The company will expand its capacity in the region next year with a second ship.
In response to the growing demand for cruises in the region, MSC Cruises will deploy an additional ship in the Eastern Mediterranean next year. Between May and November 2015, MSC Poesia (capacity for 2,550 passengers*) and MSC Magnifica (capacity for 2,518 passengers) will be based in Venice, from where they will sail itineraries with stops in Bari or Brindisi (Italy), Katakolon (Greece), Izmir and Istanbul (Turkey), and Dubrovnik (Croatia).
During 2014, only MSC Preziosa (with a capacity for 3,502 passengers) sailed these routes, but the growing interest of travelers in the Eastern Mediterranean in general and Turkey in particular has increased the demand for MSC cruises sailing in those waters.
This additional capacity means that MSC Cruises will be able to transport more than 1,500 additional travelers to the region, which has numerous destinations of great historical and cultural significance and allows for unforgettable experiences.
Türkiye, one of MSC Cruises' most popular destinations in 2014
MSC Cruises has also just revealed its best-selling itineraries out of the 202 currently offered by its 12 ships. MSC sails year-round in the Mediterranean and also offers seasonal itineraries to Northern Europe, the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean and the French Antilles, South America, Southern Africa, as well as Dubai, the Emirates, and Oman. Of all these, the most popular itineraries this year have been:
- In first place is the one made last summer by MSC Preziosa departing from Venice and stopping in Bari, Katakolon, Izmir and Istanbul, before returning to the city of canals via Dubrovnik.
- The second most popular cruise was the "Cities of Art and Wonders" , departing from Barcelona and visiting Marseille, Genoa, Naples, Messina, and Tunis. This cruise will be operated by the MSC Fantasia from mid-April to mid-November 2015.
- Third place goes to the "Northern Europe" itineraries through the Baltic capitals and the Norwegian Fjords, operated by MSC Orchestra and MSC Sinfonia from Kiel and Copenhagen respectively. The Baltic capitals itinerary visits Warnemünde, Stockholm, Tallinn, St. Petersburg, and Helsinki, while the fjord cruises visit Bergen, Hellesylt, Flåm, and Stavanger.
