MSC Sinfonia

Last updated

MSC Sinfonia turning to Starboard Side Tallinn 27 May 2015.JPG
MSC Sinfonia In Tallinn, Estonia on 27 May 2015
History
Name
  • 2002–2004: European Stars
  • 2004 onwards: MSC Sinfonia
Owner
Operator
  • 2001–2004: Festival Cruises
  • 2004 onwards: MSC Cruises [1]
Port of registry
Builder Chantiers de l'Atlantique, St. Nazaire, France
Cost $245 million
Yard numberV31 [1]
Launched4 March 2001 [1]
Christened19 April 2002 [1]
Acquired18 April 2002 [1]
Maiden voyage25 April 2002 [1]
Identification
StatusIn service
General characteristics (as European Stars) [1]
Class and type Lirica-class cruise ship
Tonnage
Length275.25 m (903 ft 1 in)
Beam28.8 m (94 ft 6 in)
Height54 m (177 ft 2 in)
Draught6.8 m (22 ft 4 in)
Installed power
Speed20.8 knots (38.5 km/h; 23.9 mph)
Capacity2,163 passengers
General characteristics (as MSC Sinfonia) [2]
Class and typeLirica-class cruise ship
Tonnage
  • 58,625  GT
  • 65,542  GT (after renovation)
Length
  • 251.25 m (824.3 ft)
  • 274.9 m (902 ft) (after renovation)
Beam
  • 28.8 m (94 ft)
  • 32 m (105 ft) (after renovation)
Height54 m (177 ft)
Draught6.8 m (22 ft 4 in)
Depth6.6 m (22 ft)
Decks
  • 9 (passenger accessible)
  • 13 (total)
Speed21.1 knots (39.1 km/h; 24.3 mph)
Capacity
  • 2,087 passengers (double occupancy)
  • 2,646 passengers (maximum after renovation)
Crew721
NotesOtherwise the same as European Stars

MSC Sinfonia is a cruise ship owned and operated by the Italy-based MSC Cruises. She was built in 2002 by Chantiers de l'Atlantique in Saint-Nazaire, France for the now-defunct Festival Cruises as MS European Stars. [1] She was the last ship built for Festival Cruises. [3]

Contents

Concept and construction

MSC Sinfonia as European Stars in Palma, Majorca, Spain on 1 May 2003. Port of Palma de Mallorca May 2003 (2) (European Stars).jpg
MSC Sinfonia as European Stars in Palma, Majorca, Spain on 1 May 2003.

European Stars was the second in a pair of two sister ships ordered by Festival Cruises from Chantiers de l'Atlantique in Saint-Nazaire, France (the first sister being MS European Vision). The contract price for the ship was $245 million, and her yard number was X31. Both new ships were built on the same platform as MS Mistral, built by the same shipyard for Festival Cruises in 1999, but with an added 35-metre (115 ft) midsection providing more passenger spaces, and one additional deck of cabins with private balconies.

Newbuilding X31 was launched in Saint-Nazaire on 4 March 2001. Following fitting out, she was delivered to Festival Cruises on 18 April 2002 and officially christened European Stars the following day in Saint-Nazaire. [1]

Service history

European Stars entered service for Festival Cruises on 25 April 2002 on a cruise from Barcelona. Her career with Festival proved short, however, as the company went bankrupt in January 2004 and the European Stars was subsequently impounded and laid up in Barcelona on 19 January 2004. The ship remained laid up for several months, [1] [4] until she was sold to MSC Cruises in July 2004 for €220 million and renamed MSC Sinfonia (her sister European Vision also joined the MSC fleet, as MSC Armonia). [1] [5] The MSC Sinfonia entered service with her new owners in March 2005.

Design

Exterior design

The European Stars and her sister European Vision shared a similar box-like exterior appearance as the Mistral, but with a longer and higher hull, which was said to have improved the ship's external appearance compared to the Mistral. As European Vision the ship had an all-white hull and superstructure, with blue and yellow decorative stripes painted on the hull, and a blue funnel with the yellow F logo of Festival Cruises. As MSC Sinfonia she retained the blue funnel colour but now with the white compass logo of MSC Cruises. Initially her hull was all-white without decorations, [1] but on 2008-04-15 MSC made known their intention to paint their compass logo on the sides of all their ships during 2008. [6]

Renaissance program

A 24-metre (79 ft) section was added to the ship during a 10-week refit beginning on 20 January 2015. [7] The new section consists of 193 extra cabins and weighs 2400 tonnes. [7] The work took place at the Fincantieri shipyard in Palermo, Sicily. [8] The midsection was prebuilt, before being floated to the shipyard. [9]

Interior design

The interior decorations of the MSC Sinfonia are described as European Moderne by cruise review author Douglas Ward, with minimalist furniture that is in places impractical. The public spaces include two main dining rooms, a self-serve buffet, cafeteria, two-deck high showlounge, a discothèque, several bars, a casino and a library. The lido deck includes two outdoors swimming pool, two thalassotherapy jacuzzis and the Doremi spray park for children.

Decks and facilities

The ship has eleven decks with passenger-accessible facilities most of which are named after musical composers. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chantiers de l'Atlantique</span> French shipyard

Chantiers de l'Atlantique is a shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France. It is one of the world's largest shipyards, constructing a wide range of commercial, naval, and passenger ships. It is located near Nantes, at the mouth of the Loire river and the deep waters of the Atlantic, which make the sailing of large ships in and out of the shipyards easy.

MV <i>Dreamward</i> Ship built in 1992

MS Dreamward was a cruise ship owned and operated by Star Cruises. She was built in 1992 by the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard in St. Nazaire, France as MS Dreamward for traffic with Norwegian Cruise Line. In 1998 she was lengthened at Lloyd Werft in Bremerhaven, Germany and renamed as Norwegian Dream. In late 2012, she was transferred to the fleet of Star Cruises and renamed SuperStar Gemini.

Renaissance Cruises was a cruise ship operating company that was founded in 1989 and owned by Fearnley & Eger Rederi in Oslo, Norway. It was purchased by Edward Rudner as the company faltered during the Gulf War. It operated year-round cruise itineraries to the Mediterranean Sea, the Greek Isles, Tahiti and the South Pacific, northern Europe and Scandinavia. The company ceased operations on 25 September 2001, having accommodated up to 220,000 guests in 2000. While the company had been in poor financial health for quite some time, the economic decline resulting from the September 11 attacks in 2001 is credited with the demise of this cruise line. It was headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

STX Europe AS, formerly Aker Yards ASA, was until 2012 a subsidiary of the South Korean STX Offshore & Shipbuilding.

<i>MS Windward</i>

The MS Windward was a cruise ship that was built in 1993 by the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard in St. Nazaire, France for Kloster Cruise as Windward. In 1998 she was lengthened at Lloyd Werft in Bremerhaven, Germany and renamed Norwegian Wind. In 2007 she was transferred to the fleet of Star Cruises as SuperStar Aquarius. The ship remained in passenger service for the cruise line until the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown in 2020. The ship was sold for scrap as Arius in 2022 following the liquidation of the cruise line's parent company after filing for bankruptcy, which also led to the demise of Star Cruises.

RMS <i>Sylvania</i>

RMS Sylvania was an ocean liner built in 1957 by John Brown & Co (Clydebank), in Glasgow, for the United Kingdom-based shipping company Cunard Line. She was the last Cunard Line vessel built specifically for transatlantic crossings. The ship was later heavily rebuilt as a cruise ship, and sailed under the names SS Fairwind, SS Sitmar Fairwind, SS Dawn Princess and SS Albatros before being scrapped in 2004. She was renamed SS Genoa for her last voyage.

<i>MSC Poesia</i> Musica-class cruise ship operated my MSC Cruises

MSC Poesia is a cruise ship owned and operated by MSC Cruises. She was built in 2008 by the Aker Yards shipyard in St. Nazaire, France. She is a sister ship to MSC Musica, MSC Orchestra, and MSC Magnifica. She is the first ship in the MSC Cruises fleet to be officially named outside Italy, at the Port of Dover, Kent on 5 April 2008, by Sophia Loren.

MS <i>Cunard Princess</i> Cruise ship

MS Cunard Princess was a cruise ship, previously owned an operated by the Israel-based Mano Maritime. She was built 1975 by the Burmeister & Wain shipyard in Copenhagen, Denmark for Cunard Line as MS Cunard Conquest, but her interior fittings were subsequently installed at the Navali Mechaniche Affini in La Spezia, Italy. Following re-delivery from Navali Mechaniche Affini in 1977 the ship was renamed MS Cunard Princess. In 1995, the ship entered service with StarLauro Cruises, briefly retaining her previous name before being renamed MS Rhapsody. In 2009 she was sold to Mano Maritime and sailed as Golden Iris until 2018. After being laid up for four years at Chalkis Shipyard, Greece. In 2021 was she renamed Gold Club. She was beached at Aliağa, Turkey, for recycling.

SS <i>Shalom</i>

SS Shalom was a combined ocean liner/cruise ship built in 1964 by Chantiers de l'Atlantique, St Nazaire, France, for ZIM Lines, Israel, for transatlantic service from Haifa to New York. In 1967, SS Shalom was sold to the German Atlantic Line, becoming their second SS Hanseatic. Subsequently she served as SS Doric for Home Lines, SS Royal Odyssey for Royal Cruise Line and SS Regent Sun for Regency Cruises. The ship was laid up in 1995 following the bankruptcy of Regency Cruises. Numerous attempts were made to bring her back to service, but none were successful. The ship sank outside Cape St. Francis, South Africa, on 26 July 2001, while en route to India to be scrapped.

MS <i>Regatta</i>

MS Regatta was built for Renaissance Cruises as an R-class cruise ship, she is owned and operated by Oceania Cruises where she is part of their Regatta class. She was built in 1998 by the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard in St. Nazaire, France, for Renaissance Cruises as R Two. Between 2002 and 2003 she sailed as Insignia before receiving her current name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Festival Cruises</span> Greece-based cruise line that operated between 1994 and 2004

Festival Cruises was a Greece-based cruise line that operated between 1994 and 2004. It was founded in 1992 by the Greek entrepreneur George Poulides using second-hand ships. The company acquired three new-built ships between 1999 and 2002, but was forced to declare bankruptcy in 2004.

MS <i>Nautica</i> Cruise ship

MS Nautica is a cruise ship built for Renaissance Cruises as part of their R class. As part of their Regatta Class, Nautica is now owned and operated by Oceania Cruises. She was built in 2000 by the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France, for Renaissance Cruises as MS R Five. She sailed for Pullmantur Cruises between 2002 and 2004 before entering service with her current owners in 2005.

MS <i>Insignia</i>

MS Insignia is the lead ship of the R class of cruise ships built for Renaissance Cruises. She is now owned by Oceania Cruises as part of its Regatta class of ships, but recently sailed for Hapag-Lloyd as the Columbus 2. She was built in 1998 by the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard in St. Nazaire, France for Renaissance Cruises as MS R One. On 11 December 2014, 3 crew members died in a fire that broke out in the engine room when the ship was docked in St. Lucia.

<i>Mistral</i>-class cruise ship

The Mistral class is a class of cruise ships, now owned and operated by MSC Cruises and Ambassador Cruise Line. There are currently five active Mistral-class cruise ships, the lead vessel, AIDAmira, MSC Armonia, MSC Sinfonia, MSC Lirica (2002) and MSC Opera (2003).

<i>Celebrity Apex</i> Cruise ship operated by Celebrity Cruises

Celebrity Apex is an Edge-class cruise ship operated by Celebrity Cruises, a subsidiary of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Constructed at Chantiers de l'Atlantique in Saint-Nazaire, France, she is the second vessel in the company's Edge class of ships, following the delivery of her sister ship, Celebrity Edge, in 2018. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, her debut sailing was from Athens on June 19, 2021 to the Greek Islands.

<i>Wonder of the Seas</i> Oasis-class cruise ship

Wonder of the Seas is the flagship of Royal Caribbean International. She was completed in 2022 in the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France, the fifth in Royal Caribbean's Oasis class of cruise ships. At 236,857 GT, she was the largest cruise ship by gross tonnage, until she was surpassed by the new Icon class ship, Icon of the Seas, also owned by Royal Caribbean International.

<i>MSC Virtuosa</i> Cruise ship

MSC Virtuosa is a Meraviglia-Plus-class cruise ship owned and operated by MSC Cruises. Built by Chantiers de l'Atlantique in Saint-Nazaire, France, she is the second ship in the Meraviglia-Plus class and sister ship to MSC Grandiosa. Originally scheduled to debut on 8 November 2020, her delivery and entry into service was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She was delivered to MSC Cruises on 1 February 2021 and entered service in May 2021.

World-class cruise ship Class of cruise ships under construction for MSC Cruises

The World class is a class of cruise ships being built by Chantiers de l'Atlantique of France for MSC Cruises. There are four vessels planned, with the lead vessel, MSC World Europa, delivered in 2022.

<i>MSC World Europa</i> Cruise ship to operate for MSC Cruises beginning in 2022

MSC World Europa is a World-class cruise ship delivered for MSC Cruises and built at the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France. MSC World Europa began public operations from 20 December 2022 in a 9-day roundtrip from Qatar after serving as a hotel ship in Doha during the 2022 FIFA World Cup. She became MSC's first World-class ship and will be joined by three sister ships in 2024, 2025, and 2027, respectively.

<i>Celebrity Beyond</i> Passenger cruise ship launched in 2021

Celebrity Beyond is a cruise ship owned by Celebrity Cruises, taking its name from the company's slogan. The third in the Edge-class, the ship was constructed at the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard, and entered service in April 2022. The ship is captained by Kate McCue.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Asklander, Micke. "M/S European Stars (2002)". Fakta om Fartyg (in Swedish). Retrieved 27 September 2008.
  2. 1 2 3 "MSC Sinfonia: Ship Facts". MSC Cruises. Retrieved 7 April 2008.
  3. ↑ Boyle, Ian. "Festival Cruise Line". Simplon Postcards. Retrieved 28 September 2008.
  4. ↑ Boyle, Ian. "European Stars - MSC Sinfonia". Simplon Postcards. Retrieved 28 September 2008.
  5. ↑ Boyle, Ian. "MSC Crociere Italiane". Simplon Postcards. Retrieved 28 September 2008.
  6. ↑ "MSC Cruises starts to paint compass logo on hulls". Cruise Business Review. Cruise Media Oy Ltd. 15 April 2008. Archived from the original on 8 July 2011. Retrieved 28 September 2008.
  7. 1 2 "New MSC Sinfonia features for 2015 cruises". cruiseshipnews.co.uk. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  8. ↑ "MSC Sinfonia begins 'Renaissance' drydock in Palermo". seatrade-insider.com. 14 January 2015. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  9. ↑ Clarke, Patrick (14 January 2015). "MSC Sinfonia Set to Undergo Extensive Renewal". TravelPulse .
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.