DURBAN South African African travellers who love cruising to overseas destinations, are showing a keen interest in MSC Cruises’ latest, most innovative and environmentally-friendly flagship passenger liner.
And South African guests – including the Daily News – accompanied by Ross Volk, the managing director of MSC Cruises SA, were recently invited along to the magnificent MSC Meraviglia in Le Havre, France, when international screen legend, and “godmother” of all the MSC Cruises’ ships, Sophia Loren, cracked a bottle of champagne on the liner in a glittering ceremony to christen the vessel.
Dubbed the “eighth wonder of the world”, (Meraviglia means “wonder” and “most beautiful”) the 19-deck, 315-metre-long liner, which can take more than 5700 passengers, is the biggest ship to be built by a European ship owner. It took 9million hours of work.
The ship was designed to give passengers who have already been on MSC cruises – as well as first-time travellers – unforgettable new experiences, and the result, with its range of attractions and unique offerings, surpassed all expectations, guests were told.
“This is just the beginning,” said Pierfrancesco Vago, executive chairman of MSC Cruises. He explained that it was the first of four new next-generation ships being built between 2017 and 2020.
Three other ships are already under construction, he said.
The 13th liner in the company’s cruises fleet, MSC Meraviglia is also the first to come into service over the next 10 years under a 9billion investment plan.
There were even plans to have a museum on board future ships, to showcase some of the “masters” – like the Impressionists – to give guests another “wow” experience, Vago said.
The MSC Meraviglia took cruising to the next level and “really emphasised what cruising was all about”, Vago said.
While MSC Cruises were the “last kids on the block” to enter the cruise industry – becoming involved in the late 1990s with three old ships – they have since built 12 ships in three different platforms (MSC Meraviglia is the fourth prototype), and the family business has seen an 800% growth in the past decade, becoming the world’s largest privately-owned cruise liner company and the fourth largest cruise company.
Some 1.8 million passengers enjoyed holidays on board MSC ships in 2016 and the plan was to grow that to 4.8 million passengers by 2026, with the number of employees growing from the current 17000 worldwide to 36000. Nine out of 10 passengers are repeat travellers, Vago said.
“We have taken cruising to the next level and we are designing the future,” he said,
and “scouting for the best in class”. Vago clinched the famous Cirque du Soleil performers, then built a special theatre on board the MSC Meraviglia for them – and in another first, he called in award-winning French chocolatier Jean-Philippe Maury, who has handcrafted a unique experience for guests. As well as watching how chocolate masterpieces are created in the open-plan chocolate kitchen, they can also make their own chocolate.
As for MSC Meraviglia, everyone at the christening and all the guests who got to enjoy the vast array of amenities, agreed that the latest ship was “amazing”.
Centre of attention on board was the longest LED sky screen at sea at 80m long, encompassing a 96m-long Mediterranean-style promenade, which quickly became the social hub.
The sky screen changes colours and pictures, and one fascinating scene that drew gasps of surprise depicted the inside of a ship with portholes, which then vanished to reveal mermaids and dolphins swimming in the sea.
After all the festivities, the ship sets sail to embark on a life at sea, heading out on her summer itinerary in the Western Mediterranean... and this time, with paying guests.