MSC Cruises today announced that it will be basing one of its ships in New York City. In a first for MSC, Meraviglia will operate year-round flights from its home port starting in April 2023.
The ship’s itinerary will include 6- to 11-night cruises to the Caribbean, Bermuda, New England and Canada, with many of the itineraries visiting Ocean Cay MSC, the company’s private island on Bahamas.
The rollout should strengthen MSC Cruises’ presence in the North American market, the company said in a prepared statement, complementing the selection of ships and routes departing from both Miami and Port Canaveral in Florida.
“New York is one of the most incredible and vibrant destinations in the world, so by adding the city as a year-round homeport for MSC Meraviglia, we will significantly expand our offering in North America,” said Gianni Onorato, CEO of MSC Cruises.
Onorato said the new routes will be very attractive “not only to our guests in the United States, but also to international vacationers” who can take advantage of the huge number of intercontinental flights in New York.
“We designed our portfolio of itineraries to take advantage of New York’s geographic flexibility,” added Onorato, noting that cruises will sail to the Caribbean in the spring and winter, Bermuda in the summer and Canada/New York. England in autumn.
According to MSC, sales of new routes should open on March 9th. In addition to cruises, MSC will also offer full service packages with the new program.
Product includes flight selection, 4-star hotel accommodation, pre-voyage excursions, pre-voyage hotel check-in, luggage delivery from hotel to ship cabin and transfer to port.
NYC Itinerary Highlights:
- Seven or eight night Caribbean itineraries with calls at Nassau, the Bahamas and the Ocean Cay MSC Marine Sanctuary also in the Bahamas.
- Bermuda itineraries last six nights and offer three days of anchorage at King’s Wharf combined with several days at sea.
- Northern routes for 10 or 11 nights, calling at Boston, Massachusetts; Portland, Maine; Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island; Halifax and Sydney, Nova Scotia; and Saint John, New Brunswick. 11-night itineraries include an additional stop at Newport, Rhode Island.
“MSC Cruises’ decision to operate the ship year-round in New York is the latest example of the brand’s long-standing focus on the overall North American cruise market, which includes attracting more international vacationers and continuing housing some of its most modern vessels. in US ports,” the company said in a statement.
Among the company’s recent initiatives for the U.S. market is the establishment of Port Canaveral as a permanent home port for its ships. MSC Cruises is also building a cruise terminal at PortMiami, which once completed will be able to handle three of its largest ships simultaneously.
