By
Rebecca Gibson |
MSC Lirica is to make MSC Cruises’ first call in Shanghai on 1 May 2016 after a 60-night ‘Grand Voyage’, which will take guests from Brazil to China via Europe.
Departing from Rio de Janeiro in Brazil on 3 March, the ‘Grand Voyage’ has been split into three shorter segments to enable passengers to embark in the Italian port of Genoa for a 41-night cruise, and in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, for a 26-night journey.
“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 Gianni Onorato, MSC Cruises CEO. “This new Grand Voyage offering is proof of our steadfast commitment to offering our experienced guests innovative and sought-after destinations. As MSC Cruises continues to expand the destinations it visits, such as our Cuba itineraries, we are enhancing our global offering while providing travellers best-in-class experiences and service.”
MSC Lirica, which will be extended and renovated as part of MSC’s Renaissance Program this November, will take guests to Brazilian ports such as Buzios, Salvador, Maceio and Fortaleza, before the ship crosses the Atlantic to Santa Cruz de Tenerife in the Canary Islands and Cadiz, Spain.
New passengers will then be able to embark in the Spanish port of Barcelona, the French port of Marseilles, or Genoa before the ship heads to Naples, Italy; Heraklion, Crete; Aqaba, Jordan; Muscat, Oman; and Khor Al Fakhan and Dubai, UAE.
MSC Lirica will then overnight in Dubai to allow more passengers to join the last leg of her voyage, which will include calls in Goa and Cochin, India; Colombo, Sri Lanka; Phuket, Thailand; Penang and Port Kelang, Malaysia; and an overnight in Singapore. Guests will then visit Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong and overnight in Shanghai before crossing to Japan's Fukuoka and returning to Shanghai on 1 May.
It has not been confirmed whether MSC Lirica will remain in Shanghai after the voyage.
Earlier this month, MSC revealed that MSC Opera would offer 16 cruises from Havana, Cuba, from December 2015.