MSC Sinfonia

	MSC Sinfonia In Tallinn, Estonia on 27 May 2015
History
Name	2002–2004: European Stars; 2004 onwards: MSC Sinfonia;
Owner	2002–2004: Festival Cruises; 2004 onwards: MSC Cruises;
Operator	2001–2004: Festival Cruises; 2004 onwards: MSC Cruises;
Port of registry	2001–2004: Genoa, Italy; 2004 onwards: Panama City, Panama;
Builder	Chantiers de l'Atlantique, St. Nazaire, France
Cost	$245 million
Yard number	V31
Launched	4 March 2001
Christened	19 April 2002
Acquired	18 April 2002
Maiden voyage	25 April 2002
Identification	IMO number: 9210153; MMSI number: 356716000; Callsign: H8XH;
Status	In service
General characteristics (as European Stars)
Class and type	Lirica-class cruise ship
Tonnage	58,174 GT; 6,980 DWT;
Length	275.25 m (903 ft 1 in)
Beam	28.8 m (94 ft 6 in)
Height	54 m (177 ft 2 in)
Draught	6.8 m (22 ft 4 in)
Installed power	4 × Wärtsilä 12V38; 31680 kW (combined);
Speed	20.8 knots (38.5 km/h; 23.9 mph)
Capacity	2,163 passengers
General characteristics (as MSC Sinfonia)
Class and type	Lirica-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);
Height	54 m (177 ft)
Draught	6.8 m (22 ft 4 in)
Depth	6.6 m (22 ft)
Decks	9 (passenger accessible); 13 (total);
Speed	21.1 knots (39.1 km/h; 24.3 mph)
Capacity	2,087 passengers (double occupancy); 2,646 passengers (maximum after renovation);
Crew	721
Notes	Otherwise 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]

Concept and construction

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]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o Asklander, Micke. "M/S European Stars (2002)". Fakta om Fartyg (in Swedish). Retrieved 27 September 2008.
^ ^a ^b ^c "MSC Sinfonia: Ship Facts". MSC Cruises. Retrieved 7 April 2008.
^ Boyle, Ian. "Festival Cruise Line". Simplon Postcards. Retrieved 28 September 2008.
^ Boyle, Ian. "European Stars - MSC Sinfonia". Simplon Postcards. Retrieved 28 September 2008.
^ Boyle, Ian. "MSC Crociere Italiane". Simplon Postcards. Retrieved 28 September 2008.
^ "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.
^ ^a ^b "New MSC Sinfonia features for 2015 cruises". cruiseshipnews.co.uk. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
^ "MSC Sinfonia begins 'Renaissance' drydock in Palermo". seatrade-insider.com. 14 January 2015. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
^ Clarke, Patrick (14 January 2015). "MSC Sinfonia Set to Undergo Extensive Renewal". TravelPulse.