MSC Seashore

The 2021-built MSC Seashore cruise ship is MSC’s 19th liner and the first Seaside EVO-Class vessel, with sistership MSC Seascape (2022).

The vessel (IMO number 9843792) is currently Malta-flagged (MMSI 247435200) and registered in Valletta.

History - construction and ownership

MSC Cruises (MSC Crociere) is a passenger shipping company headquartered in Genoa and Naples. Established in 1960, MSC Crociere is a subsidiary of MSC (Mediterranean Shipping Company) - the world’s second-largest containership operator and the largest privately owned cruise company.

By annual passenger volumes, MSC ranks as the world’s 3rd-largest cruise shipowner – following only Carnival Corporation and Royal Caribbean Group.

In November 2017, MSC ordered two “Seaside EVO” vessels from Fincantieri (contract value EUR 1.8 billion). These ships are larger (16 m longer, 17,330 GT heavier, with 200 more cabins / 467 more passengers) than Seaview and Seaside. Deliveries were scheduled for 2021 (Seashore) and 2023 (Seascape). With Seaside EVO, MSC’s total investment amounted to EUR 10.5 billion for 12 newbuilds scheduled for delivery by 2026.

The 4500-passenger “Seaside EVO” ship design is an enlarged evolution of the Seaside-Class, tailored for year-round warm-weather deployment. Signature features include expansive outdoor areas, a top-deck Ropes Course, a five-slide water park, three glass-floored catwalks, panoramic glass-walled elevators, and a wraparound Promenade Deck lined with indoor-outdoor dining and retail venues. Seaside EVO ships also feature an expanded MSC Yacht Club, more outdoor whirlpools, more specialty restaurants with alfresco dining, larger public spaces, and additional staterooms.

Technological highlights include advanced water and waste treatment plants, latest-generation exhaust scrubbers, optimized hull design, anti-fouling underwater coatings, advanced heat recovery systems, and LED lighting throughout. The vessel is fully compliant with IMO’s “Safe Return to Port” requirements.

Seashore is part of MSC’s EUR 13.6 billion (2017–2027) fleet expansion program, covering 17 newbuilds and bringing the fleet to 29 liners.

The ship incorporates advanced digital technologies enhancing the passenger experience. MSC partnered with Samsung to integrate NFC (near-field communication), allowing guests to use smartphones, cruise cards or bracelets to locate companions, unlock staterooms, and make onboard purchases. Interactive screens throughout the ship support real-time booking (cruises, tours, dining, spa). Beacon technology enables location-based personalized notifications delivered directly to guests’ mobile devices.

Decks and Cabins

MSC Seashore staterooms (2270 total) span 34 categories. The largest are the YC Royal Suites (615 ft2). The accommodations include 14 aft-facing corner suites, 28 suites with balcony jacuzzis, six bow-facing Grand Suites (two-bedroom, with private balcony pools), terraced suites (overlooking the Promenade Deck), cluster cabins for large families, and 75 wheelchair-accessible cabins (43 Inside, 8 Oceanview, 26 Balcony, 4 Suite).

Family cabins accommodate between 6 (SUPERFAMILY) and 10 (SUPERFAMILY PLUS) passengers.

The ship has 19 decks, of which 12 are passenger-accessible and 11 feature staterooms.

Decks are named after iconic lighthouses worldwide, including:

• Farol da Barra (Salvador de Bahia, Brazil)
• Torre de Hercules (La Coruna, Spain)
• Green Point (Cape Town, South Africa)
• Nugget Point (New Zealand)
• Ocean Cay Lighthouse (Bahamas)
• Peggys Point (Nova Scotia, Canada)
• Chania Lighthouse (Crete, Greece)
• Santa Marta (Cascais, Portugal)
• Start Point (England)
• Rotes Kliff (Sylt, Germany)
• San Juan del Salvamento (Argentina)
• Cape Byron (Australia)
• Boston Light (Massachusetts, USA)
• Bell Rock (Scotland)
• Lanterna di Genova (Italy)
• La Jument (France)

Shipboard dining options - Food and Drinks

New dining venues on MSC Seashore include the Fusion Restaurant (specialty) and an exclusive VIP Fine Dining Restaurant. The culinary offering spans global cuisines, including Pan-Asian specialties and premium steakhouse and seafood restaurants in partnership with chef Roy Yamaguchi (with Chef’s Table option).

The ship features 10 major eateries (5 select restaurants – 3 MDRs, Aurea, Yacht Club – and 5 themed venues such as Seafood, Steakhouse, Teppanyaki, Sushi, Bistrot) plus 20 specialty bars and lounges.

Follows the complete list of restaurants and food bars:

• 3 Main Dining Rooms (complimentary), serving Italian and international cuisine for breakfast, lunch, and two dinner seatings (7 pm, 9:30 pm) with a 7-course menu (including vegan and vegetarian dishes).
• Aurea Restaurant (Suite-only)
• Yacht Club Restaurant (YC guests only)
• Marketplace Buffet & Restaurant (complimentary), redesigned into three sections (Il Mercato, La Piazza, La Trattoria) with a new alfresco area (Sky Bar), 1100 indoor seats.
• Kaito Teppanyaki & Sushi Bar (specialty Japanese, conveyor-belt service)
• Butcher’s Cut (specialty steakhouse, alfresco seating)
• Ocean Cay by Ramon Freixa (specialty seafood)
• HOLA! Tacos & Cantina (Latin American/Mexican)
• Fusion Restaurant (specialty)
• Bistrot (specialty)
• Chef’s Court (indoor/outdoor dining on Promenade Deck)
• VIP Restaurant (exclusive)
• Tribeca, 5th Avenue, Manhattan Restaurants

Shipboard entertainment options - Fun and Sport

MSC Seashore emphasizes outdoor areas, alfresco dining, 20 bars and lounges, 12 restaurants, an outdoor wellness complex (spa and fitness with Kinesis Technogym equipment), and the expanded MSC Yacht Club (exclusive restaurant, lounge, solarium, sundeck, pool).

The high-tech theater hosts Broadway-style productions. Additional attractions include a 5D Cinema, VR Maze, Rafting Simulator, and Formula 1 virtual-reality race cars.

Family offerings are enhanced with a larger kids’ playground and an expanded Pirate Cove-themed waterpark. Young children (1–3) enjoy supervised activities via MSC’s partnership with Chicco. Kids (3–11) join LEGO-themed programming in the dedicated LEGO Room. Each sailing includes a LEGO Experience On Board – a full sea-day dedicated to LEGO games and building activities.

There are two teens clubs (12–14 and 15–17). Their dedicated spaces function as gaming rooms, cinemas, and discos.

Signature attractions include the Adventure Trail (2-deck ropes course, net bridges, crawl-through slides) and a 130-m (427-ft) Zip Line. The waterpark features five slides, including Slideboarding (112-m gaming waterslide), Aquatube, two racing slides, and a family flume, plus AquaPlay and AquaSpray playgrounds.

Complimentary amenities include 24-hour room service, supervised youth program, shipwide Wi-Fi Internet, and laundry service. Entertainment venues include:

• Art Gallery, Photo Gallery & Shop
• Seashore Atrium (Atrium Bar)
• Two theaters including the 2-deck Madison Theater
• Boulevard du Cabaret
• Le Cabaret Rouge (2-deck lounge)
• Shopping Arcade with boutiques and duty-free shops
• Top Sail Lounge (YC-exclusive)
• Uptown Lounge
• MSC Aurea Bar
• La Piazza
• Chocolate Factory, Venchi 1878 Gelato & Chocolate Bar
• Casino & Casino Bar
• Cocktail Bar, Sky Bar, Shine Bar, Horizon Bar, The Wine Cellar, Champagne & Wine Bar
• Times Square
• 5D Cinema, VR Maze, Rafting Simulator, F1 Simulator
• Bowling Lanes (2 full-size)
• 4 Waterslides
• Zip Line (130 m)
• Nightclub & Bar
• Ice cream and creperie stations
• Spa & Wellness complex, Solarium, Yoga Studios, Hair & Beauty Salon, MediSpa
• Top 19 Solarium (YC-exclusive)
• MSC Gym by Technogym
• MSC Business Center
• Broadcasting Room (ship’s TV studio)
• Sports Bar
• Liberty Plaza, Brooklyn Cafe, Comedy Club Bar
• Jungle Pool (Magrodome-covered), Jungle Pool Lounge & Beach Bar
• Long Island Pool (main pool with two depths, 6 Jacuzzis, fountain island; connected to Pirates Cove Aquapark)
• Pirates Cove Aquapark
• Aft Infinity Pool, 2 Infinity Whirlpools, Infinity Bar, Infinity Bridge
• “Bridge of Sighs” (glass catwalk overlooking Infinity Pool)
• Children’s Area (Baby Club CHICCO, Mini & Junior LEGO Clubs, Young Club, Teen Club, VR Maze, Hall of Games)
• Adventure Trail (2-deck)
• MSC Sports Arena (multi-sport court with outdoor movie screen)

The ship’s “MSC Yacht Club” is the fleet’s largest (32,000 ft2 / 2973 m2). This ship-within-a-ship complex spans four decks and includes a 3-deck Onyx Wall, Swarovski staircase, Top Sail Lounge, exclusive restaurant, expanded sundeck (21,000+ ft2 / 1950 m2), private pool, and panoramic whirlpool. It offers 131 Suites plus two Owners Suites (1054 ft2 / 98 m2 each) with oversized terraces, outdoor hot tubs, dining and lounging areas.

Seashore’s outdoor deck space is also fleet-leading (~13,000 m2 / 140,000 ft2), including the 540-m (1772-ft) Promenade lined with outdoor dining and bar venues.

Itineraries

MSC Seashore debuted with 7-day Western Mediterranean roundtrips from homeports in Spain, Italy and France (Barcelona, Naples, Genoa, Marseille). Ports of call included Messina, Portofino and Valletta.

In 2022, the liner was deployed to the Caribbean and homeported in Miami, operating 7-day itineraries and 2-week B2Bs, calling at Puerto Rico (San Juan), USVI (St Thomas), the Dominican Republic (Puerto Plata), Bahamas (Ocean Cay), Jamaica (Ocho Rios), Grand Cayman and Mexico (Cozumel). For winter 2022-2023 the ship was deployed in South America, homeporting in Santos, Salvador de Bahia and Maceio for 7-day roundtrips.

From winter 2023-2024, MSC homeported Seashore in Port Canaveral, expanding its US-based fleet to five ships. The itinerary program included Bahamas mini-cruises (2-3-4-day to Nassau and Ocean Cay), Western Caribbean voyages — 5-day (Costa Maya + Ocean Cay), 6-day (Cozumel + Costa Maya + Ocean Cay), 7-day (Belize City, Cozumel, Costa Maya, Nassau, Ocean Cay) — as well as 10–11-day B2Bs.

During seasonal redeployments, the vessel operates Transatlantic crossings between the USA and Europe, as well as one-way repositioning voyages between the Caribbean and South America.

The vessel (Fincantieri Monfalcone yard / hull number 6306) has a volume of 170,412 GT, a deadweight tonnage (DWT) of 13,500 tons, and a maximum draught of 8 m. The power plant consists of four Wärtsilä marine diesel engines (model W46F) with a combined output of 67.2 MW (90,120 hp). Propulsion is provided by two Azipod thrusters with a combined output of 40 MW (53,640 hp). The registered shipowner is EVO 1 COMPANIA NAVIERA SA, while the registered manager is MSC CRUISE MANAGEMENT UK LTD.

During the MSC Seaside delivery ceremony (November 29, 2017), MSC announced an order for two “Seaside EVO” ships from Fincantieri (contract value EUR 1.8 billion). The new ships are 17,330 GT larger, 16 m (52 ft) longer, and accommodate 467 more passengers than the Seaside-class (Seaside and Seaview). Deliveries were scheduled for May 2021 (Seashore) and November 2022 (Seascape).

In early August 2018, MSC signed a EUR 1.5 billion (USD 1.74 billion) financing agreement for both “Seaside EVO” projects, secured through a partnership with three lender banks (Unicredit, BNP Paribas, Cassa Depositi e Prestiti). The Italian export credit agency SACE SIMEST fully backed the credit line. With the addition of the Seaside EVO ships, MSC’s total newbuild investment reached EUR 10.5 billion for 12 vessels scheduled for delivery by 2027.

On November 26, 2018, the steel-cutting ceremony for MSC Seashore was held at the Fincantieri Monfalcone Shipyard (near Trieste, Italy), officially marking the start of construction. The event was attended by Pierfrancesco Vago (MSC Executive Chairman) and Giuseppe Bono (Fincantieri CEO).

The vessel’s assembly began with the keel-laying and coin ceremony on September 19, 2019, at Monfalcone. Godmothers were two shipyard employees—Silvia Bozzetto (Production Planning and Control Commissioning Manager) and Marianna Cicala (Ground Services Planning Manager)—who placed two special-edition coins under the keel for good fortune. The event was again attended by Pierfrancesco Vago and Giuseppe Bono. The vessel was launched (floated out) on August 20, 2020.

Each MSC EVO shipbuilding project requires more than 10 million man-hours of labor and involves approximately 4000 shipyard employees. The ship design includes large play areas for children, an Adventure Trail ropes course, a 5-slide interactive aqua park, three glass-floored catwalks, and a sea-level Promenade Deck lined with shops, bars, and restaurants (indoor–outdoor seating), plus glass-walled oceanview elevators.

For MSC Seashore, the shipbuilder contracted De Wave Group for interior outfitting.

• De Wave Group (Genoa-based) specializes in interior outfitting for newbuild cruise ships and yachts. The company was formed by merging De Wave (cabins and wet units), Precetti (catering areas), and Spencer Contract (public areas).
• On MSC Seashore, De Wave manufactured and assembled modules for the MSC Yacht Club (Concierge Reception, decks 16–18–19–20; Lounge on deck 16; Open Decks 16 & 20; Lobby and Restaurant on deck 18; Pool Deck and Pool Bar on deck 18), Offices (deck 16), Hallways (decks 18–19–20), Deck 20 (Main Pool, Bow Jacuzzi, Pool Bar), Deck 8 (Infinity Pool, Infinity Whirlpool, Infinity Bar, Ice Cream Bar, Steakhouse’s open deck), and all passenger and crew cabin wet units (~3088 units).

Shores Global LLC supplied all outdoor wicker furniture (balconies and pool areas), delivering 3000+ pieces (deckchairs and sun loungers). The company is a leading cruise-industry supplier specializing in materials consulting and production management.

Fincantieri officially delivered MSC Seashore to MSC on July 26, 2021, in Monfalcone. The ceremony was attended by Roberto Olivari (Shipyard Director), Giuseppe Bono (CEO), Giampiero Massolo (Chairman), Pierfrancesco Vago (MSC Executive Chairman), members of the Aponte and Vago families, MSC executives, and shipyard employees.

MSC Seashore’s christening ceremony was held on November 18, 2021, at MSC Ocean Cay (Bahamas). The event featured godmother Sophia Loren (1934-born Italian actress) and MSC executives (Pierfrancesco Vago, Gianni Onorato, Ruben Rodriguez, Allen Clifford), along with travel partners, stakeholders, and media. Live entertainment was performed by Nile Rodgers (American guitarist, singer, songwriter) and his band “Nile Rodgers & Chic.” This was the world’s first-ever ship naming ceremony held on a private island. On the same day (Nov 18), sistership MSC Seascape was floated out.

Seashore’s naming was part of an exclusive pre-inaugural voyage (roundtrip from PortMiami) departing November 17, ahead of her inaugural Caribbean season starting November 20.

MSC Seashore refurbishments review

The ship’s first drydock refurbishment is scheduled for April 2026 at Grand Bahama Shipyard in Freeport. The project will include routine maintenance, classification and safety inspections, technical overhauls, hull cleaning and painting, and minor interior updates.

Inaugural itineraries 2021

MSC opened Seashore bookings on June 27, 2019, with an exclusive 2-week pre-sale for MSC Voyagers Club members. General sales opened on July 11.

Due to the Coronavirus crisis, the shipyard temporarily closed in 2020, halting construction and delaying delivery. A total of 35 Mediterranean itineraries were canceled (roundtrips from Genoa, Naples, Messina, Barcelona, and Marseille).

The original Inaugural Cruise (June 13, 2021) was a 7-day Mediterranean roundtrip from Genoa/Genova. The ship also offered roundtrips from Barcelona, Marseille, Naples, and Messina (Sicily).

The tables below show the rescheduled inaugural cruises from each homeport.

(NEW MAIDEN VOYAGE) 7-day inaugural roundtrip from Genoa

(2021) Inaugural 18-day Transatlantic crossing from Europe to USA-Caribbean (from $1280 pp). The repositioning cruise was also offered as 17-day (from Marseille to Miami, $1210 pp) and 16-day (Barcelona to Miami, $1240 pp).

Inaugural Caribbean cruise (B2B/back-to-back) from Florida ($1000 pp)

The 14-day B2B itinerary was also bookable in two 7-day segments ($550, $450).

5-day Inaugural Western Caribbean cruise to Mexico ($450 pp)

Godspeed!