7 Night Mediterranean - Western Cruise
Itinerary

Marseille
France
Day 1Since being designated a European Capital of Culture for 2013, with an estimated €660 million of funding in the bargain, Marseille has been in the throes of an extraordinary transformation, with no fewer than five major new arts centers, a beautifully refurbished port, revitalized neighborhoods, and a slew of new shops and restaurants. Once the underdog, this time-burnished city is now welcoming an influx of weekend tourists who have colonized entire neighborhoods and transformed them into elegant pieds-à-terre (or should we say, mer). The second-largest city in France, Marseille is one of Europe's most vibrant destinations. Feisty and fond of broad gestures, it is also as complicated and as cosmopolitan now as it was when a band of Phoenician Greeks first sailed into the harbor that is today's Vieux Port in 600 BC. Legend has it that on that same day a local chieftain's daughter, Gyptis, needed to choose a husband, and her wandering eyes settled on the Greeks' handsome commander Protis. Her dowry brought land near the mouth of the Rhône, where the Greeks founded Massalia, the most important Continental shipping port in antiquity. The port flourished for some 500 years as a typical Greek city, enjoying the full flush of classical culture, its gods, its democratic political system, its sports and theater, and its naval prowess. Caesar changed all that, besieging the city in 49 BC and seizing most of its colonies. In 1214 Marseille was seized again, this time by Charles d'Anjou, and was later annexed to France by Henri IV in 1481, but it was not until Louis XIV took the throne that the biggest transformations of the port began; he pulled down the city walls in 1666 and expanded the port to the Rive Neuve (New Riverbank). The city was devastated by plague in 1720, losing more than half its population. By the time of the Revolution, Marseille was on the rebound once again, with industries of soap manufacturing and oil processing flourishing, encouraging a wave of immigration from Provence and Italy. With the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869, Marseille became the greatest boomtown in 19th-century Europe. With a large influx of immigrants from areas as exotic as Tangiers, the city quickly acquired the multicultural population it maintains to this day.
About this cruise
MSC Splendida carries you in comfort, style and luxury to the most desirable cruise destinations in the world, while at the same time being a beautiful destination in her own right. With so much to see and do on board, every day on MSC Splendida promises travellers of all ages a world of new discoveries, before they even step ashore.
Available dates
Stateroom Options
- InsideFROM£664 pp
- OceanviewFROM£794 pp
- BalconyFROM£884 pp
- SuiteFROM£1,524 pp
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dining
Bora Bora & Pago Pago Buffet Restaurants
The ship's self service complimentary buffet spans almost half the length of deck 14. It seats 412 guests in the Bora Bora section and 404 guests in the Pago Pago area, and is open non-stop for 20 hours each day from 6am to 2am with tea, coffee and tap water available 24 hours.
Breakfast is served from 6.30am to 10.00am, lunch from 12.00 to 3.30pm, afternoon snacks or casual late lunch from 3.30pm to 6pm and dinner from 7pm to 10.00pm followed by snacks until 2.00am.
A selection of both cold and cooked breakfast options area available whilst lunch and dinner offers dishes including salads, cooked meats, pasta and desserts along with a daily special and an Ethnic Corner serving a selection of curries from vegetable to lamb madras.
A pizzeria (open from 12.00 to 6.00pm) and grill (open from 12.00 to midnight) also forms part of the Bora Bora section.
MSC Splendida
MSC Cruises
FROM
£664 pp
- What's included?
- The below amenities and services are included in your selected cruise fare. By choosing a promotion during the booking process you may be entitled to additional amenities or services, depending on the particular offer.
Included benefits
Bella Experience
Fantastica Experience includes all Bella benefits, plus:
Aurea Experience includes all Fantastica benefits, plus:
- MSC Yacht Club (Available on board MSC World Europa, MSC Seascape, MSC Seashore, MSC Virtuosa, MSC Grandiosa, MSC Bellissima, MSC Seaview, MSC Seaside, MSC Meraviglia, MSC Preziosa, MSC Divina, MSC Splendida and MSC Fantasia):