Tag Archives: Pierfrancesco Vago

MSC Takes Digital Leadership Position

Posted on by
Reply
MSC for Me

Three years of research has led to the digital experience of the future aboard the MSC Meraviglia and Seaside, powered by the company’s MSC for Me app.

“The expectations of our guests were changing. The idea was to place them at the centre of the ecosystem and the centre of the stage,” said Luca Pronzati, chief business innovation officer. “We wanted to give them the possibility to get in touch with the ship for any need, at any place and anytime during their vacation.

“What you see today on the Seaside is from a three-year program involving 100 people and a major investment.”

The app, available on Apple and Android platforms, is based off a human-centred design approach, Pronzati said, that will get rid of paper, long lines and other friction points.

Perhaps more impressive is the technology powering the app, which worked seamlessly across the Seaside, and will be introduced to more ships in the near future.

Daniele Buonaiuto, the company’s CIO, said it was nothing short of a major project putting in the infrastructure to keep guests connected, which included 665 access points and some 3,275 wireless beacons across the ship.

“We can’t lose connections, so we needed a highly reliable network,” he said. “There are 900 people in the theatre getting connected at the same time, it’s a complex scenario.”

“It is one of the most advanced networks (at sea),” Buonaiuto noted.

MSC’s app can pinpoint a passenger’s location within centimetres. “Exploring a city through GPS has become a given,” he continued.

That experience is much different at sea, with a huge metal superstructure killing signals.

“For that reason we have recreated a GPS system using beacons, installed everywhere.”

The app can direct passengers, turn-by-turn, to venues, elevators, restrooms and their cabins.

Next, Pronzati said the company was looking into the robotic experience aboard.

“There has been a huge commitment from Mr Vago (Pierfrancesco Vago, executive chairman) and top management to further invest beyond what we’ve already achieved,” he added.

MSC Cruises’ first Meraviglia-Plus ship to be named MSC Grandiosa

Posted on by
Reply

Image result for msc meraviglia

MSC Cruises has announced that its first Meraviglia-Plus class ship will be named MSC Grandiosa when it enters service in November 2019.

The announcement was made by MSC executive chairman Pierfrancesco Vago, as the line celebrated the steel-cutting ceremony for the ship as well as the traditional coin ceremony for MSC Bellissima, which is due to join the fleet in March 2019.

In addition to the two ships now under construction at the STX France shipyard, MSC also has two ships being built at the Fincantieri shipyard in Italy, as part of a 10-year investment plan which will see €9 billion invested in 11 new ships.

Vago said: “Today we are celebrating a truly unique moment, as it is the first time that key shipbuilding milestones for two different ships are celebrated on the same day. This is a testimony of the strength and ambition of our investment plan.”

He added: “The Meraviglia generation of ships is already setting a new standard for the cruise industry and is just one of the three brand new prototypes that we have designed to bring the cruise guest experience to the next level.

“MSC Grandiosa is named to signify magnificence and grandeur, a fitting name for this even richer, ultra-modern mega-ship.”

In addition to the first fine art museum at sea, MSC Grandiosa will be one of four MSC ships to feature Cirque du Soleil at Sea in the custom-built Carousel Lounge, Vago said.

The Meraviglia-Plus ships are an evolution of the Meraviglia class (pictured), which includes MSC Meraviglia – in service since June of this year – and MSC Bellissima.

The Plus class will be 331 metres in length, compared to the Meraviglia class at 315 metres, and will have a maximum capacity of 6,334 guests.

MSC pushes back opening of private island in Bahamas

Posted on by
Reply

T1221MSCISLAND_HR.jpg

Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve is now scheduled to open in October 2018.

MSC Cruises said the opening of its private island near Bimini, Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, will be pushed back 10 months from December 2017 to October 2018.

“As we set out to finalize construction plans for this one-of-a-kind destination, we realized that to ensure the level of quality and attention to details in both infrastructure and services that our guests have rightfully come to expect from MSC Cruises, it was only appropriate to allot a longer time frame,” said Pierfrancesco Vago, executive chairman of MSC Cruises.

MSC guests that had been scheduled to visit on calls starting late next year will visit Nassau instead, Vago said.

A groundbreaking ceremony for Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve has been scheduled for Oct. 6, 2016, with the Prime Minister of the Bahamas expected to attend.