MSC Cruises has revealed that the name of the first of its new ‘Vista project’ mega-ships will be MSC Meraviglia, which means ‘wonder’ in Italian.
The ship will be delivered in May 2017 and bookings will open this June, according to MSC Cruises executive chairman Pierfrancesco Vago, speaking at the STX France shipyard in Saint Nazaire during a steel-cutting ceremony to mark the start of construction.
The work on MSC Meraviglia marks the beginning of MSC Cruises’ seven-ship, €5.1 billion investment plan that will double the line’s capacity by 2022.
The ship will carry up to 4,500 passengers (double occupancy) and will spend its first summer sailing the western Mediterranean. In a first for the cruise industry, it will have three home ports – Genoa, Marseille and Barcelona.
“MSC Meraviglia will be the biggest and most innovative cruise ship ever built by a global European-based cruise line,” said Vago.
“We chose a name that denotes a sense of awe and wonderment, because of the many stunning features planned. Today, building started on a true maritime marvel.”
Among the features planned for the ship will special interlinked ‘cluster cabins’, which will allow up to three cabins to be opened up to accommodate larger family groups.
Entertainment on board will include a large outdoor waterpark, two-deck interior promenade with shops, bars and speciality dining, and a 480 sq metre LED dome ceiling that will form a ‘digital sky’.