This is the second time MSC Cruises has based a ship in Greece and the first time MSC Musica has homeported in the country.
Musica will operate 26 seven-night voyages until October with calls at Santorini and Mykonos in Greece; Kusadasi, Turkey; Haifa, Israel; and Limassol, Cyprus.
Increase from MSC Lirica last year
When MSC Lirica operated the line's first Piraeus-based cruises last year, the line said it would increase capacity to cater for growing demand from Greeks and international passengers.
'MSC Musica fulfills that objective and we’re very confident of a successful sailing season and welcoming many repeat holidaymakers onboard as well as those that are new to cruise,' said Angelo Capurro, sales executive director - new emerging markets, MSC Cruises.
MSC Cruises’ ‘Stay & Cruise’ packages launched in 2022 will be available from July to include a two-night ‘Athens Experience’ in a four-star hotel with airport and port transfers.
Seven ships in the East Med
MSC Cruises’ summer 2023 sees a record seven ships in the Eastern Mediterranean with the main focus on Greece.
MSC Sinfonia will visit Piraeus 20 times with voyages between Greece, Croatia and Italy. Five other ships — MSC Armonia, MSC Lirica, MSC Splendida, MSC Opera and MSC Divina — will call at Crete, Rhodes, Kefalonia, Mykonos, Santorini, Corfu and Zakynthos throughout the season. In the autumn MSC Poesia will visit Piraeus.
Greece was recently highlighted by MSC Cruises Executive Chairman Pierfrancesco Vago during a keynote speech at Posidonia in Thessaloniki in his capacity as the global chair of Cruise Lines International Association.
