MSC Cruises is to re-position one of its four flagship Fantasia-class vessels from the Caribbean to the Mediterranean next summer.
MSC Divina (pictured) will move from its current base in Miami from the end of April 2015 to run 20 seven-night summer itineraries.
The vessel will join MSC Preziosa, MSC Fantasia and MSC Armonia in the western Mediterranean.
The move will increase MSC’s capacity in the entire Mediterranean to a total of 760,000 passengers, with 75,000 of those on MSC Divina.
The ship will operate out of Rome (Civitavecchia) from May 16, 2015 until October 3, 2015.
The seven-night sailings will take in La Spezia, Cannes, Palma, Barcelona, Naples and Civitavecchia.
The ship will offer late-night stays in La Spezia to give passengers the option of visits to Pisa, Florence, Portofino and the Cinque Terre coast.
MSC Divina will begin its repositioning cruise on April 26, 2015 from Miami, calling in New York, Bermuda, the Azores, Lisbon, Cadiz, Barcelona, Naples and Civitavecchia.
The ship will end the Mediterranean season with a special 10-night cruise in October 2015, before returning to Florida for a third season of seven-night Eastern and Western Caribbean cruises from November 2015.
MSC Cruises chief executive Gianni Onorato said: “This decision demonstrates our leadership in the region; 80% of MSC Cruises’ global offer is deployed in the Mediterranean.”