New Ships

Get the lowdown on the latest launches as our writers step on board MSC Seashore and Holland America Line’s Rotterdam

Clockwise, from far left: The towering, four-deck-high LED screen; the adult-only bar area and infi nity pool at the vessel’s aft; Ocean Cay restaurant; MSC Seashore at the line’s private island retreat, Ocean Cay; Balcony cabin decorated with restful and muted tones; the Butcher’s Cut steakhouse o ers an al fresco dining area

MSC SEASHORE

MSC Cruises’ latest fl agship takes its inspiration from the Big Apple and proves bigger really is better, fi nds Jeannine Williamson

When you step aboard a ship and come face to face with a 13-foot-high replica of the Statue of Liberty, neon-bright Times Squarestyle billboards and a four-deck-high LED screen with projections of the Manhattan skyline, you know you’re on a vessel that’s out to make a statement. And MSC Seashore certainly does that.

MSC Cruises’ new fl agship is as big and bold as New York itself, with wow-factor features at every turn, including Danza del Mare (Dance of the Seas), a mesmerising spiral art installation with 190 shimmering glass fi sh that ‘swim’ up four decks. The vessel is the 19th and largest in MSC’s expanding and evolving fl eet and was the fi rst-ever ship to be christened 

Clockwise from above: Asian-style restaurant Kaito Teppanyaki; Mexican Hola Tacos & Cantina; Pirates Cove Aquapark; MSC Seashore’s maiden call at Miami at the cruise line’s private island, the Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve in the Bahamas.

The fi rst MSC Evo-class ship, it’s built on the blueprint of the two Seaside-class ships, MSC Seaside and Seaview, which were designed to sail in sunny climes and bring passengers closer to the sea with large outdoor promenades for eating, drinking and lounging.

On Seashore, 65% of the public spaces have been ‘reimagined’ with all-new features including an al fresco dining area outside MSC’s signature steakhouse Butcher’s Cut.

Its six swimming pools include the swashbuckling new Pirates Cove for youngsters, while grown-up passengers can head to the adult-only bar area and infi nity pool wrapped around the aft of the ship. This is a standout new spot, with loungers partly immersed in the shallow waters at the edge of the pool.

Moving inside, the sweep of MSC’s trademark Swarovski crystal-studded staircases lead to new spaces. The fi ve speciality restaurants are conveniently situated in the redesigned Chef’s Court: Butcher’s Cut; the theatrical Kaito Teppanyaki; Mexican Hola Tacos & Cantina; Kaito Sushi Bar, with a new conveyor belt of rotating dishes; and the new Ocean Cay seafood restaurant. Elsewhere, the New York vibe extends to the main

dining rooms called Central Park, Manhattan, Tribeca and 5th Avenue. All in all, there are nearly 30 restaurants, lounges and bars. There are plenty of entertainment venues, too. Le Cabaret Rouge is an atmospheric French-inspired THE VESSEL IS THE LARGEST IN live music venue wrapped in dark red walls, while the MSC’S EXPANDING FLEET AND Uptown lounge is a lively piano bar. Meanwhile,

THE FIRST-EVER SHIP TO BE youngsters can let o steam at the largest children’s club in

CHRISTENED AT THE LINE’S the MSC fl eet, which has a fun PRIVATE ISLAND, OCEAN CAY space-themed area. Away from the dazzling public areas, Seashore’s 2,270 cabins, including 66 accessible rooms, are decorated in restful and muted tones including palettes of taupe, blue and green. There are 15 di erent stateroom categories to choose from and 11 of those come with balconies. More than 30 swanky suites have their own hot tubs on the veranda.

On a ship full of superlatives and bigger-than-before features, the largest cabins – a pair of owner’s suites – can be found in the exclusive MSC Yacht Club, also the largest in the fl eet. The ship-within-a-ship enclave, occupying the front upper decks of Seashore, has its own panoramic lounge, dining room and pool deck, and guests are pampered with 24-hour butler service.

The 5,632-passenger Seashore sails on round-trip cruises from Miami to the eastern and western Caribbean, with destinations including the Bahamas, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Mexico and Jamaica. All cruises feature a day or overnight stay at Ocean Cay, the island where Seashore was named by Hollywood actress Sophia Loren.

Quite a few lines have private playgrounds in the Bahamas, but again MSC breaks the mould with the 95-acre Ocean Cay, 65 miles o the Miami coastline. Rather than buy a ‘ready-made’ island, in 2015 MSC took on an abandoned sand mine covered with scrap metal and a surrounding sea bed littered with harmful debris. An ambitious £134 million regeneration project has seen corals brought back to life and the island transformed into an eco-friendly chill-out spot for passengers, which spearheads the line’s commitment to protecting the marine environment.

Activities are low-key and sustainable, such as climbing up to the top of the lighthouse, kayaking, snorkelling or simply lazing on loungers and bean bags on the beach. At night there’s a lively and colourful Bahamian Junkanoo parade.

Latest developments include a marine research centre, which is being built on the island as a base for visiting scientists and to let passengers learn about conservation work.

MSC has certainly made a splash with its island hideaway and forwardthinking fl agship, whose technology reduces emissions and saves energy. Seashore paves the way not only for the next in class, MSC Seascape, but also for the line’s next trailblazing vessel, MSC World Europa. Launching this December, it will be MSC’s fi rst ship powered by the cleanest marine fuel liquefi ed natural gas (LNG). Watch this space.

GETTING THERE

A seven-night sailing on MSC Seashore, departing on July 9, and sailing round-trip from Miami to the Caribbean, starts from £799 per person cruise-only. For details visit msccruises.co.uk

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ABOUT HOLLAND AMERICA LINE’S ROTTERDAM

ROTTERDAM

Art and music are everywhere on Holland America Line’s classy new ship, soon to be christened by Dutch royalty, writes Jane Archer

The fi rst thing that catches your eye as you board Rotterdam is Harps, a stunning stainless steel sculpture that rises up through three decks in the ship’s atrium. It’s a fi tting welcome onto a vessel dedicated to art and music.

In all, there are more than 2,500 original pieces of art on board, much of it musicthemed. Collectively it’s worth an eye-watering $4.1 million (Harps alone cost $620,000), so no wonder the ship is touted as a fl oating art museum.

The seventh ship to bear the name Rotterdam in Holland America Line’s 150-year history, it launched in October 2021 and come May will be the second Rotterdam christened by Princess Margriet of the Netherlands. It’s also the biggest, hosting 2,668 passengers.

If you get lost, take your bearings from the stairwell art. It’s architecturethemed forward, music-themed mid-ship and wildlife-themed at the aft.

The Music Walk is the ship’s entertainment hub. There are live bands in the Rock Room and BB King’s Blues Club, duelling pianists playing hits in Billboard Onboard and classical quartets supplied by New York’s Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. At least once a cruise, highlights from BBC Earth’s natural history programmes are shown on a wall of LED screens in the theatre to music composed specially for HAL.

Dining on Rotterdam is as eclectic as the music scene. I love Sel de Mer’s authentic French feel and food, but Tamarind’s Asian dishes are a close second. Pinnacle Grill has steaks (a whopping 18oz rib eye if you dare) while Canaletto serves Italian classics.

These venues cost extra. For no charge, there’s the dining room or self-service, but those in Pinnacle or GETTING THERE Neptune suites, or who buy into a A seven-night Naming Club Orange package of perks, can Celebration cruise to Norway dine in the intimate new Club Orange. round-trip from Amsterdam

The all-weather Lido, with fl oor- departing May 29 costs from to-ceiling glass walls and a retractable £1,749 per person including roof, is a great hangout. Enjoy fl ights, drinks, one free visit to burgers, pizzas and the pool by day, a speciality dining restaurant and movies and popcorn after dark. and one shore excursion worth

You can’t go far without coming up to $100 per person. Find out across a bar, but for something more at hollandamerica.com di erent try a cocktail themed around Holland America Line’s history at the new Half Moon or combine drinks Read more cruise reviews online at with learning at the Crow’s Nest in cruise-international.com

Explorations Central, where interactive tables have information on ports and navigation. Cabins run the gamut of insides with no window up to the exclusive Pinnacle Suite, which has separate dining and living spaces, a

WITH 2,500 PIECES OF ART veranda with whirlpool and private concierge. Spa cabins ON BOARD, THE SHIP IS TOUTED and suites have fridges with healthy snacks and are

AS A FLOATING ART MUSEUM clustered around the spa, which means residents don’t have far to walk for their daily pampering. To massages and facials add a thermal suite with sauna and steam rooms, a whirlpool and bucket of cold water that brave souls can tip all over themselves. From top left: The main dining room; Rotterdam is the seventh HAL ship to bear that name; the art on board is collectively worth $4.1 million; Verandah Stateroom balcony and interior