Cruise Talk: MSC to be number Three

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Topic: MSC to be number Three

Malcolm @ cruisepage
Cruise Director
Member # 301

posted 03-06-2013 02:28 PM

According to data from the 2013 Cruise Industry News Annual Report, MSC Cruises will become the third largest cruise company by capacity this year, trailing only Carnival Cruise Lines and Royal Caribbean International.

With the delivery of the MSC Preziosa, the Italian brand will carry over 1.45 million passengers on 12 ships this year.

That number propels MSC past Costa Crociere, Princess Cruises, and even Norwegian Cruise Line – to third on the capacity lists, with a 9.4 percent capacity increase over 2012.

With Carnival and Royal Caribbean carrying well over three million passengers each, MSC won’t be catching them anytime soon.

Interestingly, MSC is achieving its third place number with just 12 ships, over Norwegian’s 12 ships, compared to Princess, with 17 ships, which sail longer cruises.

By market, MSC will have over 50 percent of its capacity in the Mediterranean, 14 percent in South America, 12.5 percent in Northern Europe, and the rest in Africa, the Caribbean, Canary Islands and Red Sea.

(Source: Cruise Industry News)

[ 03-06-2013: Message edited by: Malcolm @ cruisepage ]

Posts: 19210 | From: Essex (Just Outside London) | Registered: A Long Time Ago! | IP: Logged

Kevin Griffin, London
First Class Passenger
Member # 6010

posted 03-06-2013 02:40 PM

That's more bad meals. Have never understood why the food on MSC is so poor, maybe they use container ship victualling.

Posts: 148 | From: London, England | Registered: Oct 2005 | IP: Logged

Johan
First Class Passenger
Member # 4458

posted 03-07-2013 04:33 PM

I wonder what their marketshare is...
qua food, I thought the food on MSC Divina very good, especially the fish/Sea food.
J

Posts: 1895 | From: Antwerpen, Belgium | Registered: Feb 2004 | IP: Logged

linerwise
Just Boarded
Member # 6214

posted 03-08-2013 07:13 AM

I won't cruise again with MSC !! They have nice ships in fact, but their food, their service both onboard and ashore are "rubbish"

Posts: 7 | From: Funchal - Madeira Island - PORTUGAL | Registered: Feb 2006 | IP: Logged

desirod7
First Class Passenger
Member # 1626

posted 03-08-2013 10:21 AM

Here is the Travelpage review of the Opera

http://www.cruiseserver.net/travelpage/ships/md_opera.asp

Here is the TravelPage review of the Lirica

http://www.cruiseserver.net/travelpage/ships/md_lirica.asp

MSC? Either you love it or hate it with no in between. It is like a SAAB or Peugeot car.

I toured the Poesia in NYC last year. I found the food onboard to be quite good. Rick Sasso, president of MSC America was onboard and had a good conversation with me.

He is former president of Celebrity.

His job is to balance the Italian flair with American customs, yet not turn the ship into an Olive Garden.

The format for American itineraries differ than European. The changes are usually household items and customs. American passengers like a friendly crew that talks to them, Euro, silent butlers. In Europe they charge extra for daily cabin service, where in the USA, that would never fly.

Posts: 5727 | From: Philadelphia, Pa [home of the SS United States] | Registered: Oct 2000 | IP: Logged

Christophe D
First Class Passenger
Member # 1680

posted 03-08-2013 12:55 PM

I'm just returned from MSC Armonia, on Red Sea, in february.
Food was good as shows.
All organisation was perfect from Paris to sharm el Sheik where they are many MSC's Staff to assist passengers in airport.
During some excursions, we were only 8 french passengers. So we travelled with other nationalty on the pullman but we had a french guide only for US. Felicitation MSC. I never had that with Costa...

Posts: 282 | From: Dunkerque, France | Registered: Nov 2000 | IP: Logged

DAMBROSI2
First Class Passenger
Member # 35998

posted 03-12-2013 08:35 PM

My late husband knew Rick Sasso when Sasso was a sales rep. for Costa Cruise Line. Tony told me that he'd come in and shoot the breeze with him; then would give Tony a sheet of paper to take to the pier so he and his first wife could get on any of their three/four day ships. Rick is tall guy, very thin; as Tony would say in Italian in translation it would be a toothpick.
Tony got to see Rick one more time and that was when Rick was CEO for Celebrity. All of the agents gathered around Rick, yet Rick would say a huge welcome and hello to Tony. A very down to earth guy. The last time Tony talked to him, was after I had written Rick a letter to let him know how Tony was doing and he called Tony. That's a very nice CEO, something you don't see much of these days.

Posts: 687 | From: Olney, IL, Move to FL 02/2015, Sailed SS NORWAY 3 xs. /May '99 Orig. Reg. | Registered: Aug 2010 | IP: Logged

buddhaJoe
First Class Passenger
Member # 4356

posted 03-14-2013 06:51 PM

hi there

well what you can say is that since
MSC really took cruises on as a business
when in 2003/2004 they started with
the quartet Opera Sinfonia Armonia and
Lirica they have come a long way in 10 years time

to judge the food by some single experience
is not convincing to me, the fact that
they attract this number of passengers
(they are not that all crazy are they?)
says more

i think it's a great performance and adds to
more choice and competition which is good
for the cruise traveller

and by the way, their ships do look good
(isn't it?)

photo made by Chr. Dedieu today leaving St Nazaire for her pre-inaugural Cruise to Italy

best regards
b. Joe

[ 03-14-2013: Message edited by: buddhaJoe ]

Posts: 366 | From: De Goorn, small village in The Netherlands | Registered: Jan 2004 | IP: Logged

barconauta
First Class Passenger
Member # 15635

posted 03-16-2013 10:04 PM

To see interior photos from MSC Preziosa, please follow the link.

Blog My Takkes

First call of MSC Preziosa in Lisboa, in pré-inaugural Cruise. Also in this blog some news about Classic International Ships.

[ 03-16-2013: Message edited by: joe at travelpage ]

Posts: 80 | From: Portugal | Registered: Jun 2008 | IP: Logged

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