The Good Life At Sea

MSC Seaview has Italian charm with a 21st-century sensibility.

Last June, as we approached Genoa, it looked like a fancy new building had been plunked alongside the historic Stazione Marittima, the onetime departure point for legendary trans-Atlantic liners like the Rex, Andrea Doria, Michelangelo, and Raffaello. Upon closer look, of course, the 17-story, glass-fringed edifice looming over the palatial art deco terminal was the stern quarters of the MSC Seaview. Fresh from Fincantieri’s Monfalcone shipyard (near Trieste), MSC’s latest mega cruise ship was being prepped for its christening ceremony — a gala that would be presided over by the line’s serial godmother Sophia Loren and culminate in spectacular fireworks. On board, shipyard workers were still finessing some of the finer details as travel dignitaries and members of the international press inspected the fast-growing line’s latest hardware, just days before it embarked on its sold-out maiden voyage.

MARITIME DESIGN

Following in the wake of the 2017-built MSC Seaside, the nearly identical MSC Seaview is the second in what will ultimately be a class of four innovative vessels that blend traditional design elements with all the latest seagoing gadgetry and technology. At 153,516 gross tons and with a capacity for 5,179 double-occupancy guests, these ships make a bold architectural statement. Superstructures soar vertiginously above wide, barge-like hulls and sterns that, yes, are intentionally designed to emulate a Miami Beach condo tower. Beyond the ships’ unapologetic scale, there is superficial detailing that MSC’s design team has finessed to give the impression of speed and power, such as the V-shaped cluster of balconies in the forward superstructure, the trellised caging around the funnel and the glass-bottomed Bridge of Sighs walkway that defiantly protrudes 10 decks over the stern.