MSC Cruises is the cruise line with the largest market share in Europe and the fourth largest worldwide. The Port of Barcelona currently holds the title of Europe's largest cruise port and is among the largest in the world.
Article from CruisesNews magazine
The symbiosis is evident: MSC Cruises is the main customer of the Moll Adossat cruise terminals; and the Port Authority of Barcelona improves its figures year after year thanks to the thousands of passengers who use the Catalan capital as a home or transit port.
Since arriving in Barcelona in the mid-1990s, MSC Cruises' commitment to the Catalan capital has grown exponentially, consistently bringing the largest and most sophisticated megaships from the Geneva-based company. On Western Mediterranean cruises departing from Barcelona, the largest and most modern ships are operated by MSC Cruises.
MSC Cruises' First Cruises from Barcelona:
MSC is the Italian cruise line that was the last to enter the seven-night round-trip cruise market from Barcelona. However, today it is the benchmark in that market.
In its early days, MSC Cruises bought the old Enrico Costa, which was 45 years old at the time, in 1995. That summer, it offered its first season of seven-night cruises from Barcelona, with departures on Sundays and stops in Palma, Ibiza, Tunis, Palermo, Capri, and Genoa. That year, it offered cruises between May 21 and October 29.
In 1998, it was replaced by the Melody, a ship twice its size, which remained on the route for five years. With this ship came the addition of a stop in Marseille, allowing French customers to embark comfortably. This meant that MSC Cruises' round-trip itineraries began on Fridays from Barcelona, with stops in Marseille, Genoa, Naples, Palermo, Tunis, and Palma. That year, the season ran from May 15 to October 8, 1998. The Melody called at Barcelona every Friday for five consecutive years, maintaining its season from May to October, with 24 round trips in 2002, its final year.
In 2003, the MSC Lirica, fresh from the shipyard, took over. MSC Cruises thus added its best ship to Barcelona to conquer the Western Mediterranean. That year, it maintained the same itinerary and Friday as the embarkation day. In 2004, the MSC Opera joined the fleet, followed by the MSC Sinfonia in 2005 and 2006, all sister ships of the Lirica. Starting in 2005, MSC Cruises began operating two ships on seven-night cruises departing from Barcelona. That year, the MSC Lirica was the second ship, arriving on Thursdays, and the following year, the Monterey joined the fleet, arriving in Barcelona on Mondays.
In 2019, MSC Cruises will celebrate its 25th anniversary by offering cruises continuously from Barcelona.
In 2007, MSC Cruises once again brought its largest and most modern ship to Barcelona with the addition of the Panamax MSC Musica, with a capacity of 2,600 passengers, offering seven-night cruises every Friday, while the Monday departure was again covered by the Melody. In 2008, the only change was the replacement of the MSC Musica with its sister ship, the Orchestra, again the most modern ship in the MSC Cruises fleet.
The arrival of the Fantasia in Barcelona: A new dimension of cruising!
But MSC's revolution occurred in 2009. MSC spearheaded the most explosive transition in this market, going from the Symphony to post-Panamax ships of nearly 140,000 tons and 4,000 passengers in just fifteen years. In terms of offerings, in fifteen years it increased its inventory of seven-night cruises from Barcelona twentyfold. And it dedicated these two ships, then the two largest in the Mediterranean, to compete from Barcelona on the seven-night Western Mediterranean cruise. For the next four seasons, these sister ships became the benchmark in the Mediterranean, initially maintaining Friday and Monday calls in Barcelona. However, in 2012, the MSC Splendida began calling in Barcelona on Sundays, later adding La Goulette, Valletta, Messina, Civitavecchia, and Genoa. The MSC Fantasia continued calling on Fridays, then proceeded to Marseille, Genoa, Naples, Palermo, and Tunis.
In 2013, the MSC Preciosa took over from its sister ship, the MSC Fantasia, on Fridays. The most significant change occurred in 2014, when MSC Cruises decided that only one of its post-Panamax ships, the Splendida, would offer 7-night cruises from Barcelona.
In 2015, MSC Cruises reinstated two weekly post-Panamax ships sailing from Barcelona: the MSC Fantasia, which maintained its Friday call for an extended season from April 24 to November 6, with stops in Marseille, Genoa, Naples, Messina, and Valletta. Meanwhile, the MSC Divina offered a new itinerary docking in Barcelona on Wednesdays, with stops in Naples, Civitavecchia, La Spezia, Cannes, and Palma. As the MSC Divina was based in Miami during the winter, its Western Mediterranean season was shorter, offering only seven-night cruises from May to September.
And also seven nights in winter:
MSC Cruises began offering seven-night winter cruises with the MSC Splendida, which, between November 26, 2012, and February 18, 2013, sailed seven-night cruises in the Western Mediterranean, departing every Monday from Barcelona and calling at Tunis, Palermo, Civitavecchia, Genoa, and Marseille. This same ship continued on this route for the next two winters with the same itinerary. Then came the MSC Preciosa with an itinerary from Barcelona calling at Marseille, Genoa, Civitavecchia, Palermo, and Valletta. In the 2016-17 season, the MSC Splendida offered seven-night round-trip cruises from Barcelona, departing on Fridays, and calling at Marseille, Genoa, Civitavecchia, Palermo, and Valletta.
MSC Seaview and MSC Seaside have been the winning bets for MSC Cruises this summer from Barcelona.
In 2016, the MSC Fantasia once again accounted for the lion's share of MSC Cruises' offerings from Barcelona. On April 27, it embarked on its first seven-night round-trip cruise from Barcelona, with stops in Ajaccio, La Spezia, Genoa, Cannes, and Palma. It offered a total of 28 departures from Barcelona. The MSC Poesia offered thirty cruises in 2016 between April 22 and November 11, departing every Friday from Barcelona and stopping in Marseille, Genoa, Naples, Messina, Valletta, and Palma de Mallorca.
The Meraviglia Arrives in 2017.
In 2017, the first ship in MSC Cruises' current fleet plan arrived: the MSC Meraviglia. The Geneva-based company once again based it in Barcelona, where it offered seven-night round-trip cruises departing on Fridays in the Western Mediterranean, with interporting in Marseille and Genoa, starting June 11. The MSC Meraviglia continued its service throughout the winter in the Mediterranean until last season.
The MSC Meraviglia marked a turning point in the Mediterranean. It was like a "smart city," completely connected, but afloat, starting with online check-in. With this ship came the Galleria Meraviglia to the Mediterranean, an interior street nearly 100 meters long and 8 meters wide, spanning two decks from bow to stern, and crowned by an LED dome. The volume effect of this multimedia application is impressive, enhancing the sense of space compared to other similar configurations that opt for interior cabins with windows overlooking the street and a less impactful ceiling. Cirque du Soleil also arrived, offering sensational shows in the futuristic Carousel Lounge.
The MSC Meraviglia is the only ship based in Barcelona that offers Cirque du Soleil shows.
But in addition, the MSC Meraviglia has 114 interactive screens that allow passengers to book dinner, spa treatments, and more. The MSC Cruises interactive wristband, first implemented on this ship, allows passengers to pay for any onboard service by identifying their language, thus improving customer service. It also allows for real-time monitoring of children's location on board. Furthermore, the MSC Meraviglia brought MSC for Me to Barcelona, an app with over 130 smart applications designed to personalize the cruise experience. It's even designed to suggest which bottle of wine to enjoy as part of the digital butler service. It also offers interactive ship maps, including the ability to guide passengers to a specific location.
In 2009, the MSC Splendida was christened in Barcelona.
The MSC Meraviglia also offers the latest for children. In addition to water slides and PlayStations, it also provides cutting-edge technology to inspire and entertain the next generation. For example, it offers the HP Sprout, which includes a scanner and a 3D printer. Children between seven and twelve years old can design their own creations on the computer, which are then printed on the 3D printer so they can take them home. MSC Cruises ships offer teenagers technology to share their cruise experiences, breaking the isolation of mobile phones. For example, there's a multimedia table, which looks like a giant iPad, that helps them interact with each other, sending messages, sharing music, and more.
The cost of Wi-Fi connectivity on MSC Cruises ships is now more reasonable than ever, making it easier to share cruise details and photos with family and friends. On the MSC Meraviglia, you can instantly share images via any social network with rates starting at €4.90/day, although professional photos can also be purchased in the photo gallery at very reasonable prices.
In 2017, the MSC Armonia also called at Barcelona weekly, with an itinerary that included stops in Ajaccio, Civitavecchia, La Spezia, Genoa, Cannes, and Palma de Mallorca. During the winters of 2017-18 and 2018-19, the MSC Meraviglia was and will continue to be the most complete, advanced, and modern ship in the Mediterranean. And in the winter of 2019-20, it will be replaced by the even larger and more sophisticated MSC Grandiosa. MSC Cruises is therefore also the leading cruise line departing from Barcelona during the winter.
The future MSC Cruises terminal in Barcelona.
In May 2017, MSC Cruises CEO Pierfrancesco Vago announced the company's intention to "invest heavily in the construction of a large passenger terminal" in Barcelona.
At that time, he stated that the future terminal would be "a symbolic building, visible even from the Ronda Litoral ring road, and will become a beautiful gateway to the city by sea." Following that announcement, further steps have been taken to finalize MSC Cruises' commitment to Barcelona in the form of a new cruise terminal. Located at Moll Adosat, its opening is scheduled for 2021.
Since 2005, MSC Cruises has been marketing two ships that offer seven-night cruises from Barcelona.
The project, designed by Catalan architect Ricardo Bofill, will be the ideal homeport for the large cruise ships that the Geneva-based cruise line will be sending to Barcelona. Bofill is no stranger to the Barcelona coastline: the iconic W Hotel, shaped like a sail, is his work, and he cites the Savona cruise terminal as a previous example. The building will be capable of embarking and disembarking 6,000 people, with a sloping roof supported by tree-like columns, varying in height from 13.5 to 20.5 meters, covering the entire terminal and also housing 1,704 photovoltaic panels. The future Barcelona terminal, which will be the most modern in Europe, will have a surface area of 13,656 square meters. Its budget is 27.5 million euros, and it will be the first terminal owned by the Geneva-based cruise line in Europe. Despite its involvement in the management of terminals in Genoa, Civitavecchia, and Naples, it has never had its own terminal in Europe. This will be its second, following the one currently under construction in Miami.
MSC Cruises is the Barcelona-based cruise line with the most environmentally friendly fleet.
In March 2018, the Board of Directors of the Port of Barcelona approved awarding the third phase of the expansion works at the Adosado Wharf to the joint venture SATO / FCC Construcción / Copisa for €26.1 million. This project is a necessary preliminary step for constructing the terminal and will provide 390 meters of new berthing line with a draft of 12 meters.
MSC Cruises: Zero Emissions Goal in Barcelona.
For MSC Cruises, one of the pillars of the cruise industry's future is sustainability, the "zero emissions" concept. And Barcelona, a city highly sensitive to environmental issues, is one of the main beneficiaries of this strategy. The four MSC Cruises ships with the most port calls in Barcelona in 2018—MSC Fantasia, MSC Seaside, MSC Meraviglia, and MSC Orchestra—are equipped with scrubbers that reduce SOx and NOx emissions to levels far below those required by any current or future legislation. No other cruise line with weekly sailings from Barcelona can make this claim, making MSC Cruises the cleanest and most environmentally friendly cruise line calling at the city. Looking ahead, MSC Cruises CEO Pierfrancesco Vago indicated that they plan to install other eco-friendly technologies, such as batteries, on their ships. To achieve the zero emissions goal, five of the ships that the shipping company will receive in the next decade will use LNG as fuel.
The MSC Fantasia, the MSC Cruises ship with the most port calls in Barcelona in 2018, was the first MSC Cruises vessel to be equipped with a scrubber in 2016. In 2017, it received its MED certificate from Bureau Veritas after passing MARPOL tests. This document certifies that the ship complies with the requirements of European Union directives on marine pollution prevention.
MSC Cruises' commitment to Barcelona is demonstrated by the presence of its best ships, such as the MSC Meraviglia, during the low winter season.
The MSC Fantasia and the MSC Preziosa (another frequent visitor to Barcelona) were the first ships in the MSC Cruises fleet to be equipped with hybrid exhaust gas cleaning systems.
In November 2017, MSC Cruises announced that the sister ships MSC Orchestra, Poesia, and Musica would be fitted with scrubbers on their respective hulls, with a target date of 2019. The first, in the fall of 2017, was the MSC Orchestra.
Since the MSC Meraviglia, all new MSC Cruises ships have been delivered with the latest environmental technology already installed: scrubbers, greywater and bilge water treatment systems, etc.
MSC Seaview, the ship that follows the sun from Barcelona.
The latest engineering marvel that MSC Cruises has assigned to Barcelona is the MSC Seaview, which docked for the first time on June 15th. This year it will repeat this feat twenty-two times until the end of autumn, always on Fridays, offering seven-night cruises with stops in Marseille, Genoa, Naples, Messina, and Valletta.
The MSC Seaview is a ship with a striking and innovative design, and it has marked a turning point in the industry. It is the ship "that follows the sun," and the Mediterranean from Barcelona is one of the best destinations to enjoy the sun.
The MSC Seaview will offer 27 round-trip seven-night sailings from Barcelona.
Highlights include the MSC Yacht Club, located at the bow of the ship above the bridge, with its restaurant and exclusive outdoor deck; its taller, larger atrium, offering its own leisure and entertainment; and the wide variety of culinary options, spearheaded by Ramón Freixa, and complemented by Butcher's Cut, Roy Yamaguchi's Japanese restaurant, and the Bistrot. Its outdoor decks are simply unparalleled, with a wide range of activities to satisfy both families, with the thrill of the water park's slides, and couples seeking more tranquility.
If the MSC Seaview weren't enough, MSC Cruises has also assigned the MSC Fantasia to Barcelona this year, from April 25th to October 24th, 2018. Its itinerary, departing on Wednesdays, includes stops in Ajaccio, Civitavecchia, Genoa, Cannes, and Palma de Mallorca. This year, it will offer 27 round-trip sailings of seven nights from Barcelona.
And in the future, Barcelona will always be the home port for MSC Cruises' flagship vessels: in 2019, the MSC Bellissima, accompanied by the MSC Seaview, a record-breaking pair in the Mediterranean; in 2020, perhaps the MSC Grandiosa; and in the future, the World Class ships.
Interview with Emiliano González, President of MSC Cruises Spain
The Importance of 7-Night Cruises from Barcelona for MSC Cruises.
7-night cruises from Barcelona, or from any other European port, are very important because they are ultimately the most successful product and align with the itinerary concept that has been widely established in the minds of cruise passengers for many years.
Specifically, Barcelona's importance stems from a combination of factors, including its undeniable tourist appeal, its excellent national and international connectivity, and its extensive infrastructure.
Such is the confidence that MSC Cruises places in the Catalan capital that in recent years we have been allocating our newest ships to this port, in order to cater to the tastes and needs of our customers. In short, Barcelona has been, is, and will continue to be a key port for MSC Cruises.
MSC Cruises is present in Barcelona year-round. Is Barcelona a year-round homeport for MSC Cruises? Is MSC Cruises working to reduce the seasonality of its offerings in Barcelona?
Yes, Barcelona is a year-round homeport, thanks to the combination of factors we mentioned earlier.
Regarding your question about reducing the seasonality of cruises in Barcelona, we have long embraced this challenge and work every day to consolidate cruises as the quintessential vacation product and to strengthen our winter cruise market. For many years, we have offered a variety of itineraries at very competitive prices in the Mediterranean during autumn and winter. As proof of this, and thanks to our continuous evolution, we are positioning more ships in winter each year, contributing to this reduction of seasonality. This winter 2018/19, the MSC Meraviglia, MSC Sinfonia, MSC Magnifica, MSC Orchestra, MSC Fantasia, and MSC Poesia will be departing from Barcelona with attractive itineraries ranging from 8 to 13 days.
In this regard, it is also worth noting that at MSC Cruises we offer cruises throughout the year in different latitudes, with state-of-the-art ships, allowing you to enjoy a cruise in any season.
For MSC Cruises, Barcelona is important because of its undeniable tourist appeal, its excellent national and international connectivity, and its great infrastructure.
How is the project for our own terminal at the Muelle Adosado progressing?
After two public consultation periods, during which no one submitted any comments, we are now beginning a new phase in which we hope to see the process conclude in the coming months of this year so that we can begin work as soon as possible with the goal of having the terminal operational throughout 2021.
New for 2019 cruises from Barcelona.
MSC Cruises is constantly innovating to adapt to changing times and make the cruise experience unforgettable.
The most significant new addition for 2019 is the arrival of two new ships to our fleet: MSC Bellissima and MSC Grandiosa. These two ships are part of our €11.6 billion investment plan and will be based in Barcelona, where MSC Seaview also docks. Starting in April 2019, MSC Seaview's departures will be changed to Saturdays. It's worth noting that this significant effort to relocate the operations of our newly launched ship has been designed to make Barcelona more accessible, not only for customers from the Spanish market but also for international travelers who will undoubtedly be able to start their vacations even more comfortably. Similarly, disembarking on Saturdays will allow Spanish and international guests to take advantage of the entire weekend to spend the night in Barcelona and enjoy its impressive tourist, gastronomic, and cultural offerings, providing a perfect ending to their holidays.
The new MSC Bellissima will begin operating in March and, after its inauguration in the English port of Southampton, will depart every Friday from Barcelona. The MSC Bellissima is the sister ship of the MSC Meraviglia, equipped with MSC for Me smart technology, which will enhance the onboard experience, and will be the first ship to feature Zoe, a voice-activated AI assistant. It will spend the season in the Mediterranean and then travel to the United Arab Emirates, adding even more glamour to an already exotic and luxurious destination.
Meanwhile, the MSC Grandiosa will be an even larger ship than the MSC Bellissima, enhancing the passenger experience with a longer interior promenade and featuring a new French-themed restaurant. This cruise ship will be inaugurated in November in Hamburg, Germany, and will arrive every Thursday in the Port of Barcelona to begin its Western Mediterranean route.
As for entertainment, MSC Cruises will offer fun for all ages with two new Cirque du Soleil At Sea shows aboard MSC Bellissima and a competition based on the hit show MasterChef Junior, encouraging all children on board to participate and demonstrate their culinary skills for a chance to win amazing prizes.
Why is MSC Cruises allocating the new MSC Bellissima to this market in 2019?
Spain is experiencing significant growth in outbound tourism, making it a particularly attractive market for our newest ships, as demonstrated by the success of our MSC Meraviglia and MSC Seaview. Now, the new MSC Bellissima will continue to offer the best of our fleet to discerning and increasingly demanding passengers.
