This Is the Big One, Elizabeth

STX France officially delivered MSC Meraviglia to MSC Cruises today at the STX yard in Saint-Nazaire (France), and the handover is marked by the changing of the flags on the ship. The flags of the yard are lowered and replaced by those of the cruise line and the country where the ship is registered.

The importance of this handover was elevated because, at 171,598 gross registered tons and a capacity of 4,488 double occupancy (5,714 total), MSC Meraviglia is the largest cruise ship ever built by a European ship owner. (Translation: Royal Caribbean's Oasis- and Harmony-class ships are still larger.)

The complete story appeared in the May 31 edition of Cruise News Daily.