Save up to £600 in MSC Cruises turn of year sale

MSC Cruises are offering customers the chance to save up to £600 per cabin in its turn-of-year sales campaign which started this week. The offer is applicable on selected summer sailings around the Mediterranean in 2015 and on selected winter 2015/2016 itineraries.

MSC Preziosa sailing in the Mediterranean

MSC Cruises are known for offering family-friendly cruises that represent exceptional value for money, particularly on fly-cruises. Whilst many sailings are available as cruise-only offers, some allow you to bundle in flights and transfers. These fly-cruises take the hassle out of finding suitable flights and separate transfers between the airport and port. You just pay one price and MSC Cruises sort out all the paperwork.

Furthermore, unlike some other cruise lines who use budget carriers for their fly-cruise offers , MSC Cruises offer return flights from London Gatwick airport flying with British Airways. If you live too far away from Gatwick then MSC Cruises is offering the option of regional flights to Gatwick plus overnight airport hotel stay, or the chance to add car parking and a one-night hotel stay via a new partnership with A2B Transfers. Additional fees apply, and this service is subject to availability.

Discounts apply to selected summer 2015 fly-cruises on six ships. Choose MSC Magnifica and MSC Musica for Eastern Mediterranean itineraries or MSC Preziosa, MSC Divina, MSC Fantasia and MSC Armonia for Western Mediterranean itineraries. All applicable cruises depart from either the romantic city of Venice or the historic port of Genoa.

Summer sale rates start from just £549 per person based on a seven-night MSC Fantasia sailing in April 2015. This offers a discount of £300 per person from the brochure prices. If you would prefer a cabin with a view then upgrades to balcony cabins are available on all seven-night sailings for just £200 per person. Cabin availability and cruise fares are subject to availability.

Promotional fares are also available for a wide range of winter 2015/2016 itineraries sailing in the Mediterranean, The Canary Islands, the Emirates and the Caribbean.

Giles Hawke, executive director UK & Ireland for MSC Cruises, said: “These great offers are sure to be really popular so holidaymakers should get in quickly to ensure they get the sailing and cabin they want."

(Photo credit to  MSC Crociere)

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Best New Ship Of The Year?

The first of the year's five major new ship offerings has just been launched, amid much Italian fanfare, by MSC Cruises in Genoa.

MSC Preziosa is the 12th new vessel to join the MSC fleet and another example of the amazing range and appeal of modern ship design. Interestingly, she also makes the Italian company the third-largest in the world after Carnival and Royal Caribbean, edging Norwegian Cruise Line into fourth place (for now!).

With that in mind, we at World of Cruising thought it would be an interesting idea to run a poll of our readers, asking what they think is the most keenly anticipated new ship of the year. The five contenders are as follows:

MSC Preziosa: the latest and greatest from MSC Cruises, overseen by godmother Sophia Loren to add star power and boasting a capacity of 3,502 passengers. She includes seven restaurants and the latest enhancements of the line's exclusive MSC Yacht Club, the ship-within-a-ship area that effectively recreates a first class style of travel.

Norwegian Breakaway: a large-scale refinement of Norwegian's largest vessel, Norwegian Epic, Breakaway will be notable for her dedication to providing a sea-view aspect with many of her public areas. Due out at the end of April, she will feature The Waterfront, a quarter-mile of outward-facing dining, bars and lounges that give her 4,000 passengers a true connection with the sea (a rarity these days). While still monolithic in appearance, she should be spectacular inside.

Royal Princess: the largest ship ever ordered for the Princess brand, this should also be the most spectacular, with a whole raft of extra amenities, facilities and design features when she debuts in June. At 140,000 tons, she is 20% larger than the biggest vessels currently in the fleet, but she will add a great range of new dining and entertainment choice, including an expanded Atrium area that serves as the focal point and a unique top-deck pool arrangement featuring a water and light show.

Europa 2: going for a smaller and more exclusive style in May, Hapag-Lloyd's first new-build project in several years features a sumptuous arrange of distinctive, six-star amenities that should make this one of the most distinctive ships in the world, from a service point of view. With cutting-edge interior design and an array of six specialist restaurants that promises to be truly deluxe, Europa 2 will also be one of the most spacious ships ever built, with some of the largest staterooms and the highest Space Ratio of any ship at sea.

Le Soleal: the smallest of our Fab Five for 2013, the latest offering (launching in July and just 10,600 tons) from French line Le Compagnie du Ponant, this sleek cruiser should be a known quantity as she is the third in this novel series. Carrying barely 250 passengers, Le Soleal should be the latest word in exclusive small-ship sophistication and chic, within the company's style of Yacht Cruising that is wonderfully elegant and individual. 

So, those are the contenders for our Ship of the Year feature - now go and vote in our poll (you will find it at the top of our home page, on the right, with the heading What Is The Most Anticipated New Ship Of The Year For You?) and let us know what YOU think will be No 1.

Time Spent at Sea has moved and can now be found at World of Cruising. You can follow World of Cruising on Twitter and Facebook for the very latest in cruise news.

If you haven't already, subscribe to the World of Cruising magazine today.