MSC Seaview

Launched in 2018, MSC Seaview cruise ship is the second Seaside-Class MSC vessel - with sistership MSC Seaside (2017).

History - construction and ownership

MSC Cruises (MSC Crociere) is a passenger shipping company headquartered in Genoa and Naples. It was established in 1960. Today, MSC Crociere is a subsidiary of MSC (Mediterranean Shipping Company) - world's 2nd largest containership company. MSC Crociere is the world's largest privately-owned cruise company. By annual passenger shipping volumes, MSC is ranked world's 4th largest cruise company (after Carnival Corporation, RCCL-Royal Caribbean and NCL-Norwegian) with over 5% global market share.

In 2015, MSC ordered four new ships from STX France and Fincantieri Italy, with an option for three more. The first two liners were delivered in 2017 - MSC Meraviglia (May) and MSC Seaside (November). Seaview was delivered in June 2018. The 5300-passenger Seaside-Class ship design was developed for year-round operations in warm climates. It features many and large-sized outdoor areas, ropes course, 5-slide water park, 3 glass-floored catwalks, wraparound Promenade Deck (at sea level) lined up with shops, bars and restaurants (indoor-outdoor seating), glass-walled (sea view) elevators. Among vessel's technological features are Advanced Water Treatment and garbage treatment plants, new-generation scrubbers, optimized hull, antifouling paints, LED lighting throughout, advanced heat recovery technology. The vessel is fully compliant with IMO's "Safe Return to Port" requirement (how long the cruise ship should remain safe for evacuation).

MSC Seaview is part of the "smart" ships' series to be built by MSC, part of line's €9 billion, 10-year investment plan, including the creation of up to 11 new ships, due to come into service 2017-2026. Contactless payment is one of the technologies leaving dry land as a cruise ship company revealed plans for “next generation smart ships”.

MSC Seaview is the fleet's 3rd ship (after Meraviglia and Seaside) fitted with new technologies specifically designed to improve the onboard digital experience for passengers. The company entered a partnership with Samsung to support NFC (near-field communication) technology onboard, enabling passengers to use smartphones, cruise card or bracelet to geolocate themselves or their kids, to access their stateroom or make onboard payments. Interactive screens are placed throughout the ship to enable passengers to make real-time bookings and reservations. Beacon technology is also used, sending location-based, customised notifications to users' phones as they move around the ship. Beacons are triggered whenever a connected device moves into their vicinity.

Cruise itinerary program

MSC Seaview itinerary program is based on Western Mediterranean cruises (7 nights / 8 days roundtrips) leaving from homeports in Spain, Italy and France (Barcelona, Genoa, Marseille, Naples, Messina Sicily).

During winter months, the ship starts operations in South America on roundtrip cruises from Santos (Sao Paulo) Brazil. Ports of call are Ilhabela, Buzios, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador de Bahia. The ship offers repositioning cruises / Transatlantic crossings between South America and Europe (Mediterranean) in Spring and Fall.

Cabins

MSC Seaview has a total of 2070 staterooms in 34 categories. The largest aboard MSC Seaview is the Yacht Club Royal Suite (615 ft2). There are also 54 wheelchair-accessible cabins. Seaview's cabins and suites include 14 aft corner suites; suites with private outdoor hot tub; terraced balcony staterooms, which feature ocean views and overlook the promenade and cluster cabins, designed with families in mind.

Shipboard dining options - Food and Drinks

New and creative dining options are available onboard MSC Seaview. Expect the Fusion Restaurant with speciality dining and VIP Fine Dining Restaurant. The nine eateries onboard MSC Seaview feature cuisines from all around the world including the Pan-Asian restaurant via the partnership with acclaimed chef, Roy Yamaguchi, world-class international steak house and luxury seafood restaurant with chef’s table.

Follows the complete list of MSC Seaview restaurants and food bars.

• Main restaurants (dining rooms) offer traditional Italian cuisine and wines. Dining rooms are open for Breakfast (7-9:30 am), Lunch (12-noon - 2 pm_ and Dinner with 2 fixed seatings (7 pm and 9:30 pm) with a 7-course dinner menu that also includes vegan and vegetarian meals.
• Lido Buffet Restaurant
• Seafood Restaurant
• Teppanyaki Restaurant
• Fusion Restaurant
• Butcher's Cut (American steakhouse)
• Sushi Bar
• VIP Restaurant

Shipboard entertainment options - Fun and Sport

MSC Seaview is specifically designed for warm climates. The concept behind MSC Cruises Seaview ship is to "bring the sea closer to passengers. The beach-condo-inspired concept focuses on the outdoor space of suites and cabins, many al fresco eating options (20 bars), outdoor spa and fitness facilities, two wellness cabins with advanced Kinesis Technogym fitness equipment and private MSC Yacht Club, with a restaurant, lounge and solarium.

Signature activity areas include Adventure Trail outdoor playground (rope courses, bridges, crawl-through slides) and Zip-Line (length 130 m / 430 ft). The aqua park has 5 waterslides, interactive Slideboarding tube (combining video games, music, lights, 112-m water slide), Aquatube (innertube slide), 2x high-speed racing slides and 1x family flume-type slide. The waterpark also has 2 separate kids playgrounds (AquaPlay and AquaSpray).

Additional amenities include complimentary 24-Hour Room-Service and Supervised Children Program, Internet/WiFi Access, Laundry. Follows the complete list of MSC Seaview lounges, clubs and other entertainment venues for kids, teens and adults.

• Art Gallery; PhotoShop
• Seaview Atrium (served by Atrium Bar)
• Two Theaters (show lounges)
• Shopping Area; Duty-Free Shops; Jewelry Shop; Boutique Accessories; Boutique Monobrand; Cosmetics Shop; Logo Shop; Galleria Shopping Area
• Piazza; Chocolate Factory
• Casino (served by Casino Bar)
• Champagne Bar
• 5D Cinema
• F1 car simulator
• 2x Bowling lanes (full-size )
• 4x twisting waterslides
• longest on cruise ship zip line (length 130 m / 426 ft)
• Lounge; Lounge Bar
• Garage Disco and Bar
• Creperie Area; Ice Cream Area
• Pool; Spa Wellness Area (with a Pool); Solarium Area; Thalasso Area; Finnish Sauna
• Beauty Area (Beauty Parlor, Barber Shop)
• Fitness Area; External Gym Area; Yoga
• Comedy Club Bar; Bistro
• MSC Yacht Club
• VIP Lounge Bar
• Family Lounge
• 2 Pools; Spa Pool; Lido Pool; Raised Pool; Indoor Pool Bar
• Magrodome Area
• Aqua Park Area; Children’s Area
• Power Walking/Jogging Track
• DORE SUMMER is the name of the ship's mascot (11-year-old surfer).

Seaview is the second Seaside-class MSC ship - preceded by MSC Seaside (2017) and Fincantieri's second largest passenger ship ever (after Seaside). There was also an option for a third Seaside-class liner, with scheduled delivery 2021. The other MSC vessel launched in 2017 (May) was MSC Meraviglia.

Samsung supported near-field communication systems allowing passengers to use a digital device (smartphone, sail card or bracelet) to locate themselves or their companions on the ship. The new technology also allows cabin access and making onboard payments. Interactive screens throughout the ship allow excursion booking and making restaurant reservations

On July 5, 2016, MSC announced the name of the second Seaside-Class ship - "MSC Seaview", with a scheduled launch in June 2018. On February 1, 2017, at Fincantieri's Monfalcone shipyard was held the keel-laying (coin) ceremony. The special event was attended by Pierfrancesco Vago (MSC Cruises' Executive Chairman), On August 23, 2017, was the float-out from drydock.

During MSC Seaside's delivery ceremony (November 29, 2017), MSC announced the order of two "Seaside EVO" class ships from Fincantieri (contract value EUR 1,8 billion). The new ships are bigger (16 m longer, 17,330 GT tons heavier, capacity 467 more passengers) in comparison to the sister-ships Seaview and Seaside. Newbuilds' deliveries were scheduled for 2021 (Seashore) and 2023 (yet unnamed).

Seaview's official delivery to MSC was on June 4, in Monfalcone. The ceremony was attended by Gianluigi Aponte MSC Group's executive chairman), Pierfrancesco Vago (MSC Cruises executive chairman), Giuseppe Bono (Fincantieri's CEO) and two Italian governors (of Venetoa and Friuli Venezia Giulia).  The liner arrived in Genoa June 7.

The christening ceremony was on June 9, 2018, in Genoa. The naming ceremony was attended by MSC executives and the company's key travel partners. Among the VIP guests were the Aponte and Aponte-Vago families and the godmother Sophia Loren. The ceremony was hosted by Michelle Hunziker (Italian TV star) and included live performances by Zucchero, Piccolo Coro Dell'Antoniano (kids choir) and Matteo Bocelli (Andrea Bocelli's son).

Inaugural cruise Itineraries 2018

The Seaview ship spends its inaugural cruise season in Europe (Western Mediterranean). The ship is homeported in Barcelona, Genoa, Marseille, Naples, and Messina (Sicily Italy), offering roundtrips from each of these turnaround ports.

Next table shows the ship's Inaugural Cruise itineraries with ports of call (date sequence and port times).

3-day Inaugural Cruise from Genoa

2-day from Marseille to Genoa

7-day Mediterranean - prices started from USD 1800 pp

17-day repositioning cruise to South America (from Barcelona to Santos Brazil) - prices started from USD 1960 pp

4-day Inaugural South America cruise - prices from USD 1260 pp

7-day South American cruise - prices from USD 1240 pp

Godspeed to the new ship!