To celebrate the arrival MSC will have the ship's godmother Sophia Loren as the guest of honor. The evening’s program will see embarkation of guests, a guided tour of the ship, a welcoming cocktail followed by a gala dinner. MSC Cruises’ CEO, Pierfrancesco Vago will introduce Sophia Loren and present the company and MSC Opera to the North American public. The event will be live on the Larry King Show. The evening will conclude with a show by Teddy Reno and Rita Pavone.

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Wonder if MSC Cruises have actually produced posters of this. Would be nice to have a copy.

Any pics as yet of MSC Opera in Port Everglades?

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quote:

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A night at the Opera
December 3, 2004

Travel agents and media who overnighted on the MSC Opera at Port Everglades gazed upon a massive MSC container ship at the next berth. ‘Those yellow boxes we put alongside here tonight were to make a point. It’s not a coincidence,’ Pierfrancesco Vago said.

The MSC Cruises ceo was underscoring the fact that while his brand may be an upstart in the cruise sector, Mediterranean Shipping Company is no small potatoes. With 260 box ships (and counting), it’s the world’s No. 2 container operator with annual revenues of $6bn.

‘We’ve got a big challenge ahead of us because there’s a monopoly in the cruise industry. We want to be an alternative. It is not easy. We are not known and we need your help,’ Vago told agents.

Yet he emphasized MSC’s deep pockets, its clout with ports and the plusses of being privately held. ‘We don’t have to please shareholders. We don’t have to pay dividends. Whatever we make, we invest,’ Vago said. Being family-run, he added, ‘gives us an edge' because decisions can be made more quickly.

MSC doubled its cruise fleet in 2004, to seven ships. On order are a pair of 90,000gt newbuilds for delivery in June 2006 and March 2007. MSC Musica and MSC Orchestra will offer high space ratios, 80% balcony cabins and speeds of 23 knots. Vago confirmed MSC’s intention to operate year-round from the US including, perhaps, seasonally from New York.

In the MSC Opera’s packed theater last night, Rick Sasso, MSC Cruises USA’s president and ceo, ran through pledges in the company’s ‘TruePartnerships’ program. The agent crowd responded with applause and cheers, especially when Sasso pointed out that MSC still pays commission on the total cruise fare, including port and service charges.

But the biggest cheers of the evening came for godmother Sophia Loren, who brought the crowd to their feet in a blaze of camera flashes as she regally entered the theater on the arm of the ship’s captain. The audience applauded her all the way to the stage where the first words from a visibly moved Loren were: ‘Mamma mia! You really touched my heart.’

Seatrade Insider

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Ernie

[ 12-04-2004: Message edited by: eroller ]

I like that poster Bulbousbow, where did it come from? They could have at least given the Capt a name!

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Originally posted by PamM:
Thanks Ernie, & for all the other pics etc in another thread. Seems to have been a good evening last night.

I like that poster Bulbousbow, where did it come from? They could have at least given the Capt a name!

Pam

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Hi Pam,
You can get the poster off the MSC website. They have a few others as well but I really like the one Bulbousbow posted. Very classic.

Pam, did you notice that yesterday your member name and city changed? What was going on? Were you playing around or did someone hack into Cruise Talk? I thought it was odd.

Wonder if it's coincidental that I finally after many months, many website requests & then an email to the UK Mkting Boss at the beginning of Oct, received my UK brochure today, along with a pile of flyers with offers for next year.

Ernie, I was messing around, see the Handle thread in Mid-Ships.

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Originally posted by cruiseshipluver:
in the pic, is that the DELPHIN at the other bethopposite to OPERA??????
cruiseshipluver

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Originally posted by bmajor:
One lovely lady.......

I wish MSC all the best......

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Originally posted by Keitaro:
I think its her sister ship. The name is ISLAND ADVENTURE of SeaEscape.

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PamM Wrote:
I like that poster Bulbousbow, where did it come from?

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Pam, I found the poster at the True Partnerships website. Unfortunately I cannot seem to access it anymore. As you mentioned I think it was a pop-up, but I'm not sure.

Thanks Ernie for the images of MSC OPERA at Port Everglades.

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[ 12-07-2004: Message edited by: joe at travelpage ]

Thank you Jurgen and thank you Joe for posting them.

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58,000 tons is rapidly becoming considered mid sized - if you sail on her, she'll still feel big, not intimate - but not as impersonal as a 100,000 tonner either. I am sailing on lirica in three weeks time and will post a review.

Mike

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Originally posted by Tom Burke:

And how obvious is the difference in size between the 58,000-odd tons of the Opera and her sisters and 80,000 or 100,000 tons?

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Welcome aboard!

Me1 one is right! In fact 58,000 tons is starting to look 'small'.

However, in my opinion ALL ships are big, even the ones around 30-40,000 tons - some are just 'bloody big'!

Although many cruisetalkers (inc. me) often comment that small ships are more intimate, I also enjoy the 'big ship' experience. Big or small, both have their advantages.

It is great if you can try both big and small, new and old, over time and judge for yourself.

To answer your question, I do not suppose you would notice much differen between 80,000 and 100,000 tons. However, you would between 58,000 and 100,000.

Do check out the all imortant 'Readers Reviews', menu left.