MSC Cruises recently kicked off its 2024-25 cruise season in Brazil with the arrival of the MSC Seaview in Santos.
After crossing the Atlantic in late October, the 2018-built vessel started its first cruise from Brazil on Nov. 10, 2024.
To mark the start of the deployment, MSC held a celebration onboard the vessel, which was attended by Adrian Ursilli, the company’s country manager, along with ship officials, authorities, travel agents and press members.
During the 2024-25 season, five MSC vessels are scheduled to offer 126 cruises departing from six Brazilian homeports.
Two additional vessels from the brand are poised to visit the country during the season, which runs through late April.
“In addition to representing a large number of Brazilians and foreigners visiting destinations in the country, these figures also represent a significant economic impact,” said Ursilli.
“It is a great honor for us to kick off this season. We know we have a lot of work ahead, but we want to continue investing and increasing our presence in Brazil,” he added, mentioning the challenges facing the market in the future.
Brazil’s Minister of Ports and Airports, Silvio Costa Filho, thanked MSC for promoting cruises in the country, highlighting the company’s role in the market.
“For this year, we expect to have over 800,000 unique passengers, which is a significant gain for Brazil,” he said, mentioning overall season numbers.
“I am confident that in the next two years we will surpass the mark of a million unique passengers. This is a challenge we are pursuing,” Costa Filho added, emphasizing the role of government agencies in this process.
The arrival of the MSC Seaview also marks the opening of the 2024-25 cruise season in Santos, which serves as the largest homeport in Brazil.
“In Santos, we celebrate a season that is starting now and will bring 14 ships to the port, with 152 port visits. We expect to set a new record and welcome over a million passenger transits in 2024-25,” said Beto Mendes, the director of operations at the Port of Santos.
“On behalf of the Brazilian Navy, I express our satisfaction in providing our personnel, vessels, and military support to ensure a safe and organized season,” added Captain Marcos André Souza, the port commander for the state of São Paulo.
Seven MSC Ships in Brazil
For the first sailing of the season, the MSC Seaview offered a three-night cruise. Chartered to local event company PromoAção, the departure included a visit to Búzios, as well as a day at sea.
One of the five MSC ships scheduled to sail from Brazil during the 2024-25 cruise season, the 2018-built ship is scheduled to offer a series of three- to eight-night itineraries departing from Santos through April.
MSC’s deployment in the country also includes the MSC Grandiosa sailing from Santos, Salvado, and Maceió between December and April, as well as the MSC Orchestra sailing from Rio de Janeiro between November and March.
Scheduled to arrive in the region in December, the MSC Armonia offers itineraries from Paranaguá and Itajaí before repositioning to Santos for a series of short cruises starting in early February.
Completing MSC’s Brazilian lineup, the MSC Splendida is scheduled to offer week-long itineraries departing from Santos and Itajaí between December and March.
Two additional ships, the MSC Poesia and the MSC Magnifica, are poised to visit the country during the 2024-25 season.
The first makes regular visits to Brazilian ports as part of its homeporting operations in Argentina and Uruguay, while the latter arrives in the country as part of MSC’s 2025 World Voyage.
In addition to several vessels making visits to local ports as part of their international operations, Brazil is also receiving three ships from Costa Cruises for the 2024-25 season.
