Nov 29 - MSC USA president Rick Sasso "put the rumors to rest" today with a splashy media event in New York announcing what's been whispered about for a few weeks: MSC will homeport a ship in there beginning in April 2007, becoming the first premium category line to homeport a ship in New York year round.

Sasso said the Lirica-class ship's presence in New York will be the start of "decades" of service there by MSC. Demonstrating the importance of the New York market to the line, Florida, supposedly the cruise capital of the world, isn't on the drawing board to have a year round ship until the following winter (2007/2008).

SORRY did not see this thread...:-(

http://www.travelserver.net/travelpage/ubb-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=2&t=003468

[ 11-30-2005: Message edited by: dmwnc1 ]

Are MSC 'Premium'? They used to be regarded as 'budet' a few years back.

I know NY has a lot of people of Italian origin, but I do wonder if MSC will be able to attract the numbers of passengers that they will require.

[ 11-30-2005: Message edited by: Malcolm @ cruisepage ]

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Originally posted by Malcolm @ cruisepage:
I know NY has a lot of people of Italian origin, but I do wonder if MSC will be able to attract the numbers of passengers that they will require.

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Count me in if MSC cruises out of NYC. Last good thing I can say about my last airplane flight: It did not crash.

Malcolm, Italian Americans from NYC and environs are totally different than Italy Italians. Imagine Joe Pesci and Marcello Mastriani at the same dinner table. There would be little commonality for cruising together. Most Italian Americans descend from Sicily and the South. Some of the younger generation have never been to Europe at all and connect little with the mother country. Northern Italians and Southern Italians are as different as the Scottish and the Welsh.

Italian Americans and Italy Italians can be compared to Israelis and American Jews: Completely different culture.

[ 11-30-2005: Message edited by: desirod7 ]

[ 11-30-2005: Message edited by: desirod7 ]

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Originally posted by desirod7:
[qb] Malcolm, Italian Americans from NYC and environs are totally different than Italy Italians.

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I don't doubt you! MSC seem to think NY's Italian poulation is relevant. I'm not sure of the source of this quote below, but it was posted in another CT thread by Tyler:

MSC plans year-round cruises from New York
29/11/2005

In an effort to take a bigger bite of U.S. market share, MSC Cruises will begin sailing year-round from the Big Apple starting in April 2007...

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‘More Italians are living in New York than any other city outside of Italy,’

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Andy Alpers is probably referring to non-native American Italians. The ones desirod7 calls Italy Italians.

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but I do wonder if MSC will be able to attract the numbers of passengers that they will require.

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My guess is that initially there will be some heavy discounting by MSC to attract the needed passengers to fill their ship, and if NCL keeps the Norwegian Dawn and Norwegian Spirit there year round out of NYC it may prove to be interesting.

Summer 2007 departures out of NYC should be plentiful yet MSC may have their hands full with the multitude of mainstream proven brand choices Americans have (Princess, NCL, RCCL, Celebrity, CCL, HAL) departing from the Northeast ports (Boston, Manhattan, Bayonne, Baltimore, Philadelphia, etc).

MSC will have to prove themselves in what may be an uphill battle.

[ 12-01-2005: Message edited by: dmwnc1 ]

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Originally posted by Tom Burke:
...will a 'Lirica-class ship' have the range of cabin types & entertainment choices that a New York passenger base want?

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I noticed that too when looking at the deck plans, seemed quite spartan as far as a wide array of choices and variety compared to US mass market ships like RCCL, CCL, HAL, Princess, etc.

Would you say that MSC is a more "cosmopolitan" cruise format than NCL?

NYC is 2 hours by bus from my home. Any cruise where I do not have to fly gets moved to the top priority.

Somewhat different approach.

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Originally posted by Dolphins:
Skeptics scofed when NCL was the first to sail year round out of New York but now others have followed in their wake.

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Originally posted by DAMBROSI:
For Malcolm, what is 'home of the "Chav"???
Don't mean to get off topic, but I'm curious about that...

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Chav
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
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Chav is a slang term which has been in wide use throughout the United Kingdom since 2004. It refers to a subcultural stereotype of a person with fashions such as flashy "bling" jewellery and counterfeit designer clothes, an uneducated, impoverished background, a tendency to congregate around places such as fast-food outlets or other shopping areas and a culture of antisocial behaviour.

In the past such people have been called yobs. Response to the term has ranged from amusement to criticism that it is a new manifestation of classism.

[ 12-09-2005: Message edited by: Malcolm @ cruisepage ]