MSC Cruises---Big Cruise Ships and Big Days Ahead
November 15, 2005
MSC Cruises will be launching two cruise ships that will be counted amongst the largest in the world. Surpassed in size only by Cunard's Queen Mary 2 and Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas, the new MSC cruise ships will weigh approximately 133,500 gross tons each. They'll be approximately the same size as Royal Caribbean's Voyager class of vessels. Yet don't be overwhelmed by the size of these MSC Cruises ships; even with the largest cruise ships, size isn't everything.
That's why MSC Cruises has endeavored to not only design their new cruise ships with size in mind, but also style and customer comfort. At the moment, there is no specific information available stating the exact features that each of the MSC Cruises ship will have. Still, there's no doubt that each will have multiple onboard pools, several bars and lounges, many restaurants, and lots of chances for onboard entertainment.
For right now, the only concrete information known about the ships is that they will be able to carry about 3,300 passengers (based on double occupancy) and will have approximately 1,650 staterooms, of which close to 80% will have balconies. Of course, if you want to guess about the features the ships could have, you can bet that since MSC Cruises is investing $1.1 billion into the ships' construction, it's likely that the only thing overlooked will be the ocean.
MSC Cruises (Mediterranean Shipping Company) is based in Italy, with an American HQ in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Most likely, that is from where the cruise ships will travel, since the Caribbean will probably be the destinations they cruise. After all, the ships will be too large to fit through the Panama Canal, making cruising to the Pacific unlikely since they would have to circumnavigate the Cape Horn of South America.
MSC Cruises' ships, the Fantasia and Serenata, will be delivered in 2008 and 2009; they will be the 10th and 11th ships in MCS's fleet, as well as almost twice as big as any ship that's currently part of the MSC fleet.
Currently, the MCS Cruises fleet consists of seven ships: MSC Armonia, MSC Lirica, MSC Melody, MSC Opera, MSC Monterey, MSC Rhapsody, and MSC Sinfonia. On each of the MSC Cruises ship, you'll find personalized service, fun and inviting onboard amenities, and of course, some of the best chefs in the world creating Italian cuisine from scratch.
The ships will be constructed at the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard, a place that is certainly no stranger to large ships. The Chantiers de l'Atlantique constructed the 150,000-ton Queen Mary 2, which was finished in 2003. The Chantiers de l'Atlantique has constructed legendary passenger ships and ocean liners in Saint Nazaire since the mid-1800s.
Peter Pate, director for MSC Cruises UK stated, "Two ships of this size will have a great impact on the cruise market and re-enforce our branding. Our impressive growth over the last few years, from three ships in 2002 to the current seven ships, to eleven ships in 2010, is a fantastic achievement. For our agency partners in the UK it signifies yet more sales and greater market share. This is something we are all looking forward to as MSC Cruises becomes the definite line for true Italian cruising."
Still, you don't have to wait to experience "true Italian cruising." There are currently seven MSC ships that travel the waters of the Mediterranean, Northern Europe, the Caribbean, and more.
