MSC going big with new ‘world-class’ ships

Most people who live in coastal North America know MSC as a giant shipping line that plies the waters of the world. But MSC is also a major cruise line in Europe and is fast becoming one of the biggest — if you use passenger capacity and ship size as yardsticks.

Last week, during a classy affair at the Élysée Palace with French President François Hollande in attendance, the Geneva, Switzerland-based cruise line announced that it will be building four new “world-class” ships.

These four ships — set to be built at France’s STX Shipyard — are so big, they’ll be in the same size category as the world’s biggest — Royal Caribbean’s Oasis Class ships. Each will carry 5,400 passengers at two per cabin. However, that number can easily expand to 6,000 on any given cruise. The price tag for these four new-builds will top US$4.5 billion and, when you add MSC’s current order of seven ships, all 11 will top US$10.2 billion.

The first of these “world-class” ships will arrive in 2022, and will be dual powered by diesel and liquefied natural gas.

In addition to these four, MSC’s remaining ships on order are in the Meraviglia and Seaside classes, with the first in each class due to be launched next year.

It’s reasonable to assume some of these ships will find their way to the Caribbean, where the cruise line plans on putting its focus over the next couple of years. MSC’s Divina currently operates on a year-round basis in the Caribbean. The MSC Seaside, meanwhile, will be joining the Divina in December 2017.

Still with France, AmaWaterways will home-port a ship in Bordeaux, France, this summer, by repositioning the 148-passenger AmaDolce from the Danube. Known for wine cruises, this seems a perfect fit for the line.

The seven-day cruises will sail on the Garonne and Dordogne rivers and offer stops and tastings at several leading world wineries.

When I hear the words “clipper ships,” I think of large, fast, sailing ships carrying tea from the Orient with three masts of sails speeding across the water. In modern times, the cruise line known as Star Clipper is not carrying tea from China but may be serving it aboard the newest ship, which last week was christened with the name Flying Clipper. It will carry 300 passengers and is the fourth Star Clipper ship and its largest with 35 sails pushing her. Want to know more about these ships? Go to starclippers.com.

One final item about new ships.

Regent Seven Seas is still painting and shining the brass for the newest luxury ship Explorer, Regent’s largest at 750 passengers — set to be launched this summer — and now announces a sister ship. Even with the cruise world’s heavy building schedule, Regent found a slot and the still-to-be-named ship will take to the waters in 2020.

I hate to leave you on this note, but ... Royal Caribbean is raising the gratuity rate by 55 cents per person per day, effective May 1. That’s a 4.2 per cent increase to go with an eight per cent increase from last June. Hmmm. maybe I should send Royal Caribbean a guide to average inflation in North America?