MSC Cruises placed an order for two more 6,500-plus capacity ships this week, increasing its fleet of World Class vessels to eight by 2031.
The two new ships – the seventh and eighth in the class – will be sister ships to MSC World Europa and MSC World America, which have already launched, and MSC World Asia (pictured below, at the shipyard in France) and MSC World Atlantic, which are currently under construction.
Speaking to Travel Gossip immediately after the announcement of the new order, Vice President of International Sales Antonio Paradiso revealed he’s expecting 15% to 20% of passengers on the new ships to be from the UK and Ireland.
“That means we need to treble our UK and Ireland numbers by 2031,” he added. “We will need to grow faster than the UK and Ireland market. We will have a strong focus on yet-to-cruise, because there are still people out there who believe that cruises are complicated. We need to get the message out there that is isn’t. Simplicity is the key.”
Antonio said that, as well as growing its business via the trade, he is looking at doing more digital marketing, and more on social media – including the short video platform TikTok. “It is about thinking outside the box,” he said.
MSC World Asia will debut in December 2026, operating in the Mediterranean. MSC World Atlantic will be based at Port Canaveral in Florida, debuting sometime in 2027.
The cruise line hasn’t yet revealed the itineraries or names for its four other World Class ships, which will arrive in the fleet between 2029 and 2031.
A double celebration was held at the Chantier de l’Atlantique shipyard in France this week for the floating out of World Asia and the coin ceremony to mark the start of construction of World Atlantic.
