MSC Cruises’ UK boss says the onboard revenue levels generated on the line’s Southampton departures over the past five weeks have been record-breaking as he revealed details about the launch of MSC World Europa.
Antonio Paradiso, the line’s UK and Ireland managing director, said he is not targeting 100% capacity on MSC Virtuosa’s ex-UK voyages this year, but added passenger numbers were “much better” than in 2021.
However, he said the “biggest difference” with this year’s ex-UK sailings had been onboard spend.
“Our sailings are doing really well,” he said. “People are spending much more on board.
“For the UK, it’s a brand record for the UK market – speciality restaurants, drinks packages, shore excursions, jewellery and duty-free shops.”
Paradiso said this trend applied to all the line’s ex-UK voyages following the arrival of Virtuosa this year.
“It’s a really positive message because people want to have fun and catch up on all the things that they have missed out on,” he added.
Asked when every berth on MSC Virtuosa would be filled, Paradiso said: “I am not pursuing 100% capacity this summer. We’ve seen remarkable fulfilment but I do not think this is the year that we’ll have 100% [capacity]. It’s not a priority for us.
“We need to do the right things at the right time.”
MSC World Europa – MSC’s maiden World-class ship – is due to launch in Dubai in November this year.
The 6,762-passenger vessel will be the line’s largest vessel to date and will spend its inaugural season in the Gulf from December 2022 before repositioning to the Mediterranean on March 25, 2023.
Asked if MSC World Europa could come to Southampton in the future, Paradiso (pictured) said he would “not rule it out”.
He said: “It depends on the support from our agents and customers. It’s one of the ships that could sail out of Southampton. Who knows? The sky’s the limit.”
He called the ship “a game-changer” and said World Europa will take MSC “to another level”, adding that there would be opportunities to experience the vessel once it launches.
“We’ll be inviting agents to the naming ceremony in November,” he added. “We’ve got a significant number of places available to the UK and Ireland trade.”
He confirmed there would be fam trips on World Europa’s sailings in the Gulf and the Med as well.
“There will be different fam trips and when the ship comes to the Med we’ll do even more fam trips,” he said. “I want agents and customers to experience another level.”