MSC Cruises will double the number of Cuba sailings it offers when it bases a second ship in the Caribbean destination for winter 2016-17.
MSC Armonia will join MSC Opera to sail out of Havana from November 2016 for the winter season.
MSC Armonia will sail two seven-night itineraries. Following two days in Havana, the first itinerary will call at Isla de Roatan, Honduras; Belize City, Belize; Costa Maya, Mexico; and Isla de la Juventud, Cuba. The ship will then return to Havana.
The second sailing will start with two nights in Havana, before sailing on to Montego Bay, Jamaica; Georgetown, Cayman Islands; and Cozumel, Mexico; before circling back to the Cuban capital. The two itineraries can be combined to create a 14 night cruise.
MSC Opera, which offers its first Cuba season this winter, will return for a second Cuban season in December 2016.
The ship will sail on seven night round-trip cruises from Havana to Montego Bay, Jamaica; Georgetown, Cayman Islands; and Cozumel, Mexico.
Gianni Onorato, MSC Cruises chief executive officer, said: “With no less than nine Unesco World Heritage Sites, and a long-held tradition of hospitality, Cuba has all the makings of a top world cruise destination.
“MSC Cruises is honoured to be able to support the further development of this huge potential, and we’re very thankful to the Cuban authorities for their on-going cooperation in this regard.”