Tag Archives: MSC Cruise

MSC and Red Bull Partner for Seaside Crew Appreciation Event

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Shock the Dock

More than 1,600 crew, staff and officers from the MSC Seaside celebrated the upcoming launch of the cruise line’s newest ship with a crew-only event, Shock the Dock, held on November 21.

With panoramic views overlooking the Gulf of Trieste, Magazzino 42 – a renovated warehouse located in the Trieste terminal – provided an ideal location for the occasion.

The night of celebration, hosted by Red Bull, capped off months of hard work preparing the MSC Seaside for its December 2017 launch.

Shock the Dock

Live musicians, dance performances and a trio of international DJs entertained the crowd throughout the evening.

Bernhard Stacher, Vice President of Corporate Hotel Operations at MSC Cruises, commented on the first time partnership with Red Bull: “As this was the first time, our crew did not know what to expect. They ‘were simply blown’ away! It was an outstanding teambuilding and motivational event for the entire crew.”

Red Bull, the world’s leading energy drink, released the following statement from its global headquarters in Fuschl, Austria. “An event like Shock the Dock is our way of saying thank you to our cruise line partners and the men and women who make it possible for their ships to sail. Red Bull believes in supporting the people who support us and we know that no one works harder in this industry than the crew.”

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MSC Cruises to increase capacity out of Southampton in 2019

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MSC Prezioza

MSC Cruises is to increase capacity out of Southampton in summer 2019 by replacing MSC Magnifica with the larger and newer MSC Prezioza‎.

The 139,072-tonne Prezioza entered service in March 2013 and is the last of the line’s four Fantasia-class ships. It carries 4,345 passengers, 740 more than the 95,128-tonne Magnifica which began operations in 2010.

Revealing the increase in capacity for 2019, MSC Cruises chief executive Gianni Onorato said it was all part of an ambition to become “the leading international player in the UK market” within five years.

He said: “MSC represents 10% of the cruise market worldwide and we need to reach 10% in the UK. We are currently just under 5% but with Magnifica next summer and Prezioza the summer after, we will do it – but not without the strong support of the trade. 99% of our efforts will go to our travel agents. It’s not our strategy to go direct. As has happened in other markets like Brazil, Italy and France where we have become the leader, it’s been driven by agents, and we believe with their help we can do it in the UK.”

‎Speaking at the launch of the line’s newest ship MSC Seaside, Onorato said MSC would secure agents’ support, not just through healthy commissions but by investing in a product that gives agents complete confidence to sell and which will generate repeat bookings.

‎And UK & Ireland managing director Antonio Paradiso promised to get more agents onboard MSC ships in 2018 to give them better product knowledge.

“In 2017 alone we had 1,100 agents visiting MSC ships, 300 of which were on our new ship Meragvilia.

“Next year, Magnifica will make 23 turnaround calls in Southampton we’ll have another 25 calls in British and Irish ports from other ships as well. That’s 48 calls in total and we’ll invite 200 agents onboard for lunch and a tour at each,” he promised.

‎In total, four different classes of MSC ships will call in the UK next year.

‎Onorato said Prezioza, like Magnifica for 2018, would have tweaks made to the onboard entertainment and food to ensure it fully caters to the UK market.

He said the fact it has both an indoor and outdoor pool would make it perfect for ex-Southampton sailings when the weather isn’t always favourable.

Onorato added that MSC would also make it easier for British and Irish‎ guests to get to its fly-cruises in future to help achieve his desired growth.

“We need to have more and more programmes that appeal to the UK and Irish guests, so that means more itineraries to the Caribbean and Med in particular – and more regional flights from the UK and charters to get them there.‎”

MSC Cruises takes delivery of new flagship MSC Seaside

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MSC Cruises has taken delivery of its new flagship MSC Seaside at the Fincantieri shipyard.

It is the second new MSC ship to come into service in 2017 and will homeport in Miami for Caribbean itineraries. It is the first in MSC’s Seaside Class.

MSC Seaside weighs 169,380 tonnes and can take 5,179 passengers.

At the ceremony, in Italy, MSC Cruises and Fincantieri also signed firm orders for the €1.8 billion construction of two Seaside EVO ships.

MSC Cruises executive chairman Pierfrancesco Vago said: “MSC Seaside coming into service marks another key milestone in the history and future of our company, but she also embodies a pivotal moment for the industry. In fact, she is the first ship of the fifth new prototype that we bring into service and introduces a wholly-innovative product that sets a new standard for the industry to follow.

“The Seaside Class of ships is designed to bring guests closer to the sea and to operate in sunny waters while continuing to push the boundaries of maritime and guest-centric technology.”

Italian president Sergio Mattarella and Graziano Delrio, Italy’s minister of infrastructures and transports were among the dignitaries at the ceremony.

MSC Seaside’s sister ship MSC Seaview will come into service in June 2018, starting her summer season in the Mediterranean. At the delivery ceremony, Vago also announced that MSC Seaview will be christened in Civitavecchia, Italy, on June 2, 2018.

He added: “As we are nearing the end of 2017, we can look back on a year when we enjoyed unprecedented capacity growth. With two of the more innovative new ships in the industry have come into service in the past six months and now with the addition of two Seaside EVO ships to our investment plan, we are now even better positioned to further extend our global footprint. We are expecting the delivery of at least one new ship each year through 2026, with six to have come into service between 2017 and 2020.”

Giuseppe Bono, chief executive of Fincantieri, added: “We are proud to have accomplished such an important project: a ship, for a new customer, the largest one ever built in Italy. This demonstrates not only our ability to satisfy the needs of the shipowners but also the extraordinary operational level which Fincantieri has achieved.

“We believe we have built a highly innovative ship with MSC. She marks a further technological quality leap. Such a milestone has allowed us to gain the customer’s loyalty with another order for two new ships, which will [again] represent a real evolution.”

In total, 12 new MSC ships are to be built by 2026, for an overall investment of €10.5 billion.