The Wonder of MSC

Just when your attention was on what storms are sneaking up on us next in the Caribbean, MSC Meraviglia (whose name means “wonder”) sailed into New York today, becoming the largest ship ever to call there.

The two-year-old ship is 171,598 gross tons carrying 4,488 passengers in double occupancy.

The complete story appeared in the October 7 edition of Cruise News Daily.

Other Things You'll Want to Know - May 9, 2019

CND subscribers also read about:

• MSC bringing a new tapas restaurant to North America
• Eight out of ten parents say they feel guilty taking a vacation without their kids. But when their kids were surveyed, it turns out the kids don't mind at all. In fact, they kind of look forward to a little time away from Mom, as can be seen in the video below from Virgin Voyages which will be launching in 2020.

Details appeared in the May 8 edition of Cruise News Daily

Something Extra for NYC

It was previously announced that MSC would expand their presence in the US market and the Caribbean during the winter of 2019 by bringing MSC Meraviglia to Miami. Today the line announced that on the way to Miami, MSC Meraviglia will visit New York and have three sailings from there during the fall of 2019.

Two will mark MSC's first-ever fall foliage cruises to the Northeast, and the last will cruise to the Caribbean and reposition the ship to Miami. They will also mark MSC's first-ever sailings from New York.

The complete story appeared in the December 4 edition of Cruise News Daily. 

Saturday Night in France

If you happened to open Facebook on Saturday afternoon (in the US) and happened to go to MSC's page, you had the opportunity to attend the christening of MSC's new flagship, MSC Meraviglia. It was a very French affair.

It was a formal affair, set in one of France's most historic ports (Le Havre), to watch a great ship christened, built in one of the great French shipyards with a history for building iconic vessels. And it was about to be christened by an iconic Italian godmother (and film legend) - but she was speaking French.

The complete story appeared in the June 5 edition of Cruise News Daily. 

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Photo courtesy of MSC Cruises. All rights reserved. May not be copied or used without express permission.

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. 

Cirque Goes to Sea

One of the main features of MSC's Meraviglia-class is the ultra high-tech $22 million Carousel Lounge, which is designed specifically for its starring entertainers, Cirque du Soleil. The famous acrobatic troupe is designing eight entirely new shows for the four Meraviglia ships in the series.

With the first ship in the series, MSC Meraviglia, set to enter service on June 4, MSC has release details of the first two Cirque du Soleil shows.

The complete story appeared in the May 18 edition of Cruise News Daily. 

Other Things You'll Want to Know - May 2, 2017

CND subscribers also read about:

• MSC Meraviglia completing the second set of sea trials
• RCI returning to New Orleans
• The US State Department issuing an advisory about terrorism in Europe

Details appeared in the May 2 edition of Cruise News Daily. 

MSC Getting Flexible

MSC passengers will finally be able to choose their dining times - to an extent. Beginning with MSC Meraviglia and MSC Seaside, the line will begin offering customers a choice of Classic dining (so they can have their same table and companions and waiters each evening at either early or late seating) or Flexi Dining.

The complete story appeared in the March 23 edition of Cruise News Daily. 

When Meraviglia Just Isn't Big Enough, There Will Now Be Meraviglia-Plus

MSC and STX France have finalized the contract converting two options for Meraviglia-class ships to firm orders. The two ships will actually be “Meraviglia-plus-class” ships, progressions from the design of the original two.

These ships will grow from 167,000-grt of the original two, to 177,000-tons. They will also balloon from 2,250 staterooms to 2,450 with a maximum capacity of 6,300 passengers. They will be 1,086 feet in length.

Details appeared in the December 21 edition of Cruise News Daily. 

STX France Floats Out First Meraviglia-class

STX France floated out MSC Meraviglia from the dry dock at their Saint-Nazaire yard. The ship now begins the final phase of construction in the wet dock.

As we often note, this event is significant at most yards because it is the first time the ship has actually floated and becomes a ship.

The complete story appeared in the September 2 edition of Cruise News Daily. 

A Sweet Story

Jean-Philippe Maury

Valentine’s Day is coming and that’s the time of year people think of getting serious about relationships ... and chocolate. It’s also the time of year when cruise lines think about partnerships ... and chocolate.

And that is why it’s the perfect time for MSC Cruises to be announcing their partnership with noted chocolatier and pastry chef, Jean-Philippe Maury.

Details appeared in the February 10 edition of Cruise News Daily.

Photo courtesy of MSC Crociere. All rights reserved. May not be copied or used without permission.

Exercising Their Options

MSC Cruises announced today they were exercising their options for two additional Meraviglia-class to be built by STX France. The two ships will not be exact duplicates of the Meraviglia-class. They will be larger and designated as Meraviglia-Plus.

The announcement came at the STX yard in Saint-Nazaire during a coin ceremony for MSC Meraviglia.

The complete story appeared in the February 1 edition of Cruise News Daily.

MSC Cuts Steel for Another New Class Vessel

All the shipyards must have new plasma torches and can’t wait to use them. In the last few weeks there’s been a lot of steel cut for new ships, and today, STX France cut the first steel for the first of MSC’s Project Vista ships, MSC’s largest ship to date, which the line said they have named MSC Meraviglia.

This shouldn’t be confused with the Seaside ships Fincantieri is building for MSC. The Project Vista ships will be bigger.

MSC Meraviglia will carry approximately 5,700 passengers, will be sized at 167,600 gross tons and enter service in May 2017. The ship will be one of the most technologically advanced at sea. “Meraviglia,” by the way translates as “wonder,” or “marvel.”

Rendering of MSC Meraviglia

Image courtesy of MSC Crociere. All rights reserved. May not be copied or used without permission.