Make five ships that MSC Cruises will soon have in North America.
The fast-growing Europe-based cruise line on Thursday said it would increase the number of its ships in major North American cruise hubs such as Miami; Port Canaveral, Florida; and New York from three to five by the end of 2023 as rapid market expansion continues.
The five-ship deployment, which should be in place by the 2023 holiday season, will mark the first time the 19-ship brand has had five ships in North America at once. The distribution means that nearly a quarter of the line’s entire fleet will be in North America – a new high water mark for the brand in its North American expansion.
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Until 2017, MSC Cruises had only a single ship based in North America and was primarily focused on Europe cruises for Europeans, as well as Asia, Africa and South America cruises. But the brand has been rapidly building its footprint in North America in an effort to appeal to more Americans.
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MSC Cruises is operating three ships in North America this year – two from Miami and one from Port Canaveral. But it had already said it would add a fourth ship in early 2023, when it begins its first cruises out of New York.
The fifth North American ship announced Thursday will arrive later in 2023. It will be the 3,502-passenger MSC Divina, which has sailed to North America in the past and is familiar to many of the cruise’s North American customers. line.
With his arrival, MSC Cruises’ North American deployment for the end of 2023 will look like this:
- PortMiami: 4540 passengers MSC Sea will operate seven-night Caribbean cruises out of Miami throughout the year. 2550 passengers MSC Magnifica will sail short cruises from the port to the Bahamas and Key West, Florida, throughout the year. 3502 passengers MSC Divina will operate a series of cruises of three to 11 nights, with longer cruises going to Central and South America at least through the 2023-2024 winter season.
- Port Canaveral: 4540 passengers MSC Seaside (which will take the place of the slightly smaller, 4,132-passenger MSC Seaside) will sail a mix of short Bahamas cruises and seven-night Caribbean cruises throughout the year.
- New York City: 4500 passengers MSC Meraviglia will sail to Bermuda, Florida and the Bahamas in the fall and winter of 2023 after completing her inaugural summer season in the Northeast with a series of voyages to Florida and the Bahamas and to Canada and New England. The ship will be based in New York throughout the year.
Thursday’s new deployment announcement marks a significant milestone for MSC Cruises, which for many years has been a relatively small player in North American cruises. Expanding to five ships in the region by the end of 2023, from three now, will give it new critical mass to take on established North American megaship giants such as Royal Caribbean, Carnival Cruise Line and Norwegian Cruise Line Line in North America. the market.
Related: The Ultimate Guide to MSC Cruises
“Bringing more ships to the US allows us to offer a wider variety of itineraries, adding new destinations and providing more opportunities for travelers to discover our unique international flavor,” said MSC Cruises USA President Rubén Rodríguez in a statement accompanying the notice.
MSC Cruises USA is the American division of MSC Cruises, which is based in Switzerland.
The announcement comes amid a flurry of expansion at MSC Cruises, which has grown faster than any other major line in recent years. The line has added seven new ships since 2017 and has two new ships joining its fleet this year.
While well known to Europeans, MSC Cruises has far less name recognition among Americans than such major US-based lines as Royal Caribbean and Carnival. However, the line has moved aggressively with its North American ship additions to change that.
Related: The 7 Most Anticipated New Ships of 2022
All North American based ships are heavily marketed to Americans.
Founded in 1989 in Naples, Italy, MSC Cruises has in recent years built large, resort-like ships that rival the largest ships from Royal Caribbean and Norwegian. It currently operates five of the 20 largest cruise ships in the world.
The line is also in the midst of building the largest cruise terminal in North America at PortMiami. It will be able to accommodate three of the largest ships of the line at the same time.
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