MSC Seascape Arrives in New York City

MSC Seascape Arrives in New York City

MSC Cruises’ new MSC Seascape arrived in New York City on Monday, December 5 after a trans-Atlantic crossing from Italy.

The ship arrives in time for its upcoming naming ceremony that will take place on December 7 at the city’s Manhattan Cruise Terminal, according to a press release.

This will be the first ship naming ceremony for an MSC Cruises ship to take place in New York, coming after MSC Cruises added New York City as a new homeport starting in April 2023.

The MSC Seascape will depart from New York and set sail for Miami on December 8 where it will commence its inaugural sailing season with the Eastern and Western Caribbean Sea sailings.

While sailing the Western Caribbean, the ship will make calls in Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, Cozumel in Mexico, George Town in the Cayman Islands and Ocho Rios in Jamaica.

On Sunday, December 11,th  MSC Seascape will embark on a 15-night Caribbean and Bahamas voyage departing from Miami, Florida with calls in Ocean Cay, Bahamas, Nassau, Bahamas, San Juan, Puerto Rico, Puerto Plata/Amber Cove, Dominican Republic and St Thomas, US Virgin islands.

 

Maiden Call for MSC Seascape in Cadiz

Maiden Call for MSC Seascape in Cadiz

The port of Cadiz in Spain today welcomed the MSC Seascape for the ship’s maiden call before she sets sail across the Atlantic for her official naming ceremony on Dec. 7 in New York.

The maritime tradition of a Crest Exchange took place onboard MSC’s newest ship between Master of the Vessel Captain Francesco Di Palma and officials from the Spanish port authority and Cadiz’s Councillor for Tourism, Montemayor Mures.

The ship is operating a 17-night Grand Voyage from Europe to the USA with 3,255 guests onboard according to a company statement.

The MSC Seascape will next call Funchal in Madeira and King’s Wharf in Bermuda before arriving in Manhattan on Dec. 5.

MSC said the ship will be the cruise line’s first ship to be named in New York to reflect MSC Cruises’ commitment to the North American market and the ceremony will be celebrated at the city’s Manhattan Cruise Terminal.

The ship will sail to Miami immediately following the event for an inaugural season in the Caribbean with two different 7-night itineraries from PortMiami:

• Eastern Caribbean: Calling at Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve and Nassau in The Bahamas, San Juan in Puerto Rico, and Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic
• Western Caribbean: Calling at Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, Cozumel in Mexico, George Town in the Cayman Islands and Ocho Rios in Jamaica

MSC Seashore Completes First Year in Service

MSC Seashore Completes First Year in Service

The MSC Seashore completes its first year in service today. Currently sailing in the Caribbean, the vessel entered service for MSC Cruises in Europe on August 9, 2021.

Third, in a series of four Seaside-Class cruise ships, the ship was built in Italy by the Fincantieri shipyard.

After leaving its construction dock, the vessel spent its inaugural summer season in the Western Mediterranean.

Featuring seven-night cruises, the debut program featured regular itineraries to Spain, France, Italy and Malta visiting Barcelona, Marseille, Genoa, Naples, Messina and Valletta.

In November, the MSC Seashore crossed the Atlantic for the first time while sailing to Miami – its new homeport.

Once in the United States, the vessel kicked off a series of seven-night Caribbean cruises, sailing two different itineraries – which are still being offered in 2022. 

The first, in the Western Caribbean, includes calls to Ocho Rios in Jamaica, George Town in the Cayman Islands and Cozumel in Mexico.

The second, meanwhile, sails to the Eastern Caribbean and features visits to San Juan in Puerto Rico, Charlotte Amalie on the island of St. Thomas and Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic.

Both voyages also include a stop at Ocean Cay, MSC’s private island destination in the Bahamas.

Before kicking off service in North America, the vessel was also christened at the island during a ceremony that received the godmother Sofia Loren and other VIPs and stakeholders.

Following its season serving the U.S. market, the MSC Seashore is set to debut in Brazil in late 2022.

As part of MSC’s local program, the 4,560-guest ship will offer domestic cruising in the South American country until early 2023.

In April, the Seashore is set to return to Europe for a second summer program in the Western Mediterranean.  

The second season in North America is also on the plans. In November 2023, the vessel is set to debut in Port Canaveral for a year-round program of cruises leaving from Central Florida.

MSC Meraviglia Welcomes Guests Back Onboard Marking MSC’s U.S. Restart

The MSC Meraviglia has become the latest MSC cruise ship to welcome guests onboard again after the pandemic when she sailed last night out of PortMiami, Florida.

MSC Cruises said that this is a key milestone as part of the line’s global plan to have more than half of its fleet back at sea by the end of this summer, following the line’s initial restart in the Mediterranean in August 2020 and over the past several months the return at sea of more of its ships across the Mediterranean and Northern Europe, the UK, the Red Sea and now in the Caribbean out of the U.S.

Tens of thousands of guests have returned to enjoy a cruise at sea on an MSC Cruises ship since last summer, the cruise line said, under the protection of its health and safety protocol that is now also available for cruises out of U.S. ports.

The MSC Meraviglia is now on her first four-night cruise visiting Nassau, The Bahamas and Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, where the ship will stay overnight to allow guests an extended stay to discover the company’s new private island destination.

According to a press release, the destination offers guests more than two miles of white sand beaches in an eco-friendly 64 square mile marine reserve. Guests can enjoy the island’s nature, discover local marine life and soak up “the spirit of The Bahamas” with ships docking at the island from early morning into the evening and in some instances overnight.

Guests can spend a full day enjoying activities for all ages including stand-up paddleboarding, kayaking, snorkelling, and more.

The MSC Meraviglia will sail three- and four-night cruises and add seven-night eastern and western Caribbean cruises from Sept. 18, 2021.

The MSC Divina will become MSC Cruises’ second ship to return to cruising from the U.S., with three-, four- and seven-night itineraries beginning Sept. 16 from Orlando (Port Canaveral) – a new homeport for the company.

Delivered last week, MSC’s newest flagship Seashore will arrive at her new homeport in Miami on Nov. 18, 2021, following her inaugural season in the Mediterranean. As an evolution of the Seaside class, MSC said that the ship will bring guests “closer to the sea than ever before” with 140,000 sq. ft of outdoor space, the most of any MSC Cruises ship in the U.S., numerous outdoor bars and dining, pools and deck area for relaxing and sunbathing, as well as a variety of new spaces for guests.

MSC said that the health and safety of its guests, crew and the communities its ships visit is its top priority. Since last summer, MSC Cruises has implemented a health and safety protocol onboard each ship, which includes universal COVID-19 testing at embarkation; regular testing of the crew; physical distancing; mask-wearing; enhanced sanitation measures and more. In the U.S., MSC Cruises will welcome both vaccinated and not fully vaccinated guests onboard with additional requirements for guests who are not fully vaccinated.

MSC Cruise; Not just any cruise

MSC Cruise; Not just any cruise

MSC Cruises has evolved its branding to reflect its commitment to delivering the details that matter to its guests. Chief marketing Officer Riccardo Casalino tells Rebecca Gibson more
Not just any cruise
This article was first published in the Autumn/Winter 2016 issue of International Cruise & Ferry Review. All information was correct at the time of printing, but may since have changed. 

Swiss-based operator MSC Cruises is in the midst of a €9 billion, 10-year expansion that will see it launch 11 next-generation smart cruise ships between 2017 and 2026. This will include three Seaside Class, two Meraviglia Class, two Meraviglia Plus Class, and four LNG-powered World Class ships.

In addition, the world’s largest privately owned and fourth-largest cruise company is involved in a US$200 million to build a private marine reserve in the Bahamas as part of its strategy to become a significant player in the Caribbean. Named Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, the exclusive island will feature a traditional Bahamian village, restaurants and bars offering local specialities, a 2,000-seat open-air amphitheatre, shops, watersports facilities, beaches, a lagoon, a zip wire crossing the island, and a spa sanctuary for MSC Yacht Club guests.

To aid this planned growth and generate worldwide interest in its enhanced cruise offering, MSC Cruises aims to showcase the world-class facilities on the island resort and the new innovations onboard its newbuilds to as many consumers and travel agents as possible.

Developing a marketing campaign that not only captivates global audiences, but is also tailored to appeal to the varied tastes of consumers in different passenger markets requires meticulous planning. According to chief marketing officer Riccardo Casalino, MSC Cruises considers several factors when developing its national and international marketing campaigns.

“We start by assessing the industry landscape, then move on to studying our target groups and carrying out proper brand equity and positioning work, and eventually, we plan and execute the marketing programme,” he explains. “New digital technologies have deeply influenced the first three phases, while platforms such as social media have fundamentally reshaped how we execute our promotional campaigns for different passenger demographics and markets.”

In January 2015, MSC Cruises began a year-long global consumer research study to determine the success of its existing marketing campaigns, as well as loyal and prospective guests’ perceptions of its cruise offering and core brand qualities. The line commissioned research agencies TNS and IPSOS to carry out nearly 3,000 hours of interviews with consumers in MSC’s key markets, including Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the UK and US. Insights from the interviews indicated that both loyal and prospective guests perceived the MSC cruise experience as ‘distinctly more elegant, professional and more reliable’ than the experiences offered by other cruise lines.

This January, MSC Cruises launched a new, €65 million global marketing and multimedia advertising campaign: ‘Not just any cruise’. Moving away from its prior emphasis on ‘The Mediterranean Way of Life’, the latest promotional campaign highlights what MSC considers as its ability to master the tiny details that create an exclusive cruise and holiday experience.

“We evolved our global brand positioning and created a new promotional and advertising campaign to showcase the many ways in which MSC Cruises truly is a master of the seas run by a family with 300 years of maritime experience,” says Casalino. “Our ‘Not just any cruise’ brand positioning is now even closer to how our passengers already perceive us: an elegant, competent cruise line offering total luxury to its guests.”

MSC Cruises kicked off its new international ‘Not just any cruise’ campaign with a series of three TV commercials in key European markets, including Germany, Italy, France and Spain. In total, the company pledged a €19 million investment in advertising the brand and its cruise experience in Germany, €15 million in Italy and €6 million in both France and Spain.

Created by Oscar-nominated British film director Daniel Barber, the international TV commercials are set to an exclusive soundtrack written by longstanding MSC partner and Italian composer Ennio Morricone. The three adverts – Drop, Note and Tomato – highlight the key elements that MSC Cruises believes differentiate its ships, onboard experience, itineraries and shore excursions from every other cruise brand. Footage in the clips show guests relaxing in luxurious accommodation, testing out the water slides and swimming pools, enjoying the food, onboard entertainment and other hospitality services.

Later this summer, MSC Cruises plans to air different TV commercials featuring the same ‘Not just any cruise’ tagline, but with specific messaging targeted towards guests in North America.

“MSC Cruises’ maritime skills and ability to offer hospitality at sea are unmatched, while our exclusive partnerships with multiple world-leading brands, such as Cirque du Soleil, LEGO, Samsung and Technogym, as well as our collaborations with various esteemed Michelin-starred chefs elevate the onboard experience,” says Casalino. “Our marketing campaign certainly shows guests worldwide why MSC Cruises offers the best possible cruise experience.”