The longest journey ever by MSC Crociere left Genoa last night. This is the seventh cruise around the world of Gianluigi Aponte’s company; and this year it will be approximately 10 days longer than previous ones: it will consist of a 132-day itinerary that will touch 46 destinations in 33 countries, covering over 40 thousand nautical miles (i.e. 74 thousand kilometres). The navigation will be carried out by MSC Magnifica, led by the Italian commander Pietro Sarcinella, who will accompany the 2,300 guests, of 60 different nationalities, to discover some of the most remote places in the world.
«For us, January 5 – says Fabio Candiani, sales director of MSC Crociere – is now a fixed appointment, because for seven years it has been the day on which our journey around the world on the MSC world cruise leaves from Genoa. This year, however, the journey is much longer than one might imagine, because the ship will travel a distance equal to almost double the distance of the Earth’s circumference, which is “only” 40 thousand kilometers. It will therefore be like making almost two trips around the world, to accompany guests to discover the most beautiful and remote destinations, many of which would be difficult to reach from Italy on a normal holiday.”
Route to Panama and Polynesia
The first stops of the trip will be Marseille and Barcelona. Magnifica will then cross the Pillars of Hercules to make a stop in Funchal, before heading towards the southern Caribbean Sea, with stops in Barbados, Colombia and Costa Rica and crossing the Panama Canal, to reach the Pacific without circumnavigating South America. Once on the Pacific, the ship will go up the coast visiting Guatemala and Mexico, then reaching San Diego and Los Angeles. It will then leave for Hawaii, Polynesia and the islands of Samoa and Fiji.
Subsequently, it will reach New Zealand and the coasts of Australia, with stops in Auckland, Wellington and Sydney. Before sailing north and experiencing Manila’s unique climate, he will stop in Taiwan and Japan. From Tokyo, MSC Magnifica will continue towards the Republic of Korea, Shanghai and Hong Kong. Subsequently, the journey will continue to discover Vietnam, Singapore and Malaysia.
Guests will then be able to admire a series of islands in the Indian Ocean: Seychelles, Mauritius and Réunion, before circumnavigating the Cape of Good Hope and stopping in Cape Town, Walvis Bay and Cape Verde. At this point the ship will return to the Mediterranean and on May 16th it will finish its trip around the world, arriving once again in Genoa.
