New York will soon will be the temporary home to one of the biggest cruise ships in the world.
Europe-based MSC Cruises this week revealed that its new, 171,598-ton MSC Meraviglia would operate three cruises from New York in October 2019 before heading to Miami for an inaugural winter season of cruises to the Caribbean.
Unveiled in June, Meraviglia is the fourth largest cruise vessel ever built. Only the three Oasis Class ships that Royal Caribbean has launched since 2009 are bigger. Designed for an international audience including North Americans, Meraviglia is capable of holding up to 5,714 passengers.
After arriving in Miami, Meraviglia will operate seven-night voyages to the Western Caribbean. There will be two different itineraries: One that includes stops in Jamaica, Cayman Islands, Mexico and the Bahamas; and another with stops in Mexico, Honduras, Belize and the Bahamas.
The arrival of Meraviglia in June was a significant milestone for MSC, which is a giant of cruising in Europe but still relatively unknown in North America. Nineteen decks high and more than 1,000 feet long, Meraviglia is the first MSC vessel to rank among the top five biggest cruise ships, and its debut kicked off a period of rapid growth at the line that likely will see it compete more closely with such North American-based cruise giants as Royal Caribbean.
Like the latest vessels from Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line — the two brands that operate nearly all of the world's 15 biggest cruise ships — Meraviglia is a floating mega-resort with multiple pools, showrooms, lounges and restaurants. Among its deck-top diversions is a sprawling Aqua Park with three water slides and a "Himalayan Bridge" sky walk that allows passengers to cross the vessel nearly 200 feet above the water. Other notable features include an amusement area with race car simulators, a flight simulator, a 4D cinema and a full-sized bowling alley.
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