Tag Archives: MSC Marine Reserve

MSC Grandiosa Completes Five Years in Service

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The MSC Grandiosa recently completed five years of service for MSC Cruises after being delivered by the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard on Oct. 31, 2019.

Before embarking on its maiden season in the Western Mediterranean, the ship sailed to Germany for a christening ceremony in Hamburg.

MSC’s fleet godmother, Italian actress Sophia Loren, named the vessel during the event, which took place on Nov. 10, 2019.

After offering a repositioning cruise to Southern Europe, the MSC Grandiosa kicked off its maiden season in the Western Mediterranean in late November 2019.

The deployment included a series of seven-night winter cruises to Italy, Malta, Spain and France that featured visits to Genoa, Civitavecchia, Palermo, Valletta, Barcelona and Marseille.

During its five-year sailing career, the vessel has also cruised in Northern Europe, the Atlantic and South America.

After undergoing routine maintenance at the Palumbo shipyard in Malta, the MSC Grandiosa is currently offering a repositioning cruise ahead of its second season in South America.

Through early April, the vessel is scheduled to offer a series of seven-night cruises that sail between Brazilian ports.

Following a summer program in the Mediterranean, the Grandiosa repositions to Port Canaveral in late 2025.

Debuting in the U.S., the vessel will offer a series of seven- to 14-night cruises to the Caribbean departing from the Central Florida homeport.

The year-round deployment also features short cruises to the Bahamas that sail to Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, the company’s private island destination near Bimini.

Following the MSC Meraviglia and the MSC Bellissima, the MSC Grandiosa entered service as the third ship in MSC’s Meraviglia series.

Slightly larger than its predecessors, the 4,888-guest vessel is considered part of a sub-class known as Meraviglia Plus.

Other vessels with a similar design include the 2021-built MSC Virtuosa and the 2023-built MSC Euribia, which was further modified to become the first in the series powered by LNG.

New MSC Ship To Be Christened in New York City

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New York City will serve as the backdrop for an inaugural event when MSC Cruises’ newest U.S. flagship – MSC Seascape – comes into service later this year.

MSC has announced plans to hold the ship’s naming ceremony at the Manhattan Cruise Terminal on Wednesday, December 7, 2022, with Academy Award-Winning star Sophia Loren carrying out her role as godmother to her 18th MSC Cruises ship.

Pierfrancesco Vago, Executive Chairman, Cruise Division of MSC Group, commented: “We are particularly pleased to celebrate this momentous milestone in New York City, which holds a special place in our Group’s history, having been served by ships from the MSC Group’s cargo division since 1985. Today, as MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company leads the container shipping sector globally as well as across North America, MSC Cruises has grown to become a major player in the U.S. cruise industry. Having developed a meaningful operation out of South Florida, we are now preparing a major strategic expansion across the East Coast that will see us launch year-round cruises out of New York in 2023. We could not think of a better way of celebrating such a significant milestone than holding MSC Seascape’s – our latest flagship – naming ceremony in this wonderful city that has been an important hub for MSC Group for over three decades.”

MSC Seascape will be the cruise line’s first ship to be named in New York, reflecting MSC Cruises’ commitment to the North American cruise market and its upcoming expansion to New York and the Northeast with year-round cruises available from the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal beginning in April of 2023, according to a press release. 

Rubén Rodríguez, President, MSC Cruises USA, said: “We are very excited to showcase to New Yorkers our European heritage and the unique international character we bring to cruising, matching the city’s multi-cultural flair. Bringing MSC Seascape to New York City for her Naming Ceremony is a fantastic opportunity for us to host a very special gala event onboard for our valued travel advisors and partners, introducing them to our newest ship. Come next year, New York City will be our third US homeport, alongside Miami and Orlando/Port Canaveral. This is the latest example of the significant investment we’re making in the U.S. and the Caribbean, which includes building the largest cruise terminal in North America at PortMiami and offering Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve as both a stunning tropical destination and a reflection of our commitment to the environment.”

The MSC Seascape will sail to Miami immediately following the ceremony for an inaugural season in the Caribbean.

The ship will be the second Seaside EVO class ship to enter MSC Cruises’ fleet and the fourth vessel in the line’s Seaside class.

The MSC Seascape will offer two different seven-night itineraries from PortMiami including an Eastern Caribbean cruise calling at Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve and Nassau in The Bahamas, San Juan in Puerto Rico, and Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic and a Western Caribbean sailing calling at Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, Cozumel in Mexico, George Town in the Cayman Islands and Ocho Rios in Jamaica.

MSC Cruises holds naming ceremony for MSC Seashore

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Guests at the event had the chance to explore both the new ship and the private island
MSC Cruises has officially named its new flagship, MSC Seashore, in a ceremony at its private island Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve in The Bahamas.

The celebration was the first naming ceremony for a cruise ship to be held at a private island. Italian actress Sophia Loren served as godmother in the ceremony, the 16th time she has performed the role for an MSC Cruises ship.

Guests at the event had the chance to explore the ship and private island, with festivities taking place both onboard and onshore. Events included a gala dinner and live entertainment from three-time Grammy Award-winner Nile Rodgers and his band Chic.

The naming ceremony also served to formally inaugurate Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, which opened in December 2019 and closed shortly afterwards due to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. The ground was broken for the MSC Foundation’s Marine Conservation Center, which includes a laboratory and coral nursery areas. The facility will be a key element of the Foundation’s Super Coral Program, which seeks to help restore coral reefs in The Bahamas to a healthy state through the propagation of ‘Super Coral’ species to increase their resilience. This work will be carried out in partnership with the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science and Nova Southeastern University.

Following the event, MSC Seashore will begin sailing her inaugural seven-night cruise season from Miami, Florida, on 20 November.