MSC Cruises has returned to open water with a new series of advertisements fronted by Drew Barrymore and Orlando Bloom, renewing the cruise line’s “Let’s Holiday” campaign. The latest spots premiered over the weekend and place the pair aboard MSC World America, where the ship’s European lineage and American-facing comforts are set out through a sequence of onboard vignettes rather than overt salesmanship.
Across the ads, Barrymore and Bloom move through the ship’s public rooms and dining spaces, sampling details that MSC considers emblematic of its offering. The settings range from the Eataly restaurant at sea to a British-style pub positioned improbably close to Caribbean horizons, with further scenes unfolding in cabanas, lounges, and the Yacht Club. Their exchanges, lightly competitive and rooted in cultural contrast, revolve around everyday shipboard questions such as how distance is measured on a vessel or what humor survives translation between continents. The interplay is intended to underline the coexistence of European custom and American familiarity that MSC promotes as its signature. A geographical aside anchors the humor ashore as well, noting Bloom’s namesake city in Florida lies a short drive from Port Canaveral, where MSC maintains a growing presence.
Barrymore’s role as godmother to MSC World America is woven into the narrative, with her participation framed as an extension of an ongoing relationship rather than a one-off appearance. Bloom’s contribution is positioned as that of a traveler drawn to the notion of experiencing Europe’s traditions while moving through Caribbean waters, with the ads emphasizing rituals such as afternoon tea alongside casual diversions like sport broadcasts and late-night entertainment. Together, the two are presented less as celebrities and more as stand-ins for the modern cruise guest MSC is courting.
From the company’s perspective, the campaign continues a strategy introduced during last year’s Big Game, when “Let’s Holiday” was first unveiled to the U.S. market. Executives describe the pairing of Barrymore and Bloom as an effective way to illustrate the brand’s hybrid identity and note that the second year of the campaign coincides with an expanded range of itineraries departing from Florida, Texas, and, beginning in summer, Alaska. The creative agency Highdive, which remains MSC’s partner on the campaign, characterizes the return as a deliberate continuation of an approach that favors consistency and long-term brand building over novelty.
The timing of the commercials aligns with Wave Season, the early-year period traditionally associated with cruise promotions. MSC Cruises is promoting fares starting at US$199 per person, with additional incentives such as onboard credit and children sailing free on select voyages. These offers extend across all seven ships operating from U.S. ports as well as the wider global fleet.
Looking ahead to the winter 2027–2028 season, MSC’s U.S. deployment outlines a broad spread of sailings. From Miami, MSC World America is scheduled to alternate between 7-night Eastern and Western Caribbean routes, calling at ports such as Puerto Plata, San Juan, Costa Maya, Cozumel, Roatán, and the line’s private Ocean Cay Marine Reserve in The Bahamas. The same port will host shorter itineraries aboard MSC Seaside and longer 6- and 8-night voyages on MSC Seashore, while MSC Poesia will operate extended 10- and 11-night cruises reaching as far as Colombia, Panama, and the southern Caribbean before concluding the season with a one-way Panama Canal transit to Seattle.
Port Canaveral will serve as the base for MSC World Atlantic on 7-night Caribbean rotations and for MSC Grandiosa on 3- and 4-night sailings to The Bahamas. From Galveston, MSC Seascape is slated to maintain weekly Western Caribbean itineraries to Mexico and Honduras.
Taken together, the campaign and the deployment plans present a company intent on reinforcing its identity in American waters while retaining the European character that defines its fleet. The advertisements, like the itineraries themselves, are designed to suggest continuity rather than spectacle, inviting travelers to see MSC Cruises as a familiar passage between cultures rather than a departure from them.