When MSC Cruises christens its new ship, the Divina, in Marseille, France, next weekend, the Italy-based line will share the spotlight with Unicef, the child advocacy organization.
MSC in 2009 formed a partnership with Unicef, developing a “Get on Board for Children” initiative that has so far raised $1.3 million from passenger donations.
The fundraising campaign finances Unicef’s Platform of Urban Center project in Brazil.
At the Divina naming ceremony on May 26, Russian classical violinist and Unicef Goodwill Ambassador Maxim Vengerov will join in the festivities with MSC Cruises’ CEO Pierfrancesco Vago and MSC fleet godmother Sophia Loren.
The 3,502-passenger ship, the line’s 12th, was constructed at the STX Shipyard in Marseille. The vessel was formally handed over to MSC on May 19 and is now operating a pre-christening voyage to Portugal and Spain. It will return to Marseille May 25, one day ahead of its christening.
MSC said that Vengerov’s speech is expected to touch on the importance of his ambassadorial role and the “Get on Board for Children” initiative before hundreds of Unicef balloons are released at the port of Marseille with the help of local children.
“The high-profile christening ceremony is the perfect occasion to highlight the meaningful partnership between Unicef and MSC Cruises, and the tangible results it has already produced for disadvantaged children in Brazil," the line said in a statement detailing the day’s planned events. "MSC Cruises looks forward to putting contributions from MSC Divina guests toward the same great cause."
U.S. agents will hear more about the ship prior to its arrival in Miami for a winter 2013-14 deployment: A series of eastern and western Caribbean cruises. It will mark the line’s first positioning of a vessel in Miami.
Rick Sasso, president of MSC Cruises USA, announced the seasonal homeport at CLIA’s cruise3sixty conference in April.
“There’s a certain style about MSC ... that is going to be much more visible to the North American market when we bring the Divina to Miami,” he said at the conference.
He predicted the ship’s passenger mix would be about 80% North American and 20% international, and he hinted that additional MSC deployments would focus on North American ports in the future.
The Divina this summer will be based in Europe and operate a series of Eastern and Western Mediterranean cruises from a variety of ports.