From Cargo Ships To The World’s 4th Biggest Cruise Line

Who could I be talking about?  MSC cruises that’s who! They are still owned by the same Italian family and after starting off as a container shipping operation, they have now grown into the 4th biggest cruise line in the world, wow! what an achievement.

Msc have in total 16 ships now and recently announced an ongoing 9 billion euro investment between this year and 2026, with the potential to build 11 “next generation” ships which will be environmentally friendly with lots of new technology.  The newest ships in the fleet are the Meraviglia and the Seaview. I have to say they both look fantastic and the feed back I am getting is they are really worth a look at.  The ships are really big on the wow factor, from the fab atrium, to the 4D cinema, promenade, F1 racing car and flight simulators, to name but a few!

The next ship to be ready is the Seaside, with the christening in December of this year. One of the features is a unique seafront promenade lined with places to eat, drink, shop, swim and sunbathe. And you can enjoy more superb views from the two-deck glass-walled atrium and panoramic elevators. Sounds good does’nt it!  I have been lucky enough to sail with MSC on the Prezosia ship and I loved her! The atrium areas are also so stunning as you would expect from the ever so “classy” Italians.  The main staircase has loads of the Swarovski crystal embedded in the stairs, it looks wonderful.

So, with all these fab ships, great new ideas, bigger and better staterooms, to name but a few, why do some people not fancy them?  I have no idea! Is it the fact they have an Italian crew and they will not speak English? The answer is the officers are Italian (let’s face it ladies they do look rather fab!) with the rest of the crew from all over the world, just like other cruise lines. They all speak English. The notices on the ship are in English. The food is lovely, the drinks packages they have are some of the best.  MSC  are also very much committed to the UK market now after finally getting the go ahead to sail from Southampton.

You may never have thought of MSC cruises before, certainly if you are looking for a brand new ship I would try them but also take a look at the other ships in their fleet.  They are most definitely worth a look at.  My last observation would be if you are looking for more of a Eastern Med cruise, MSC are perfect as they sail from a lot of different ports.

Have you sailed with MSC?  I would love to hear what you think.

Till next time x