MSC Cruises

The next edition of the record-breaking Icon Class is on the horizon, just over one year after Royal Caribbean welcomed its largest cruise ship ever to its fleet. Star of the Seas will welcome paying passengers aboard on August 16, setting sail from Port Canaveral, Florida, to the Bahamas. 

Royal Caribbean and Carnival Cruise Line are two of the most well-known names in the cruise industry. However, MSC Cruises, a European line based in Geneva, Switzerland, has infiltrated the global market. 

MSC Cruises was founded in Naples, Italy, in 1988 as part of the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), which has grown into the world’s largest container shipping business, operating a fleet of over 800 vessels. 

MSC Cruises is an Italian family-owned cruise line that invites travelers to experience the world at an affordable cost. The uproar of MSC has caused the number of passengers to double in the last few years, with new terminals popping up in different parts of North America.

The top-rated cruise line has also partnered with the NBA’s New York Knicks, becoming their official cruise line partner and gaining significant promotion during games at Madison Square Garden.

Within the past week, three cruise ships have broken free from their secured moorings in port, disrupting thousands of passengers. 

The chaos started with Norwegian Epic on Friday, May 30. While visiting Catania, Sicily, a powerful wind gust struck the vessel's port side around 1:00pm. Consequently, the mooring lines began snapping one at a time. 

The biggest isn’t always the best, but in this case, it just might be. I sailed from MSC Cruises’ brand-new terminal at PortMiami, and it offered the fastest embarkation I’ve ever experienced.

In fact, it rivaled even those of Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises, which are known for having some of the most efficient check-in procedures in the industry.

So, what makes the new terminal and its process so great? Here’s what you need to know if you plan to cruise with MSC from Miami.

“How scary can it be?” I thought when I first learned of Cliffhanger, a mechanical swing ride that propels people out over the side of MSC Cruises’ new MSC World America cruise ship.

Given that new vessels have debuted in recent years with aerial bikes, roller coasters, and even attractions that flip riders upside down, a swing seemed tame in comparison.

Guests anxiously awaiting an upcoming MSC cruise were delivered bad news: their sailing is canceled due to a mechanical problem affecting the ship's speed.

MSC made the difficult decision to cancel MSC Meraviglia’s May 11 cruise to the Bahamas. The weeklong sailing was slated to depart from New York’s Brooklyn Cruise Terminal and call at Port Canaveral, Florida; Nassau, Bahamas; and Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve. 

Offering natural light, access to fresh air, and, often, additional space, balcony cabins are the most popular cruise ship accommodations. I’ve stayed in dozens of them, but the latest was on brand-new MSC World America, MSC Cruises’ latest World Class vessel.

Most people have heard of North American-based cruise lines like Royal Caribbean, Carnival, and Norwegian. However, the European line MSC Cruises has a solid plan to infiltrate the global cruise market — and it's working. 

At this year's Seatrade Cruise Global conference in Miami, Florida, MSC Cruises USA Chairman Rick Sasso revealed five key pillars that have propelled MSC to the top of the cruise game.