MSC Cruises’ first Meraviglia-Plus ship to be named MSC Grandiosa

MSC Cruises’ first Meraviglia-Plus ship to be named MSC Grandiosa

MSC Cruises has announced that its first Meraviglia-Plus class ship will be named MSC Grandiosa when it enters service in November 2019.

The announcement was made by MSC executive chairman Pierfrancesco Vago, as the line celebrated the steel-cutting ceremony for the ship as well as the traditional coin ceremony for MSC Bellissima, which is due to join the fleet in March 2019.

In addition to the two ships now under construction at the STX France shipyard, MSC also has two ships being built at the Fincantieri shipyard in Italy, as part of a 10-year investment plan which will see €9 billion invested in 11 new ships.

Vago said: “Today we are celebrating a truly unique moment, as it is the first time that key shipbuilding milestones for two different ships are celebrated on the same day. This is a testimony of the strength and ambition of our investment plan.”

He added: “The Meraviglia generation of ships is already setting a new standard for the cruise industry and is just one of the three brand new prototypes that we have designed to bring the cruise guest experience to the next level.

“MSC Grandiosa is named to signify magnificence and grandeur, a fitting name for this even richer, ultra-modern mega-ship.”

In addition to the first fine art museum at sea, MSC Grandiosa will be one of four MSC ships to feature Cirque du Soleil at Sea in the custom-built Carousel Lounge, Vago said.

The Meraviglia-Plus ships are an evolution of the Meraviglia class (pictured), which includes MSC Meraviglia – in service since June of this year – and MSC Bellissima.

The Plus class will be 331 metres in length, compared to the Meraviglia class at 315 metres, and will have a maximum capacity of 6,334 guests.

MSC Cruises Finalizes Two-Ship Construction Contract with STX France

STX France and MSC Cruises have announced they have finalized the contracts for two new 177,000-ton cruise ships for MSC.

The two next-generation ships will be the largest ever built for a European cruise line.

Delivery is scheduled for 2019 and 2020, respectively.

The ships will be known as the “Meraviglia-Plus” class, an evolution of the smaller 167,000 GRT “Meraviglia” class. The first of two “Meraviglia” ships are scheduled to enter into service in June 2017. The will have capacity for 6,300 passengers in 2,450 cabins.

“I am extremely pleased to see us continuing to deliver against our industrial plan with the coming into force of the final contract for the two “Meraviglia-Plus” ships,” said Pierfrancesco Vago, Executive Chairman of MSC Cruises. “I view this as a further reflection of the strength of the relationship in place from day one between MSC Cruises and STX France. It is for this reason that, in addition to having built at STX France all twelve of our existing ships, through 2026 up to eight more are currently planned to be built in France at STX.”

MSC Cruises said the two units finalized this week are part of the company’s €9 billion investment plan for eleven new next-generation cruise ships to coming into service by 2026

Magic mirrors on new MSC Cruises smartships show passengers how clothes will look on them in 3D

Magic mirrors on new MSC Cruises smartships show passengers how clothes will look on them in 3D

Water wonder: CGI of MSC Meraviglia - 'marvel' in English - which comes into service in June 2017

Three next-generation vessels get an array of hi-tech innovations including an indoor promenade with an LED roof - two newest ships also get first art museums at sea.

It's the question women having been asking for years when they try on clothes – 'does my bum look big in this?'

But when passengers on four new next-generation super-smart ships are in the on-board outfitters, technology will come to the rescue – with 3D magic mirrors that show whether that dress really is flattering or not.

MSC Cruises has just commissioned two more ships for its upcoming Vista class – to be constructed at the STX France shipyard in St Nazaire, Brittany, and designated “Meraviglia-Plus” - which, like the initial two ships in the Vista project, will feature industry-leading innovations on board, thanks mainly to a tie-up with South Korean technology titans Samsung.

Gianni Onorato, MSC's chief executive, said the hi-tech marvels will include interactive digital mirrors in the on-board clothes shops which will show customers (including men of course!) a 3D view of how attire will look when they wear it.

Cool pool: CGI of the sun deck on MSC Meraviglia

Other smart innovations also include in-cabin interactive flat screen HDTVs that link to guests' devices, 300 digital interactive signs in public areas, Near Field Contact geolocation of children, and hi-tech medical centres that can send scans to hospitals on shore for analysis.

But if all that technology gets too much, there's a device-free digital detox room with no wi-fi or mobile signal.

In addition to modern human ingenuity, the two new Plus ships will also feature mankind's artistic creativity with cruising's first ever fine art museums at sea.

Mr Onorato said the museums would comprise classic and contemporary masterpieces from around the world - loaned from public institutions and private collections – and it should see works from leading establishments in Italy, France and the USA put on display as the ships cruise the oceans.

He added MSC had been approached by museums to try putting art and museum pieces on show at sea. ''Let's see how it works,'' he said, “we need a little courage to do something like this.'

Show stopper: CGI view of the main theatre on MSC Meravigliva

Entertainment on board the Vista ships will be showcased by exclusive performances from Cirque du Soleil staged in purpose-built dining and entertainment venues.

The two new 1,092ft Plus ships will have some of the largest passenger capacity in the world at up to 6,300 – just a hundred or so less than Royal Caribbean's upcoming Harmony of the Seas – but with a more modest gross tonnage of 177,100 against Harmony's 227,000. They will debut in 2019 and 2020, two years ahead of the original construction schedule when they were yet-to-be-confirmed options.

The announcement of two more ships on the order books was made by MSC executive chairman Pierfrancesco Vago at the Brittany STX yard where the line's first two Vista class smartships, Meraviglia and Seaside, are being built.

He said: “The two Meraviglia-Plus vessels will be even larger and longer as well as richer in features and amenities, thus confirming MSC Cruises as the industry’s boldest innovator when it comes to ship design and experiences we create for our guests.”

The 167,600 ton, up to 5,714 passenger Meraviglia - lead ship of MSC's Vista vessels - will come into service in June next year, followed by sister ship Seaside in December, and was undergoing the traditional, centuries-old coin ceremony where shipyard workers place a coin deep in the ship's 1,039ft hull for good luck.

Steak and ships: CGI of the steakhouse restaurant on MSC Meravigliva

Besides magic mirrors in clothes shops, her revolutionary technology will see the creation of an 317ft long indoor promenade at the heart of the ship with an arched 5,400 sq ft LED roof which can project blue skies, migrating birds, starry skies or images of destinations (there will a 366ft long version on the two bigger Plus ships).

Seating around 600 but with ample room for more passengers to stroll around, the indoor prom will have shops, cafes such as a venue from US celebrity pastry chef Jean-Philippe Maury with his signature chocolate fountains, restaurants and an English pub, karaoke bar and 24hr TV studio.

Other facilities on board will see the installation of a full size bowling alley and Formula One racing car simulators.

Outside there's a sleek, contemporary look for the pool areas and an array of slides in a water park.

Mocked up cabins were on view at STX too and they exuded the cool chic of a modern boutique hotel.

Chic sleep: mock-up of a cabin on MSC Meravigliva at the French shipyard

Sister ship Seaside will have many of the same on-board offerings but will not feature the indoor promenade. Instead she will get a more traditional outdoor wrapround walkway much lower down than on most other modern ships so passengers are nearer the water to get the feeling of being on a quayside at sea, with shops, bars and restaurants lining the area.

She will home port in Miami year round to discover the Unesco world heritage sites of Cuba and other Caribbean hotspots. Mr Onorato said she will be "the ship that follows the sun".

Meraviglia will be christened at Le Havre on June 1, 2017 and spend her inaugural season in the Mediterranean, home porting in Marseille.