MSC Cruises Is Expanding to New York City With Year-Round Sailings

Europe-based MSC Cruises has announced that it’s coming to New York City and will begin offering year-round sailings starting April 2023.

There’s a lot to unpack, so let’s dive into the details.

MSC Cruises Will Sail From New York City

MSC is the world’s largest privately-owned cruise line (and one of the largest lines overall) and is well-known for its cruises to Europe, South America, and southern Africa.

Now, it’s planning a significant expansion with its sights set on New York City. The cruise line announced on March 8, 2022, that it will begin sailing from the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal as of April 2023 with the MSC Meraviglia.

Cruisers will be able to choose from several itineraries ranging from 6 to 11 nights. Sailings to Bermuda are 6 nights, Caribbean itineraries are either 7 or 8 nights, and northern itineraries are either 10 or 11 nights. Even though the sailings won’t begin until next year, travelers can now book summer 2023 cruises from New York.

The company says it’s the first time one of its ships will homeport in the Northeast U.S. year-round.

“New York City was the natural choice when we picked our next U.S. port because it’s so accessible, whether the guest is coming from somewhere nearby or from around the world,” said MSC Cruises USA President Rubén Rodríguez in a statement.

“We designed our mix of itineraries to take advantage of New York’s geographic flexibility so that you can soak up the springtime sun in the Caribbean, head to Bermuda over the summer, or go north to see Canada’s natural beauty in the fall,” the statement continued.

Rodríguez said the Meraviglia was a “huge hit” when it came to the city in 2019 and said the company expected to see “strong demand” when it returns.

The MSC Meraviglia boasts 19 decks, 32 bars and restaurants, and has a capacity of up to 5,700 passengers. Guests can choose between 10 stateroom options, from solo cabins to swanky MSC Yacht Club suites.

MSC is attempting to make waves in the New York City market to compete with rivals Carnival and Royal Caribbean, which already offer sailings to the Caribbean.

Carnival sails from New York to the Eastern Caribbean (which includes destinations like the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico) and Bermuda.

Royal Caribbean sails from Cape Liberty, N.J., to Bermuda, the Bahamas, and destinations like St. Maarten and Haiti.

Hot Tip: You can book an MSC cruise with flexibility — cruisers are permitted to change their cruise date up to 48 hours before sailing for no charge.

Final Thoughts

New York-area cruisers will soon have several more options for sailing to popular destinations such as Bermuda and the Caribbean. Whether you’re looking to soak up some sun and sand in the Caribbean or take a longer trip up north to take in the splendor of Canada, MSC’s new options from New York make it a lot more convenient for many travelers.