MSC Mervaviglia’s Brooklyn Debut Adds Year-Round New York Cruise Option

MSC Cruises’ 4,500-passenger MSC Meraviglia’s April 22 launch of Bahamas and Florida, Canada and New England, and Bermuda cruises from the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal inaugurated the New York cruise market’s sole year-round service.

MSC Meraviglia’s deployment will create “a sizeable and ongoing economic impact to the region,” said MSC officials in a statement.

The ship will bring more than 200,000 domestic and international visitors to New York annually, according to Cruise Lines International Association and NYC Economic Development Corporation data.

MSC Meraviglia’s Brooklyn-departing itineraries will target a combination of the operator’s traditional European-American passenger base and millions of Northeast-based cruise vacationers, who will enjoy a new regional drive-to port option.

“Greater New York right the whole northeast is important to us, said Reuben Rodriguez, MSC USA’s president, “but especially New York. [New Yorkers] tend to buy longer cruises they tend to buy their cruises farther out,” he said.

“New Yorkers are a little farther ahead than the average and they tend to travel internationally more,” continued Rodriguez. “So not only are they booking Caribbean cruises, they’re booking [international] cruises.