MSC Cruises have announced additional new ports of call, Civitavecchia and Messina for the 2005 Mediterranean season (Mar. 1, 2005)

MSC Cruises have announced additional new ports of call, Civitavecchia and Messina for the 2005 Mediterranean season
For 2005, MSC Cruises have announced additional new ports of call, Civitavecchia and Messina. MSC Lirica, the Queen of the Mediterranean 2004, will call into 25 new ports and sail from 21 May to 5 November 2005 on a series of seven-night cruises sailing around Sicily, Tunisia, the Balearic Islands, Spain and France.
Departures from Genoa will be on a Saturdays, Civitavecchia on a Sundays and Messina on a Mondays, providing over 51,600 cruise travelers with a unique opportunity to enjoy cruises in the Mediterranean. MSC Lirica

Both of these newly added ports of call signal MSC Cruises commitment to offer more not only for Italians cruise enthusiasts but also for other nationalities. The possibility of visiting the capital of Italy, Rome, via Civitavecchia and discovering the beauty of the island of Sicily by docking in Messina, is seen by MSC Cruises as an added bonus for holidaymakers.

In total MSC Cruises will be featuring 124 ports of call including home and transit ports and it is estimated that no less than 202, 000 passengers will travel via Genoa on an MSC Cruise.

Genoa is therefore one of the strategic ports for MSC Cruises. The significant location of the town makes the Ligurian port an ideal base for MSC Cruises' Western Mediterranean sailings.

MSC Cruises have chosen the Ligurian capital for MSC Sinfonia's cruises.
Starting in March 2005, MSC Sinfonia will sail on a series of seven-night cruises from March to October departing on Sundays and calling into Sicily, Tunisia, the Balearic Islands, Spain and France.

Also MSC Lirica, Melody and Monterey, the jewels of MSC Cruises fleet, will from March to October sail from Genoa every week for other fascinating destinations in the Mediterranean.
The same applies to the popular MSC Rhapsody, which will terminate her season in Northern Europe with a series of 11-night cruises from Genoa during September and October.

Venice will host MSC Opera, the new flagship of the fleet and named the leading Mediterranean ship in the four star category by the prestigious Berlitz Guide, - alongside MSC Armonia. Both ships will sail between Croatia, Greece, and Turkey, bringing a flow of cruise travellers in the lagoon town of over 120,000. In fact MSC Cruise ships will call into Venice 57 times during 2005. MSC Lirica - The Atrium

MSC Opera and MSC Armonia will also be embarking passengers from Bari, achieving a total of 55 visits to this Italian port and a total passenger throughput of117,000.
MSC Cruises have identified the port of Bari as a key access point for clients residing in central southern Italy.

MSC Sinfonia will call 34 times into Naples, where the company has its commercial and operational headquarters, creating a passenger flow of 70,000. MSC Melody on the other hand, will call into Naples 30 times creating a flow of 37,000 passengers.
And MSC Monterey will call six times bringing a total of 3,700 guests.

MSC Lirica and MSC Rhapsody will both call into Naples four times: the first will create a throughput of 8,200 passengers whilst the second of 3,400 passengers.

MSC Cruises are also 'at home' in Capri with 17 calls and a passenger throughput of 19,000.

MSC Sinfonia will also call into Palermo every Tuesday and sail seven-night cruises between Sicily, Tunisia, the Balearic Islands , Spain and France with a total of 17, 200 passengers. The port of Catania will accommodate MSC Lirica and MSC Armonia, MSC Rhapsody, MSC Melody, MSC Monterey for the total of 13 visits.

(Source: MSC Cruises)