Ultra-luxury cruises on the horizon for MSC

For years now, European-based MSC Cruises (cruise.center/msc) has been making a name for itself as the purveyor of big, bold and distinctly international cruise vessels. These include the new MSC Seaside, which made waves last winter when it debuted at its new home port of Miami.

Since then, MSC has been drawing up plans for bigger and more elaborate vessels. But one of the things that I appreciated most about my MSC experience was the MSC Yacht Club. Think of it as a luxury ship within a mainstream ship — a private enclave where the drinks flow freely, soft piano music plays in the background, and competition for deck chairs or that favourite spot in the (private) lounge is slim to none.

Yes, the MSC Yacht Club costs extra, but I met numerous folks on my MSC Seaside and MSC Divina cruises who swear by it. After a week of sampling the Yacht Club on MSC Seaside, I was in love with it, too, and feel that the price is a good value for what you get. Turns out lots of other folks feel that way — so much so that MSC has decided to bring its MSC Yacht Club product to a new level. If you’re reading between the lines, you’ll have already figured it out: MSC is expanding into small-ship luxury cruising.

“It is off the back of the great success of our ship-within-a-ship luxury concept that our guests asked us to enter into the ultraluxury segment, as a natural evolution of the MSC Yacht Club,” Pierfrancesco Vago, executive chairman of MSC Cruises, said in a statement. “These ships will be able to offer unique itineraries, thanks to their size, and the guest services will be taken to another level.”

MSC has signed a memorandum of understanding with Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri for four of these new ultra-luxury beauties, with the first entering service in spring 2023. Coming in at 64,000 tons apiece, they will have 500 staterooms and will fully embody MSC’s exclusive Yacht Club experience.

MSC isn’t alone in creating a “ship-within-a-ship” experience. Other big-ship mainstream cruise lines have rolled out similar offerings in the past decade, designed to appeal to those who love the choice, entertainment and amenities offered by a big ship, but who also place great emphasis on luxury and privacy. MSC, though, is the first big-ship mainstream cruise line to offer a separate (and dedicated) luxury product.

Exact details and specifications of MSC’s new ultra-luxury builds weren’t released at press time, nor were itineraries. But based solely on the line’s dedication to the Mediterranean and, now, the Caribbean from Florida, it’s a safe bet to assume you might be able to see these two places in MSC’s unique brand of luxury.

“Entering into the ultra-luxury segment is yet another exciting development in our offering,” said Roberto Fusaro, MSC Cruises USA’s country manager. “In addition to our Yacht Club experience, North American guests will enjoy from 2023 onward an even wider choice of five-star cruise experiences in the highest segment of the market.”

Together with these four new vessels, MSC has a total of 17 new cruise ships on order for delivery by 2027; an investment of 13.6 billion euros. If you can’t wait until 2023, two brand new ships — MSC Bellissima and MSC Grandiosa — hit the seas in February and October of next year.

Happy cruising.

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