Food and Wine Cruises Added to Select MSC Cruises’ Sailings in 2009-10

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (SEPTEMBER 8, 2009) – Learn the culinary skills needed to prepare fine food and select wines from Italy and around the world on select MSC Cruises itineraries in 2009-10.

Guests onboard MSC Poesia’s April 10, seven-night “Island Treasures & Ancient Temples” Caribbean cruise itinerary will experience “Festa Italiana.” This celebration of “all things Italian” features culinary demonstrations to learn the secrets of cooking European dishes by top Italian chefs or attend lectures on Italian art and architecture, automobiles, fashion and design while enjoying entertainment by opera singers and contemporary Italian vocal artists.

Exclusive “Food and Wine” theme cruises have been created on the luxurious MSC Melody, MSC Armonia, MSC Orchestra, and the new  sister ships, MSC Fantasia and MSC Splendida, to teach guests many of the culinary secrets that have given them such a special stay while on board.

These special culinary programs are available on the following sailings:

• MSC Melody: Oct. 23, 14-night repositioning from Genoa to Salvador de Bahia
• MSC Armonia: Nov. 15, 21-night repositioning from Venice to Buenos Aires
• MSC Splendida: Nov. 27, 11-night Eastern Mediterranean itinerary roundtrip from Genoa
• MSC Fantasia: Feb. 20, 11-night Western Mediterranean itinerary roundtrip from Genoa
• MSC Orchestra: Aug. 28, 11-night repositioning from Copenhagen to Genoa

The magnificent cellars of the MSC Cruises fleet are opened in a series of superb wine tastings that can be combined to take you on a tour of Italy’s great wine-producing regions.

From mountainous Trentino Alto Adige in the far north to sun-kissed volcanic Sicily in the south, you’ll be able to sample famous names while also discovering some of the country’s best-kept secrets. And like every good wine tasting, you can buy any of your favorite discoveries at privileged prices to savor at leisure in your cabin or any of the restaurants on board.

For the health-conscious cruise guests, there’s a session about preparing fruit and vegetable drinks and smoothies such as those available in the MSC Aurea Spa wellness center.

Other events will reveal the secrets of homemade fresh pasta or the gourmet sauces used to decorate the exquisite pastries on board. Guests also can learn presentation and decoration skills and everything from complex place settings with exquisitely folded napkins to carved fruit and vegetables, cake decorations and marzipan flowers.

Full-color brochures with recipes and tips are provided in five languages to make sure everyone can continue the creative journey and share the experience with family and friends when they return home.

Except for the wine tastings, all the special food & wine programs on these theme cruises are included in the cruise fare. Check out our website for a wide array of theme cruises at www.MSCCruisesUSA.com. Children ages 17 and younger sail free when sharing a stateroom with two full-fare-paying adults. All cruises offer just a $100 deposit on all sailings and itineraries.

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About MSC Cruises:

MSC Cruises has the most modern fleet in the world with ten ships: MSC Splendida and MSC Fantasia (the largest ships built for a European ship owner), MSC Poesia, MSC Orchestra, MSC Musica, MSC Sinfonia, MSC Armonia, MSC Opera, MSC Lirica and MSC Melody. The fleet cruises year round in the Mediterranean and seasonally in Northern Europe, the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean, North America and Canada, South America, the Indian Ocean, South and West Africa. MSC Magnifica launches in 2010. MSC Cruises recently forged a three-year, million-dollar partnership with UNICEF to fund a community project in Brazil while increasing awareness of this cause onboard its ships.