MSC Cruises is coming for Royal Caribbean's title
When MSC Cruises launched its newest megaship, MSC World America, from Miami this spring, the Switzerland-based global cruise line sent a clear message that it was courting Royal Caribbean cruisers.
MSC is market leader in Europe, but it's not so well known to Americans just yet. MSC World America is part of a major initiative to change that, however, and Royal Caribbean passengers seem to be the main target audience.MSC World America is now sailing seven-night Caribbean cruises from Miami right alongside Royal Caribbean's Icon of the Seas, the world's largest cruise ship. Like Icon, MSC World America is a huge ship, accommodating more than 6,700 passengers, that's divided into several distinct areas offering different experiences for every type of vacationer.
Although the two ships have a lot of similarities, MSC World America has its own unique style that mixes MSC's signature European design with American comfort.
With its game-changing combination of super-sized thrills and chills, Icon of the Seas seems to be a bit more appealing to most American cruisers than MSC World America, though.
Still, MSC is luring some 'loyal to Royal' cruisers to give its new ship a shot by offering most of its cruises at a significantly lower price than Icon's sailings.
And MSC Cruises' plans to take market share from Royal Caribbean don't end at MSC World America.North America is a major growth market for MSC Cruises, and the cruise line continues to reveal new initiatives to increase its visibility and boost its position as key player in the region.
As the next step in its expansion plan, MSC is deploying more ships to offer alternatives to Royal Caribbean cruises from other major U.S. home ports.
In November, MSC Cruises will launch its first cruises from Texas — western Caribbean cruises sailing from Galveston on MSC Seascape. Then in 2026, the cruise line will offer its first Alaska cruises, adding Seattle as a new summer home port for MSC Poesia.After launching those new cruises, MSC will debut another World Class ship from Florida. Beginning in 2027, the new MSC World Atlantic will sail Caribbean cruises from Port Canaveral, where Royal Caribbean's new Icon Class ship, Star of the Seas, is set to launch this summer.
Like Royal Caribbean, MSC's new ship pipeline is booming. The cruise line recently ordered two more World Class ships to complement the four already delivered or under construction, which will expand the MSC Cruises fleet to 27 ships by 2030.
And now, even bigger plans are on the horizon for MSC Cruises.In addition to expanding its World Class, MSC Cruises plans to introduce a new ultra-sized ship class that will be even bigger than Royal Caribbean's Icon Class.
MSC Cruises is expected to soon place an order with Finnish shipbuilder Meyer Turku for a new class of ships that will exceed the size of Royal Caribbean's Icon Class, according to a Shipping Italy report.Named the Constellation Class, the new series of MSC Cruises ships is expected to consist of four ships at 265,000 gross tons and 365 meters in length, surpassing Icon's 250,800 gross tons. The new MSC ships are also expected to be the largest cruise ships in the world in terms of passenger capacity.
Additionally, the cruise line is rumored to have another project in the works with its long-time partner Chantiers de l'Atlantique, the French shipbuilding company constructing its World Class ships.
Called Conquest, the project will be an evolution of the cruise line's World Class platform, resulting in two more ships that are longer than MSC World Europa and MSC World America.
(The Arena Group will earn a commission if you book a cruise.)
, or email Amy Post at or call or text her at 386-383-2472.
This story was originally reported by Come Cruise With Me on Jun 9, 2025, where it first appeared.
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