MSC Cruises refurbishment plans
MSC Cruises have announced a major refurbishment plan for their 4 Lirica Class ships, one of which is currently based in Southampton. With a budget of just under 200 million euros and 38 weeks of dry dock put aside the ‘Renaissance’ program will see the MSC Armonia, MSC Lirica, MSC Sinfonia and MSC Opera all fully refurbished by the end of 2015
I have been on board the MSC Opera and my parents have just had a week on the MSC Armonia and whilst both ships are OK, they do show their age particularly in comparison to the more modern ships of the fleet such as the MSC Preziosa and the MSC Divina.
The ships are currently 251 meters long and carry up to 2,200 passengers however in this major scheme they will be both refurbished and enlargened and upon completion they will carry 2,680 passengers, measure 275 meters and weigh an additional 5,000 tons each. Quite how they do this I have no idea but Fred Olsen have done this very successfully in the past and the Fincantieri ship building yard are one of the largest in the world with an excellent reputation so I am sure that they know what they are doing.
The new space and refurbishment will add 193 new passenger cabins, 59 further crew cabins, new entertainment areas and an aqua park. The existing shopping area is to be expanded and MSC are hoping to feature brands such as Dior, Lancome and Dolce & Gabbana in the new perfume shop.
The ‘Renaissance’ program starts with the MSC Armonia this year and the schedule is as follows;
MSC Armonia – 31 August 2014 to 17 November 2014
MSC Sinfonia -12 January 2015 to 16 March 2015
MSC Opera – 02 May 2015 – 04 July 2015
MSC Lirica – 31 August 2015 to 09 November 2015
MSC Opera will be sailing 10-12 night itineraries to the Baltics and Russia, the Norwegian Fjords and the Iberian Peninsular from Southampton this summer and offers excellent value for money. If you’re interested in what she looks like currently just click here to see my photos.
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I have worked in the travel industry for over 25 years now since beginning as a holiday rep on a campsite in France and I have a real passion for travel. I've worked in all aspects of the industry including sales, marketing and management and I've specialised in most products…
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I found your site while searching for MSC ships reburbishments (poor data on this one, I tell ya), and I recommend you using this link for latest cruise ship refurbishment news and schedule updates
http://www.shipcruise.org/cruise-ship-refurbishment-dry-dock-schedule/
We do regular updates, plus schedule analysis to find them – it’s a good source, along with the one on the CC site.
Best of luck in 2014! 😉
Chavdar