MSC Meraviglia is a cruise ship owned and operated by MSC Cruises, built at the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in St. Nazaire, France, by STX France. Meraviglia is the lead ship of MSC’s new “Vista Project” vessels, the Meraviglia-class, with the MSC Bellissima following in 2019. Each vessel will have a passenger capacity of 4,500. When it entered service in June 2017, it is the 6th largest cruise ship in the world, behind Royal Caribbean’s Oasis-class ships and AIDAnova.
The ship initially operated in the western Mediterranean and has also cruised in Northern Europe as of summer 2019, but is scheduled to reposition to the United States for the first time, to New York and Miami, in Fall 2019, to sail to the Caribbean as part of a North American expansion program by MSC.
The vessel’s name was announced, and steel was cut, at a ceremony held at Chantiers de l’Atlantique on 20 April 2015. The ship was formally named on 3 June 2017 by her godmother, Italian actress Sophia Loren at a ceremony in Le Havre, which also featured French actor Patrick Bruel, musical group Kids United, and comedian Gad Elmaleh.
The building of MSC Meraviglia was shown in the 2nd episode of the Science Channel series, Building Giants, and titled “Monster Cruise Ship”.
The ship’s facilities include a promenade with a long LED roof, a water park with water slides, a rope course and a theater. The ship also has over 10 dining areas and a spa.