MSC Cruises has claimed a record level of advance bookings for 2011 ex-UK sailings due to a switch from Dover to Southampton.
The Italian line’s UK and Ireland managing director Giulio Libutti revealed that 2,500 passengers have so far booked on MSC Opera’s summer 2011 departures from Southampton.
This is double the number achieved at this time last year for sailings from Dover, according to Libutti. The company has also extended until the end of September a ‘senior special saving’ lead in of £599 per person for over-55 year olds on 2011 Southampton sailings.
MSC is adding a UK representative to help liaise with British passengers taking ex-UK cruises.
This is in addition to other British touches being introduced for Southampton sailings including afternoon tea, a weekly tea with music, free water, tea and coffee at the end of meals and British dishes added to menus.
Libutti said he expected between 35-50% of passengers on next year’s ex-UK programme to be British. He was speaking on board MSC Poesia which was making its maiden call in Southampton en-route to New York on a 14-night repositioning from Copenhagen.
Fifty mainly independent agents visited the vessel as part of a training day organised by the Association of Cruise Experts.
MSC Opera will run 17 departures from the port from May next year with two voyages to the Baltic, five fjords cruises, nine departures to northern Spain and an 11-night repositioning cruise to Venice.