MSC Celebrates the Arrival of the MSC Seashore in Brazil

MSC Celebrates the Arrival of the MSC Seashore in Brazil

MSC Cruises marked the arrival of the MSC Seashore to Brazil earlier this month with a special celebration onboard the vessel.

In the presence of over 2,000 invitees, the company staged a “Brazilian christening ceremony” for the 2021-built ship, which will spend the entire winter season sailing in the country.

The company’s local operations director, Márcia Leite, served as the godmother during the ceremony, which took place at the ship’s theatre.

“We are very proud to celebrate the arrival of another new MSC Cruises ship,” said Adrian Ursilli, MSC Cruises Brazil country manager.

According to Ursilli, MSC has a “trademark tradition” of sending a different vessel to debut in the Brazilian market every year.

“This time it’s the MSC Seashore, a ship that was the newest of our fleet just 15 days ago,” Ursilli said.

Taking the title from the MSC Seaside, which debuted in the region for the 2021-2022 season, the MSC Seashore also became the largest cruise ship to ever sail in Brazil.

“We continue to work to evolve and improve our services with a quality offer for the Brazilian market, as a leader must do,” he added.

One of the five MSC Cruises ships serving the Brazilian market during the 2022-2023 season, the Seashore is now offering cruises from Santos, Salvador and Maceió.

Along with the MSC Seaview, the MSC Preziosa, the MSC Fantasia and the MSC Armonia, the 4,560-guest ship continues to sail in the country through March, offering a record capacity in the local market.

“We’ll have an increase of over 68 per cent in the number of cabins when compared to the 2019-2020 season,” said Ursilli.

According to him, MSC is set to offer 130 cruises sailing from five different Brazilian ports, such as Rio de Janeiro and Itajaí.

MSC’s winter season in South America started in November, with the arrival of the MSC Fantasia to Santos.

Costa Firenze Debuts in Brazil

Costa Firenze Debuts in Brazil

The Costa Firenze arrived in Brazil for its inaugural season in the country earlier this month. To mark the debut of the 2021-built ship, the local office of Costa Cruises organized a special ceremony onboard.

“It is an enormous satisfaction to be able to provide the Brazilian market with a new ship,” said Dario Rustico, the company’s executive vice president for South and Central America.

“The Costa Firenze is a ship that caters to different public profiles, and we are happy to know that the Brazilians are interested in the product, making bookings,” he added.

According to Rustico, the 4,232-guest vessel will receive over 100,000 Brazilian guests through mid-April, when it is set to return to Europe.

Offering regular cruises between Brazil’s Southeast and Northwest regions, the Firenze is set to visit Ilhéus, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador and Rio de Janeiro on a weekly basis.

Along with the Costa Favolosa and the Costa Fortuna, the ship is part of Costa’s largest season in South America in the past ten years.

“Costa is ready to continue cooperating to further develop the tourism in the region, moving the economy and generating jobs,” Rustico said, highlighting the company’s manifesto for “sustainable growth, with the destinations being seen as communities.”

In addition to Costa executives and travel agents, the event was also attended by local authorities and members of the Italian community in Brazil.

Also present at the ceremony, Ezio Di Nunzio, the Captain of the Costa Firenze, highlighted the relationship between Brazil and Italy.

“The Costa Firenze arrived at Santos today as many Italian immigrants did in the past. They came here in search of their dreams, helping to build this enormous nation and making Brazil one of the biggest Italian colonies in the world,” he said.

The master also noted that the Fincantieri-built vessel represents “what’s best in the culture, art, architecture and technology of Italy.”

“We arrive to be part of the history of these two friend nations,” Di Nunzio completed.

Brazil Says Cruise Is A Go, 2021-2022 Season Is On

With government permission now granted, cruise ships are returning to Brazil in November.

After months of negotiations, the green light for the country’s domestic cruise restart was announced on Saturday.

“We’ll have cruises this year: the cruise season is authorized,” Brazil’s Minister of Tourism, Gilson Machado Neto said in a social media video.

The government was committed to bringing the ships back, he added, as the cruise industry “generates 42,000 direct and indirect jobs in Brazil.”

The country is now working with local authorities in homeports and ports of call, in order to create an operational plan for the cruise ships.

Specific health rules, protocols and quarantine definitions are also in the works and set to be published soon, the government said in a press statement. 

Preliminary protocol plans call for ships operating with reduced capacity, COVID-19 testing for all passengers prior to boarding, vaccinated crew, use of face masks onboard and more.

Shore excursions will need to be organized by the cruise lines in a bubble format, following the protocols implemented by, not only the ships, but also of the cities being visited.

The government expects calls in several destination around the country, including Santos, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, Angra dos Reis, Búzios, Fortaleza, Maceió and Ilhabela.

Popular in the region, itineraries to Argentina and Uruguay are out of the plans for the time being. So are transatlantic crossings and other international itineraries.

Seven Ships, 570,000 Berths

After a 20-month gap, the country is set to host seven vessels for the local 2021-2022 season.

The highlight is the 2019-built Costa Smeralda, which is set to become the biggest ship ever to sail in the country.  

According to the government, 566,000 berths are being offered during the season; 35,000 up on the 2019-2020 season.

In total, 130 cruises and 570 cruise calls are set to take place between November 2021 and April 2022.

“The cruise sector is essential for the development of the nautical tourism in our country … we congratulate our partners for this victory,” said Carlos Brito, Executive Director of the Brazilian Tourism Board (Embratur).

Rio de Janeiro: Transforming Potential into Reality

Rio de Janeiro: Transforming Potential into Reality

Rio de Janeiro Port.

Rio de Janeiro is among the two main ports in Brazil, second to Santos in passengers and ship calls, but with a bright future, both as a homeport and key transit stop.

Last year, Rio welcomed 265,188 passengers, down from the year prior, like most other South American ports. For this season (2017-2018), Rio is expecting around 240,000 cruise guests.

To change the picture, the CompanhiaDocas do Rio de Janeiro (CDRJ), which essentially runs the port, wants to make the port experience more attractive to the cruise lines.

“Our goal is to bring in as many passengers as possible. We need to understand the problems, present the questions and, try to achieve the better solutions," explained Tarcísio Tomazine, president of CDRJ.

“My job is to solve the bureaucratic problems and improve the attractivity of Rio de Janeiro’s port. We believe is Rio is a valuable destination, there’s great potential. Our job here is to transform that potential in reality," he said.

Tomazine claims that his port is an exception in a country like Brazil.

He said Rio de Janeiro doesn’t have significant infrastructure problems.

“We can receive, without much trouble eight or nine ships at once, and we have a deep harbour," Tomazine noted.

Still, there are operational improvements. The navigational channel was adjusted so ships up to 346 meters in length can call, and the water depth is being dredged further to allow ships with drafts up to 14 meters.

The season started with Oceania's Insignia calling on Nov. 4, with 24 calls expected through April 29.

Ranking cruise lines' Rio efforts

Norwegian Getaway in Rio

By Tom Stieghorst 

Three cruise companies made the Rio Olympic Games part of their 2016 strategy, so in the spirit of the competition, it seems only fitting to award them medals for their efforts.

Bronze

Royal Caribbean International is using the Rio games to revive its "Come Seek" TV advertising, which debuted last fall. The choice associates Royal with the international flavor of the Olympics, plus links it with popular athletes such as Michael Phelps and Simone Biles.

Advertisers like Royal spent $1.2 billion on the Olympics, but so far television ratings are down 15.5% from the 2012 games in London, averaging 27.9 million viewers through the first nine nights.

Still, I thought one video was particularly effective. Titled "We Play Games Too," it shows an aquatic performer on one of Royal's Oasis-class ships doing a handstand on a diving platform before plunging into what seems like a pool the size of a postage stamp. The ad effectively showcases something that none of Royal's competitors can duplicate.

Silver

Silversea Cruises, aptly enough, wins the silver for chartering the Silver Cloud as a floating hotel for the U.S. men's and women's basketball teams. The charter earned Silversea a boatload of free publicity, including a front-page article in the New York Times.

Sports channels and outlets also picked up on an extended monologue by USA team coach Mike Krzyzewski about staying on the ship, although Chicago Bulls star Jimmy Butler could have shown a little more enthusiasm.

"I just do what I'm told," Butler said. "I'm told to sleep on a boat, so I sleep on a boat."

Gold

While Silversea hosted athletes, Norwegian Cruise Line chartered its Norwegian Getaway for use by sports bureaucrats, including members of the International Olympic Federation, the National Organizing Committees, the Rio Host Committee as well as corporate sponsors.

While not as productive on the publicity front, it gave high-ranking influencers from dozens of countries exposure to a cruise ship, and Norwegian in particular, that they might not otherwise have.

Norwegian gained another backhanded benefit. By chartering the Getaway, it removed the 4,000-passenger ship for 40 days from the Miami/Caribbean market, which "helped alleviate some of the pricing pressure" caused by having two big ships in the Miami market during the summer, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings CEO Frank del Rio said.
Norwegian couldn't have anticipated that effect when it started charter plans for the Rio games nine years ago, but good luck often plays a role in Olympic wins, as it did for Norwegian here.

US Basketball Teams Opt for Luxury Cruise Ship Over Olympic Village

Team USA's men's and women's basketball stars will be living a life of luxury during this month's 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

While many American athletes will be staying at the oft-criticized Olympic Village this summer, America's best ballers will be laying their heads inside of Silversea Cruises' Silver Cloud cruise ship.

The Chicago Tribune reported the players arrived on the 296-guest ship Wednesday. 

The Silver Cloud, which is the oldest ship in Silversea's main fleet, is anchored at Rio's Pier Maua in the Guanabara Bay. 

Inside the ship, highlights include generous-sized beds (ideal for basketball players), a spa, a pool, multiple dining options and even a cigar lounge.

Outside, security will be extremely tight. According to the Daily Mail, there's only one entrance to the ship and it will be manned by security equipped with a scanner. Bulletproof glass will surround the ship and police boats will patrol the nearby waters. 

READ MORE: Norwegian Getaway to Become Floating Hotel for 2016 Olympics in Rio

The reason for booking the Silver Cloud is simple, according to USA Basketball spokesman Craig Miller, who told the Associated Press earlier this year that "we don't stay in the village because we don't feel it's the best way to prepare for competition."

"The players have a long professional season, and they want to spend as much time as possible with family and friends," added Miller.

While staying outside of the Olympic Village is nothing new for USA Basketball — the last time being the 1988 Summer Games — this summer will be the first time in 12 years that the teams have stayed on a cruise ship.

The teams stayed on the Cunard Line's Queen Mary 2 during the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece.

Norwegian Getaway embarks on Olympic charter

The Norwegian Getaway departed Miami on July 24 on the first leg of its 40-day charter for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

Details of the charter were provided for the first time by Landry & Kling, the Miami specialist in meetings at sea and incentive cruises, which brokered the deal.

Landry & Kling said the charter was first discussed in 2007 and is the largest in its 34-year history. Financial terms weren’t disclosed.

The 4,000-passenger Getaway will take the better part of 10 days to get to Brazil before taking up residence at Pier Maua in Rio from Aug. 4 to 22. Chartered by the Rio 2016 Organizing Committee, it will provide supplemental housing for corporate sponsors and Olympic committees.

The Getaway’s departure leaves Norwegian Escape and Norwegian Sky to hold down Norwegian’s Caribbean cruise business from Miami in August.

Firm co-founder Joyce Landry is blogging from the ship during the charter.

Noah’s Ark Crashes Into Coast Guard Vessel… You Read That Right

A full-size replica of the Ark of Noah is seen after it crashed into a moored coast guard vessel in Oslo harbour, Norway June 10, 2016. NTB Scanpix/Gorm Kallestad

A 230-foot long replica of Noah’s Ark collided with a Norwegian Coast Guard vessel as it arrived in Oslo, Norway on Friday, causing damage to both ships. 

Media says the wooden replica, built by a Dutch carpenter Johan Huibers after he dreamed of a flood in his home town, was being towed into Oslo harbor when it somehow lost control and crashed into the moored patrol vessel Nornen.

Watching the video its hard to tell exactly what happened, but photos posted by Norwegian media show a big hole in the side of the Ark’s wooden hull. 

A crew member inspects damages on the hull of a full-size replica of the Ark of Noah after it crashed into a moored coast guard vessel in Oslo harbour, Norway June 10, 2016. NTB Scanpix/Hkon Mosvold Larsen

The Ark is now owned by the Ark of Noah Foundation, which was planning on bringing the educational vessel across the Atlantic to Rio de Janeiro for the Olympic Games this summer.

Media reports said there were no animals on board when the collision occurred.

Ark of Noah Foundation

MSC Announces Grand Voyage to Shanghai

MSC Announces Grand Voyage to Shanghai

MSC Cruises has officially announced plans to make its first sailing to China, with the newly-renovated MSC Lirica calling in Shanghai on May 1, 2016 after having traveled across continents.

The 65,000-ton ship will make the company’s maiden call in China’s biggest megalopolis after a 60-day round-the-world Grand Voyage which departs on March 3, 2016 from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

“We are delighted to once more be able to offer our guests a brand new itinerary – from Brazil to China via Europe – which offers the chance to visit some of the most appealing places on earth, certainly across a huge array of people and cultures,” said MSC Cruises CEO, Gianni Onorato.

Onorato added: “This new Grand Voyage offering is proof of our steadfast commitment to offer our guests innovative and sought-after destinations. As MSC Cruises continues to expand the destinations it calls – such as Cuba which we recently announced – we are further enhancing our global offering while providing travelers best-in-class experiences and service.”

MSC Cruises is offering travelers the opportunity to choose from three different versions of the Grand Voyage, with the ability to embark in either Rio de Janeiro in Brazil (60 nights), Genoa in Italy (41 nights) or Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (26 nights), before arriving in Shanghai.

Shanghai at night taken by Dave Jones

Before setting sail, MSC Lirica will be fully renovated and enlarged under MSC Cruises’ Renaissance Program, which entails a comprehensive overhaul of the ship due to be completed in November 2015.

Prices for the full 60-day Grand Voyage on MSC Lirica will start at $4,799 per person. Included in the price are beverage and laundry packages as well as 8 shore excursions.

During the first leg of MSC Lirica’s 60-day journey, the ship will depart on March 3, 2016 from Guanabara Bay in Rio de Janeiro and sail north along the coast of Brazil – with calls in Buzios, Salvador, Maceio and Fortaleza. The ship  will then cross the Atlantic on a northeast course towards the Canary Islands – with a stop in the city of Santa Cruz de Tenerife – before reaching mainland Europe and visiting Cadiz, Spain.

From there, MSC Lirica will call the three largest ports in the Mediterranean – Barcelona, Spain; Marseille, France; and Genoa, Italy – providing travelers an opportunity to embark in any of these ports in Europe and providing maximum flexibility as guests journey towards Asia.

After leaving Genoa, MSC Lirica will call Naples, Italy and the island of Crete with Heraklion in Greece. The ship then heads south to Aqaba in Jordan; Muscat, Oman; and Khor Al Fakhan and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.  The ship is scheduled to stay in Dubai overnight and travelers interested in sailing from Dubai to Shanghai will have the ability to embark.

During the last leg of the journey, MSC Lirica sets sail towards the East and the Indian cities of Goa and Cochin, prior to calling Colombo, the capital city of Sri Lanka. She then heads to Phuket, Thailand, and Penang and Port Kelang/Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, before reaching Singapore.

After an overnight stay in Singapore, the ship will bring its guests to Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam and then to visit Hong Kong. Shanghai is the next call and includes an overnight stay before sailing across the China sea to Fukuoka in Japan. From the Land of the Rising Sun, MSC Lirica heads back to the high seas one more time, returning to Shanghai on May 1, 2016.