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With Meraviglia, MSC to homeport Hamburg's largest cruise ship

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MSC Meraviglia will be based in Hamburg for the 2018 summer season (Photo: MSC Cruises)
MSC Meraviglia is going to be based in Hamburg for the 2018 summer season, becoming the biggest cruise ship ever homeported there. MSC Meraviglia will operate together with MSC Magnifica.

MSC Cruises' announcement means another capacity boost for Hamburg, only few days after AIDA Cruises confirmed it will base the new AIDAperla there during summer 2018.

AIDA's confirmation means the Hyperion class will leave Hamburg only temporarily when AIDAprima is repositioned to the Canary Islands in October 2017.

Between March and October 2018, AIDAperla will resume its weekly 'Metropolises' itinerary calling at Southampton, Le Havre, Zeebrugge and Rotterdam, a route established by AIDAprima last April.

AIDAperla's winter 2018/19 deployment remains to be decided. It's unclear if AIDA will again operate a vessel in Hamburg throughout the year.

MSC has gradually stepped up its presence in the north German city and will deploy MSC Preziosa in 2017 before the new MSC Meraviglia—which debuts in the western Mediterranean in June 2017—takes over itineraries from Hamburg a year later. She will be joined by MSC Magnifica, to become MSC's second Hamburg ship in 2018.

MSC Cruises began calling Hamburg with a visit by MSC Lirica in 2007. This month the city chalked up its 100th stop by an MSC cruise ship.