DOVER, England -- MSC Cruises' Poesia was christened in a midnight ceremony preceded by a performance by tenor Andrea Bocelli that brought about 2,000 cheering executives, travel agents and worldwide press to their feet.
Poetry flowed like the champagne during the entertainment, which in addition to Bocelli included painter/performer Brian Olsen, who created a life-size head of godmother Sophia Loren onstage, and Grammy-nominated singer KT Tunstall.
The unusual indoor black-tie christening was prompted partly by unpredictable British spring weather (it started snowing about seven hours after the Poesia was named here earlier this month), but it also created a glamorous, romantic atmosphere, from the entrance of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent to Loren's cutting the ribbon that broke the magnum of champagne against the Poesia's hull.
MSC's first christening outside of its homeland of Italy underlined both the importance of Dover as a port for the line and the increasing importance of the U.K. market, which is now offered a cruise-only MSC product along with fly-in vacations. CEO Pierfrancesco Vago described the company's previous season with the ship the Rhapsody in Dover as "fabulous" and noted that MSC planned to upgrade the ships it homeports there for Baltic and Norwegian fjord itineraries.
The 2,550-passenger Poesia will be a year-round ship in the Mediterranean, where both Europeans and Americans are discovering much smaller off-season crowds in port along with lower prices and more comfortable temperatures. "We're seeing incredible demand in the Mediterranean outside the traditional summer season," said Richard Sasso, president of MSC North America.
The Poesia itself should be a draw for year-round cruising; the third ship in the Musica class is perhaps the most beautiful of all. Loren remarked that the name Poesia "makes you want to live a wonderful life," and the interior design certainly provides an ideal setting. Sophisticated shades of blue, green, rose and purple are coupled with well-polished brass and solid teak in the public areas.
A signature feature is the atrium waterfall behind the central, transparent stage that makes the space a preferred gathering area day and night.
Although passengers who have sailed on MSC's Orchestra and Musica will feel at home on the Poesia, there have been a few changes. The Poesia's buffet restaurant is larger, and its hull is coated with special paint that saves on fuel consumption and leaves no "footprint" underwater.
The two alternative restaurants are the Kaito Sushi Bar and L'Obelisco, and the dinosaur-themed children's outside area includes a puppet theater.
The Poesia will homeport in Venice through November, departing Saturdays on seven-day cruises that visit Italy, Greece, Turkey and Croatia.