MSC Cruises will deploy MSC Lirica to the Eastern Mediterranean market in summer 2022 and she will homeport in Piraeus, the port for the Greek capital Athens, during the entire season.
MSC Lirica will offer a newly designed 7-night itinerary with 28 sailings between April 2022 and October 2023 from Piraeus calling Kusadasi, Turkey; Haifa, Israel; Limassol, Cyprus and the Greek islands of Rhodes and Santorini before returning to Piraeus.
The ship’s guests can begin their 7-night cruises with embarkation at Piraeus for the first time, plus Kusadasi, Haifa and Limassol.
The Greek island of Crete will also be a port of call in MSC Lirica’s four 11-night sailings in the Eastern Mediterranean during November and December 2022 with visits to Heraklion.
Voyages on board MSC Lirica will be, as they are for all of the Company’s ships, only open to guests who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Greece will also feature in three other ship’s East Mediterranean itineraries. MSC Armonia, will call Piraeus on a weekly basis during the summer months and MSC Fantasia from September 2022 will similarly perform 11-night cruises to the Greek port for guests to visit Athens. The summer sailings for MSC Musica include calls at Katakolon for Olympia, Heraklion and Santorini.
Angelo Capurro, Executive Director, MSC Cruises said, “Greece will be a major player in our Eastern Mediterranean cruise programme next summer with guests embarking at Piraeus for the first time, the port being a base for MSC Lirica and calls by three of our other ships to different parts of the country’s beautiful destinations. “Athens airport will also play an important role with many guests flying from throughout Europe and North America to join MSC Lirica and enjoy one of the safest holidays options out there whilst having a memorable time on board.
“Our guests can look forward to our wonderful and renowned European-flavoured cruises that are born of a business that attracts and welcomes 180 different nationalities from around the world, but where our approach is local and everyone feels at home, relaxed and above all, safe.”
MSC Lirica offers a distinctive cruise experience centred on elegance, comfort and hospitality with 992 guest cabins. An atmosphere of relaxed spaciousness pervades, with magnificent internal vistas from the foyer and unimpeded ocean views from the lounges’ floor-to-ceiling picture windows.
There is a choice of lounges and bars including the glamourous Beverly Hills Bar or traditional English-style Lord Nelson Pub, the perfect venue for a pre-theatre drink.
For families, there is a children’s play area created in collaboration with LEGO Group and Chicco as well as a spray park and two swimming pools plus a full programme of activities for kids of all ages.
The MSC Aurea Spa offers a haven for those wishing to unwind and, in the evening, the Broadway Theatre offers entertainment each night. And with two main restaurants, a buffet and the popular Kaito Sushi Bar, guests have a choice of formal or more casual dining options.
MSC Cruises guests since August 2020 have been sailing under the protection of the line’s industry-leading health and safety protocol that was developed with the input of a Blue-Ribbon Panel of experts which has proven to be both safe and effective through all evolutions of the pandemic. The protocol was designed to adapt according to the situation ashore and in the last 16 months, the measures in place have either been eased or tightened to match the evolution of the pandemic to continue to ensure the highest possible protection to guests, crew and communities that MSC Cruises’ ships visit.
MSC Cruises aims to help its guests book with confidence for their summer 2022 holiday and for all new bookings made before 31 December, 2021 they will be subject to a flexible booking policy. Guests can book with a standard deposit and can reschedule their cruise free of charge up to 15 days prior to the cruise departure or 21 days for a Fly & Cruise booking. The same conditions apply for any guest who has a cruise booked for the current winter 2021/22 season.
For further information guests should speak with their local MSC Cruises Contact Centre or their travel agent. For more information on MSC Cruises’ Summer 2022 itineraries, please visit here.
Notes for Editors
MSC Lirica’s Specifications:
Ship name MSC Lirica
Gross tonnage 65,591 GT
Max passenger capacity 2,679
Crew members 721
Number of cabins 992
Length / Beam / Height 274.9 m / 32 m / 54 m
Maximum speed 21.7 knots
About MSC Cruises
MSC Cruises is the world’s third largest cruise brand as well as the leader in Europe, South America, the Middle East and Southern Africa with more market share in addition to deployed capacity than any other player. It is also the fastest growing global cruise brand with a strong presence in the Caribbean, North America and the Far East markets.
Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, MSC Cruises one of the two brands that sit within the Cruises Division of MSC Group, the leading privately held Swiss-based shipping and logistics conglomerate with over 300 years of maritime heritage. MSC Cruises – the contemporary brand – has a modern fleet of 19 vessels combined with a sizeable future global investment portfolio of new vessels. The fleet is projected to grow to 23 cruise ships by 2025 with options for six more vessel orders in place through 2030.
MSC Cruises offers its guests an enriching, immersive and safe cruise experience inspired by the Company’s European heritage, where they can enjoy international dining, world-class entertainment, award-winning family programmes and the very latest user-friendly technology on board. To learn more about MSC Cruises’ itineraries and experience on board its ships please see here.
The Company’s number one priority has always been the health and safety of its guests and crew, as well as the communities at the destinations its ships serve. In August 2020, MSC Cruises implemented a new comprehensive and robust health and safety protocol to become the first major line to return to sea. To learn more about MSC Cruises’ health & safety protocol please see here.
MSC Cruises has long been committed to environmental stewardship with a long-term goal to achieve net zero emissions for its operations by 2050. The Company is also a significant investor in next-generation environmental marine technologies, with the objective to support their accelerated development and availability industry-wide. To learn more about the Company’s environmental commitment please see here.
Finally, to learn more about the MSC Foundation, MSC Group’s own vehicle to lead, focus and advance its conservation, humanitarian and cultural commitments please see here.
