MSC unveils details of Miami-based ship

A rendering of the MSC Seaside.

A bowling alley and nine restaurants will be among the amenities aboard the MSC Seaside, the first vessel that MSC Cruises will move directly from the shipyard to the U.S.

MSC CEO Gianni Onorato revealed new details about the 154,000-gross-ton, 4,140-passenger ship during the steel-cutting ceremony on Monday at the Monfalcone, Italy-headquarters of shipbuilder Fincantieri. The Seaside is scheduled to arrive at PortMiami in December 2017.

Among the ship's nine restaurants will be a pizzeria, a seafood house, a steakhouse and a Japanese teppanyaki eatery. The restaurants will be accompanied by 20 bars. The bowling alley will join numerous other entertainment options on the Seaside, including a previously announced elaborate water park with five distinct slides and water features.

The vessel will also be equipped with a variety of eco-friendly features, including an advanced wastewater treatment system and a heat recovery plant that will warm onboard swimming pools, laundry machines and faucets. Passengers, meanwhile, will be able to use cruise cards, RFID bracelets or smartphones to access staterooms, book excursions and shows, geolocate their children and make onboard payments.

The Seaside is one of seven vessels that MSC Cruises either has in production or in the planning stages. The cruise line currently sails 12 ships. One of the vessels under construction is the MSC Meraviglia, for which sales opened on June 22. Holding up to 4,500 passengers, it will sail the Mediterranean beginning in the summer of 2017, embarking from Genoa, Marseille and Barcelona.

Bookings on the Meraviglia are open only to MSC Club members until July 5, when they will open to the general public.