MSC Opera pool deck Many more adventurous travellers can now discover the beautiful and dramatic Southern African coastline and its unspoilt islands, as MSC Cruises sends MSC Opera to join her popular sister ship MSC Sinfonia in South Africa, introducing additional voyages for the region’s 2012/2013 summer season.
MSC Sinfonia will replace MSC Melody and take over the cruises departing from Cape Town while, for her first season in the region, MSC Opera will operate out of Durban.
New ports of call during the season have also been added, and guests can now enjoy the stunning wildlife, rugged shores and unparalleled scenic beauty of Hermanus, South Africa, Anakao, Madagascar and Luderitz, Namibia.
These enchanting itineraries are perfect to discover from MSC Opera or MSC Sinfonia, two ‘Lirica Class’ ships, with their glamorous deco, their comfortable and sophisticated cabins and their rich entertainment and wellness options.
MSC Opera
On 1 November 2012 the 251 metre MSC Opera will depart from Venice, Italy for a 20-day/19-night southbound cruise. MSC Opera’s course will take her from the Mediterranean sea through the North Atlantic Ocean to the South Atlantic Ocean, with scheduled stops in Valletta, Malta, Palma de Mallorca, Spain, Casablanca and Agadir, Morocco, Dakar, Senegal and Walvis Bay, Namibia, with MSC Opera arriving in Cape Town, South Africa for the first time ever on 20 November 2012. With a total of 12 full days at sea, this cruise provides guests with the perfect opportunity to take advantage of the many impressive facilities on board this luxury ship.
Following two ocean cruises from Cape Town to Durban and from Durban to Cape Town, MSC Opera will then operate out of Durban from 26 November 2012 until 21 February 2013, with a full schedule of 19 three and four-night Mozambique cruises with calls at Maputo, Portuguese Island and Inhambane, where guests will savour locally caught seafood, snorkel, and admire pristine beaches, dense vegetation, and pleasant lagoons.
A special seven-day/six-night cruise departing from Durban on Friday 21 December 2012, with scheduled calls at the beautiful fishing village of Anakao, Madagascar and Portuguese Island, Mozambique, and returning to Durban on Thursday 27 December 2012 means guests can spend an unforgettable Christmas on board.
For those searching for something special to welcome in 2013, a 12-day/11-night New Year’s Eve cruise departing from Durban on Thursday 27 December 2012, with scheduled calls at breath-taking La Possession, La Reunion, and vibrant Port Louis, Mauritius is the perfect answer.
Durban will say goodbye to MSC Opera on Sunday 17 February 2013, when she will make her way to Cape Town on a five-day/four-night cruise, with a scheduled call in Port Elizabeth, South Africa’s beloved second oldest city and the commercial capital of the Eastern Cape.
Departing from Cape Town on 21 February, MSC Opera will then complete her season with three cruises to Mossel Bay, South Africa, or Walvis Bay and Luderitz, Namibia.
South Africa will say goodbye to MSC Opera on 5 March 2013, when she starts her northbound return cruise from Cape Town, South Africa to Genoa, Italy. Scheduled stops are Walvis Bay, Namibia, Mindelo, Cape Verde, Las Palmas, Canary Islands, Lisbon, Portugal, and Valencia, Spain.
MSC Sinfonia
On 9 November 2012 MSC Sinfonia will depart from Genoa, Italy, for a 20-day/19-night southbound cruise. MSC Sinfonia’s course will take her from the Mediterranean sea through the North Atlantic Ocean to the South Atlantic Ocean, with scheduled stops in Toulon, France, Valencia, Spain, Lisbon and Funchal, Portugal, Mindelo, Cape Verde and Walvis Bay, Namibia, with MSC Sinfonia arriving in Cape Town on 28 November 2012.
MSC Sinfonia will offer a variety of cruises, including the popular four-day/three-night and five-day/four-night cruises calling at Portuguese Island and Inhambane, Mozambique.
MSC Sinfonia will also operate longer cruises from Durban to Madagascar, Mauritius and La Reunion, with calls at Anakao, Fort Dauphin, Sainte Marie Island and Port Louis, as well as a number of coastal cruises between Durban and Cape Town, calling in at Port Elizabeth.
MSC Sinfonia will also offer cruises to Mossel Bay and Hermanus, South Africa,  Luderitz, Namibia, Maputo, Mozambique, and for the first time ever, MSC Sinfonia will offer a 12-day/11-night roundtrip cruise to Walvis Bay, a Namibian paradise blessed with wide open spaces, scenic beauty and unique marine and plant life, and St Helena, the remote unspoilt island where Napoleon was exiled and is buried.
South Africa will say goodbye to MSC Sinfonia on 15 April 2013, when she starts her 19-day/18-night return cruise from Cape Town, South Africa to Genoa, Italy. Scheduled stops are Walvis Bay, Namibia, Dakar, Senegal, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain, Funchal, Portugal, Malaga, Spain, and Rome, Italy.