MSC Cruises lays out plans for increased agent outreach

By Tom Stieghorst

FORT LAUDERDALE — MSC Cruises unveiled several marketing initiatives under a new “Serving You” theme.

Rick Sasso, CEO of MSC Cruises USA, said at the Cruise3sixty conference that the line intends to emphasize the human connection in its dealings with travel agents. It is in the process of filling 22 new sales positions to extend outreach to agents.

RickSasso“There will be more people on the ground face to face to be the partners with the travel seller, so together we can create new business,” Sasso said.

He announced that marketing and sales vice president Ken Muscat had been promoted to executive vice president of sales, marketing, public relations and guest services, and that several other executives had been promoted to strengthen oversight.

MSC will hold a joint promotion with Fiat to give away a $21,000 Fiat convertible to a consumer and a travel agent. An entry for the drawing will be made for each booking on MSC Divina from April 4 to May 18, good on departures from Aug. 2 to Dec. 27. Winners will be announced around the year-end holidays.

Muscat said a new bus wrap advertisement has been installed for April on 14 buses running a freeway route between Miami and Fort Lauderdale. The wrap includes a travel agent call to action.

Under the “Serving You” banner, MSC will launch a 20-city road show in May to talk to travel agents on their home ground. There is a tentative list of cities to be visited, but it could change, Muscat said.

He also said MSC will offer a new wedding program on MSC Divina that for the first time will enable legal weddings to be performed onboard or in a number of ports, including Miami, Cozumel, St. Maarten and Falmouth, Jamaica.

Muscat said details of the program, which launches Aug. 2, will be available in the next several weeks.

MSC Divina welcomed to Miami by cars… driving on water?!

MSC Divina welcomed to Miami by cars… driving on water?!

Walking on water is one thing, but driving on water is something else entirely. That didn’t stop FIAT from welcoming MSC Divina into the Port of Miami, Florida, with a fleet of ‘aquatic’ cars.

The PR stunt saw the impressive cruise ship flanked by Fiat 500s that had been modified to literally drive on water. It’s not the first appearance for the ‘Cinquecentos’, which the Daily Mail reports have been seen on waterways in cities across the US during recent months.

But the presence of the 4,000-passenger cruise liner certainly helped draw the eye to their sea-based shenanigans.

One of the world’s largest cruise ships, the MSC Divina will be based in Miami from this month to serve the Caribbean. Previously, she has cruised throughout the Mediterranean.

Commenting on its introduction to the Port of Miami, MSC US chief executive Richard Sasso said: “We are thrilled to welcome one of our finest and most innovative vessels to North America.”