Despite the pandemic putting much of the industry on hold a few years ago, the world of cruise ships is back on the upswing — with some ambitious plans on the horizon. MSC Cruises recently announced plans to enter the Alaskan market in 2026, but that’s not the only change the company has in store. The MSC World America is set to make its debut in April of 2025, departing from Miami and taking passengers to destinations throughout the Caribbean.
Despite its name and route, however, the ship’s aesthetic draws from a series of locations an ocean away from the Americas. At The New York Times, Ceylan Yeğinsu took a first look at the vessel, and chronicled the ways in which it seeks to distill the experience of traveling across Europe into the form of a cruise ship. She points out that there’s already a template for this: the MSC World Europa, from which the new vessel takes some design cues.
That isn’t to say that it’s a precise copy of its sister ship, though; Yeğinsu also writes that just under a third of its spaces will be reimagined “to cater to American passengers.” In practice, that means design choices like removing lounge areas for sunbathing with dining and activity spaces.
Based on this reporting, it sounds like MSC has figured out a way to evoke the experience of being in a city or shopping area while traveling on the water. Of her travels on the MSC World Europa, Yeğinsu observed that “I found it easy to forget I was at sea” while experiencing certain venues on the ship.
MSC Cruises Is Readying an Alaskan Experience for 2026
The cruise will leave from SeattleAs of late last month, the MSC World America was still being built at the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard. A naming ceremony on April 9, 2025 will formally launch the ship; once that’s taken place, we’ll see if MSC’s high-profile investment in blending international motifs will pay off.
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