MSC Cruises Confirms Construction of MSC Fantastica

You may recall a while back when MSC Cruises announced that their next new ship would be named MSC Favolosa. Then Costa announced their latest newbuild of the same name, which would launch nearly a year before MSC’s. Confusing? Apparently so because MSC Cruises has announced the conclusion of the legal process that finalizes their new ship order and confirms construction of a new ‘Fantasia’ class cruise ship to be named MSC Fantastica. Instead of fabulous, the new MSC Cruises vessel will be fantastic. Got that? MSC Fantastica, or U32 as it is referred to in the shipyard, is being built by STX France, making it the 12th ship in the MSC Cruises fleet. MSC Fantastica will build upon the success of the ‘Fantasia’ prototype, offering a unique experience for guests in its class thanks to innovative features such as the MSC Yacht Club, exclusive ship-within-a-ship area onboard, for unprecedented levels of privacy and personalized service.

Pierfrancesco Vago, worldwide chief-executive-officer for MSC Cruises, said, “We are delighted at the confirmation of this important investment—a sign of the success of our ambitious growth strategy. Together with STX France, we are focused on further enhancing MSC Cruises’ leading positioning within the world’s cruise industry.

An important factor in the success of the project was the financial backing provided by French financial institutions, and especially by Coface, the French Export Credit Agency, making it possible for the vessel to be delivered as required by MSC Cruises by the end of spring 2012. Does this mean MSC will stray from the tradition of having its ships christened by Sophia Loren in favor of another Italian beauty? Will the Italian-born first lady of France, Carla Bruni Sarkozy, be the godmother of this fantastic ship? That’s an idea we’ve seen floated.

For more information on MSC Cruises, visit MSCCruisesUSA.com.