Cruising With Kids? Here’s How MSC Cruises Caters to Families

With 23 ships currently sailing in more than 250 destinations worldwide, MSC Cruises is a titan in the cruise world. 

The line keeps travelers and travel advisors on their toes with fresh itineraries and new ships — MSC World America will set sail in 2025, followed by MSC World Asia in 2026 and another yet-to-be-named ship in 2028 — and it keeps a special eye on its clientele, altering programming to suit their needs. 

To that end, MSC Cruises is going to great lengths to cater to families, who make up a sizeable portion of its customer base. According to Matteo Mancini, manager of kids and family entertainment with MSC Cruises, the line welcomes more than 600,000 minors per year (which he calculates as about 2,000 kids per cruise, on average, during the high season). Of those, 60% are teenagers. 

We spoke with him to get a better picture of what those teens — and kids of all ages, and their parents — can expect onboard an MSC cruise. 

In terms of kids’ clubs, is there a place for everyone onboard MSC ships?

We have different clubs for different age groups. We have Baby Club for babies under 3 years old; Mini Club for children between 3 and 6 years old; Junior Club, for children between 7 to 11; Young Club, for those 12 to 14; and Teens’ Club for guests 15 to 17. We are entertaining and inspiring the next generation of kids and teenagers, which is a great opportunity.

We are entertaining and inspiring the next generation of kids and teenagers, which is a great opportunity.

We want our U.S. audience to know that we want to be unique and different. For example, if you travel with us, you will see children and teenagers from everywhere in the world, which is very special. Then, our clubs are open all day until late night, and our clubs are all for free. Parents pay nothing. If they want, they can go relax, enjoy the spa or a shore excursion while their kids enjoy [the clubs]. And we’ll feed the kids lunch or dinner, all for free.

When families want to keep their kids with them, what kinds of activities are available?

Many parents want this, as well. We have family activities, family game shows and special experiences onboard, too, like a Lego experience, or Master Chef at Sea Juniors or Guiness World Records. 

And there are shore excursions that are great for kids, too, if parents want that. We talk to parents, and we talk to kids; we are listening to people and their needs, and that’s what we are doing to be special.

Right now, family activities and family gameshows are very popular. Master Chef at Sea Juniors is one the best activities we have, and people are in love with it. It’s a cool competition, where everyone has the chance to win. Our corporate chef from the ship will watch, and he’ll notice their talent.

Then, we have MSC original gameshows, like MSC Dance Crew, or Break the Wall, and then some branded shows, like Master Chef and Guiness World Records. These are very popular. And our family gameshow is 45 minutes in the main theater of the ship; parents and kids have fun together, and even compete against each other.

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Then I’d say technology is something the kids are in love with. We try to not just give them a PlayStation 5, which they have at home; we are trying to connect them, and to let them get to know each other and challenge one another with technology. There’s Drone Academy, for example, which gives lessons on piloting drones onboard. And we have 3D printers to create projects. 

We talk to kids about our future plans, and we change things accordingly. Because we need to create the best vacation for them.

We talk to kids about our future plans, and we change things accordingly. Because we need to create the best vacation for them; it’s not about what I like.

What are parents enjoying onboard?

The spa, of course, because a vacation is about relaxation, so that’s No. 1. Then, a good dinner without kids is great; that’s why we offer the kids’ clubs all day, so parents can have a bit of time to themselves. Our sushi restaurant is amazing; it’s an experience you need to try, as are our specialty restaurants. Dining is personal, but having options is the key — you get to try what you want. 

What MSC itinerary or destination news should travel advisors know?

Soon Seascape will be in Galveston, [Texas,] and that’s a great opportunity for U.S. travelers. We want parents to try MSC if they never have before; it’s important to communicate that we are reaching new ports, with beautiful ships and a youth program that’s the same across the brand. 

Then, our new ship, MSC World America, will be just amazing. It will have two decks dedicated to kids and families, including a family Adventura district. It will also have the biggest youth area of MSC Cruises (at 1,000 indoor square meters), a park, a waterpark and a sportsplex. It will be incredible. And I anticipate that, for the first time on an MSC ship, we will have an MSC original Lego family game show. Parents and kids are going to love it.