Enhanced MSC Armonia Relaunched

MSC Armonia, the first of four MSC cruise ships to be enlarged and enhanced under the Renaissance Program, was relaunched amid much fanfare in Genoa this week for a 10-day inaugural cruise to the Canary Islands.

Hundreds of journalists and travel industry representatives boarded MSC Armonia, which was moored at the historic Italian port of Genoa, as MSC Cruises CEO Gianni Onorato unveiled her range of sensational new options and features.

Mr. Onorato told a press conference in the ship’s Business Center: “I’m very proud of what we and our partners at Fincantieri have achieved with MSC Armonia. Not only is she smarter and more spacious, but we have given her a new lease of life that will appeal to experienced cruise travelers and first-timers in equal measure. This is why we call her ‘the ship that suits you’.”

The $273 million Renaissance Program is the first step in a $6 billion fleet enlargement plan, which includes four brand new ships, comprising two different, state-of-the-art prototypes, to be delivered by STX France and Fincantieri, in Italy, between 2017 and 2019, with options for three more by 2022.

In 2004, MSC Cruises carried 80,000 guests a year; today the company has grown by 800 percent and the number of guests carried reaches 40,000 a day. The fleet’s capacity is on course to be doubled by 2022, meaning 3.4 million people will vacation with MSC Cruises every year. 

Among the novelties presented, MSC Armonia has more balcony staterooms, more spacious common areas, flexible new dining options and new dedicated clubs for younger guests of all ages. She also has a stunning new outdoor Spray Park – a fun-filled wet zone with interactive jets, slides and ingenious water features.

MSC Armonia is also the first cruise ship in the world to feature tailor-made areas for children that have been officially designed, equipped and endorsed by Chicco® and LEGO®.

All these enhancements add a dazzling complement to MSC Armonia’s existing amenities, such as two open-air swimming pools, distinctive restaurants and bars and the beautiful Fenice Theatre.

Inaugural cruise

MSC Armonia set sail from Genoa, Italy on November 20) for a 10-day itinerary ending at Las Palmas, in the Canary Islands.She will call at Marseille, Cartagena, Gibraltar, Cadiz, Funchal, Santa Cruz de La Palma and Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

Of note, MSC Cruises has crafted a one-off program of in-port entertainments, with dancers and musicians, gifts for guests and firework displays in Marseille and Tenerife. Celebrations on board include a special gala dinner and spectacular theater performances.

Guests can also watch a fascinating documentary explaining the remarkable engineering feat behind MSC Armonia’s Renaissance Program transformation, which will also be undertaken by her sister ships MSC Sinfonia, MSC Opera and MSC Lirica. The Renaissance Program is due to be completed in November 2015.

After her inaugural cruise, the renewed MSC Armonia will be deployed for a winter season of seven-night cruises to must-see destinations en route to the Canary Islands and Morocco.

MSC Cruises has compiled an exhaustive range of shore excursions that really take MSC travelers to the heart of the places visited. Among them are many city tours, including in Aix-en-Provence, Cartagena and Cadiz; a guided tour of Seville’s gothic cathedral – the world’s third largest church – or a visit to the wine cellars of Jerez de la Frontera to learn about the famous Jerez sherry.