Join Kris Endreson, VP of Strategic Sales, for an in-depth look into MSC Cruises and where the privately owned line is heading

 

 

Interviewing: Kris Endreson, Vice President of Strategic Sales – MSC Cruises USA

An Interview By: Joanie Ogg, Founder & Co-Owner – Travel Professional NEWS

As a guest of MSC Cruises, USA at the recent Travvy Awards Gala in Ft. Lauderdale, I had the pleasure of sitting with Kris Endreson, Vice President of Strategic Sales with MSC Cruises USA. She graciously agreed to do an interview with me so that we could all learn more about the many new and exciting announcements at MSC.

Can you share some of the history of MSC Cruises USA?

MSC is the world’s largest privately owned cruiseline. The Aponte family records date back to the seventeenth century when they began shipping goods to and from Naples, Italy, in the year 1675 which has since grown into the world’s largest shipping company, the Mediterranean Shipping Company (“MSC”).   In 1988 the family acquired, Starluaro, an Italian cruise ship company which marked MSC’s first step in the cruise market.

 

 

Since then, the company has grown to a fleet of 21 ships with 23 ships expected to be delivered by 2025 and 29 ships by 2030. MSC Cruises is a leader in Europe, South America, the Gulf Region and South America.  MSC will have 5 ships departing from US ports by the end of 2023. The company’s new cruise terminal is currently under construction in PortMiami and is expected to be completed in December 2023.  This state of the art terminal will be able to accommodate up to 3 of MSC’s largest, state of the art ships and accommodate 36,000 guests at embarkation.

You and I enjoyed such a great conversation at the Travvy Awards in Ft. Lauderdale last month. Thank you so much for hosting me at your table. On a personal note, you and I have the great joy of being Grandmothers. Tell us a little about your Grandson and your new found role as Grandma!

In April of 2020 during the height of the pandemic, I was blessed with the birth of my first grandchild, Grayson Adam who was born in Dallas, Texas. I was living in Miami, FL at that time and I was unable to see him for several months due to the pandemic which was just torture!  Since then, I have been fortunate to relocate to Dallas where I live just 20 minutes away from him.  My favorite times with Gray are his sleepovers with “Kiki and Papa” and spoiling him way more than any grandparent should! He is 2 and a half years old and is just pure joy, always laughing and smiling. I can’t wait to show him the world and  will be taking him on his first cruise in early 2023.

 

 

With 2023 just about upon us, can you share any exciting updates with us about the fleet?

The key word when it comes to our fleet is growth, both globally and here in the U.S.

 

We just took delivery of MSC World Europa and christened her in Doha, Qatar. This is the first of our new World class ships. She’s the largest ship in our fleet and introduces a new design with a Y-shaped aft that creates a gorgeous outdoor promenade. She features new restaurant concepts like Chef’s Garden Kitchen where they grow microgreens onboard and create dishes in partnership with Celebrity Chef Niklas Ekstedt. She has great new bars including our first brewery at sea creating custom brews in partnership with award-winning brewmaster Teo Musso. She’s the largest LNG-powered ship in the world, which is important in our pursuit of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

 

By this time next year, we’ll have five ships in the U.S. fleet, which is a record for MSC Cruises. We’ll have the beautiful MSC Seashore offering a mix of short and 7-night cruises from Port Canaveral. We’ll have MSC Meraviglia offering a mix of Bahamas, Bermuda and Canadian itineraries from New York City. We’ll have three ships sailing from Miami with everything from short cruises to Key West and Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve to extended voyages going to South America and back. MSC Seascape will be our new U.S. flagship leading the way in Miami

 

The MSC Seascape is just debuting and there is a great deal of excitement around all that it has to offer. Can you share the top 5 features of this new vessel?

MSC Seascape is our latest Seaside EVO ship. The Seaside class represents our vision of top-notch Caribbean cruising with more outdoor space per passenger. She has a beautiful deck that wraps around the ship down close to the ocean, featuring infinity hot tubs and an infinity pool. Up on top, the bridge of sighs is a glass bridge that lets you look straight down to the infinity pool 72 feet below, or back into ocean as you move on to your next port.

 

 

MSC Seascape also features the thrilling new ROBOTRON ride, which uses a robotic arm to move guests around and upside down in the middle of a music and light show. She offers an amazing selection of specialty restaurants, including the fan-favorite Butcher’s Cut steakhouse, Kaito Sushi and Tepanyaki, Ocean Cay seafood, and Hola! Tacos and Cantina…all clustered around a gorgeous cocktail bar for pre-dinner beverages. And of course there’s the soaring atrium lined with our signature Swarovski crystal staircases…perfect for your Instagram feed!

Let’s talk about MSC’s focus on support for Travel Professionals. Are there any new programs or offerings you can tell our readers about?

There are 3 reasons why a travel advisor should want to partner with MSC Cruises:  We are the world’s largest privately owned and fastest growing cruiseline. We also offer one of the most lucrative commission structures in the industry.  I highly encourage travel advisors to utilize our travel advisor website, www.mscbook.com which is where they can access and service their bookings, find our latest programs and promotions, and also where they can learn more about MSC Cruises via our training program, MSC Masters.  They can also find our very attractive TA reduced rate sailings, locate their BDM and so much more.

 

 

Thank you for your time  and this informative and passionate look into MSC Cruises. We appreciate MSC Cruises always being a supporter of Travel Professionals. Before we conclude, is there anything you’d like to add?

We are incredibly excited about the future of MSC Cruises as we make a major play into the North American market with our increased capacity, new homeports, new terminal and our beautiful private island, Ocean Cay Marine Reserve. Our stunning hardware and European heritage offer guests a cosmopolitan cruise experience where they can meet and interact with people from all over the world while enjoying all of the fabulous amenities that our ships offer.