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3 days ago
MSC Cruises has begun work to transform the second of its four Lirica-class ships with the arrival of MSC Sinfonia at the Fincantieri shipyard in Palermo, Sicily.
The work to lengthening and refit the vessel over the next ten weeks will now include the addition of dedicated kids’ club areas from LEGO and Chicco – extending the exciting brand partnerships introduced on sister ship MSC Armonia.
That ship returned to service on November 17th 2014.
The €200 million ‘Renaissance project’ is upgrading all four of MSC Cruises’ smallest, Lirica-class, ships with the addition of new pre-built mid-sections to add balcony cabins, plus comprehensive onboard enhancements.
Fincantieri’s world-class marine engineers will carefully bisect MSC Sinfonia’s hull, after which the two halves of the ships will be slowly drawn apart.
On January 20th and 21st they will insert a 2,200GT, 24-metre midsection containing 193 extra cabins.
Then they will refit and renew much of the ship’s interior, bringing an enhanced sense of comfort and space.
Before MSC Sinfonia’s arrival, Fincantieri’s preparations were already well under way for the work on board and in the shipyard.
On January 9th, the new midsection was floated into the shipyard and hauled into the dry-dock area where MSC Sinfonia will remain for the duration of its stay
Once the work is complete and sea trials completed, the larger, smarter MSC Sinfonia will weigh anchor from the shipyard on March 25th for Genoa, from where it will begin for a maiden cruise to Ajaccio, Barcelona and Marseille.
MSC Sinfonia will feature new purpose-built areas for children created in partnership with Chicco and LEGO, and a new Baby Club, Mini Club, Young Club and Teens Club.
MSC Cruises executive director UK and Ireland Giles Hawke said: “Everyone at MSC Cruises loves our partnerships with LEGO and Chicco – they are two fantastic internationally-renowned brands.
“It is great news that we are giving families even more opportunity to enjoy these facilities by adding them to MSC Sinfonia.”
MSC Cruises has also reimagined the onboard dining experiences, keeping the buffet open 20 hours per day and installing fresh new dining spaces, a brand new lounge and an extended restaurant.
The ship’s MSC Aurea Spa will also be enriched with additional massage areas, and a new outdoor spray park will be added on deck 13 – an exciting series of playful water features and jets.
