All About Cruises

Tag: msc cruise

  • Jam Cruise 14

    Jam Cruise 14

    Jam Cruise 14 sets sail on January 6, 2016, and it’s bringing a collection of musicians together that will transform MSC Cruises ship Divina into one big jammin’ lounge.

    The lights and stage are being set for artists to share their talents and for cruisers to enjoy one performance after another. Here’s what’s in store for you on Jam Cruise 14.

    The Entertainment

    Jam Cruise 14 features musicians like Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Dr. John & The Nite Trippers, Galactic, Lotus, JJ Grey & Mofro, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, and more.

    Snarky Puppy, The New Mastersounds, The Infamous Springdusters, Lettuce, Soulive, and so many other fantastic artists will perform in magical spaces on Divina, from the Pool Deck and Jam Room to the Theater and Solar Stage.

    Shows will be happening in the Disco and in the New Jazz Lounge. There will be music around every corner! Most Jam Cruise musicians perform 2 shows each. Sometimes a special guest will show up for a Jam Room collaboration.

    The Itinerary

    Every day on Jam Cruise 14 will present a new and exciting adventure. You’ll visit many exotic locales, find out about different cultures, and make new friends on the open seas.

    Jam Cruise leaves Miami, Florida on January the 6th. The 7th is a full day at sea that can be spent getting autographs and participating in themed activities. On January 8th, you’ll arrive in Belize City, Belize. You can spend time here enjoying local cuisine, sunning on a beach, checking out some of the best diving in the world, or adventuring on an exciting excursion.

    Divina departs for Cozumel, Mexico in the late evening on the 8th. When you arrive in Cozumel on the 9th, you’ll have food, shopping, and more at your disposal. Cozumel is Mexico’s largest island and it’s filled with possibilities for great times. You’ll have one more day of fun at sea before returning to Miami.

    The Ship

    MSC’s Divina is an absolutely divine ship. She was inspired by Sophia Loren, and she brings glamour and Mediterranean elegance to the open ocean. This ship features many beautiful design elements that are reminiscent of the golden age in sea travel. Yet, she offers a new vision in terms of conveniences and technology.

    Divina has a unique style. There are many dazzling touches around turns and in corners. From the sparkling Swarovski crystal staircases and real-stone piazza to the gorgeous infinity pool and Broadway-style theater, Divina is luminous and magical. Perfect for a musical adventure at sea.

    To find out more about Jam Cruise 14, visit www.jamcruise.com. You can book your passage on Jam Cruise 14 straight from the website as well.

  • The Cruise Ships of MSC Cruises

    As the fourth largest cruise line in the world, MSC Cruises is much like any other major cruise line. You can take an MSC Cruise to many parts of the world, and the cruise vacations the cruise line offers last anywhere from a couple of days to over two weeks. The on-board experience is filled with numerous dining and drinking opportunities, and there are plenty of places to relax, work out, and be entertained. This is what we covered in our last article about MSC Cruises. In that article we did not, however, cover the cruise ships that make up the MSC Cruises fleet. There are 12 cruise ships in the MSC fleet, and there is a new ship in the making, to be released next year. Below you will find a breakdown of the cruise ships of MSC Cruises.

    Like the cruise ships of other fleets, MSC Cruises’ vessels are broken into different classes. MSC Cruises has three classes in total – Mistral, Musica, and Fantasia – and all but one of the cruise lines’ 12 ships fit into one of these classes. The ship without a class – the MSC Melody – is part of the “classic fleet” and is several years older than all the other ships. With a passenger capacity of about 1,100, and with a gross tonnage of about 35,000, it is also significantly smaller than the other ships in the fleet. Of course, the fact that it is a smaller and older ship doesn’t mean it is a lesser ship, at least not necessarily, although it has received slightly lower ratings (at least by one metric: the percentage of people who “loved it”) than most of the other ships in the MSC fleet on Cruise Critic, the popular website for cruise reviews.

    The Mistral class is composed of four ships: MSC Armonia, MSC Sinfonia, MSC Lirica, and MSC Opera. (Just so you know, every ship’s name begins with “MSC.”) These ships are distinct from those in the other two classes in that they are smaller – all of them have a gross tonnage around 58,000 and a passenger capacity of about 1,600 (the MSC Opera is slightly larger in both respects, however) – and that they were built before the ships in the other two fleets. The oldest ship in the Mistral class is the MSC Armonia, built in 2001, and the newest is the MSC Opera, built in 2004, two years before the oldest ship in the Musica class and four years before the oldest ship in the Fantasia class. Moreover, the four ships in the Mistral class were built by Chantiers de l’Atlantique, a shipyard based in France, whereas the other two classes in the MSC Cruises fleet were built by STX Europe. Again, this makes this class distinct from the other two classes of ships, but not inferior. The ships in this class were rated about the same as the ships in the other classes.

    The Musica class is also composed of four ships: MSC Musica, MSC Orchestra, MSC Poesia, and MSC Magnifica. The first two ships have a gross tonnage of 89,600, and the second two are slighter larger, weighing 93,330 tons. The MSC Musica is the oldest ship in this class, having been built in 2006, and the newest vessel, the MSC Magnifica, was built in 2010. All of the ships in this class can hold about the same number of passengers – a little over 2,500.

    The Fantasia class is made up of MSC cruises’ newest and largest ships. The MSC Fantasia, built in 2008, and the MSC Splendida, built in 2009, are very similar in size and capacity. Both have a gross tonnage of 137,936 tons and can hold 3,274 passengers. The MSC Divina is larger than both of these ships and is therefore the biggest ship in the entire MSC Cruises fleet. It weighs 139,400 tons and can hold 3,502 passengers. It is also the newest ship in the fleet, having been built in 2012, and perhaps because of this fact it is the highest rated ship in the MSC Cruises fleet, according to Cruise Critic.

    Although you might be tempted to always go with the newest and biggest ship, and the ratings seem to suggest as much, this isn’t always the best option. The cruise experience isn’t always better on a larger ship, and more importantly, your cruise vacation should be primarily guided by where the cruise ship goes, not the cruise ship itself. Plus, MSC Cruises is a major cruise line, so their ships will all be nice and comparable to one another.

  • The Cruise Line MSC Cruises

    MSC Cruises is a cruise line that is owned by the Mediterranean Shipping Company, an enormous shipping line (the world’s largest, in fact, in terms of container vessel capacity) based in Geneva. The current fleet of MSC Cruises is composed of 12 ships, a small percentage of the 463 vessels operated by the Mediterranean Shipping Company. MSC Cruises has a six percent share of the cruise industry, making it the fourth largest cruise line in the world. Below you will find some basic information about MSC Cruises.

    MSC Cruises was originally named Lauro Lines. Lauro Lines entered the cruising industry in the 1960s, operating only two ships at the time, the Angelina Lauro and the Achille Lauro. The former caught on fire in the port of St. Thomas, one of the United States Virgin Islands, burning the ship and rendering it inoperable (to say the least). The Achille Lauro was also plagued by trouble. First, in 1985, the ship was captured by the Palestine Liberation Front, who killed wheelchair-bound passenger Leon Klinghoffer, and threw his body overboard, and then in 1994, it too caught on fire and sank. When the company was first purchased by the Mediterranean Shipping Company in 1989, it was named StarLauro Cruises. However, in 1995, the cruise line was renamed MSC Cruises.

    Like other major cruise lines, MSC Cruises offers voyages to various destinations across the world, including the major ones, like Europe and the Caribbean, but also less common ones, like South Africa. MSC offers cruises of various lengths, but the duration of your cruise will primarily depend on your port of departure and your port of debarkation. There are several two- and three-night cruises cruises, tons of cruises that are a week long (this appears to be one of the most common lengths for an MSC Cruise), and a number of longer cruises, some stretching to over two weeks in length.

    The on-board experience of an MSC Cruise is much like you would expect from a major player in the cruise industry. They offer a variety of places to dine and drink on board, and there are plenty of places to relax and rest (like the spa) on board the MSC ships. The cruise line embraces “Mediterranean hospitality,” in their phrasing, and you will notice that the amenities are tailored accordingly. For instance, you won’t find a shortage of cappuccino or gelato on an MSC Cruise, nor will you struggle to find Italian cuisine and fine wines.

    If you are interested in taking a MSC Cruise, you shouldn’t have much trouble finding one that meets your needs. There are tons offered every year, and they go to most areas of the globe. With long and short vacation packages, you will likely find one that meets your scheduling requirements as well. To find out more information, you should visit the official MSC Cruises website. If you are hunting for a good deal on an MSC Cruise, you might consider checking out one of the many sites online that offer cruise deals.

  • MSC Cruises

    MSC Cruises (Mediterranean Shipping Company) has been in service since 1998. MSC Cruises prides itself on excellent “Italian service,” fine cuisine, and the trips it offers to exotic destinations around the world. MSC Cruises features Mediterranean sailings, Northern Europe sailings, Transatlantic sailings, Caribbean sailings, South America sailings, and amazing South Africa sailings.

    Eastern and Western Mediterranean sailings will take you to places such as Venice, Florence, Casablanca, Istanbul, Dubrovnik, Marseilles, Sicily, France, Barcelona, Alexandria, Ephesus, Athens, Yalta, Odessa, and more. MSC Cruises’ Northern Europe sailings will take you to Russia, Stockholm, Denmark, Norway, and Estonia while Transatlantic sailings will take you from Ft. Lauderdale or Europe around the world. Cozumel, Grand Cayman, and Key West are on the Caribbean cruise menu and during MSC Cruises’ South America sailings, passengers will visit Brazil and its numerous beach towns such as Ipanema and Copacabana. And finally, South Africa sailings feature visits to Port Victoria in the Seychelles, Zanzibar, the city of Durban, Cape Town, the Canary Islands, Alexandria, Ajaccio and more!

    Besides its regular cruises, MSC Cruises also offers a variety of theme cruises such as hobby cruises, baseball greats cruises, astral theme cruises, well-being cruises, golf cruises, bridge cruises, food & wine cruises, big band cruises, and even singles cruises.

    MSC Cruises has more than 70 ports of call on the menu and hundreds of shore excursions ranging from rainforest hikes and historic tours to snorkeling and shopping in open-air markets. Just a few of the different types of tours include: panoramic tours, walking tours, bus tours, bike tours, and ATV tours.

    MSC Cruises fleet includes 11 luxury liners, each its own individual style and amenities. The MSC Cruises fleet includes: MSC Magnifica, MSC Fantasia, MSC Poesia, MSC Orchestra, MSC Musica, MSC Opera, MSC Lirica, MSC Sinfonia, MSC Armonia, MSC Melody, and MSC Rhapsody. Just a few of the ships’ amenities include: casinos, discos, gyms, spas, beauty salons, cinemas, libraries, jogging tracks, laundry services, and conference facilities. Guests can also find plenty of duty free shopping aboard MSC Cruises’ ships as well.

    If you are interested in booking a MSC cruise, booking online has several advantages. If you book early online, you can save hundreds of dollars. Booking early can cost you as little as $1,149 for an interior room (12-day cruise) up to $2,049 for a suite with balcony (12-day cruise). MSC Cruises features sailings ranging from 3 days up to 22 days. MSC Cruises features a wide range of internet only specials as well. A good example is MSC Cruises’ Eastern and Western Caribbean Cruises. The seven night Caribbean cruise may cost as little as $75 per night, especially if you book off-season. Not only can you enjoy discounts of up to 50% on MSC Caribbean cruises, but kids under 17 sail free These discounts may be available through your local travel agent as well, so inquire within.

    While the MSC Cruise website features many offers and promotions, you can also try any of the discount booking search engines below for possible discounts and deals on MSC Cruises.

    Kayak.com
    Expedia.com
    Orbitz.com
    Travelocity.com
    CheapTickets.com
    VacationsToGo.com
    Cruise411.com
    Cruise.com

    To find out more about discount cruises, you can visit any number of cruise review websites to read reviews from real passengers, with real experiences. While there are many cruise review websites to choose from, some of the most popular (and reliable) cruise review websites include:

    Cruisecritic.com
    Cruisereviewsonline.com
    Cruisereport.com
    Cruisedirectonline.com
    Cruisemates.com

Skip to content