New York City will have another cruise line homeport year-round when MSC Cruises repositions MSC Meraviglia to the region in 2023. The ship will homeport at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal starting next April.
The announcement marks a significant milestone for MSC Cruises, the contemporary brand of the Cruise Division of MSC Group. It represents the first time one of the cruise line’s ships will homeport in the northeastern United States year-round. It also further enhances the cruise line’s North American presence by complementing the rich choice of ships and itineraries out of PortMiami and Port Canaveral in the Orlando area.
On board MSC Meraviglia, guests will have a wide variety of vacation options, ranging from six to 11 nights, with destinations covering the Caribbean, Bermuda, New England and Canada. Cruises on these sailings are now open for bookings.
Rubén Rodríguez, President, MSC Cruises USA, said: “New York City was the natural choice when we picked our next U.S. port because it’s so accessible, whether the guest is coming from somewhere nearby or from around the world. We designed our mix of itineraries to take advantage of New York’s geographic flexibility, so that you can soak up the springtime sun in the Caribbean, head to Bermuda over the summer, or go north to see Canada’s natural beauty in the fall. MSC Meraviglia was a huge hit when she first came to New York in 2019. Our guests really appreciated the ship’s modern and glamorous features, as well as her state-of-the-art environmental technologies, and we are sure we’ll see strong demand when she returns.”
Itinerary that will be offered from New York on MSC Meraviglia include the following:
Caribbean itineraries will sail seven or eight nights, featuring calls in Nassau and Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve—MSC Cruises’ beautiful private island in The Bahamas.
Bermuda itineraries lasting six nights will offer three days docked at King’s Wharf combined with several relaxing days at sea.
Northern itineraries of either 10 or 11 nights, featuring calls at Boston, Massachusetts; Portland, Maine; Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island; Halifax and Sydney, Nova Scotia; and Saint John, New Brunswick. (11-night itineraries include an additional call in Newport, Rhode Island.)
MSC Cruises’ entry into the Northeast is the latest example of the European-based cruise line’s long-standing focus on the overall North American cruise market, which includes bringing more international travelers into the region and continuing to place its most advanced ships at U.S. ports.
MSC Cruises is the fastest-growing cruise line in the world, on the back of an ambitious new-build plan that saw seven highly innovative ships coming into service since 2017, including two in 2021 and two more arriving later this year.