By the Caribbean Journal staff

MSC Cruises’ new MSC Seaside cruise ship was unveiled in Miami this week with a naming ceremony headlined by Sophia Loren before its maiden Caribbean voyage on Saturday.

Seaside, the company’s new flagship, is the second ship MSC has launched in the last six months as part of a 12-ship expansion planned between now and 2026.

“MSC Seaside‘s naming embodies a pivotal moment for MSC Cruises and the industry overall. She is the first ship of the fifth new prototype that we have developed since we entered this industry only in 2003, and she introduces a wholly-innovative concept that has already set a new standard for the industry to follow,” said Pierfrancesco Vago, MSC Cruises’ Executive Chairman. “The distinctive and unique Seaside Class is designed to bring guests closer to the sea to enjoy cruising in warm weather, while pushing the boundaries of maritime and guest-centric technology – the way only a cruise line with over 300 years of maritime tradition could have done.”

MSC Seaside will sail year round from Miami to the Caribbean offering seven-night eastern and western Caribbean itineraries.