Table Of Content
The demographic profile of MSC Cruises ships can be markedly different depending on where the vessels are based. On Caribbean sailings out of Florida, you'll find that a large percentage of passengers are English-speaking North Americans. In North America, MSC Cruises ships have generally sailed out of Miami, but the line recently added Port Canaveral and New York City as home ports, too. The line also offers cruises from the Caribbean islands of Barbados, Martinique and Guadeloupe, and in a major development, the line opened its first private island, Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, in the Bahamas in 2019. The current largest MSC cruise ship in the line’s fleet is MSC Virtuosa, with a gross tonnage of 181,541 GT and a total guest capacity of 6,334 passengers.
An introduction to MSC Cruises ships
MSC World Europa is 21 decks high — three decks higher than the Oasis Class vessels. The good news for those of you trying to get a handle on all the options is that the 22 ships in the MSC Cruises fleet can easily be bunched into just six groups of vessels that have similar amenities. Note that if you book the Bella experience, you cannot select a specific cabin. You can only choose between the broad categories of inside, ocean-view or balcony cabin, and a cabin is later assigned to you. As is typical for cruise line loyalty programs, the entry-level tier (Classic) doesn't bring all that many truly valuable rewards. By far the most alluring benefit at this level is the 5% discount that members get when booking future sailings (note that this discount is not valid on Tandem and MSC Grand Tours).
explore our new ships
Seemingly until the past few years, however, MSC hasn’t focused as heavily on the United States. Today, it offers cruises from Miami, Port Canaveral and New York, with more homeports on the way. MSC Cruises may not be huge in North America just yet, but that’s quickly changing. While the big three cruise lines — Carnival, Norwegian, and Royal Caribbean — may get most of the headlines, MSC is actually just as large and even larger than some of those names. The Lirica Class ships don't have the big water parks that are common on newer MSC Cruises ships.
How much is the drink package on MSC Cruises?
As with most cruises, onboard extras such as drinks, specialty restaurants, spa services, and internet access come at an additional cost and can quickly add up. That being said, MSC Cruises still offers one of the most competitive cruising deals out there, if the onboard experience works for you. Attending theater shows is free for everyone, but seats must be reserved using the MSC app or one of the onboard touchscreen systems. Dining is offered at fixed times in the main dining rooms, with the informal buffet restaurant, poolside grill, and fast-food outlet also included for all. This option, which is one type of suite (despite its confusing name), has space for up to five cruisers via a combination of bunk beds, sofa beds and beds that pull down from the ceiling, depending on the ship.
However, it’s the details surrounding life onboard that might stand out if you’re used to some of the other lines in U.S. cruising. We don’t want to give the impression that MSC is an absolutely unfamiliar experience or completely different than sailing any other line. If you’ve sailed a cruise before, there’s a lot that you’ll know and love. Be Prepared for Lots of WaiversIf you sail MSC, then be prepared to sign waivers for things you don’t have to on other cruise lines.
MSC Grandiosa
The cruise line recently announced that it will offer 98 hours of family-friendly live entertainment per cruise. This live entertainment will include new, interactive, family-centric game shows. The ship will offer 19 different staterooms with seven new stateroom designs.
MSC Cruises: What To Expect Onboard This Fast-Growing Cruise Line
In addition, MSC World Europa has a stunning array of 13 dining venues, including the new-for-the-line Chef's Garden Kitchen (an outlet focused on microgreens) and La Pescaderia, a traditional seafood grill with alfresco seating. In a twist, the ship has three separate buffet restaurants, each with its own ambience. You'll also find lots of venues for entertainment and pampering on the ship, including a large casino and an equally large spa. MSC World America is the newest MSC Cruises ship that you can book right now. While the ship isn't yet sailing, its initial sailings scheduled for April 2025 already are on sale, as are future sailings through October 2025.
MSC Cruise Ships by Class
You’ll earn points each time you cruise, book an onboard service, and make onboard purchases. Like most other cruise lines, MSC offers both complimentary dining as well as specialty restaurants that come with additional charges. In addition to cruise ship staples like pools, a casino, and Broadway-style shows, MSC offers plenty of other unique activities.
MSC Cruises' latest network shift features 9 new routes launching summer 2025 - Cruise Blog
MSC Cruises' latest network shift features 9 new routes launching summer 2025.
Posted: Thu, 18 Apr 2024 13:29:09 GMT [source]
All four classes' Royal Suites also include separate living room areas. All ships in MSC's fleet have suites that can be booked as part of the Fantastica and Aurea packages, but it's Aurea that offers the largest number of perks, as outlined above. Bella cruisers can request early or late seating for dinner, but priority will be given to higher-level cruisers, with the set time confirmed once onboard. Bella cruisers can choose from inside, ocean-view (mostly with partial views) and balcony cabins on lower decks. Founded in Italy, and headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, MSC Cruises is part of Mediterranean Shipping Company, the second largest container company in the world. The passenger shipping side of the business began in 1988 when Mediterranean Shipping Company bought the liner Monterey.
3 of the world's biggest cruise ships to battle for supremacy out of Miami - The Points Guy
3 of the world's biggest cruise ships to battle for supremacy out of Miami.
Posted: Thu, 18 Apr 2024 17:06:10 GMT [source]
Two more of the so-called World-class vessels are scheduled for completion in 2026 and 2027. As you can tell, the MSC cruise ships vary widely based on which class of cruise ships you’re looking at. If you want a small ship with an intimate setting and you don’t need a lot of flashy amenities, you’ll likely be just fine on a Lirica-class ship.
These ships are large, like the Meraviglia-class ships, but are specifically designed for tropical cruising. There’s tons of outdoor space on each ship, zip lines, multiple pool areas, a large outdoor promenade, etc. Because of this, you’ll find a lot of extra amenities and fun here that you won’t on the older MSC cruise ships. Think five pools each, lots of children’s areas, waterslides, cinemas, sport courts, casinos and more. Amenities typically include two pools, a handful of restaurants and multiple entertainment spaces such as a theater and casino. Don’t, however, expect a ton of family-friendly amenities or outdoor thrills, like the waterparks and rock-climbing walls that you’ll find on other ships.
They run from 269 to 355 square feet, with balconies measuring 32 to 409 square feet. One level up from Bella is the Fantastica Experience, which comes with 24-hour room service (free between 6 a.m. and 11 p.m.). Fantastica cruisers get access to better located cabins (including on the upper decks) and ocean views with unobstructed views, as well as their preferred set dining time. They also draw cruisers who care more about the destinations they visit on a cruise than onboard attractions.
MSC Virtuosa will debut in November 2020 and MSC Seashore will debut in 2021. Check out our picks for the best formal accessories to make you stand out on your cruise. Meanwhile a sister to MSC Meraviglia debuted in 2018, MSC Bellissima; and a sister to Seaside -- Seaview -- debuted in June 2018. There follows a ship a year until 2026, most of them as yet still unnamed, and some of them part of two new classes, as well -- Evo and World Class, which debut in 2021 and 2022, respectively.
No comments:
Post a Comment