Italian Cruise Line Plans Expansion

MSC Cruises announced its plans to expand its seven-ship fleet by adding a new vessel every year through 2009, and to kick off its "Beautiful. Passionate. Italian." campaign featuring actress Sophia Loren. Loren will appear in a $4 million campaign, starting off this month on print, billboards, subway signage and taxi toppers in south Florida and New York. Loren already is the godmother of the MSC Lirica, which will be home-ported in New York by 2007, and will christen the 2,550-passenger MSC Musica in Venice, Italy, during June. That ship is one of two new arrivals this year; MSC Orchestra is the other. The cruise line also will take delivery of the MSC Fantasia and MSC Serenata, which can accommodate 3,300 passengers each, during 2008 and 2009, respectively. (Source: Brandweek Magazine)