By
Bill Becken |
This article first appeared in the Spring/Summer 2015 issue of International Cruise & Ferry Review. To read other articles, you can subscribe to the magazine in printed or digital formats
As a cruise line executive who oversees an ambitious newbuild and retrofit programme – not to mention the ongoing management of a 12-vessel-strong fleet – Emilio La Scala is pleased and upbeat indeed.
He is certain, based on recent experience, that the roughly €2 billion MSC Cruises will spend in the next few years on its newbuilds (two 167,000gt Vista-class prototypes from STX France, Saint-Nazaire, with options for two more; and one Seaside Project vessel, from Fincantieri Shipyards, Trieste, with an option for one more) will be a terrific investment – as with the roughly €200 million to be spent on retrofits of the brand’s Lirica-class ships.
“Superfast growth has been the hallmark of MSC Cruises from the start,” he says. “Every increase in fleet capacity has marked a decisive step forward for the company. In our first year, 2004, we carried 80,000 passengers…today, we’re carrying 40,000 a day. Our seven newbuilds put us on track to double that by 2022.”
La Scala hastens to add that the new vessels are not exactly sardine cans. “These are ultramodern, ecologically sound prototypes, whose design and architecture have been uniquely conceived by our company. They are all about enclosing today’s sophisticated cruise travellers at sea, while offering them more entertainment, dining and relaxation options; green technology powering the ships and used onboard; and creating an overall vacation experience, leaving them wanting to cruise with us again.”
The first two slated Vista-class vessels are somewhat more capacious and conventional at 167,600gt, accommodating 5,700 passengers and 1,536 crew. One will debut in 2017 and one in 2019. The Seaside Project ships, with the first two to debut in November 2017 and May 2018, will be a tad larger but have quite a futuristic design – and actually somewhat less capacity, weighing in at 154,000gt and accommodating 5,300 passengers and 1,413 crew.
At this point, La Scala is naturally most excited about the newbuild appearing soonest, in mid-2017 – the first Vista-class prototype. “She is technically named Hull E34. Another one, Hull F34, is expected later. The additional two options, once confirmed, will be delivered in 2020 and 2022,” he says.
Several features will make the ship “the second-largest cruise ship ever built, the largest ever built by a European ship owner and the largest that can sail worldwide to almost any port,” says La Scala. It will have new panoramic spaces; bigger theatres and amusement parks connected to an outdoor aqua park; two-deck inside promenades; cabins especially designed for families; and an embellished MSC Yacht Club on the foredecks, to be finished with duplex suites, a private lounge, a solarium and a restaurant.
La Scala stresses that the new vessels reflect MSC’s desire not just to increase capacity but to use design to mould the onboard experience and make it more memorable. “The newbuilds are the maritime embodiment of the MSC Cruises brand. The company and the brand were built on ambition, evolution and innovation, and the Seaside and Vista ships perfectly capture these qualities,” he says.