MIAMI BEACH — MSC Cruises said
it would deploy a ship scheduled for delivery in 2017 on year-round Caribbean
itineraries from Miami.
The ship, to be
called MSC Seaside, will be the brand's first new ship placed directly into service in
North America.
MSC brought the Divina to Miami in November 2013 for year-round service, but that ship
had sailed previously in Europe. The Divina will return to Europe and sail in the
Mediterranean this summer.
Seaside is the
first ship in a new class; a second ship is anticipated in 2018. At a news
conference at the Cruise Shipping Miami conference, company CEO
Gianni Onorato said the 4,140-passenger Seaside will be christened in Miami,
another first, and will have its own terminal area at PortMiami.
“Today is a very
exciting day for the company as this is the first major announcement related to
the company’s new builds and demonstrates our enthusiasm and long-term
commitment to continuing to expand our presence in North America,” Onorato
said.
Crowning the Seaside will be a five-slide aqua park designed
by the industry’s premier vendor, Vancouver-based WhiteWater West
Industries. Among the slides are a 525-foot twin tube ride and an interactive
raft slide that challenges riders try to match
flashing colored strobe lights along the course of the slide by punching
colored buttons on an embedded game controller.