MSC to bring larger cruise ship, the Seashore, to Port Canaveral in 2023

Dave Berman, Florida Today
·4 min read
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MSC Cruises will be bringing one of its largest and newest ships — the Seashore — to Port Canaveral late next year.

MSC Cruises currently sails the MSC Meraviglia out of Port Canaveral. That ship will be replaced by the MSC Seaside in April 2023, then by the Seashore in November 2023.

MSC said the move is part of a larger expansion that will include having a record five MSC ships sailing from U.S. ports in the winter 2023-24 sailing season.

The MSC Seashore will sail out of Port Canaveral beginning with the winter 2023-24 season in November 2023.
The MSC Seashore will sail out of Port Canaveral beginning with the winter 2023-24 season in November 2023.

Port Canaveral Chief Executive Officer John Murray said the announcement “further demonstrates that Port Canaveral has earned the confidence and trust to deliver a world-class experience for their cruise guests. We are very excited to welcome the MSC Seashore to Port Canaveral and proud of our partnership with MSC Cruises.”

The MSC Seashore has 2,270 cabins and a capacity of 5,877 passengers, with a crew of 1,648. It has 20 decks, including 15 passenger decks, and has a weight of 169,400 tons, making it one of the world's 20 largest cruise ships. It started sailing last year.

MSC Seashore will sail from Port Canaveral with a mix of short cruises to the Bahamas and seven-night Western Caribbean sailings.

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These are among the sailing options:

Short cruises of two to four nights: Calling at Nassau and Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve in the Bahamas. Ocean Cay is an MSC private island.

Five-night Western Caribbean: Calling at Costa Maya (Mexico) and Ocean Cay.

Six-night Western Caribbean: Calling at Cozumel and Costa Maya (Mexico), and Ocean Cay.

Seven-night Western Caribbean: Calling at various combinations of Belize City (Belize); Cozumel and Costa Maya (Mexico); Nassau and Ocean Cay.

In announcing that it is bringing the Seashore to Port Canaveral, MSC Cruises USA President Ruben Rodríguez said: “Guests sailing from Port Canaveral will love having MSC Seashore available for such a wide range of itineraries. The ship is bigger, and it’s full of redesigned amenities — from the pool deck down to the dazzling Le Cabaret Rouge lounge and theater."

Among the amenities on the MSC Seashore:

  • Nearly 140,000 square feet of outdoor space.

  • One of the largest MSC Yacht Clubs in the fleet. This "ship within a ship" premium concept provides passengers with a premium cruise experience, private amenities and 24-hour butler service.

  • Eleven different types of staterooms and suites with balconies; 50 terraced suites with extended balconies; and 32 suites with private outdoor hot tubs.

  • Six swimming pools, including a new interactive Pirate Cove-themed waterpark and a new aft Infinity Pool, as well as two infinity hot tubs.

  • Five specialty restaurants in the redesigned Chef’s Court on Deck 8, with two bars, plus al fresco dining available at Butcher’s Cut, MSC Cruises’ signature steakhouse, located on the waterfront promenade.

  • A kids’ area that is the largest in the fleet, with more than 7,500 square feet of dedicated space, featuring a theme of space and planetary exploration.

  • A range of entertainment options — from the main theater and the Le Cabaret Rouge show venue, to a casino and sports bars.

MSC Cruises — which is based in Geneva, Switzerland — is the world’s third-largest cruise brand. It is the leader in Europe, South America, the Persian Gulf region and southern Africa. It is also a growing brand with a strong presence in the Caribbean, North America and the Far East markets.

MSC Cruises has a fleet of 19 ships. The fleet is projected to grow to 23 cruise ships by 2025, with options for six more vessel orders in place through 2030.

The Seashore has more cabins, a larger passenger capacity and a larger crew than the ships it is replacing at Port Canaveral.

  • The MSC Meraviglia has 2,244 cabins and a capacity of 5,655 passengers, with a crew of 1,536. It entered service in 2017.

  • The MSC Seaside — which also entered service in 2017 — has 2,066 cabins and a capacity of 5,336 passengers, with a crew of 1,413.

MSC is one of five cruise brands that currently have ships based at Port Canaveral. The others are Carnival, Disney, Norwegian and Royal Caribbean.

Port Canaveral is the world's second-busiest cruise port behind Miami, based on passenger counts.

Five MSC ships will sail from U.S. ports in the 2023-24 winter season, including three from Miami — the Divina, the Magnifica and the Seascape.

The Meraviglia will sail from Brooklyn, New York, and some of its sailing will make port-of-call stops at Port Canaveral.

Dave Berman is business editor at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Berman at dberman@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @bydaveberman.

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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Port Canaveral will host the MSC Seashore in 2023