MSC Cruises Bringing 500,000 Passengers to Greece this Season

The MSC Sinfonia docked in Piraeus. Photo © Greek Travel Pages (GTP)

MSC Cruises, the world’s third-largest cruise brand, will have six different ships calling to Greek shores this season and expects to bring some 500,000 passengers to the country, according to MSC Cruises Executive Director Norbert Stiekema.

This year, MSC Cruises began calling Greek ports in March, marking the start of year-round operation.

The company’s ships will make over 400 calls to nine different island and mainland destinations around Greece, including the MSC Sinfonia and MSC Opera ships homeporting in Piraeus.

“Greece is very important for us and we see many opportunities for development,” Stiekema said while speaking to an audience of journalists and travel agents on board the MSC Sinfonia while docked at Piraeus on April 4.

MSC Cruises Executive Director Norbert Stiekema speaking on board the MSC Sinfonia ship in Piraeus. Photo © Greek Travel Pages (GTP)

Sailing year-round from Piraeus from March to November 2024, the MSC Sinfonia will visit Split (Croatia), Venice (Italy), Brindisi (Italy), and Mykonos. The MSC Opera will also home port from Piraeus from May to October 2024 and visit Kefalonia, Corfu, Katakolon, Bari and Santorini.

Presenting the company’s itineraries and offers, Stiekema said MSC expects to bring some 500,000 cruise passengers to Greece in 2024.

“That’s massive because these passengers are also buying shore excursions,” he said, adding that the company helps boost local economies as well.

In addition to the MSC Sinfonia’s itinerary, MSC Cruises’s Greece offering includes the MSC Lirica calling to Mykonos and Santorini; the MSC Armonia to Corfu and Zakynthos; the MSC Divina to Santorini and Mykonos; and the MSC Opera to Santorini, Piraeus and Katakolon. The MSC Splendida will also call to Greek ports but destinations have yet to be announced.

Photo © Greek Travel Pages (GTP)

Winter calls in Greece for the first time

The MSC Sinfonia will also homeport in Piraeus for a whole winter season, from November 2024 to May 2025, thus extending the cruise season. The ship will include stops in Izmir/Efessos (Turkey), Istanbul (Turkey), Corfu (Greece), and Bari (Italy).

MSC Cruises winter route falls in line with the Greek government’s wider five-year tourism development plan to extend the core visitor season.

According to Stiekema, MSC Cruises considers the route as “a real opportunity” to start developing the winter market from Greece.

“We know that Greece is more of a summer market than a winter one and that used to be the case in Italy, France and other countries… However, over time we’ve managed to create a cruise market for the winter as well and that for sure will happen in Greece,” he said.

Since the announcement of the winter cruise, Stiekema said occupancy volumes are at a satisfying level. “It’s going in line with expectations from an occupancy perspective and from a price perspective,” he said, adding that numbers will rise mainly after August as the Greeks are known for being “late bookers” and usually make reservations after the summer.

The MSC Sinfonia docked in Piraeus. Photo © Greek Travel Pages (GTP)

Speaking about MSC’s Greek cruise customers, he pointed out that they add up to around 20,000 and said the company’s aim is to develop the Greek source market.

“It is a tremendous opportunity because 20,000 is tremendously low, so one of our objectives is to really improve this market here with our travel partners… The Greeks need to understand that a cruise is not a ferry and does not just take you from one destination to another… Cruises offer unique experiences both on the ship and at the destinations, experiences way different compared to what they have been experiencing on other holidays,” he said.

“Your cabin takes you directly to the destination… You go to sleep and wake up the next morning and see that you are in Mykonos. This is an experience that is way different from taking a plane, being in the airport, taking a car, going to a hotel.”

Future challenges

MSC Cruises Executive Director Norbert Stiekema. Photo © Greek Travel Pages (GTP)

Referring to future challenges, Stiekema said that all the more larger capacity cruise ships will create congestion in the port of Piraeus but also in other ports of the Eastern Mediterranean in the coming years.

“We are very actively looking at how we can handle this and what could be other opportunities from a Greek port perspective… What is clear is that we see this as a growth area,” he said.

When asked about the possibility of expressing interest in the tender for the exploitation of the port of Lavrio, Stiekema replied that there are no announcements on the issue.

Staying on the subject of congestion at ports, he said the company this year is reducing pressure on destinations such as Santorini and Mykonos.

“Greece for us is very important so we are looking to take off pressure from the two classic islands – Mykonos and Santorini – due to logistical challenges in the summer… We are looking at other islands,” he said.

MSC Cruises 2024-2025 Greece season sees increased calls to other ports including Kefalonia, Katakolon, Zakynthos and Corfu.

Photo © Greek Travel Pages (GTP)

During his presentation, Stiekema introduced the Explora Journeys, the luxury lifestyle ocean travel brand of the MSC Group, which will call to 21 Greek ports in 2024. Many of EXPLORA I’s journeys offering convenient embarkation and disembarkation in Piraeus. Ports of call for EXPLORA I in Greece include Katapola (Amorgos), Paros, Patmos and Corfu.

Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, MSC Cruises is the world’s third largest cruise line and the market leader in Europe, South America, the Middle East and Southern Africa, with a strong and growing presence in North America and the Far East. The MSC Cruises fleet consists of 22 modern ships with three new vessels due to be launched in 2025, 2026, and 2027. The company operates in more than 100 countries around the world, offering cruises across five continents, calling at more than 300 destinations and welcoming more than 180 different nationalities on board.

allCruises, Cruiseway Travel, Navihellas Cruise Centre and Top Kinisis Travel are the sales representatives of MSC Cruises in Greece.