Miami-bound MSC Meraviglia goes through its sea trials

Slated to come to Miami by 2019, MSC Cruises’ largest ship ever is near completion, having performed sea trials from its shipyard in France.

MSC Meraviglia completed a second set of sea trials on April 30 sailing out from STX France in St. Nazaire, France. The 167,600-ton, 4,500-passenger Meraviglia is set to begin service June 1 and sail the Mediterranean.

The ship is largest class of ship ever built for MSC Cruises, and the first of 11 new ships coming from the Swiss-based company by 2026. A second new class of ship, MSC Seaside, is also arriving this year. The 154,000-ton, 4,140-passenger Seaside is also larger than any of the line’s current fleet of 12 ships.

Seaside will make its debut in November and sail out of Miami to begin its service, joining MSC Divina. MSC Meraviglia will join the company’s North American fleet in fall 2019. At that point, Seaside and Meraviglia will sail yearround while Divina will return to the Mediterranean in 2020.

“We needed to conquer in Europe ... Now we’re ready to make a further step into North America,” said company Chairman Pierfrancesco Vago.

When Meraviglia gets here, it will feature 12 distinct dining venues, including a Kaito Sushi Bar, Teppanyaki Restaurant, an American style steakhouse, and French chocolates and pastries from Chef Jean Philippe Maury. The ship will feature two Formula 1 race car simulators, a fullsized bowling alley, a fourslide aqua park and a ropes course called the Himalayan Bridge. The line’s exclusive area called MSC Yacht Club will span three decks with 78 suites.

With the expansion of ships, cruise line officials said to expect expansion of itineraries as well. That includes the line’s new private island in the Bahamas coming online in 2018 — Ocean Cay.

“Ocean Cay is incredible. It is really unique,” Vago said explaining that the site had been the source of dredged sand that even the Miami Beaches used for replenishment. “It’s the best sand in the world."

The line still serves the Mediterranean as its primary market, but also has ships in Asia, the Middle East and South America. The line’s two new ships this year will be followed by Seaside’s sister ship MSC Seaview in May 2018 and Meraviglia sister ship MSC Bellissima in 2019. All of the ships in its current fleet have been constructed since 2001.

Meraviglia will be the line’s first new ship though since 2013, when MSC Preziosa debuted, the last of four ships in the Fantasia class that come in between 137,936 and 139,400 tons. That class includes Divina, which has been sailing from Miami since November 2013.

Two yet-to-be-named 177,100-ton Meraviglia-Plus class ships will be constructed in 2019 and 2020 and a third Seaside class ship is slated for 2021. Then from 2022-2026, the line plans for four World Class ships that come in at 200,000 tons and can hold about 5,400 passengers. Those four new ships will be powered by liquefied natural gas, the cleanestburning fossil fuel.

MSC CRUISES/COURTESY The 4,500-passenger MSC Meraviglia will join the company’s North American fleet in fall 2019. It will feature a four-slide aqua park and a rope course called the Himalayan Bridge.