MSC Lirica to homeport in
Shanghai, China, from May 2016
CAISSA Touristic Group, China’s leading
outbound tourism service provider,
and MSC Cruises have announced
that they have entered into a strategic
partnership which will see MSC Lirica
home porting in Shanghai to serve
the Chinese home market from May
2016. The 65,000GRT, 2,600-passenger
MSC Lirica will cater for an industryhigh percentage of native Mandarin
speaking guests and will provide guests
with all services in Mandarin. It will
also offer popular as well as high-end
Chinese cuisine with more details soon
to be announced about how MSC
Lirica’s product and services will be
tailored to serve the needs of Chinese
consumers, including several industry
firsts.
Costa Luminosa Departs on Around-the-World Cruise
Costa Cruises’ Costa Luminosa
departed from Savona, Italy, on 14
September on an exciting 98-day
Around-the-World voyage during which
guests will cross three oceans and visit 39
destinations on five continents, returning
to Savona, 21 December. More than
1,000 guests departed from Savona,
with another 260 boarding at Marseille,
France, and 240 more embarking at
Barcelona, Spain, for a total 1,500 cruise
passengers. A wide range of ages and
nationalities is represented: the oldest
traveller is 95, while the youngest is just
1 year old. There are more than 30
different nationalities on board, mainly
Swiss, German and French, followed by
Italian and Spanish.
“The itinerary of this Around-the-World
voyage will include stops in France,
Spain, the Antilles, Colombia, Mexico,
the United States, Hawaii, Polynesia,
New Zealand, Australia, Singapore,
Malaysia, Thailand, India, the United
Arab Emirates, Oman and Jordan,” said
Pietro Sinisi, captain of Costa Luminosa.
“It’s a real dream come true for all great
travellers who, thanks to Costa Cruises,
will be able to visit five continents during
a single trip.”
The next world cruise departs from
Savona on Costa Luminosa on 6
January 2016, with a 108-day itinerary
that will cross the two Tropics and end
23 April 2016.
CAISSA Touristic: Mr. CHEN Xiaobing,
President – Ms. WANG Zhuli, Senior Vice
President MSC Cruises: Mr. Gianni Onorato,
CEO – Mr. Antonio Paradiso, Executive
Director Emerging Markets
Go! Big, better, best with celebrity cruises
Celebrity Cruises has announced the
launch of an unprecedented pricing
structure for a premium cruise line
in Australia. The brand new Go! Big,
Better, Best price tiers will revolutionise
the way Australians choose their next
cruise, providing more control and
the ability to create an all-inclusive
package for incredible value.
Go! Big, Better, Best will allow guests to
choose cruise packages that include
their preferred mix of the following
extras: A Classic Beverage Package,
unlimited internet, pre-paid gratuities
22
November 2015
and/or USD$150 in onboard credit*.
Go! Big: Standard inclusion on all
fares in Ocean view or above, gives
the first two passengers the choice of
one complimentary extra. Go! Better:
For an additional charge of AUD$20
per person per day, a choice of two
extras is included for each guest and
Go! Best: For an additional charge of
AUD$60 per person per day, all four
extras are included for each guest
as well as an upgrade to a Premium
Beverage Package
“When you cruise with Celebrity and
choose Go! Big, Better, Best, you’re in
control. More is included as standard,
which makes planning your next cruise
holiday straightforward,” said Adam
Armstrong, commercial director,
Celebrity Cruises Australia. “The grass
really is greener when you choose
Celebrity. Go! Big, Better, Best allows
you to pre-pay your bundled extras
and plan your next cruise holiday with
certainty, knowing that the offer has
no expiration date,” Armstrong added.
As part of the €200 million Renaissance
program MSC Lirica entered dry-dock on 1
September to undergo 10 weeks of works to
get her ready for her Brazilian season before
heading to China
More ships to China
2017 is going to be a big year for the
China Market. As Cruising News goes
to print both Carnival Cruise Lines and
AIDA Cruises have announced they will
have ships homeported in China in two
years – More details in our December
Issue.