MSC's Robotron

The first look at the Robotron thrill ride which will debut aboard MSC Seascape in November 2022. There's nothing like it at sea.

Seascape Gets Closer to the US

Next winter, MSC will have a brand-new ship in the US market, MSC Seascape, and it just returned to the Fincantieri yard at Monfalcone (Italy) after successfully completing sea trials, which were conducted in the Adriatic August 17-20.

These photos from Fincantieri were taken during the sea trials and give you a full look at the ship's exterior. 

Photos courtesy of Fincantieri. All rights reserved. May not be copied or used without express permission.

The Birth of a Cruise Line

Fincantieri's Monfalcone yard floated out the first ship of MSC Cruises' new luxury brand, Explora Journeys, on Monday (May 30, 2022). It is also the first ship of a four-ship order, called Explora I.

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

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

Fincantieri Delivers MSC Seashore

Fincantieri delivered the first Seaside EVO-class ship today (July 26, 2021), MSC Seashore, at their Monfalcone yard near Trieste. The 170,400-ton vessel is the largest ship ever built in Italy. It is the third of the Seaside line and the first of the larger evolution of the class. 

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

The Future Becomes a Little More Human

The future is aboard MSC Virtuosa. MSC has the world's first humanoid robotic bartender at sea and he works in the futuristic MSC Starship Club.

The complete story appeared in the February 11 edition of Cruise News Daily. 

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

Chantiers Delivers MSC Virtuosa

MSC Cruises' fleet grew by another ship today (to 17) when the line took delivery of MSC Virtuosa at the Chantiers yard at Saint Nazaire (in northwest France). The 181,000-ton ship is a sister to MSC Grandiosa and a progression from MSC Meraviglia and MSC Bellissima that's 52.5 feet longer. 

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

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

Sailing During the Pandemic

What's it going to be like to cruise during/after the COVID-19 pandemic? That a question on the minds of most cruisers. The first major ship back in operation, MSC Grandiosa, has been sailing in the Mediterranean for over a month now and is about to complete its fifth cruise. 

Currently, passengers are limited to Europeans, but you can get an idea of what the experience is like from the new video below that MSC has produced showing their health and safety protocols both before boarding and during the cruise itself.

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

 

Chantiers Lays Keel for MSC World Europa

The cruise industry may not be sailing, but it is continuing to build for the day when it will be back as robust as it was. Chantiers de l'Atlantique laid the keel for a giant World-class ship for MSC Cruises today at their Saint-Nazaire yard.

The 200,000+-ton MSC World Europa will be more than just a huge ship. It will utilize some of the latest green technology as well as testing some cutting-edge concepts for the future.

The complete story appeared in the June 29 edition of Cruise News Daily. 

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

Yet Another MSC Ship Reaches a Construction Milestone

Over the weekend, Chantiers floated out MSC Virtuosa at their Saint Nazaire yard. It marks the line's third major shipbuilding milestone within a month.

MSC Virtuosa is the second Meraviglia-Plus ship. (The just-christened MSC Grandiosa was the first.) It is scheduled for delivery in October 2020.

The complete story appeared in the December 2 issue of Cruise News Daily.

Photos courtesy of Chantiers de l'Atlantique. All rights reserved. May not be copied or used without express permission.

Keel Laid for MSC Seashore

Fincantieri laid the keel today for MSC Seashore at their Monfalcone yard (near Trieste). Although they still put the coins under the keel in today's ceremony, this was a bit different because the cruise line actually released a lot of news at the event.

The complete story appeared in the September 19 edition of Cruise News Daily. 

The first block of MSC Seashore is lowered into place in the dry dock at Fincantieri's Monfalcone yard. 

Two gold coins were placed below the keel before it was laid. 

Photos courtesy of Fincantieri. All rights reserved. May not be copied or used without express permission.

Exploring Ocean Cay

Anticipation is building for the opening of Ocean Cay, MSC's private island in the Bahamas, in November. The transformation from an industrial sand extraction site to lush marine reserve is nearing completion. The island will be completed with dining and bar facilities to make for a fun day in the sun (and sea) for MSC's passengers.

In the past, we've shown you how the island is being developed, but now MSC has released a video rendering of just what it will all look like as you explore the island.

The complete story appeared in the July 19 issue of Cruise News Daily.

Longer Means New Layout

MSC opened the next Seaside-class ship for reservations today, but since it's the first of the next generation of the class, the line also released some new details of the class.

The complete story appeared in the June 26 issue of Cruise News Daily. 

MSC's Ocean Cay Moving toward November Opening

It's just four months until MSC ships in the Caribbean will be making regular stops at Ocean Cay, the line's new private island in the Bahamas. When I say “new” I really mean “new.” The lush tropical resort has been created from literally nothing. The island was a barren industrial site. Today, that transformation is nearing completion.

A big part of the work is restoring the island's and its surrounding water's ecosystem. Just like the island's resort beach facilities, restaurants, spa and cruise pier which are springing up, the wildlife is already returning to the island and the surrounding waters.

The complete story appeared in the June 20 issue of Cruise News Daily.

More Time to Investigate

Apparently it takes longer to investigate an accident in Italy than anyone thought.

MSC had previously canceled this week's sailing of MSC Opera after last week's accident in Venice. While repairs were going to be completed earlier this week, MSC canceled the rest of the cruise so the Italian authorities would have plenty of time to complete their investigation.

MSC said today that the investigation still is not complete, so the line will cancel this weekend's sailings also.

Details appeared in the June 6 edition of Cruise News Daily.

Trouble in the Canal

It was a quiet Sunday morning in Venice along the Guiadecca Canal. Passengers on the second day of their cruise from Verona were having breakfast in the outdoor restaurant atop Uniworld's River Countess which docked at the San Basilio dock along the canal. About 8:30am (local time) MSC Opera rounded the bend and the River Countess passengers had a nice view of the large (65,591 gross tons) MSC heading up the canal to the Venice Cruise terminal.

That was until something went wrong aboard MSC Opera and it went out of control directly toward the smaller river boat. MSC says the captain applied all the established required procedures (including the long warning blast of the ship's whistle), but the cruise ship grazed the San Basilio dock and collided with River Countess.

The complete story appeared in the June 3 issue of Cruise News Daily.

MSC Matches Your Level

Loyalty programs are designed to keep you loyal to that cruise line by offering you benefits that you won't get if you sail on another cruise line because you haven't been sailing them to accrue their benefits. If you want to try a different cruise line, you have to be willing to take a step down. Until now.

If you are a member of another cruise line's loyalty program, with status on that line, you no longer have to step down to sail with MSC (and hopefully keep sailing with them). MSC is willing to match your status on “Brand X” with similar status (or higher) in their Voyager Club so you can see what MSC is all about and still have special perks.

The complete story appeared in the May 24 edition of Cruise News Daily. 

Interesting New Hire at MSC

There's a new man with a familiar name at the top of MSC's F&B department. Jacques Van Staden has joined MSC's global team as Vice President, Food & Beverage and will be based at the company's global headquarters in Geneva leading all Food & Beverage activities for MSC Cruises worldwide

The complete story appeared in the May 16 edition of Cruise News Daily.
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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

This Is a Good Thing

MSC Cruises has inked a partnership with home and lifestyle queen Martha Stewart to create a number of experiences of various types for passengers in the Caribbean.

These will come both on land and at sea - and even in the dining room, because the Martha Stewart experiences will come in a number of different forms.

The complete story appeared in the April 24 edition of Cruise News Daily. 

Not Your Grandfather's Cruise Terminal

MSC Cruises is full of surprises. First, between the time of saying they were going to build their own cruise terminal at Port Miami and the formal board action, the project doubled in size to encompass two berths to handle two megaliners at the same time.

Yesterday, at the Seatrade Global Cruise Conference in Miami, MSC unveiled the actual design for the terminal, and it's stunning.

The complete story appeared in the April 10 issue of Cruise News Daily.