MSC Cruises: unveiling its guest-centric interior strategy

At the heart of the design of MSC Cruises’ ships is a guest-centric concept.

Mr Young tells Passenger Ship Interior & Refurbishment Review “It is about the way we focus on the guest. We are very guest-centric, from the passenger flow on the ship, the different restaurants we include and more. The debates we have internally are about where is this going to go and why – why should have a teppanyaki like this or why have a French bistro like that? It is all about developing the guest experience.

“You can include as many gadgets as you want but you are probably talking about five or six people who can use them at one time, or a ride that takes place only every 10 minutes. You need to have experiences that guests enjoy in a larger way, not one-off attractions for the few. It is fine to have them, but they should take up a small space and not overwhelm the rest of the vessel.

The guest focus should be about the food, accommodation and entertainment.”

MSC Cruises has a wide variety of newbuildings on order, spanning Meraviglia-class, Seaside-class, World-class and Luxury-class.

Mr Young describes Meraviglia, Seaside and World-class ships as being of contemporary design. He adds “Luxury is a totally new brand so that is really exciting.”

Moving on to MSC Cruises’ other recent class ships, he singled out innovative features, especially highlighting the design of the area needed for the Cirque du Soleil-at sea.

Mr Young expands “Due to the shows, acrobats and artists who are so highly trained, you need specific equipment and the latest technology. The technology is so specific that the challenge is to get all of that in with the rigging they need.”

Mr Young says calculations involving weight, power load and heat must be considered in the overall design. The amount of heat coming from the equipment meant more air conditioning was needed in the show space.

Due to these demands, MSC Cruises has employed a person who just focuses on Cirque du Soleil, working with them on the designs, structure and infrastructure of the show area.

Mr Young adds “There are massive challenges, but it has paid off very well – it is hugely successful, always full and an interesting, fun, concept to have on a vessel. Our guests love it.”

The introduction of MSC Cruises’ artificial intelligence and machine-learning based cabin concierge Zoe – a first of its kind for the industry – has had an impact on the design of cabins. Zoe was launched on MSC Bellissima and will be next rolled out on MSC Grandiosa when it is delivered in November this year.

Mr Young says “When you introduce something like this into the cabin, you have to work out how it will be fitted. First you look at the design of Zoe – it is a very nice shape and a very cool looking piece of technology. That is the first part. Even putting the technology in place involved fixing it to the desk with a special mechanism we had to develop plus providing power and data feeds. It is not as easy as just putting it down on the desk.”