World of splendour sailing to UAE

Cruises adds UAE as new winter destination
MSC Cruises has announced the United Arab Emirates as a new destination for its 2011-12 winter collection at the ongoing Arabian Travel Market in Dubai.
The MSC Lirica will be based in Abu Dhabi as her homeport for her busy 2011-2012 winter season. The itinerary includes a full schedule of nineteen 8 day-7 night cruises from Abu Dhabi, with departures every Sunday from October 30 to March 4, 2012 and alternatively from Dubai, with departures every Friday, from October 28 to March 9, 2012.
MSC Lirica will call at the port of Muscat, Al Fujairah, Kashab in Oman and include two nights in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
The 59,000-ton MSC Lirica, which has capacity for a total of 2069 guests in 780 cabins, features an elegant decor, offers Italian and international cuisine and an array of entertainment and activities. The luxury cruise ship boasts shops, a casino, a card room and the 713-seat Broadway theatre. It features four different restaurants, the Lord Nelson Pub, The Beverly Hills bar and the Blue Club Discotheque.
On October 14, MSC Lirica will depart from Genoa, Italy, for a 17 day-16 night maiden cruise to Abu Dhabi, to start her first ever cruise season in the United Arab Emirates. Her southbound course will take her from the Mediterranean Sea with calls in Naples, Italy, and Port Said, Egypt, through the Suez Canal to Aqaba in Jordan, Salalah and Muscat, and finally to Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
MSC Lirica will leave five months later, on March 11, 2012, on her 18 day-17 night northbound return cruise from Abu Dhabi to Italy.

Ports of call during the Arabian itinerary include:

• Abu Dhabi is a cosmopolitan metropolis rich in splendours, from the magnificent Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, one of the largest in the world with its 800 domes and 1,000 columns, to the Heritage Village, Emirates Palace and Al Ain archaeological site with its palace museum. Guests can head into the desert to enjoy the thrill of a roller coaster ride through sand dunes or stay in the city for some of the finest, most sophisticated shopping on the planet.

• Dubai defies definition as an ultramodern city steeped in tradition, flanking the coast with a natural creek on the edge of the Arabian Desert. Guests will delight in its worlds within worlds, discovering Ajman’s famous museum and souk, taking a leisurely tour of the city in a traditional Dhow after dinner, traversing the desert’s golden dunes in a 4x4 or bathing in the natural pools at Hatta.

• Al Fujairah is a jewel of history and nature, set in majestic hillsides and wadis inhabited since the Iron Age. Visitors marvel at its atmospheric old city and 17th century fortress, Al Bithna Oasis with its prehistoric tomb, and the exquisite village of Masafi in the Hajar Mountains. Sun-seekers will find their own paradise in its scenic secluded beaches.

• Kashab lies on the northern tip of Oman’s Musandam peninsula, jutting out into the Strait of Hormuz. Known as the “Norway of Arabia” thanks to its sinuous coastline, the peninsula offers uniquely stunning, scenery with fingers of water that stretch deep inland like fjords. Experience creamywhite limestone cliffs that rise in romantic contrast from the calm, turquoise waters of sheltered sea.

• Muscat has been renowned as one of the world’s greatest ports since Ancient Rome. Guests can journey through time in the breathtaking Al Jalali and Al Mirani forts, the bustling souk, the magnificent Sultan Qaboos Mosque and the Beit Al Zubair museum. Then they can treat themselves to the timeless natural fragrances.