MSC: Market Leader in Europe

MSC has 17 ships in the European market, with 13 sailing in the Mediterranean and four in Northern Europe, said Gianni Onorato, CEO, in an interview with Cruise Industry News.

Onorato also pointed out the new 5,400-guest World Asia, which will debut in Europe in 2026, making MSC the only brand putting new tonnage into the European market.

“The key feature for our European homeporting is accessibility,” he said, pointing to air, high-speed rail and drive-in potential.

“Some ports are responding to this type of need, while others are more difficult.

“With so many embarkation points, we pick up local guests that have easy access in France, Italy, Germany, Spain, the UK and elsewhere.”

MSC has key investments in Barcelona and Marseille in terminals, and Valencia continues to become more important as Spain is a key source market for MSC, Onorato said.

“It is really accessible with high-speed trains from Madrid; similar to Marseille with Paris,” he continued.

‘Potential’

The core European markets remain full of potential.

“In Italy, the market is about 1 million guests in a country of 60 million people,” Onorato said. “France is very tiny, as is Spain, and in Germany, we are offering a different product from the national brands; it’s the same in the UK. If guests want a British experience, they can consider one of the other brands; if they want a more international experience, they can choose MSC.”

Germany may represent the market with the most potential, as it’s the largest holiday-package market in Europe, Onorato said.

Emerging source markets include Eastern Europe, highlighted by Poland, Romania, Hungary and the Czech Republic.

“These countries have residents who are travelling the world, and a cruise is an opportunity,” Onorato said.

Inventory Management

MSC has a unique differentiator in Europe which is its interporting program, meaning guests can board at any port on an itinerary and then disembark a week later. They are not tied in to starting their cruise on a Sunday for instance.

MSC will then allocate inventory based on multiple homeports on the same itinerary. This means that a ship with a set seven-day cruise with five ports is essentially five different programs from an inventory perspective.

“You need to respect the cabin allocation,” said Onorato. “For the local markets, this makes access to the ships very easy with lower transportation costs.”

‘Growing’

The LNG-powered World Asia will add to the company’s European presence in 2026, while the World Atlantic heads to the U.S. and Port Canaveral in 2027. After that, two more World Class vessels are on order from Chantiers de l’Atlantique with delivery dates in 2029 and 2030.

“We will have continuous and properly balanced growth,” Onorato said.

That includes sourcing European guests for cruises elsewhere, including in Alaska, where the Poesia debuts in 2026. MSC’s initial wave of bookings primarily came from European customers for the Seattle-based program.

Further south, there are programs out of Miami, Port Canaveral, Galveston, and from Brooklyn, while the company expands its Caribbean presence with a year-round program from La Romana with the 2004-built Opera beginning in winter 2026-27 through summer 2027. For the winter 2026-27 season, the Opera will be joined by the 2018-built Seaview, marking the first time the company operates two ships during the season in the South Caribbean.

“I’m bullish on this,” Onorato said. “It’s an interesting program, and going year-round is very exciting. The Dominican Republic is an attractive destination for Europeans, with no visa requirements and good airlift.”

Excerpt from the Cruise Industry News Quarterly Magazine Summer 2025