MSC Cruises is sending the 1,600-passenger MSC Lirica (2003/59,058gt) to the Caribbean this winter for a new programme of weekly cruises from Martinique from 15 December until 16 February 2013. Aimed primarily at Europeans, the cruises involve Saturday departures from Fort-de-France and feature port calls at Antigua, Tortola, Santo Domingo and La Romana in the Dominican Republic, and St Maarten.
As reported last month, MSC is to move its Florida base in autumn 2013 to Miami from Fort Lauderdale, from where the 2,550-passenger MSC Poesia (2008/92,627gt) has been based seasonally on alternating weekly cruises to the Eastern and Western Caribbean. These cruises have been geared to the American market and it has been reported that, in a push to attract more business, a larger Fantasia class ship will replace MSC Poesia. MSC’s US-based schedule for winter 2012-13 has yet to be published.
