MSC Sinfonia

MSC Sinfonia is a cruise ship owned and operated by the Italy-based MSC Cruises. She was built in 2002 by Chantiers de l'Atlantique in Saint-Nazaire, France for the now-defunct Festival Cruises as MS European Stars. She was the last ship built for Festival Cruises. European Stars entered service for Festival Cruises on 25 April 2002 on a cruise from Barcelona. Her career with Festival proved short, however, as the company went bankrupt in January 2004 and the European Stars was subsequently impounded and laid up in Barcelona on 19 January 2004. The ship remained laid up for several months, until she was sold to MSC Cruises in July 2004 for €220 million and renamed MSC Sinfonia (her sister European Vision also joined the MSC fleet, as MSC Armonia).[1][5] The MSC Sinfonia entered service with her new owners in March 2005.