MSC Meraviglia

MSC Meraviglia is a cruise ship owned and operated by MSC Cruises, built at the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France, by STX France. MSC Meraviglia is the lead ship of the Meraviglia class, second ship, MSC Bellissima, entering service in 2019.[7] Each vessel has a passenger capacity of 4,500. The ship design includes a large interior promenade with an LED panel ceiling. A larger Meraviglia Plus variant was later introduced[8] with MSC Grandiosa and MSC Virtuosa.[9]

After entering service in June 2017, the MSC Meraviglia operated in Europe, as well as operating some cruises from Miami. In February 2020, with the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the ship was denied entry to ports in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands before being allowed to dock in Cozumel, Mexico. In April 2023, the MSC Meraviglia began year-round operations from the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal in New York City, where there was some backlash from the local community over pollution and other issues. MSC Meraviglia is ending operations from New York City in April 2026, with future plans to operate seasonal cruises from Miami, the Caribbean, and Europe.

Design and construction

MSC Cruises and STX France signed a letter of intent in March 2014 for the construction of two ships in a new Meraviglia class, each measuring 167,600 gross tons, with the first to be delivered in 2017.[10] The following year, the vessel's name was announced, and steel was cut, at a ceremony held at Chantiers de l'Atlantique on 20 April 2015.[11] The ship was formally named on 3 June 2017 by her godmother, Italian actress Sophia Loren[12] at a ceremony in Le Havre, which also featured French actor Patrick Bruel, musical group Kids United, and comedian Gad Elmaleh.[13]

Construction of MSC Meraviglia involved building 50 large prefabricated hull sections, or “megablocks”, with about 35,000 tons of steel,[14] which were then used to assemble the ship. Cabins were constructed as modules at a separate facility and later installed on the ship.[15] The building of MSC Meraviglia was shown in the second episode of the Science Channel series, Building Giants, and titled "Monster Cruise Ship".[15]

The ship uses a diesel-electric propulsion system, with four diesel engines generating electrical power that drive the two azipod units, each containing an electric motor and fixed-pitch propeller, mounted beneath the stern.[16][15]

The ship's facilities include an interior promenade with a long LED roof, a water park with water slides, a rope course and a theater. The ship overall has less passenger space and more passengers onboard than other similar cruise ships. The ship also has over ten dining areas and a spa.[11] The ship is equipped with an exhaust gas cleaning system and an advanced wastewater treatment system, with the ability to retain wastewater on board for up to two days rather than discharging it immediately.[17]

The ship is equipped for cold ironing (shore power), allowing it to connect to shoreside electricity while in port and turn off its engines. Despite this capability, MSC Meraviglia had been unable to connect to shore power at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal due to issues with being able to reach the ship’s power connector, exacerbating concerns from local residents over pollution resulting from cruise ship operations at the cruise terminal.[18] After upgrades to the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal, MSC Meraviglia was able to connect to shore power in Brooklyn for the first time in October 2025.[19][20]

Operational history

In June 2015, MSC Cruises opened bookings for MSC Meraviglia’s inaugural 2017 season.[21] MSC Meraviglia was delivered to MSC Cruises by STX France on May 31, 2017.[22] Following her christening in Le Havre, France on 3 June, the ship entered service and initially operated in the western Mediterranean Sea.[23]

The ship also cruised in Northern Europe in summer 2019, then repositioned to the United States for the first time, arriving in New York City on October 7, 2019. It did three sailings from New York in fall 2019, including two cruises to New England and Canada. The ship then relocated to Miami, from which it planned to operate western Caribbean cruises from November 2019 through April 2020.[24] This was part of a North American expansion program by MSC.[25]

MSC planned for the ship to return to Northern Europe for the summer of 2020, then return to New York City in the fall and back to Miami in late 2020.[26]

External links

• MSC Cruises official site