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With each new ship the ritual is the same: the matriarch Rafaela Aponte inspects the interior to the smallest detail, while the ship is still in the shipyard. And the new MSC Grandiosa , the largest in the company with its 331 meters in length , left the shipyard of Saint-Nazaire with the approval of Mrs. Aponte and the blessing of a priest.
At its official opening in Hamburg, actress Sofia Loren once again acted as godmother. Friend of the Aponte family, Loren has opened more than a dozen ships of MSC Cruises. And the MSC Grandiosa has already docked at its base port: Barcelona. From here, you will navigate the western Mediterranean: Genoa, Civitavecchia, Palermo, Valletta and Marseille.
The MSC Grandiosa lives up to its name, everything is in a superlative degree: the lobby stairs have been designed with Swarovski crystals , the central gallery is like a Sistine Chapel Las Vegas version (Michelangelo's frescoes are projected or the interior of the Palau de la Música) and in the Paris-style Bistrot-Brasserie there is an exhibition of drawings by Edgar Degas. Original drawings.
Next to the bistro is HELLO! Tapas Bar by chef Ramon Freixa (two Michelin stars), which has created a gastronomic experience especially for MSC. Cirque du Soleil at Sea has also conceived two shows for the ship's theater: Cosmos and Exentricks .
New flagship of MSC Cruises, the Grandiosa is like a vacation microcity where in addition to playing bowling alley you can kill zombies with 3D glasses and laser gun. Several swimming pools, a water park for children, a basketball and soccer court, an adult games room and a Lego universe for the little ones ... In numbers the ship is like a neighborhood in Madrid or Barcelona: at 6,334 passengers - and 2,421 cabins - 1,704 crew members must be added.
From the Great to the Virtuous
The MSC Grandiosa is the ship number 17 of MSC and will be followed by eight more ships until 2027. For now, in October 2020 Barcelona will release its sister ship, the MSC Virtuosa . "Barcelona is a strategic port for MSC Cruises, always positioning our most modern ships here in its first season. We want to continue our commitment to the city in the coming years," explains Emiliano González, President of MSC Cruises in Spain.
The cruise growth plan also plans to use the most advanced environmental technologies to minimize pollution. The MSC Grandiosa incorporates new systems to control atmospheric emissions , wastewater treatment and recycling. In addition, you can connect to the electrical system of the port to turn off the auxiliary motors that provide power. "It sets a new sustainability standard at sea," says González.
Unlike the other large cruise companies, MSC is the only family-owned company and does not depend on a multinational. When Sorrentino Gianluigi Aponte, founder of the company in 1987 (although it was in 1970 when he bought his first boat), he retired from the position of CEO in 2014, MSC was left to his son Diego. Of course, Rafaela Aponte - who gave name to the second ship that Gianluigi bought in 71 - continues to supervise the interior design of all its cruises.
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