New York Fans Can Stretch the Baseball Season With MSC Cruises’ Themed Sailings

Former Yankees, Mets Featured on Select 2009-2010 Caribbean Cruise Itineraries

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., June 23 /PRNewswire/ — New York baseball fans looking to stretch the baseball season into the winter months can enjoy the warmth of the Caribbean with some of their favorite former New York Yankees and New York Mets players on select sailings of MSC Cruises’ MSC Poesia.

In addition to visiting some of the Caribbean’s most beautiful locations, each “Baseball Greats” cruise includes free interactive guest/player activities, including a player-hosted trivia game in which guests can test their baseball knowledge, question-and-answer sessions with the players, a guest pitching contest and a lively story-telling session in which the players share candid revelations about some of the “characters” of the game. Baseball players will also host pitching, hitting, fielding and base running clinics.

New York fan favorites Frank Howard, Stan Bahnsen, Hector Lopez, Ken Griffey, Sr., Jeff Torborg and Ed Kranepool are in the lineup of baseball greats scheduled to sail Caribbean itineraries roundtrip from Fort Lauderdale this winter:

• Nov. 20, 2009: Frank “Hondo” Howard (who coached for both the Yankees and the Mets) and Bahnsen will be joined by Hall-of-Famer Bob Feller, Toronto Blue Jays Manager Cito Gaston and Bill Russell on the 10-night “Dazzling Dutch Caribbean and the Panama” itinerary.
• Jan. 16, 2010: Hector Lopez (who played on five Yankees championship teams and is now a minor league instructor with the Bombers), Jeff Torborg (who coached with the Yankees and managed the Mets), former Yankees slugger Ken Griffey, Sr., and Cookie Rojas (who coached for the Mets and is now an announcer for the Florida Marlins) will join Bahnsen on the 7-night “Island Treasures & Ancient Temples” itinerary.
• Feb. 6: Bahnsen will be joined by fellow former Yankees Rudy May, and former Mets Jim Fregosi (who was traded to the Mets for Nolan Ryan) and Ed Kranepool, as well as Tony Oliva on the 7-night “Island Treasures & Ancient Temples” itinerary.
• March 6, 2010: Bahnsen will be joined by Amos Otis, Rennie Stennet and two additional players (to be named) on the 7-night “Eastern Caribbean Enchantment” cruise.
• April 3, 2010: Bahnsen, Tony Taylor, Randy Hundley and two additional players will be on the 7-night “Eastern Caribbean Dream” cruise.

Caribbean cruise-only rates begin at $549 per person, double occupancy (government fees/taxes additional). As on all MSC Cruises’ sailings, kids ages 17 and younger sail free when sharing a stateroom with two full-fare-paying adults.

To review more information about MSC Cruises and its theme cruises, visit msccruisesusa.com/specialcruises/theme-cruises or a local travel professional.

MSC Cruises currently has the most modern fleet in the world with nine ships: MSC Fantasia (the largest ship ever built for a European ship owner), MSC Poesia, MSC Orchestra, MSC Musica, MSC Sinfonia, MSC Armonia, MSC Opera, MSC Lirica, MSC Melody, cruising in the Mediterranean year round and seasonally in Northern Europe, the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean, North and South America, the Indian Ocean and South Africa. MSC Splendida and MSC Magnifica will be launched, respectively, in 2009 and 2010. MSC Cruises is the only company to receive the “6 Golden Pearls” award from the Bureau Veritas in recognition of its high level of quality management and environmental protection.

SOURCE MSC Cruises