Less Than 100 Days and Counting for MSC Divina Launch

Sydney, Australia, March 17, 2012 --(PR.com)-- With less than 100 days to go before the long-awaited christening by MSC Cruises’ “godmother”, screen legend Sophia Loren, the workmen are taking much pride putting the final touches to the newest cruise ship, to be launched in Marseille on May 26.

More than 1400 skilled professionals representing over 100 companies are working strenuously to ensure the 140,000-tonne MSC Divina is ready for her extravagant debut.

“Locksmiths, electricians, coppersmiths, mechanics, carpenters, decorators, marble fitters, light technicians, insulation and air-conditioning technicians have been working solidly, along with kitchen designers and supervisors,” said Lynne Clarke, managing director of MSC Cruises Australia and New Zealand. “In fact, that list represents just some of the many trades involved in the fitting and furnishing of the 4363-passenger luxury cruise ship,” she said.

“When MSC Divina emerges for her debut ‘Grand Ball’ on May 26, over 2.2 million hours will have been spent on her construction, and an extra one million hours of work will have been devoted to meticulously applying the finishing touches.”

MSC Divina will be the 12th member of the cruise line’s ever-expanding fleet, measuring 333 metres long and 38 metres wide.

The newcomer will boast a mythological Greek influence with 13 of the new luxury ship’s 18 decks named after the gods and goddesses of ancient Greece, among them Aphrodite, the Olympian goddess of love, and Apollo, the Olympian god of music.

Zeus, the king of gods and ruler of Mt Olympus, will also have a deck named after him along with Uranus, god of the heavens. Furthermore, MSC Divina’s expansive 1603-seat theatre will be named the Pantheon, a Greek word aptly meaning “to honour all gods”.

“The fact that MSC Divina will be covering the beautiful East Mediterranean is a bonus as capacity has always been at a premium to this part of the Mediterranean,” said Mrs Clarke.

After its maiden six-night Mediterranean May 27 cruise from Marseille to Venice, the MSC Divina will take on a series of seven-night Eastern Mediterranean round cruises from Venice to Italy’s Bari, Greece’s Katakolon, Turkey’s Izmir and Istanbul and Croatia’s Dubrovnik, such cruises priced from $939 per person twin share.

MSC Cruises is the world’s leading cruise company in the Mediterranean, South African and Brazilian markets and operates across the globe. Its modern fleet comprises eleven ships: MSC Splendida and MSC Fantasia (the largest ships ever built for a European ship owner), MSC Poesia, MSC Orchestra, MSC Musica, MSC Sinfonia, MSC Armonia, MSC Opera, MSC Lirica and MSC Melody. MSC Magnifica, the newest ship, was launched in March 2010. The fleet cruises year-round in the Mediterranean and seasonally in Northern Europe, the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean, North America and Canada, South America, the Indian Ocean and South and West Africa. MSC Cruises is the only company in the world to receive the "6 Golden Pearls" award from the Bureau Veritas in recognition of its high level of quality management and environmental responsibility. MSC has also achieved ISO 9001 and ISO 22000 certification for the quality and food safety of all aspects of its catering, both onshore and onboard. MSC Cruises cares about the welfare of children, and as a responsible market leader believes in making a positive impact in the regions where it operates. To this end, the company recently formed a partnership with UNICEF to fund a community project aimed at providing disadvantaged children in Brazil with a quality education.

Details: MSC Cruises, phone 1300 028502, www.msccruises.com.au

Prepared by: Mike Smith, Public Relations Manager, World Trade Travel, phone (02) 92677715 mike.smith@worldtradetravel.com