MSC Orchestra spent the night in the city as part of her first 33-night Grand Voyage
By
Rebecca Gibson |
MSC Orchestra became the first MSC Cruises ship to call in Singapore on 5 March.
The 2,550-guest ship visited as part of her first 33-night Grand Voyage from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates to Perth in Australia, which will include calls at 13 ports in eight countries on three continents.
MSC Orchestra departed from Dubai on 20 February and sailed to Cochin; Colombo, Sri Lanka; Phuket, Thailand; Langkawi, Malaysia; and Singapore. After overnighting in Singapore, the ship will set sail for Benoa in Bali before spending four days at sea and arriving at Cairns, Australia. She will then make maiden calls in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide, before concluding her journey in Freemantle, Perth.
“This is a historic moment in our company’s journey – the first time an MSC Cruises ship has called at the magnificent city of Singapore,” said Gianni Onorato, CEO of MSC Cruises. “In fact, all 13 ports of callon MSC Orchestra’s pioneering Grand Voyage are firsts for MSC Cruises. We are in Singaporeto show how firmly we believe in the Asian market’s potential, which is only going to grow further in the foreseeable future.”
To mark the event, MSC representatives were joined by local officials, travel agents and media during a reception onboard the ship.
“This development is testament to the potential of Southeast Asia, where Singapore serves as the regional cruise hub,” said Neeta Lachmandas, assistant chief executive of the Business Development Group at Singapore Tourism Board. “Singapore’s strong air connectivity and seamless transport network augments cruise itineraries and enables more travellers to use Singapore to discover Southeast Asia.”
Speaking at the onboard event, Antonio Paradiso, the line’s executive director for emerging markets, said: “Asia is an already robust source market for our cruises around the world, and MSC Cruises is the cruise line of reference for thousands of Asians travellers who want to entrust their European adventures to the biggest privately-owned cruise company in the world.”