MSC taking over the World

World Cruises have been around for a long time  with cruise lines like P&O, Cunard and Fred Olsen to name a few. But this is set to change in 2019 when MSC will join the World Cruise Brigade. It has just been announced that in January 2019 MSC Magnifica will start her World Voyage from Genoa which will take 119 days. On most of the World Cruises you would normally expect to get 1 or 2 days in ports of calls but Magnifica will have a few longer stays with 4 full days in Polynesia and 3 full days in Hawaii. I was lucky to have the chance to see Magnifica in 2010 when she launched with a 2 night stay on board on Southampton and I have to say I was really impressed. The ship is fitted out to a very high standard and the cabins were really clean and comfortable. Another bonus on this cruise is that passengers can choose from 4 embarkation ports, Genoa, Marseille, Civitavecchia and Barcelona. Passengers will also have the Cheers Drinks Package Included which means they can enjoy Free Drinks at mealtimes.

MSC also have at Status Match Programme which mean anyone who has sailed with other cruise lines, and are part of their Loyalty Schemes,will have their Loyalty Level transferred to MSC. This is a great scheme if you have travelled with another company and are at the top level, there can be some great savings to be had. After you have completed one cruise with MSC you can join the Loyalty Scheme while on board and then you would be entitled to 5% discount of any further cruises. This percentage then goes up depending on how many nights you have sailed, and can go up to 10%.

MSC are also great value for money for families with their low prices for children up to the age of 17. This is great news for families wanting to sail out of the UK in 2018 as Magnifica will be doing 7-11-12 and 13 nights sailings from Southampton between April and October 2018. When these go on sale I’m sure they wont be around for long so make sure you book early!