MSC Cruises has announced that the 2,000-passenger MSC Lirica is hosting athletes during the 30th Summer Universiade, which kicked off in Naples today.
Leonardo Massa, the cruise line’s country manager for Italy and a former Universiade winner and Olympic competitor, and other members of the company’s senior management team will regularly visit the ship and greet the athletes, according to a company statement.
The Lirica will stay in Naples for the next 15 days, functioning as a floating hotel.
MSC said that many of the ship’s onboard services will be at the athletes full disposal, including a wide range of entertainment activities, the spa, fitness area, three restaurants and eight refreshment points. An ice-making plant has been made available to athletes and medical personnel. Parties and disco nights are also being organised.
Naples is featured regularly on MSC’s West Mediterranean itineraries. In 2019, MSC will call at Naples 67 times, amounting to a total of 340,000 guests.
Naples is also where MSC Cruises’ commercial structure for Italy is based.
The Lirica will resume her regular summer Eastern Mediterranean cruises out of Venice on July 26, calling in Bari (Italy), Santorini (Greece), Crete (Greece), Cephalonia (Greece) and Split (Croatia).
