NEWS SPECIAL REPORT
MSC Cruises will treat 30 UK travel agents to an exclusive preview of new ship MSC Seaside in November. Amie Keeley reports
MSC Seaside will sail in the Caribbean next year
MSC to host UK agents at Seaside preview in Trieste
MSC Cruises will host 30 agents on one of its newest state-of-the- art ships at a pre-launch event in Italy on November 30. MSC Seaside officially launches
on December 22 in Miami, but the cruise line will take a group of UK agents to Trieste before that for an exclusive preview of the ship. It will sail Caribbean itineraries from next year, homeporting in Miami. A number of places will be given
away via a competition, details of which are yet to be announced, while others will be awarded to key partners and high-performing agents.
MSC Seaview will join the fleet in June 2018
“We’ve seen a significant increase in the amount people will pay for cabins”
Sister ship
Sister ship MSC Seaview was floated out at the Fincantieri shipyard in Trieste, Italy, last week. It will join the fleet in June 2018,
sailing its inaugural season in the Mediterranean before transferring to Brazil for winter 2018-19. The vessels are part of a
€9 billion 10-year investment plan. UK and Ireland managing
director Antonio Paradiso said the new vessels had driven record sales for sailings in the Caribbean and western Mediterranean. Bookings for Caribbean itineraries are up 55% compared with last year, while sales for western Mediterranean itineraries are up 40%. “These ships are proving to be
some of our best-selling products,” Paradiso said. “We’ve seen a significant increase in the amount people are willing to pay for cabins, which is very encouraging. “The new ships are driving
this change and I’m glad to see remarkable growth.”
Booking campaign
The line launched a booking campaign in August offering automatic cabin upgrades on both ships for summer 2018 sailings. Five agents will also win a
seven-night sailing on Seaside in January and competitions and fam trips are planned for Seaview
next year. Seaview’s exterior is complete and work will now begin to
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travelweekly.co.uk 31 August 2017
SEAVIEW FACTS
323 metres long 2,066 cabins 17 bars 9 restaurants
120-metre-long zip wire – one of features in water park Panoramic glass lifts
360° promenade encircling ship, with bars and restaurants
complete the interior fixtures and furnishings. The 5,179-passenger ship has
been inspired by a Miami-style beach condo, with an ‘outward- facing’ design, and just over three-quarters of cabins will have balconies or a sea view. Panoramic glass lifts and a 360-degree ocean level promenade will also feature. “The whole idea is to bring
customers closer to the sea,” said Paradiso. “It’s also the first time we’re using English names for our ships, which shows how global we
are trying to be.” MSC Meraviglia was launched
in June and will host hundreds of agents when it visits the UK on two voyages next year. It is one of the biggest cruise
ships in the world with capacity for 5,700 passengers.
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