Watch out, Royal Caribbean: This cruise line is bringing more big new ships to North America

There will be five ships in North America by the end of the year.

The fast-growing, Europe-based cruise line on Thursday said it would boost its ship count at major North American cruise hubs such as Miami; Port Canaveral, Florida; and New York from three to five by late 2023.

The 19-ship brand has never had five ships in North America at the same time. Nearly a fourth of the line's fleet will be in North America, a new high for the brand.

In the past, MSC Cruises only had a single vessel based in North America and was mainly focused on sailings in Europe for Europeans, as well as Asia, Africa and South America sailings. The brand is trying to get more Americans to sign up.

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There are two vessels in Miami and one in Port Canaveral. When it begins sailings out of New York in early 2023, it will have four ships.

The fifth ship for North America will be arriving later in the year. Many North American customers of the line know the 3,502-passenger MSC Divina, which has sailed in North America in the past.

The deployment of MSC Cruises in North America will look like this.

• PortMiami: The 4,540-passenger MSC Seascape will operate seven-night Caribbean sailings out of Miami year-round. The 2,550-passenger MSC Magnifica will sail short cruises out of the port to the Bahamas and Key West, Florida, year-round. The 3,502-passenger MSC Divina will operate a range of three- to 11-night sailings, with longer sailings heading to Central and South America at least through the 2023-2024 winter season.
• Port Canaveral: The 4,540-passenger MSC Seashore (which will be taking the place of the slightly smaller, 4,132-passenger MSC Seaside) will sail a mix of short cruises to the Bahamas and seven-night Western Caribbean sailings year-round.
• New York City: The 4,500-passenger MSC Meraviglia will sail to Bermuda, Florida and the Bahamas in the fall and winter of 2023 after completing its inaugural summer season in the Northeast with a series of voyages to both Florida and the Bahamas and to Canada and New England. The ship will be based in New York year-round.

For a long time, MSC Cruises has been a relatively small player in cruising in North America. The expansion to five ships in the region will give it a new critical mass to take on established North American megaship giants such as Royal Caribbean and Carnival Cruise Line.

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"Bringing more ships to the U.S. will allow us to offer a wide variety of itineraries, add new destinations and provide more opportunities for travelers to discover our unique international flavor," Rubén Rodrguez said in a statement accompanying the announcement.

The U.S. division ofMSC Cruises is located in Switzerland.

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