MSC Cruises Steps up Presence in South Africa with Second Ship
Cape Town-bound MSC Opera to join MSC Musica for 2020/2021 cruises in southern Africa
New world-class Durban Cruise Terminal expected to be operational by January 2021
MSC Cruises has announced that in the 2020/2021 cruise season the Company will bring two ships to South Africa’s shores. This will mark the first time that two different classes of MSC Cruises’ ships will be deployed in South Africa, MSC Opera (Lirica Class) and MSC Musica (Musica Class).
Ross Volk, MD for MSC Cruises South Africa commented: “The deployment for the first time of two classes of MSC Cruises ship to South Africa for the local 2020/2021 cruise season will allow us to meet more fully the growth in demand we have experienced over the past few years. As such, it is also as a further sign of MSC Cruises’ long-standing commitment to this key market and its tourism.”
From December 2020 MSC Opera will homeport in Cape Town, joining MSC Musica – which will be based in Durban as of November.
MSC Musica and MSC Opera, which was completely refurbished in 2014 as part of the Company’s Renaissance Programme, will together offer over 60 cruises next season. The two ships will serve alternate routes, providing South African and international cruisers with a wider choice of cruise options to suit their needs.
Highlights of these itineraries include: Pomene Bay in Mozambique, a marine safari experience, complete with its own beach club, the MSC Pomene Safari Beach Club, exclusively for MSC Cruises guests; and, Portuguese Island, a small, uninhabited island set between the African coast and the Indian Ocean, Maputo, the capital of Mozambique and Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
Ahead of the season, both ships will offer Grand Voyage itineraries to southern Africa – with MSC Musica already available to book at (www.msccruises.co.uk/cruises/destinations/south-africa) . Both ships will leave Venice, Italy departing on 25 October 2020 (MSC Musica) and 8 November 2020 (MSC Opera) on their way to Cape Town and Durban, respectively. Highlights of these MSC Grand Voyage cruises include the famous Suez Canal transit, the city of Aqaba in Jordan, Port Louis, the lush capital city of the island nation of Mauritius, known for its contrasting white-sand beaches fringed with tropical rainforests and La Possession, of the neighbouring island of Réunion, before arriving on South African shores on 5 December in Cape Town and 20 November in Durban.
Source: MSC Cruises
