Big debut for cruise ship
LE HAVRE, FRANCE The short list of the world’s biggest cruise ships has a new member. Switzerlandbased MSC Cruises formally introduced its new giant, MSC Meraviglia, with a star-studded christening ceremony last week.
At 171,598 tons, Meraviglia holds up to 5,714 passengers and is the fourth-largest cruise vessel ever built, smaller only than the three Oasis Class ships that Royal Caribbean has unveiled since 2009.
Constructed at the same French shipyard that built the world’s biggest cruise ship, Royal Caribbean’s Harmony of the Seas, Meraviglia has all the trappings of a major mega-resort, including an Aqua Park with three water slides, a splash pool and an adventurous “Himalayan Bridge” skywalk that allows passengers to cross the vessel nearly 200 feet above the water.
The arrival of Meraviglia is a significant milestone for MSC, a cruising giant in Europe that is still relatively unknown in North America. Currently operating 13 vessels, MSC has announced plans to add at least 10 similarly large ships by 2026, including four 200,000-ton vessels that will each hold 6,850 passengers — more than any other cruise ship currently at sea.
After initially sailing in Europe, Meraviglia will redeploy to North America in 2019.