By Dana Niland
CJ Contributor

MSC Cruises’ next generation ship, Seaside, made its inaugural call to St Maarten on Wednesday.

MSC Seaside, part of the line’s new Seaside Class, features a promenade with shops, restaurants, bars and more.

The vessel is a new prototype designed to “push the boundaries” of innovative ship building and design, according to the company.

Originally scheduled to visit the island in December 2017, MSC Seaside changed its itinerary plans for the Northeastern Caribbean area after Hurricane Irma in September 2017.

Port St. Maarten Management said in a statement it was “very pleased” to welcome MSC Seaside to the destination, the second newly-built next-generation mega cruise ship in the line’s fleet.

This further demonstrates the confidence in the island and at the same time it further validates the recovery of the country’s cruise sector, Port Management said.

MSC Seaside has a gross tonnage of 153,516 tons and has a passenger capacity of 5,119 and 1,413 crew.

The ship was launched in November 2017 and christened in December 2017.

MSC Seaview, Seaside’s sister ship will come into service in June 2018.