Why this cruise line you've barely heard of is ordering 6 giant new ships
The rapid expansion of MSC Cruises will continue through at least 2030.
The Europe-based megaship operator announced on Monday a trio of shipyard deals that will bring it at least six more vessels over the next few years — on top of six already on order.
The deals, with the giant Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France, included a firm contract for the construction of a third and fourth ship in the line's World Class series, to be delivered in 2025 and 2027, respectively.
At 205,700 tons, the World Class vessels will be among the biggest cruise ships ever built and have room for up to 6,761 passengers a piece. The first ship in the series already is under construction at the shipyard and due for delivery in 2022. A second vessel in the series has been on order for delivery in 2024.
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The trio of deals announced Monday also included a so-called Memorandum of Understanding between MSC Cruises and Chantiers de l'Atlantique to develop yet another new class of vessels.
MSC Cruises offered few details of the ships in the new series other than to say there would be four of them, and the total cost of the series would come to around $4.4 billion. Such a price tag suggests the ships in the new series will be quite large.
The third deal announced Monday was a Memorandum of Understanding to develop a second new class of vessels that MSC Cruises said would be innovative in its design. The line offered almost no details about the project other than to say the line and shipyard would "explore opportunities that wind power and other advanced technologies could bring to passenger shipping."
MSC Cruises also didn't say when the ships in the two new series would arrive. But, in a statement accompanying the announcement, MSC Cruises executive chairman Pierfrancesco Vago suggested the vessels would be in service by 2030.
“The three agreements signed today extend our investment plan up to 2030," Vago said. "They stem from an exceptional partnership, with Chantiers de l’Atlantique, that has already delivered 15 highly-innovative cruise ships over the past two decades and will see many more vessels come to life at Saint-Nazaire’s docks in the next 10 years."
MSC Cruises currently has 17 ships in its fleet.
The agreements extend what has been one of the fastest-growing expansions of a cruise line in years. As recently as early 2017, MSC Cruises had just 12 ships in operation. At the time, the line promised to triple its capacity within a decade.
While it's well known to Europeans, MSC Cruises has far less name recognition among Americans than such big U.S.-based lines as Royal Caribbean and Carnival Cruise Line. But the line has been moving aggressively to change that.
As part of its expansion, MSC Cruises has been rapidly building its footprint in North America in an effort to woo more Americans. In 2017, MSC Cruises only had a single vessel based in North America. It now has two vessels based year-round in Miami and two more sailing out of the port on a seasonal basis. Later this year, it'll begin its first sailings from Tampa. It has scheduled voyages from the New York City-area for later this year and in 2021, too.
All of the North America-based ships are marketed heavily to Americans.
Founded in 1989 in Naples, Italy, and now based in Switzerland, MSC Cruises in recent years has been building big, resort-like vessels that compete with the biggest ships from the likes of Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line. It currently operates three of the 10 biggest cruise ships in the world.
With the addition of five major new vessels since early 2017, MSC Cruises is now the world's fourth-largest cruise line by number of passengers carried, behind only Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian. It's bigger than such well-known U.S.-based brands as Princess Cruises, Celebrity Cruises and Holland America Line.
Related: How to plan a cruise with points and miles
The new World Class vessels that MSC Cruises has in the works will be the biggest vessels ever operated by a Europe-based cruise line, but not quite the biggest ships in the world. Royal Caribbean's record-breaking Oasis Class vessels, including the recently unveiled Symphony of the Seas, still will be a tad bigger.
MSC Cruises is a division of privately owned MSC Group, one of the world's biggest shipping companies. In addition to expanding its MSC Cruises brand, the MSC Group is investing an additional $2.2 billion into an as-yet-unnamed new luxury cruise brand. The new brand, which will operate yacht-like vessels, is scheduled to debut in 2023. Four ships for the brand are on order.
The Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard has built some of the world's most famous cruise ships, including Symphony of the Seas and Cunard's Queen Mary 2. It's one of the few shipyards in the world capable of building today's biggest cruise ships.
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There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
- 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.