The ‘MSC Fantasia’ is back in the port of Funchal for an 8-hour layover, which provides for ‘turnarounds’ throughout the day, which usually moves many buses, taxis and other tourist entertainment, in addition to bringing tourists to downtown Madeira.
Coming from Barcelona, the imposing ship of the Italian company with 333 meters in length and capacity for 4,363 passengers and 1,370 crew, docked at the Pontinha pier at 8 am and will continue in the afternoon, starting at 4 pm, the transatlantic cruise bound for Salvador, Brazil.
The ship is positioning itself for the cruises of the summer season in the Southern Hemispheric, with several itineraries programmed, of 3, 5 and 7 nights in Brazil, with São Paulo as its base port.
Last week, the sister ship, ‘MSC Magnifica’, brought 909 crew and 2,275 passengers to Funchal and carried out a partial ‘turnaround’ that involved 215 disembarkations and 194 embarkations, mobilizing 19 buses and 45 taxis.
Launched in December 2008 in Naples, as a result of an investment of around 550 million euros, the ‘MSC Fantasia’ was at the time the largest ship in the ‘MSC Crociere’ fleet, along with the ‘MSC Splendida’, being later dethroned by the ‘manos’ MSC Divina’ or ‘MSC Preziosa’.
Tomorrow, Sunday, it is the turn of another of the 22 ships of the ‘MSC’ to visit Funchal. It’s called ‘Magnifica’. She arrives from Barcelona at 7 am and leaves after a 10 hour stopover, bound for Lanzarote.