RAVENNA - The American ‘mah-jongg ladies’ invented them. The Chinese copied the success formula and try to launch their own. And now, also the Italians are organizing a floating mahjong tournament on board of a luxurious cruise ship.

On October 15th, the ‘MSC Orchestra’ will part from the the roadsteads of Genoa for a cruise over the Mediterranean Sea. Eight days later, it will drop anchors in Lisbon; a trip the ‘Orchestra’ makes many times. Only, this time, the passengers can play almost permanently mahjong on board. During the trip, tournaments will be organized, mahjong classes will be held, as well as demonstrations, ‘and much more’.

Caribbean

The ‘First Mahjong Cruise’ is supported by the Italian mahjong federation FIMJ. ‘Mah-jongg cruises’ have been a well-know phenomenon in the United States for decades. Well-to-do Americans, mostly female, take part in these trips on the Caribbean Sea. They play the American variant of ‘maj’ and the prices during these trips often consist of tens of thousands of US dollars.
Recently, a mahjong cruise on the Yangtze River in China was announced. The World Mahjong Organization has not yet communicated if there is much interest from the Western world. Travel cost to the starting point, Yichang, may be a problem for interested European and American mahjong players - apart from the cost of the cruise itself of course.
The cruise with the MSC Orchestra costs €560~€760, depending of the cabin one chooses. The fee of the mahjong activities on board are not advertised. Anyway, discounts are promised to members of the FIMJ and players in the recent OEMC2011.

More information:
Clipper Viaggi Vacanze
tel +39(0)41987744
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Flyer about the cruise