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MSC Cruises

MSC Cruises (Italian: MSC Crociere) is a Swiss-Italian global cruise line based in Geneva, with operations offices in Naples, Genoa and Venice. It was founded in 1988 in Naples, Italy, as part of the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC). In addition to being the world's largest privately held cruise company, employing about 23,500 people worldwide and with offices in 45 countries as of 2017, MSC Cruises is the third-largest cruise company in the world, after Carnival Corporation & plc and Royal Caribbean Group, with a 10.2% share of all passengers carried in 2021.

History

StarLauro Cruises

In 1988 Gianluigi Aponte, founder of Mediterranean Shipping Company cargo shipping company, decided to enter the cruise industry and purchased the Achille Lauro from Flotta Lauro Line. He retained "Lauro" in the company name in honour of his mentor, naming the new cruise line StarLauro Cruises. The original Lauro Lines (Italian: Flotta Lauro) was originally founded in Naples, Italy by Achille Lauro in the 1940s.

In 1990 Mediterranean Shipping Co. purchased the Monterey to sail for their StarLauro Cruises brand.

MSC Cruises

In 1995, StarLauro Cruises was rebranded as MSC Cruises, with the livery changed from the blue funnel star logo to a white funnel with the MSC Logo.

In 1997 MSC purchased the Atlantic from Premier Cruise Lines, and renamed the ship Melody.

In 2003 the MSC Lirica entered service, the first new purpose built ship for the cruise line.

In 2014, MSC Cruises announced that the four Mistral class ships underwent renovation under the "Renaissance Programme".

In July 2018, the company announced that it would build a second cruise terminal at PortMiami for its World-class cruise ships as an expansion of its North American program. It is scheduled to be completed in October 2022. In October 2018, MSC announced an order for four luxury ships of 64,000 gross tons each. These ultra-luxury vessels were to be based on the cruise line's luxury concept, the "MSC Yacht Club."

In January 2019, MSC Cruises unveiled the world's first virtual personal cruise assistant - ZOE, an artificial intelligence device designed by Harman International. It is currently featured on MSC Bellissima and MSC Grandiosa and will be featured on future newbuilds upon their delivery.

In mid 2020, MSC Cruises suspended most (or all) of their operations for over six months during the COVID-19 pandemic.

On 7 January 2021, MSC had released a plan for the MSC Grandiosa to start its 7-night cruises on 24 January 2021 and for MSC Magnifica to start its 10-night cruises on 14 February 2021, both in the Mediterranean. Only passengers who were residents of Schengen countries would be accepted until further notice, however.

On 9 January 2021, a report stated MSC was hoping to resume some cruises in Europe in the near future but added that "it remains to be seen whether this will go ahead with much of the continent still in lockdown".

In June 2021, MSC announced a new luxury brand named Explora Journeys, with four vessels planned beginning with the Explora I.

In March 2022, MSC Cruises signed a multi-year deal with Formula 1 to become their official cruise partner. They were the title sponsor of the 2023 Belgian Grand Prix.

In January 2023, MSC Cruises announced a new multi-year partnership agreement with the New York Knicks. The deal gets MSC promotion during Knicks home games, including LED signage, virtual-on-court signage, and the opportunity to serve as the presenting partner during in-game t-shirt tosses.

Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve

In December 2015, MSC Cruises signed a 100-year lease for the private island of Ocean Cay in the Bahamas to develop the land for an exclusive island experience. The site had previously been used to mine white Aragonite sand for decades, and after the original owners abandoned the 95 acre island, the land had to be restored to remove all of the old mining equipment, with MSC Cruises committing $200 million for the project involving restoration and conversion of the island into a private resort.

The restoration required the work of many scientists to bring the area back into a functioning marine habitat. And, once the Bahamian government granted the site marine reserve status, the project was then officially named the Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve and was set to open in mid-November 2019, but weather delays pushed the date to 5 December 2019.