MSC Cruises to host naming for MSC World America in PortMiami

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

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Published: 19 March 2024 19 March 2024

MSC Cruises, the world’s third largest cruise line, recently announced that it will host the naming ceremony for its newest flagship – MSC World America – on the evening of April 9, 2025 at the company’s new PortMiami terminal. The ceremony will honor MSC Cruises' investment in Miami and its commitment to the North American market, with the traditional breaking of a champagne bottle and a slate of immersive onboard events highlighting everything Miami’s newest megaship has to offer.

Guests attending the naming ceremony will be among the first to discover a new world of cruising when they embark on a celebratory sailing that will see MSC World America call at the cruise line’s private island – Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve. The celebratory sailing’s itinerary includes an overnight stay at Ocean Cay featuring the island’s signature evening lighthouse show and beach party. Guests will continue to enjoy Ocean Cay the next morning, followed by spending the rest of the day at sea to experience the ship's long list of unique and exciting onboard activities and amenities.

The remarkable MSC World America will be MSC Cruises’ largest ship to serve the U.S. and its first in the region to be powered by LNG. MSC World America is the second of the line’s groundbreaking World Class ships and is specially designed with the North American guest in mind, featuring unique restaurants, bars and experiences that seamlessly blend European design with American comfort. Spanning 22 decks, measuring more than 150 feet wide and featuring 2,614 staterooms, MSC World America will be the centerpiece of the Miami skyline when she is named in 2025.

Rubén A. Rodríguez, President, MSC Cruises USA, said: “There is no better place to welcome MSC World America than the cruise capital of the world. We look forward to seeing her sail out of our new, state-of-the-art cruise terminal built in partnership with Miami-Dade County and PortMiami. As we build upon our offering in the North American market and help attract more international guests to the Caribbean, we are excited to bring our newest and most remarkable ship yet to Miami. We eagerly await April 2025, when we can welcome guests on board to experience the world of choice that our new flagship has to offer.”

Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, Miami-Dade County, said: “We are thrilled to welcome MSC World America to PortMiami. I also want to commend MSC Cruises for their investments in our community. Their new terminal has created many jobs for our residents and positively impacted our local economy. We look forward to a successful partnership and continued growth at the Cruise Capital of the World.”

The launch of MSC World America at MSC Cruises’ new PortMiami terminal, coupled with MSC Cruises’ upcoming $100 million U.S. headquarters in downtown Miami, underscores the Company’s unwavering dedication to South Florida. The PortMiami facility will be the world’s largest cruise terminal once completed and is poised to revolutionize the cruising experience for up to 36,000 guests each day. The terminal will support MSC Cruises’ continued growth at PortMiami.

Following the naming ceremony, MSC World America will set sail for her inaugural season on April 12, 2025. She will sail alternating 7-night Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries with stops in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Costa Maya and Cozumel, Mexico; Isla de Roatan, Honduras; and Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve in The Bahamas.

MSC World America is carefully designed to help reduce her impact on the environment. The ship runs on LNG, a lower-emissions fuel, and is ready for renewable energy sources. Shore power connectivity, where available, reduces emissions by allowing the ship’s engines to be switched off in port. Smart technology is used throughout the ship to ensure guests can travel in comfort while keeping energy and water use low. A robust onboard recycling program minimizes waste, and even the propellers are designed to reduce noise and avoid disturbing marine life.

L Catterton makes significant investment in AmaWaterways

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

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Published: 05 March 2024 05 March 2024

L Catterton, a leading global investment firm, today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire a significant stake in AmaWaterways, a global luxury river cruise line, from a consortium of investors led by Certares. L Catterton joins founders Rudi Schreiner, Kristin Karst, and the Murphy family, all of whom remain committed to supporting the Company's long-term growth and innovation in the river cruising industry and will continue to have meaningful ownership in the Company.

Founded in 2002, AmaWaterways is a leading river cruise line with a rich history of curating unforgettable travel experiences for guests alongside their travel advisor partnerships around the world. With itineraries exploring the world's most iconic rivers in Europe, Asia, and Africa, AmaWaterways customers can enjoy tailored experiences across its fleet of innovatively designed vessels. The Company provides a unique onboard experience including impeccably designed, spacious suites, regionally inspired cuisine using locally sourced ingredients, and a wide array of wellness and entertainment experiences, as well as best-in-class customer service and diverse shore excursions to explore each destination.

"This is an exciting new chapter for AmaWaterways," said Rudi Schreiner, co-founder and CEO of AmaWaterways. "L Catterton brings unique insight into today's customers, as well as exciting ideas on how we can work together to capitalize on a number of growth opportunities across our business. They share our passion for innovation and an unwavering commitment to creating unparalleled guest experiences. We look forward to working with them to continuously expand and enhance our river cruise portfolio for our customers."

"As consumers' desire for unforgettable luxury travel experiences continues to grow, we understand the importance of creating highly curated and memorable opportunities for guests to see the world," said Marc Magliacano, co-Managing Partner of L Catterton's Flagship Fund. "We look forward to leveraging our global network and deep expertise across travel to identify new growth opportunities and thoughtful expansion initiatives, while empowering the innovative and pioneering spirit that has driven AmaWaterways' success over the last two decades."

"The Company continues to delight both guests and their cherished travel advisor partners, driven by its commitment to delivering first-of-its-kind ships, high-quality dining, wellness offerings, and exciting excursions to create an unmatched immersive experience," said Jennifer Reid, Partner in L Catterton's Flagship Fund. "Rudi and Kristin are true visionaries. Along with their passionate and committed team, they continue to set the industry standard for personalized customer service and innovation. We couldn't be more excited about this partnership; together we will continue to provide a distinct, luxury travel experience in many of the most sought-after destinations across the world."

"AmaWaterways is a truly special company – we deeply value and appreciate the opportunity we have had to partner with Rudi, Kristin, the Murphy family, and the McGeary family," said Colin Farmer, Senior Managing Director and Head of the Management Committee of Certares. "We are extremely proud to have had a role in AmaWaterways' growth over the last many years, including the significant additions to the company's fleet, entry into new cruise destination markets, enhanced relationships with travel advisor partners, and expanding upon the innovative and extraordinary experiences AmaWaterways provides its guests daily. We wish our partners and everyone at the company nothing but continued success in this next chapter."

Cruise lines increase the number of calls in the Baltic Sea’s eastern ports

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

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Published: 29 February 2024 29 February 2024

In 2024 several Baltic ports expect an increase in the number of calls compared to last year. Cruise Baltic’s newly published Market Review reveals that more cruise lines will return to ports in the eastern part of the Baltic Sea region in 2024. In addition to this, several ports, including smaller and upcoming cruise destinations, expect an increase in the number of calls this year compared to last year.

Travel trends as well as geopolitical conflicts are affecting cruise itineraries in the Baltic Sea region. Cruise Baltic has just published the cruise network’s annual Market Review, describing how the Baltic cruise sector has been affected and developed over the last year.

2023 has been characterised by a divided region due to the geopolitical situation. This has caused a decrease in the number of calls in the eastern ports, while the contrary has applied to the western part of the region. However, among the emerging trends for 2024, the cruise network reports that more cruise lines have regained interest in eastern destinations with Klaipeda anticipating the number of calls to increase by 41%, Gdansk by 90% and Turku by 133%.

“Last year’s situation called for a new and strengthened narrative for our region. This, combined with our new strategy, enabled us to redefine and retell the story of the Baltic Sea region. The aim of our work is to support our members and push the positive development in the region in every way we can,” says Klaus Bondam, Director of Cruise Baltic.

In addition to this, Cruise Baltic also reports a general increase in the size of vessels deployed in the region, a rising interest for cruises with smaller vessels and a changed pattern in the number of calls that will be received by each port. Among the cruise ports expecting more calls and cruise guests are both popular cruise ports and smaller and upcoming cruise destinations, like Arendal where they expect an increase in calls by 77%, Nyborg where the number of calls is expected to double and Helsingborg where they expect to increase calls by 125%.

“We’re very pleased with this development and to see the growing interest in several of our destinations. Cruise guests are, like all other travellers, on the lookout for new and unique experiences, and by promoting new aspects of our region towards the cruise lines, we stay relevant among our target group,” says Klaus Bondam, Director of Cruise Baltic.

Silversea's second Nova-class ship floated out at Meyer Werft

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

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Published: 28 February 2024 28 February 2024

Silversea celebrated the float out of its second Nova-class ship, Silver Ray, at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany, on February 25. The float out marks a significant milestone in a ship’s construction, representing the project’s advancement into its final stages. Now nearing completion – approximately 15 months since Meyer Werft first cut steel for the ship – Silver Ray is scheduled to debut in the Mediterranean in June as the sixth addition to Silversea’s fleet in just three years.

After Meyer Werft’s skilled craftspeople cleaned Silver Ray’s hull, approximately 100,000 cubic meters of water flooded the dock over four hours and two tugboats repositioned the 728-guest ship from the vast construction hall into the neighboring harbor basin, where the docking out phase will continue. The team subsequently installed her funnel and radar mast. In observance of shipbuilding traditions, Captain Alessandro Zanello, Master of Silver Ray, welded a newly minted, commemorative coin to a wall on the pool deck – a symbol of good luck.

“With the float out of Silver Ray, excitement is building for the launch of the second ship in our pioneering Nova-class,” said Barbara Muckermann, President of Silversea. “We received such incredibly strong feedback on Silver Nova from guests, travel advisors, and members of the press following her launch in August 2023. Sustaining the wave of innovation that is driving our success, the launch of Silver Ray will strengthen Royal Caribbean Group’s unwavering commitment to delivering a lifetime of vacations for guests, with its industry-leading global brands.”

“Reaching the major milestone of the float out, we now approach the completion of Silver Ray. The Meyer team is now working on getting this beautiful ship ready for her upcoming sea trials,” said Thorsten Kroes, Project Manager at Meyer Werft.

Silversea’s Nova-class ships pay testament to Royal Caribbean Group’s commitment to delivering the world’s best vacation experiences, responsibly. With pioneering energy efficiency standards, Silver Nova and Silver Ray are 40% more energy efficient than required international standards and regulations. On board, guests enjoy the brand’s customary hallmarks of luxury with a range of enhancements, including all-new venues and unprecedented suite options, new Otium wellness experiences and amenities, and enrichments to the S.A.L.T. culinary program, with the introduction of the S.A.L.T. Chef’s Table. Both ships incorporate innovative design features that connect travelers with the outside at every turn, including roughly 4,000m2 of exterior glass, for deeper immersion into the destination.

Silver Ray will soon undertake a conveyance of approximately 32 kilometers (20 miles) down the Ems River to the North Sea ahead of her sea trials — a unique journey, due to the narrowness of the waterway. She is scheduled to enter service in June 2024, spending her inaugural season in the Mediterranean, before crossing the Atlantic in December.