MSC Armonia is a cruise ship that was built in 2001 for the now defunct Festival Cruises as MS European Vision. Since 2004 the ship has been owned and operated by MSC Cruises. She can accommodate 2,065 passengers in 783 cabins. Her crew complement is approximately 760. MSC Armonia's itineraries cover Mediterranean ports including Dubrovnik; Corfu; Piraeus; Santorini; Argostoli; Ancona; Cagliari; Venice; Valletta; Kotor; Barcelona; Málaga; Palma de Mallorca and La Goulette and ports on the Atlantic Ocean including Buzios; Recife; Rio de Janeiro;Buenos Aires;Salvador; Santos; Las Palmas and Funchal.

History

As the European Vision, she was chartered for the 27th G8 summit in Genoa, Italy as a secure location to house world leaders. Terrorism fears were high in advance of the September 11, 2001 attacks and Al Qaeda was believed to be considering Genoa as a target. Although the ship was protected by a phalanx of anti-terrorism units including helicopters and missile launchers, U.S. President George W. Bush stayed instead at a dockside hotel.

Renaissance Program

The MSC Armonia was the first ship of the Lirica class. to undergo renovation under the "Renaissance Program". New features included a spray park, refurbished shops, new child and teen areas, an enhanced buffet, a new lounge,and an extended restaurant. The work was completed in November 17, 2014.