In one month, the MSC Opera will embark on a southbound voyage to South Africa, where she will begin her first ever summer season in the region in style, by hosting two on-board events in Cape Town and Durban.
On November 1, MSC Opera will leave Venice, Italy, setting off on a 20-night cruise from the Mediterranean Sea to the North Atlantic Ocean and down the west coast of Africa to the South Atlantic Ocean. During this grand voyage guests will enjoy calls in Valletta in Malta, Palma de Mallorca in Spain, Casablanca and Agadir in Morocco, Dakar in Senegal and Walvis Bay in Namibia, before arriving in Cape Town on November 20.
To mark the luxury cruise ship’s maiden call in Cape Town, MSC Cruises is hosting a special charity event in aid of abandoned and abused children. Proceeds from tickets to the event and its action-packed auction will go to the Ukuthemba Foundation, a local organization providing a safe environment for orphans and neglected and abused children.
Following the Ukuthemba event, MSC Opera will set sail for her new homeport in Durban, where she will host an exclusive party on November 23 for media, VIPs and travel industry representatives in celebration of her arrival.
MSC Opera then has a full schedule of three and four-night cruises, operating out of Durban from November 24 until early March 2013. She will take over the cruises to Maputo, Portuguese Island and Barra Lodge in Mozambique from sister ship MSC Sinfonia, who will in turn replace the smaller MSC Melody, allowing guests from the Cape Town region to experience a totally new product from their own home port.
In addition to the change in vessels, the popular Christmas cruise itinerary has also been modified slightly and will now sail to Portuguese Island and then on to the tiny beach village of Anakoa in Madagascar. The 11-night festive New Year cruise will now include the celebration of New Year’s Eve under La Reunion skies and a call in Mauritius on New Year’s day, where MSC Opera will remain in port for three nights.
Towards the end of the season, MSC Opera’s itineraries will include Port Elizabeth and she will also sail a small number of cruises out of Cape Town to Mossel Bay, Walvis Bay, and Luderitz before leaving South African shores for the European summer.
MSC Opera is slightly larger than her sister ship MSC Sinfonia and can accommodate over 1,700 guests. MSC Opera has 856 cabins of which 172 are balcony cabins and 28 are balcony suites. The ship has four restaurants, eleven bars, two pools, and two whirlpools and boasts the sumptuous MSC Aurea Spa, a disco, video games room, internet café, casino, team building facilities and a medical centre. The ship has a wonderful array of duty free shopping and caters for kids with the Buffalo Bill children’s play area, special dining options for children and families, and four different kids clubs. Additional facilities include the Cotton Club bar and a stage on deck for outdoor entertainment.
Countdown begins to MSC Opera’s arrival
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