MSC Cruises is going bigger in Miami than it ever has. The line says a record four ships are sailing from the MSC Miami Cruise Terminal at PortMiami this winter: MSC Meraviglia, MSC World America, MSC Seaside and MSC Poesia. The company marked the milestone on Veterans Day, November 11, with a ceremony aboard MSC Meraviglia honoring members of the MSC Group team and local community who served in the U.S. Armed Forces, Cruise Critic reports.
The four ships cover a wide range of trip lengths. MSC World America runs seven-night Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries. MSC Seaside handles three- and four-night Bahamas getaways, MSC Meraviglia offers Caribbean sailings of four to 14 nights, and MSC Poesia takes on longer voyages to the Western and Southern Caribbean. Lynn Torrent, president of MSC Cruises North America, described the deployment as a historic moment that reinforces the line’s long-term commitment to South Florida.
PortMiami director and CEO Jonathan Daniels said the four-ship lineup strengthens the port’s claim to be the cruise capital of the world. It also makes for crowded weekends. Cruise Hive reports that MSC World America’s November 14 departure has been moved from 6 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. for operational reasons, with boarding doors closing at 3:30 p.m. Six other ships are leaving PortMiami the same day, and up to 60,000 cruise guests could pass through the port.
World America carries up to 6,764 guests, and its seven-night itinerary to Puerto Plata, San Juan and MSC’s private island Ocean Cay is unchanged. Anyone sailing from Miami on a Saturday or Sunday this winter should check final boarding times in the cruise line’s app the day before, allow extra time for downtown and port-area construction traffic, and book a parking or drop-off plan in advance.
Sources: Cruise Critic, Cruise Hive
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