CORRECTION: While a Meraviglia-class ship will deploy from Miami in 2019, it will not necessarily be the MSC Meraviglia itself as originally announced.
During a coin ceremony on a foggy Italian morning, MSC Cruises today laid the keel for its upcoming new MSC Seaview-sister-ship to the MSC Seaside slated for homeporting in Miami-at the Fincantieri shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy, and we were there to cover it all.
At the event, Executive Chairman of MSC Cruises, Pierfrancesco Vago announced that not only will the MSC Seaside be joining the MSC Divina this year for sailing from the U.S. but so too will a Meraviglia-class ship come 2019 as well.
The announcement reinforces MSC's continued dedication to the North American market with a trio of ships, each from a unique class of vessels. The MSC Divina is a Fantasia-class, its latest series; the MSC Seaside will be the first of the Seaside-class as a series for following the sun and the Meraviglia-class is a series of all-weather ships.
What's more, MSC Cruises has been working on its own app-based technology for fully-integrated interactive enhancements to the guest experience onboard a la Carnival Corporation's newly unveiled Ocean Medallion tech rolling out on Princess Cruises in November 2017. Unlike Princess, however, MSC will have its smart device and wearable equivalent ready to launch aboard the MSC Meraviglia when it sets sail in Europe this June. The technology will also be available aboard the MSC Seaside in December.
[READMORE]READ MORE: MSC Cruises Celebrates New MSC Seaside Construction and Details[/READMORE]
In collaboration with the likes of Samsung, the unnamed guest solution will incorporate a new check-in embarkation, flex dining model, immersive photo gallery, kid locating and wayfinding, multimedia tables for kids and a digital daily program implemented across a mobile app, tablet app, crew tablet app, iTV, digital signage, browsers and wearables.
Cameras placed throughout the ships will be capable of facial recognition to better identify and service individual guests according to their personal preferences, and there will even be a means to shop in an enhanced fashion wherein your image is digitally dressed in new clothes.
MSC has always had remarkable ships, and the MSC Seaside, which we are here to tour under construction as well, is set to continue the design tradition, but the line is also aware of its shortcomings in regards to limited brand recognition and a less than stellar reputation for service and dining among North Americans. So, it is also intent to bring its software up to the same level of excellence as its hardware.
[READMORE]READ MORE: MSC Cruises Orders Up to Four New World-Class Ships[/READMORE]
Bonnie Levengood, Senior Vice President, Marketing at MSC Cruises, reassures the industry of the line's commitment to elevating the cruise experience among North American passengers. As for service, she admits it has been a challenge for MSC's crew, capable of speaking multiple languages among its international crowd, to understand some nuances of specific requests from English-speaking guests, but she ensures they are now being trained to discern cultural preferences. Similarly, for food, the culinary program is also being improved to more quickly service diners better distributed across multiple restaurants.
MSC Cruises' future in the States looks bright accordingly, and further expansion is anticipated. As an all-weather ship, a Meraviglia-class vessel could easily be deployed beyond the Caribbean to Canada and New England or even Alaska, for instance. In the meantime, the line continues to research all possibilities as its worldwide fleet grows.
Beyond 2017, the MSC Seaview is set to launch in 2018, and there's an option for a third Seaside-class ship for 2021. Another Meraviglia-class ship, the MSC Bellissima will also join in 2019, and two larger Meraviglia Plus-class ships are set to follow in 2020 and 2022. Plus, up to four new World-class vessels are planned with two solidly on order for 2022 and 2024 and another two options penciled in for 2025 and 2026. Altogether, MSC Cruises plans to invest 9 billion Euros through 2026.
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