With the arrival of MSC Sinfonia at Fincantieri’s shipyard in Sicily on Jan. 12, MSC Cruises’ has now moved into the second phase of its $273 million Renaissance Program to renew and enlarge four ships in its fleet.

Over the next 10 weeks, MSC Sinfonia will undergo the same intensive work schedule as her sister ship, MSC Armonia, which resumed service on November 17, 2014.

Fincantieri’s world-class marine engineers will carefully bisect MSC Sinfonia’s hull, after which the two halves of the ships will be slowly drawn apart. On January 20 and 21, the engineers will insert a pre-built 78 foot midsection containing 193 extra cabins. Then they will refit and renew much of the ship’s interior, bringing an enhanced sense of comfort and space.

Before MSC Sinfonia’s arrival, Fincantieri’s preparations were already well under way for the work on board and in the shipyard. On January 9, the new midsection was floated into the shipyard and hauled into the drydock area where MSC Sinfonia will remain for the duration of her stay.

Once the work is complete, the renewed MSC Sinfonia will weigh anchor from the shipyard on March 25 for Genoa. She will feature new areas for children created in partnership with Chicco® and LEGO®, and a new Baby Club, Mini Club, Young Club and Teens Club. MSC Cruises has also made updates to the onboard dining experiences – keeping the buffet open 20 hours per day and installing fresh new dining spaces, a brand new lounge and an extended restaurant.

The ship’s MSC Aurea Spa will be enriched with additional massage areas, and a new outdoor spray park will be added on deck 13 – an exciting series of playful water features and jets.

The remainder of the Renaissance Programme will progress according to the following schedule:

– MSC Opera: May 2 to July 4, 2015

– MSC Lirica: August 31 to November 2, 2015

MSC Cruises currently carries roughly 40,000 guests per day, but by 2022 will double its capacity to 80,000 guests a day – 3.4 million per year – once the Renaissance Program is completed and the last of seven planned ships is delivered.