You'd be wrong to think that MSC Cruises' growth plans for North America end with the new MSC Seaside currently on its way to Miami, Florida.
In fact, the MSC Meraviglia is also slated to serve the market by 2019 as are the newly announced Seaside EVO ships launching in 2021 and 2023.
While onboard the first namesake of the Seaside-class for its delivery from the Fincantieri shipyard last week, I sat down with the line's CEO, Gianni Onorato, for insight into the company's regional growth plans.
The MSC Divina has been in the Caribbean for several years now, so it only makes sense that Alaska would arise as a potential new destination.
In response, Onorato said, "I think obviously Alaska is one of the destinations-the favorite destination for the North American market for summer. So, since we are focused on the North American market, Alaska as well is one of the destinations that we are looking at."
As a native resident of San Diego, I asked if such considerations might extend farther south to eventually include even seasonal departures from America's Finest City or Los Angeles.
"So, in the future in considering the growth of the company in North America, there would be many options. Now I would say that today we need to start being stronger and stronger in Florida to Miami, but we need to start looking to the other options. I would say New York on one side and Alaska on the other side."
To that end, the cruise line has since revealed that MSC Meraviglia will homeport in New York once it arrives in North America during 2019, but it doesn't stop there. I also wanted to know if there were any thoughts on where the Seaside EVO ships might be deployed.
Without any hesitation, Onorato exclaimed, "Caribbean for sure, North American market, definitely."
That means the MSC Seaside, MSC Meraviglia, MSC Divina and two MSC Seaside EVO ships are earmarked to cater to the segment through 2023. With that many ships, it stands to reason that one will soon make it to Alaska officially as well.
"Bringing MSC Meraviglia to New York is the perfect introduction for the ship to the U.S., providing travelers an option to check out new itineraries with MSC Cruises and, for those in the region, a convenient way to discover MSC Meraviglia's style, sophistication and stellar on board features," said Roberto Fusaro, President of MSC Cruises USA, in the release.
"With MSC Meraviglia coming to New York, and eventually to Miami, we are bringing the three most innovative and modern classes of MSC Cruises ships to the U.S., offering a wider range of memorable experiences for guests."
Once in Miami, the ship will be based in the Floridian homeport along with Seaside and Divina. Meraviglia will offer 7-night Western Caribbean voyages to either Jamaica, Cayman Islands, Mexico and the Bahamas, or Mexico, Honduras, Belize and the Bahamas.
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