC Fantasia, MSC's biggest, splashiest ship ever, debuted in late 2008
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About MSC Cruises
2009 Editors' Picks Awards Winner!
Best Big Ship Luxury Enclave, Best Kept Secret (MSC Fantasia and MSC Splendida)
Mediterranean Shipping Company's MSC Cruises may be a relatively new entrant in cruising's leisure travel niche (Its cruise arm was formed in 1987), but the Geneva-based firm is one of the world's biggest players in international shipping.
MSC Cruises, based in Naples and Sorrento, was conceived on the premise of offering Europeans affordable cruise vacations -- a concept that was fairly revolutionary in 1990. Today, it competes primarily against Genoa-based Costa Cruises (as well as smaller, more regional lines like Spain's Pullmantur).
The big difference between MSC and Costa is that the latter is owned by Carnival Corporation and has begun to sport ships that more closely reflect the Carnival Cruise Lines ambience. (Indeed, Costa's newest ships are built on the same platform as Carnival's Conquest-class of ships and are designed by Joe Farcus, Carnival's longtime interiors maestro.) MSC, which shows an equal commitment to not only building new ships but also expanding its passenger demographics, is privately owned and, as such, the designs of its vessels are unique to the line.
MSC Cruises was created when Gianlucci Aponte, owner of Mediterranean Shipping Company, acquired Starlauro -- a one-ship cruise line, whose fleet consisted of the Achille Lauro (which had been hijacked by Palestinian terrorists in 1986). This first ship continued its troubled history, even while under the MSC flag. In 1996, the Achille Lauro, while sailing a passenger cruise, caught fire off the coast of Africa and, ultimately, sank. All passengers were safely rescued.
Other ships in MSC's early fleet included MSC Melody and MSC Rhapsody. (Both are still sailing under the MSC flag, though they are not marketed to North American travelers.)
The turn of the millennium was a massive breakthrough for MSC, which, for the first time, commissioned its own series of new-builds. MSC Lirica, a 59,058-ton, 1,445-passenger vessel, was the first to emerge in April 2003; MSC Opera, just slightly larger and carrying 1,756 passengers, debuted in June 2004.
Since then, the fleet has been bolstered by the acquisition of several vessels from the now-defunct First European/Festival. Now named MSC Armonia and MSC Sinfonia, both ships measure 58,625 tons and carry 1,566 passengers.
The introduction of a new class of ships -- larger, more amenity-laden and featuring an even higher ratio of private verandahs -- emerged with MSC Musica. Measuring 89,600 tons and accommodating 2,550 passengers, that class "master" was launched in June 2006; siblings include MSC Orchestra (debuted in spring of 2007) and MSC Poesia (spring of 2008). MSC Magnifica, the fourth ship in the Musica class, will launch in March 2010.
MSC's biggest forward foot to date has been the innovative new design for its Fantasia series of ships. MSC Fantasia, which debuted in December 2008, is the first of two 133,500-ton, 3,300-passenger Fantasia-class vessels. Sister ship MSC Splendida is due out in summer 2009. The line's largest ships, to date, are these two post-Panamax-sized vessels, based on an absolutely unique protoype that incorporates first-ever features, such as the ship-within-a-ship Yacht Club concept for suite holders, a pool with a magrodome for all-seasons swimming and an interactive center with a 4D theater and a Formula One simulator.
Uniquely, in an era in which cruise lines choose a different celebrity godmother for each ship in the fleet, the Italian-influenced MSC has remained loyal to legendary actress Sophia Loren. She's served as godmother for every new ship since MSC Lirica.
Read the complete MSC Cruises Review
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Read More About MSC Cruises Ships:
MSC Armonia
• MSC Fantasia
• MSC Lirica
• MSC Magnifica
• MSC Melody
• MSC Musica
• MSC Opera
• MSC Orchestra
• MSC Poesia
• MSC Rhapsody
• MSC Sinfonia
• MSC Splendida
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