Italian-owned MSC Cruises aims to break into lucrative British and Chinese markets

Band leader Phil Manley said: “When MSC Cruises offered us the chance to set a record on one of its ships it was too good to miss.

“All the band members have been training hard to play and march at speed. This has been a fantastic challenge – we’ve played cruise ships away as they’ve left Southampton before but never been the star attraction ourselves.”

MSC Cruises’ Get The Best promotion applies to selected sailings on its 12 ships and covers winter 2015/2016, summer 2016 and winter 2016/2017 itineraries. 

Bookings must be made between September 4 and November 30, 2015 and UK holidaymakers will be able to upgrade from Bella to Fantastica Experiences on all seven-night Mediterranean sailings for £50 per person, or from Bella to the luxurious MSC Yacht Club for an additional £300 per person.

Meanwhile, MSC Lirica will be based in Shanghai to serve the Chinese market from May 2016.

The 2,600-passenger ship will be renovated and adapted to fit Chinese tastes and customs, with Mandarin-speaking crew but will not be available to book in the UK.

For information about MSC Cruises’ itineraries go to www.msccruises.co.uk