We found out from MSC Cruises a few weeks ago that the christening of MSC Musica on June 29 in Venice would not be open to the public. Although if you can still see the festivities…
MSC Cruises will be broadcasting the June 29 christening of its new flagship MSC Musica LIVE from Venice, Italy via the cruise line’s website.
By logging onto MSC Cruises at 1:30 p.m. (Eastern Daylight Time) Thursday, June 29 and clicking on “CLICK HERE” on the theater image on the “Christening” page, you will be able to see the all the pomp, surprise and wonder of the festivities as MSC Cruises welcomes MSC Musica as the eighth member of its family of ships.
Godmother Sophia Loren will be on hand to officially christen her “godchild.” This is Ms. Loren’s third “godchild” in the MSC Cruises fleet, and the largest at 89,600 tons, 964 feet long, with 4 restaurants, 11 bars, a casino, 12,400 square-foot-spacious spa and fitness area, 1,240-seat theater and capable of carrying 2,550 guests.
MSC Musica begins sailing Mediterranean itineraries roundtrip from Venice July 1. For more information on MSC Musica’s inaugural itineraries, visit Cruise Planners or call us at 888-286-9827.
Cruise Community (sorry registration required 
) is reporting that Mickey Arison chairman and CEO of Carnival Corp & PLC as well as the owner of the Miami Heat who won this year’s NBA Championship will be taking the NBA’s Larry O’Brien Championship trophy on an international tour of Carnival ships.
First up on Sunday is the Carnival Valor, the trophy will be on display for viewing by the 2,794 passengers and crew while the ship is docked at the Port of Miami.
On Monday Mr Arison heads to Genoa where he will tour the Costa Serena, Costa Concordia, and Carnival Splendor all under construction at Fincantieri in Sestri.
Then it’s off to Hong Kong on July 30, where he embarks with the trophy on a two day cruise to Shanghai onboard the Costa Allegra which will be the start of Carnival’s new Asian cruise operations under the Costa Asia brand.
It’s then back to Italy for the inaugural celebration for the Costa Concordia which all starts with a one night cruise from Genoa to Rome on July 4th and 5th. In addition the trophy will be on display for a special benefit concert onboard featuring Andrea Bocelli and also during the ship’s naming ceremony on July 7. Supermodel Eva Herzigova is the Costa Concordia’s godmother…
We received the following notice from Regent Seven Seas Cruises the other day:
As you are no doubt aware, the price of fuel has increased dramatically over the past few months. These increases have been particularly acute in remote areas of the world such as the South Pacific, and are having an obvious adverse effect on our operating costs. As we look to the future, we have decided that rather than implementing a fuel surcharge with periodic changes (as we have done in 2006), we have factored the additional fuel costs into our revised cruise fares for 2007.
Effective July 1, 2006, all 2007 cruise fares on Paul Gauguin will increase by $100 per person, and will not be subject to fuel surcharges throughout the year. Of course, airlines have been seriously affected by the increase in the cost of fuel, a major portion of their overall cost structure, and have passed along these costs in the form of both fare increases and fuel surcharges.
Effective July 1, 2006, all 2007 air/sea programs on Paul Gauguin through Regent Seven Seas Cruises will increase by $200 per person. This takes into account all existing airfare increases and air fuel surcharges as of today. We are hopeful that there will be no further need for additional air fuel surcharges. However, should these be imposed by the airlines, it will be necessary to implement them at that time. Any bookings for 2007 that are booked and deposited by June 30, 2006, will be protected at the current published rates. As noted above, as of July 1, 2006, the increased fares will take effect for all new bookings.
Cruising is oft-cited as the idyllic vacation choice for complete relaxation and escape. The lifestyle of today’s consumer, however, often means that to truly relax and enjoy, people want an easy and convenient way to keep in touch with family, friends, or the office. What could be easier than using your own cell phone aboard ship the same as you can at home?
Through an exclusive agreement between Carnival Cruise Lines and Wireless Maritime Services (WMS), a joint venture of Cingular Wireless and Maritime Telecommunications Network, Carnival guests sailing aboard the “Fun Ships” can now enjoy a new communications option that allows them to stay in touch with people back home using their personal cell phones while in port or at sea.
“Consumers view cell phones as a necessity in today’s world. We’ve been exploring cellular phone service for some time and have developed a capability that provides unparalleled connectivity and convenience to allow guests to keep in touch with friends, family members and business associates back home,” said Bob Dickinson, Carnival president and CEO.
“WMS is excited to offer Carnival guests the opportunity to stay connected while cruising worldwide,” said Leighton Carroll, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Wireless Maritime Services. “Whether making a voice call, responding to email, sending a picture message, or accessing the Internet to check on local happenings back home, what a great convenience for Carnival guests to enjoy the same features of their wireless service at sea as they would roaming on land.”
Utilizing WMS’ state-of-the-art high-bandwidth technology, the new fleetwide service is compatible with any cellular phone and enables guests sailing on Carnival to make and receive calls anywhere in the world from any cruising region. The technology is currently available aboard the Carnival Triumph, with the balance of the line’s 21-vessel fleet scheduled to be completed by early next year.
The new fleetwide cellular phone service requires no additional software or special dialing procedures – guests simply make and receive calls as well as transmit text and multimedia messages as they would on land using their personal cell phone. International roaming fees apply to all shipboard cell phone calls.
Consumer benefits to having wireless service while at sea:
• Connectivity – keep in touch with family, friends and business associates through voice calls, email or text messages. Guests can also share travel highlights while at sea through photo messaging.
• Convenience – no need to rent a local phone while at port; guests can be reached by the wireless number their friends and colleagues know.
In addition to being able to use their phones on Carnival “Fun Ships,” Cingular customers can also enjoy competitive international roaming rates as well as a greater selection of quad-band devices than any other carrier.
We’ve got two stories from MSC Cruises today about their newest ship MSC Musica.
The first is that the official ceremony for MSC Musica’s delivery took place today at St. Nazaire at Aker Yards France, in the presence of the President Patrick Boissier, shipowner Gianluigi Aponte and the CEO of MSC Crociere Pierfrancesco Vago.
An exceptional guest was invited for this extraordinary event: Gerard Depardieu, the international celebrity who is very popular in Italy.
The Ceremony has also been attended by Karl Erik Kjelstad, President and CEO of Aker Yards and Mrs Ela Aponte, godmother of the new flagship MSC Musica.
MSC Musica has been the feature in Saint Nazaire since last Saturday, when almost 25,000 guests from the work force, relatives and families of all the staff who have been involved in the construction have visited this splendor of the Italian fleet.
MSC Musica is the latest ship generation custom designed and built for MSC Cruises. She carries the latest and most advanced technology developed by Chantiers de l’Atlantique/Aker Yards France. The naval architecture and design of this new flagship, 22.000 sq.m. of common areas, have been carefully planned to guarantee the best possible guest/space ratio so that all passengers can experience a vacation where the sea is the main feature, thanks also to the high percentage (80%) of outside cabins, the majority of which have a balcony. Security on board is guaranteed by the use of extremely sophisticated technology and in total environmental respect.
Soon after the delivery ceremony, MSC Musica will sail from Saint Nazaire toward Venice, where on June 29 she will be officially launched at the presence of the godmother Sophia Loren and numerous VIPs. She will then leave Venice for her first Mediterranean cruise, touching the most beautiful destinations in Greece, Turkey and Croatia.
MSC Musica is the first of five ships commissioned by MSC Cruises from Aker Yards France to be delivered over a period of three years: next delivery will be MSC Orchestra, followed by MSC Poesia and MSC Fantasia in 2008 and MSC Serenata in 2009. MSC Fantasia and MSC Serenata will be the biggest ships ever commissioned by a European company.
Click “more” to find out about the culinary offerings onboard MSC Musica or visit Cruise Planners for more information about MSC Musica’s itineraries.
« Newer Articles — Older Articles »
