In a conversation with Helen Huang, president of Greater China for MSC Cruises, Travel Weekly Asia explores the cruise line's most sought-after itineraries, its competitive advantages in the Asian market, and exciting plans for the future. Discover why MSC Cruises stands out among its competitors and its commitment to enhancing the cruise experience for travellers in Southeast Asia.

Helen Huang, president of Greater China for MSC Cruises

Which MSC itineraries are most popular with Asian travellers?

Winter's best-selling Red Sea cruises, the acclaimed Northern Europe sailings in summer, the classic Mediterranean itineraries, the 2024 World Cruise, and the 21 night long cruise, all are popular and offer highly attractive holidays at sea.

In terms of vessels, MSC Cruises continues to surpass itself, consistently introducing newer, better, and larger cruise ships to the international cruise market. Our fleet is equipped with advanced onboard facilities and cutting-edge technology, offering the forementioned and other itineraries and providing guests with rich and diverse cruise vacations. For instance, our recent additions such as MSC Bellissima and MSC Virtuosa, as well as the pioneering pair of LNG-powered cruise ships, MSC World Europa and MSC Euribia, meet consumer needs for modern ships with high-tech features, exceptional environmental performance, engaging onboard entertainment and amenities, along with a comfortable experience.

Why do guests choose MSC Cruises over other cruise lines?

Our core strength is derived from robust support by MSC Group, driven by the passion and confidence of the Aponte family. This synergy fuels MSC Cruises' rapid growth, establishing us as the largest cruise brand in favored Asian destinations like Europe and the Middle East.

Secondly, our unwavering focus on cutting-edge vessels is a cornerstone of our competitiveness. MSC Cruises boasts one of the youngest fleets, including notable additions like the LNG-powered MSC World Europa and MSC Euribia, launched in the past two years. Likewise, MSC Virtuosa's upcoming voyage to the Middle East and MSC Bellissima's presence in Asian waters showcase our commitment to innovative and sizeable new builds.

The LEGO Play Area on MSC Bellissima.

Furthermore, our ultimate advantage lies in delivering a premium guest experience. Partnerships with global leaders like LEGO have created vast onboard play areas. Iconic Swarovski Crystal Staircases enthrall visitors. We cater to multi-generational family travel and offer MSC Yacht Club's exclusive amenities for an European aristocratic-styled experience.

Meanwhile, we are continuously planning new itineraries and introducing fresh products to meet the evolving demands of consumers with a range of diverse and exclusive itineraries.

Are there new ships guests can look forward to?

Recently, we announced that our Asian flagship, MSC Bellissima, will operate spring and summer itineraries from three major Chinese homeports — Shanghai and Shenzhen — in 2024.

Additionally, MSC Splendida will rejoin the Chinese market in the fourth quarter of 2024. Coupled with MSC Bellissima's deployment plan to Taiwan, MSC is set to achieve an exclusive deployment with two ships across three homeports in the greater China region in 2024. This strategic move will infuse the Asian cruise market with significant dynamism.

In the future, departing from our South China homeports, we are also considering cruises to Southeast Asian countries, enabling guests to explore destinations such as Vietnam and the Philippines.

Are there any plans to enhance the experience for sailings in Southeast Asia?

Selling these highly popular itineraries allows us to further acquaint Southeast Asian guests with the MSC Cruises brand.

A stairway made of Swarovski crystals leads guests down to the MSC Yacht Club on the MSC Bellissima.

As MSC expands in Asia, we're ensuring Southeast Asian guests have easier access to our cruises. Itineraries like MSC Bellissima's covering Japan, Taiwan, Shanghai, and Shenzhen offer our travel partners and guests more opportunities to experience our vessels. We are seeing positive booking trends for 2024.

In the future, we will continue to render more support to our travel partners in the Southeast Asian market with industry involvement, a China-based support team for quick responses, and easy access to services and information through our contact centre.

Additionally, concerning our deployment in Asia, we'll adjust dining and entertainment to match Asian preferences. For instance, Taiwan cruises will feature beef noodles and "dan zai" noodles, while Japan itineraries will offer sushi, miso soup, and udon noodles, blending European style with Asian flavours.