Mediterranean Shipping Company's MSC Cruises may be a relatively new entrant in cruising's leisure travel niche - it was formed in 1987 - but the Geneva based firm is one of the leading global shipping lines of the world.

Subsidiary MSC Cruises, which is based in Naples, was conceived around the premise of offering Europeans an affordably priced cruise vacation. That's a concept that, in 1990, was fairly revolutionary.

At its inception, MSC Cruises was created when Gianlucci Aponte, owner of Mediterranean Shipping Company, acquired Starlauro, a one-ship cruise line. The company has built its fleet by acquiring mid-sized classic cruise vessels whose launch dates range from the 1950s to the 1980s. In recent years, however, MSC Cruises, in an effort to keep up with competitors like First European/Festival and Costa Cruises, has changed its strategy - embarking on a first-ever newbuild program in company history. MSC launched the 59,000-ton, 1,560-passenger MSC Lirica in 2003 and its sister ship MSC Opera in 2004, and will debut their largest ship to date the MSC Musica in 2006 and its sister ship MSC Orchestra in 2007.

The MSC Cruises fleet can be divided into two categories: the very-value-priced refurbished classic ships and newbuilds. In the former category are the 35,000-ton, 1,064-passenger MSC Melody (built 1982; formerly known as Premier Cruise Lines' Starship Atlantic); the 20,000-ton, 566-passenger MSC Monterey (a former U.S. flagged liner built in 1952); and the 17,495-ton, 780-passenger MSC Rhapsody (formerly known as Cunard Princess and built in 1977).

MSC Cruises first new ship, the aforementioned MSC Lirica, was launched in April 2003 - and built at France's Chantiers de l'Atlantique. Sister ship MSC Opera was unveiled in 2004, and the 58,000-ton MSC Armonia was built in 2001. MSC Sinfonia was introduced in 2003 and is the latest modern 4-star vessel added to the MSC fleet.

Whether cruising on a new ship or old, MSC Cruises emphasizes a very European - strongly influenced by its Italian roots - environment. Activities and entertainment, particularly on Mediterranean cruises, is geared to European travelers and passengers, whatever their language preference. Passengers should be prepared for announcements to be read in Italian, French, Spanish, German and English.

Life onboard, particularly when it comes to mealtime, follows a more traditional cruise schedule with scheduled dining times and seatmates.

On ships sailing in the Caribbean during winters, the environment is more geared to North American passengers.

MSC Cruises' main playground is, of course, the Mediterranean, and itineraries include stops in Italy, Greece, Malta, Canary Islands, Croatia, Finland, Portugal, Morocco, Norway, Sweden, Spain, Istanbul and even the Ukraine. MSC Cruises began serving the Caribbean in 1997 and has since added cruises to South Africa and South America.

In the Mediterranean and South Africa, expect a very European crowd though Caribbean sailings are geared very strongly to North American travelers. In all cases, MSC Cruises' appeals to travelers interested in a moderately priced cruise experience.