Tag Archives: MSC Bellissima

MSC Grandiosa Maiden Voyage Open for Sale

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MSC Grandiosa

MSC Cruises announced that sales for MSC Grandiosa’s maiden voyage are now open exclusively for MSC Voyagers Club members through October 21, according to a press release.

During this period, members will not only have the first selection of staterooms but also receive a special 5 per cent discount on top of their 5 per cent loyalty discount, MSC said.

Sales will open for all other guests on October 22, 2018.

Launching in November 2019, MSC Grandiosa will become the company’s newest flagship, as the largest in the MSC fleet.

The megaship is currently under construction at the Chantiers de l’Atlantique in Saint-Nazaire, France.

Departing on November 10, 2019, MSC Grandiosa will sail an itinerary through Northern Europe as well as the Mediterranean. Guests can choose a 10- or 13-night sailing, embarking in Hamburg and disembarking in Genoa, Italy or Marseille, France.

The MSC Grandiosa will also call Southampton, UK, Lisbon, Portugal and Barcelona, Spain, with overnight stays in all three ports.

The MSC Grandiosa will be the second ship to feature the Zoe – the first cruise digital assistant, MSC said.

The MSC Grandiosa will be christened in Hamburg on November 9, 2019, and will make the maiden voyage to her new homeport of Genoa, where she will begin 7-night sailings in the Mediterranean from Genoa starting on November 23, 2019. Ports on the itinerary include Genoa, Civitavecchia, Palermo, Valletta, Barcelona and Marseille.

New Cruise Terminal at PortMiami for MSC Cruises

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MSC Divina in her Homeport of Miami.
MSC Cruises has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the construction of a new Cruise Terminal AAA at PortMiami. The expected completion date is 2022.

The new terminal will accommodate the line’s World Class of ships, which will carry up to 7,000 passengers. MSC Cruises will operate four ships in total from Miami, including MSC Seaside. That ship debuted in late 2017. It currently sails year-round from Miami to the Caribbean.

MSC Armonia will begin homeporting in Miami in December 2018. She’ll offer the line’s first cruises to Cuba from the US. Additionally, MSC Divina will return seasonally to PortMiami. She sails to the Caribbean from October through March. And, MSC Meraviglia will make her North American debut at PortMiami in November 2019. The line’s largest ship, Meraviglia carries 5,714 passengers.

“The new agreement and expanded partnership with PortMiami and Miami-Dade County is another key step forward in the business growth of MSC Cruises, as we continue to strengthen our global footprint, with a strategic focus on North America,” said Pierfrancesco Vago, executive chairman of MSC Cruises.

Rick Sasso, chairman of MSC Cruises USA emphasized the mutual economic benefit of the new terminal.

“PortMiami is committed to providing a world-class experience to its guests and thanks to a long-standing collaborative relationship with Miami-Dade County we are thrilled that in less than 18 months MSC Cruises will have four ships sailing from the Port. This will also allow us to make a significant additional contribution to the economy of Miami and the county in its role as the Capital of the Cruise World, especially thanks to the large percentage of international guests travelling to Miami and South Florida to embark and disembark from MSC Cruises ships calling PortMiami,” said Sasso.

MSC Cruises currently operates 15 ships. The line plans to expand to expand to 25 mega-cruise ships by 2026.

A tale of two cruise lines

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Two European businessmen created two different cruise lines in the 1990s. Both have been successful in their own terms, but one formula for success has a lot more scale than the other one.

The two lines are Silversea Cruises and MSC Cruises. Silversea was formed in 1994 by building two new ships straight out of the gate for the luxury market. It was marketed primarily, if not exclusively, in North America.

MSC took a different route. Created from the leftovers of the Lauro Lines in 1995, MSC operated used, some would say very used, tonnage. Like Carnival Cruise Line, it deployed its older ships to cater to the mass market. It was marketed primarily to Europeans, with a few winter itineraries in the Caribbean.

Silversea’s first newly built ship, the Silver Cloud, was a thing of beauty. It was instantly competitive with other luxury vessels.

MSC’s first newly built ship didn’t arrive until a decade after the Silver Cloud was delivered and it was a takeover of an option that couldn’t be exercised by the Greek line Festival Cruises when it went into bankruptcy.

Since launching, Silversea has acquired a fleet of nine ships, with two more vessels on order.

With the delivery of the MSC Seaview, MSC has 15 ships in its fleet, with another nine on order through 2026.

Image result for msc seaview christening

Last week, Silversea and Royal Caribbean announced an agreement in which Royal will get a 67% equity stake for $1 billion. Silversea gives up its autonomy as a private company in exchange for continued growth and investment in its brand.

MSC is investing in its own future with a $10.5 billion newbuild program, and its autonomy is not in doubt.

MSC took a slower, less glamorous route to success but in the end, it is the company that stands independent.

Two major differences steered MSC and Silversea towards different outcomes. The first is that MSC Cruises was a side project for MSC chairman Gianluigi Aponte, whose main business, container shipping, made it easier to secure the financing that kept MSC’s order book growing.

The second is that MSC operates in the low-price, high-profit segment of the cruise business. Catering to the mass market may not be where the glamour is, but it is where the money is. The finances of both MSC and Silversea are private, so it is perhaps unfair to say one is more profitable than the other.