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.-TradeArabia News Service