One of the ships in the MSC fleet will leave a shipyard bigger and better tomorrow after spending 11 weeks being refitted ahead of a one-off inaugural cruise.

The MSC Armonia will sail out Fincantieri shipyard in Italy as the first vessel to complete the company’s renaissance programme.

It is 24 metres longer after having a pre-built section inserted, adding 194 cabins, while other parts of the ship have been revamped for greater comfort and better services.

There are new clubs for babies, children and teens, while adult guests can enjoy a library, bigger lounge area and a buffet restaurant open 20 hours per day.

Following its maiden cruise out of Palermo, MSC Armonia will leave Genoa on Wednesday on a 10-day voyage to the Canary Islands, calling Marseille, Cartagena, Gibraltar, Cadiz, Funchal, Santa Cruz de la Palma and Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

MSC Sinfonia will have the same revamp treatment between January 12 and March 16 next year, followed by MSC Opera and MSC Lirica.

The four ships were built between 2003 and 2005 at the STX yards in Saint-Nazaire, France.

They are currently 251 metres long, weigh 60,000 tons and carry 2,069 travellers.

After the renaissance programme is completed on November 9, 2015, the ships will be 275 metres long, weigh 65,000 tons and carry 2,680 cruisers, boasting 193 additional cabins, plus 59 new cabins for crew members.

MSC Cruises is represented in Malta by Hamilton Travel Co. Ltd of 4, St Publius Street, Floriana.

MSC Armonia will call at Malta during 2015 with the following itinerary: Valletta, Messina, Salerno, La Spezia, Marseille, Palma de Mallorca, Valletta.

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