MSC DEBUTS MERAVIGLIA, PLANS SECOND SHIP FOR DECEMBER

MSC Meraviglia, the new flagship of the rapidly expanding Italian cruise line, has made her debut after a stunnig naming ceremony conducted in Le Havre by Sophia Loren, another Italian beauty with a matchless heritage all her own. The new ship made a jaw dropping, eye popping debut, and is already being labelled as a 'game changer' right across the mass of cruise media and travel reportage. The new ship will spend the rest of the year sailing Mediterranean cruises out of Barcelona.

However, MSC is far from content to rest on its already gilded laurels. This coming December will see the debut of a second new mega ship in the form of the MSC Seaside. In something of a bold move, the new ship will debut in Miami, offering a series of seven night Western and Eastern Caribbean cruises. Her combination of European styling, married to a string of hi tech facilities, opulent public spaces and vast, open air promenade areas marks her out as truly a ship for the 21st Century, and her American debut is sure to cause quite a stir.

Both MSC Meraviglia and MSC Seaside are the prototype ships of entirely new classes, with at least one more of each on order. But MSC really upped the ante at the inaugural festivities for Meraviglia by announcing the order for a brand new class of four, 140,000 ton new ships of an entirely sepeate design again, intended for worldwide deployment.

For those that are unfamilair with MSC, the line operates a fleet of mainly larger, family friendly cruise ships that accommodate a wide range of nationalities. with predominantly Italian, French , Spanish, German and English passengers making up the bulk of usually upwards of around 3,000 passengers. They are basically boisterous, hi tech playgrounds on the ocean that are designed to appeal to multi generational families from across the continent and beyond.

MSC ships sail both the Eastern and Western Mediterranean throughout the year, as well as the Unired Arab Emirates, the Caribbean, and even South Africa and South America in winter as well. They offer some of the finest accommodation for passengers travelling in the big ship market, and their bold, beautifully appointed interior spaces set them apart from any other mainstream competitors.

Prices tend to be very competitive, too, but bear in mind that there are many extra charge items on board such as continental breakfast in your cabin, for instance. But, even taking such things into account, an MSC cruise is one of the best value experiences offered on any cruise line in the world anywhere today.