MSC World America Unveiled in Interview with Pierfrancesco Vago

Well, Bill, a great pleasure to see you and to have you after the Seatrade. We're all here for the launch of MSC World America, and like I said, at the Seatrade, MSC World America first. And it's been an exhausting week, but we are very glad and very happy to all the achievements and the results we brought. She is an absolutely stunning vessel. Honestly, I've only seen just a little bit of her, but every time I turn the corner, it just outperforms the other side. Well, the idea is that we wanted to have a product for all the different clients that we have. And we have these districts, so for family, newlyweds, young, all ages, all pockets. And obviously we have a taste, we have in the material, we have a way to invest in the details that is possibly unique to MSC for so many reasons. You know, being a private company, we really care for the product. We really care for the experience that we want to give to our customer. And I think it's visible and tangible everywhere you go, the quality of the ship, the hardware of the ship.

Well, I wouldn't talk about the cruise industry, but for MSC it's very important. We are a global company. We like to be a glocal company. We developed our presence in Europe in a very important way. We do it also in the Middle East, in Africa, in South America, in Asia. And obviously North America is the largest cruise market in the world. So we developed a product that is really fit for the North American market. So we call it like our ad, let's holiday, but really is a European style with American comfort. And obviously to launch the ship World America we have a couple of more on the way. And to actually give our offering, the MSC brand throughout the whole of the United States for us is very important. Miami even more, because being the cruise capital of the world, to actually have a terminal that can actually host up to three ships, can actually handle in excess of 36,000 passengers. We have an automated luggage system whereby we can actually handle within a six hour in excess of 80,000 pieces of luggage. And we can actually have, technologically also very advanced with the biometry. In 15 seconds you can check in, you download your boarding pass, you do the passport. I think it's part of the innovation that really helps MSC Cruises becoming a renowned brand in North America.

That's it. That's the idea. Customers, guests, they want to come on holiday and the moment they reach the terminal, they're already on holiday. So they don't want to wait in lines. All that is anachronistic. They want to come on board and enjoy the ship, enjoy the experience.

Well, we have a sports bar, my favorite. You know, we have many different types of beers. We have a pub and we produce our own beer on board, which is unique. We have the comedy bar, which is very much for the market and for our clientele. We have the cliffhanger. So for all of you out there that wants the thrills and a little bit of emotions, we have these things that is 210 foot high, you know, going out into the sea that makes you swing back and forth, which is fun. Then we have the bumper cars. We have so many features. Again, families, children, teenagers for all, you know, districts for every segment of the population.

Well, World America, we have a series of World America. We already announced MSC World Asia that will be delivered next year. And after that, there will be MSC World Atlantic. And MSC World Atlantic will operate out of Port Canaveral. And that really excites us because it's, again, a penetration to the market, getting closer to our customer at home, closer by to where they live. And obviously, they can sail out of these two very important two hubs, you know, cruise hubs, and they can actually reach the Caribbean, you know, Ocean Cay, you know, the marine reserve where we inaugurated today, the restoration coral center, which makes us very proud. This island is amazing. It's magic. You're in the middle of the ocean. So eventually, Galveston as well will become a home port and we will have a ship there as well. We're already operating out of New York. And then eventually, we go to the Pacific. So the idea is to penetrate the market to offer the MSC product, the European quality with the comfort zone for the American passengers throughout the Pacific and the Atlantic.

Well, we are democratizing luxury. Okay, that's our intent. So we want to offer a very high quality experience, holidays, a cruise at an affordable price. We also have the yacht club, which is a very good example of how value for money, not only the cruise experiences, but especially MSC cruise because we offer an incredible quality. We offer an incredible service here, we have a butler, we have suites, the size are very generous. And then it's actually affordable. So I think, you know, looking at the cost of holidays nowadays, of vacation nowadays, I think, you know, obviously the vision is to penetrate the market and to increase already the 70 million passengers that join the cruise industry as we speak today. But it's not a vacation, it's let's holiday.

Well, Bill, first of all, you're very welcome. And second of all, we now have to go and see Ocean Cay and then tomorrow we'll be sailing, you know, going on our back to Miami and so you really enjoy all the different facilities. And we also have a speakeasy secret bar somewhere down in the dungeons, you know, the bottom of the ship, but you got to find out how to reach there. Let me know once you do and once you find out how to reach that place.

Thank you so much, Bill.

Born to Cruise.