Caribbean melody: intriguing alternative itineraries from mediterranean shipping cruises - Brief Article

Each weekend during the winter season an armada of cruise liners leaves Florida ports heading into the Caribbean on seven-day cruises. The fleet includes some of the world's largest, newest ships, operated by the industry's leading companies. There is fierce competition to fill berths in this market, with each company trying to make its ships special, mostly with American-style products.

It took a lot of confidence to sail a 16-year-old vessel into this competitive arena, but that's what Mediterranean Shipping Cruises did in the 1998-99 Caribbean season. MSC, successful in Europe, felt the Mediterranean market getting crowded, pushed by new operators selling an American-style product. Its first Caribbean season sailing the MV Melody saw a modest 71 percent occupancy rate, but the following season MSC filled her berths with many North Americans, the company's new target passengers, alongside its passenger-following from Europe.

Switzerland-based MSC is a major player worldwide with 135 container ships owned or chartered. The company's cruise operations evolved from the StarLauro Fleet of 1990, then operating the Achille Lauro, which sank off Africa in 1994, and the Angelina Lauro, now retired. The passenger fleet was built up with the Monterey (a former U.S. Mariner Class cargo ship converted for cruising) and the Rhapsody (formerly Cunard Line's Cunard Princess). The Melody (Home Lines' Atlantic, which later became Premier Cruises' Star/Ship Atlantic) was purchased in 1997 for $70 million.

The first thing MSC did for the Melody's Caribbean program was set up an 11-day itinerary at a rate competitive with what other lines were charging for seven days. American travel agents tapped the broad U.S. market while the line depended on European agents to help fill the ship. Brochures touted the ship's traditional "classic Italian atmosphere."

The 36,500-gross-register-ton Melody was built in France in 1982, designed primarily for service to Bermuda. The years have been kind to her, and her condition is a credit to her builders and operators. The "Magrodome" retractable glass roof over the pool deck, an innovative feature much copied on later ships, makes for a comfortable lido. A large teak sun deck with a saltwater pool astern offers plenty more room. The cabins are comfortable and spacious.

One of the most frequent reasons passengers cite for cruising the Melody is the itinerary, which includes a partial Panama Canal transit and four full days at sea. An alternate itinerary sails the Eastern Caribbean. The passenger mix makes for an interesting cruise experience, too, with interaction among Americans, Canadians, French, Germans, and Italians. The veteran cruise passengers also prefer the ambiance of this smaller, vintage ship. The dining room manager manages to put individual nationalities together at each table, although all the Europeans seem to speak some degree of English. The crew is fluent in most of the languages. At his cocktail party on our cruise, Captain Silvio Cappuccio, a 20-year MSC veteran, welcomed most of the passengers in their native tongue, and personally danced with some of the lady passengers.

The mix of nationalities adds something unusual to the cruise. A German passenger, for example, spoke perfect colloquial English, learned when he was a POW in the United States. Bingo, played onboard with prizes up to $1,000, will never seem the same to you again, once you've experienced it in four languages. Many of the Europeans brought their cultural differences aboard, such as females sun-bathing in one-piece bathing suits--the lower half only.

The food is plentiful Italian cuisine, with wonderful pastas and fish dishes served at lunch and dinner. The mostly Italian crew, many veterans of the old Italian and Home lines, offer warm, cheerful service. Daily Catholic mass was held aboard, and I saw a nun, in traditional habit, enjoying the slot machines in the casino. The entertainment, because of the language differences, has its limitations as it tries to be universal, and is far from the elaborate productions on the large Caribbean cruise liners.

Mediterranean Shipping Cruise has found a niche in the crowded Caribbean market, drawing on its Italian heritage, an international passenger mix, and highly competitive fares. Passengers will not find the pretentiousness of the larger, newer ships, but rather a simpler and more refreshing experience, with fewer people, the way cruising was in the not-too-distant past.

This winter the Melody sails a series of eight 11-day roundtrips from Fort Lauderdale. Panama Canal cruises depart January 24, February 15, and March 9 and 31, calling at Montego Bay, Cartagena, San Blas, Panama Canal (partial transit), Puerto Limon, and Key West; Eastern Caribbean voyages depart January 13, February 4 and 26, and March 20, calling at St. Thomas, Antigua, Grenada, St. Lucia, Guadeloupe, Tortola, and Nassau (Freeport on Mar. 20 sailing). Published cruise-only rates, per person/double occupancy, range from $1,295 to $2,795. There are early-booking discounts and savings for booking combination 22-day cruises.

For more information contact your travel agent or Mediterranean Shipping Cruises (Cruise Travel Magazine), 420 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10018; call 800-666-9333; or log on to www.msccruisesusa.com.

COPYRIGHT 2001 World Publishing, Co. (Illinois)
COPYRIGHT 2001 Gale Group