Shipping company MSC, known as the world’s largest cargo shipping company, also offers trips under the name MSC Cruises. One such cruise departs weekly from Zeebrugge, with the newest ship in the fleet: the ‘MSC Euribia’. “That is also immediately the most sustainable ship in our fleet,” MSC stressed in an interview with Flows.
The ‘Pearls of the North’ cruise will also allow travellers to discover Northern Europe from Zeebrugge. The route was launched in 2021-2022 with the ‘MSC Virtuosa’, in full corona time. “Due to circumstances, the new route had a moderate start, but during the 2022-2023 season it became a success,” echoes MSC Cruises. Some 80,000 applicants signed up that season for the seven-night cruise, which departs from Zeebrugge and calls successively at Le Havre in France, Southampton in the UK, Hamburg in Germany and Rotterdam in the Netherlands.
The ship’s home port is Southampton, which means more than half of passengers come from the UK. A third of passengers come from Germany, and about 5% each embark from Zeebrugge and Rotterdam. “That does not mean they are also from the country of the port where they embark. Many international guests fly to Europe and then book a cruise to see as much as possible,” said MSC Cruises.
Newest ship
For the journey through the North, MSC Cruises is now deploying the newest ship in its fleet: the ‘MSC Euribia’. “A conscious choice,” indicates Frank Van den Steen, country manager Benelux MSC Cruises. “It is the newest and also the most sustainable ship in our fleet. It symbolises MSC Cruises’ vision: we choose sustainability and go beyond what IMO prescribes. That’s in our DNA and we make that choice out of love and respect for the sea and the marine environment.”
“The ship runs on lng, which has greatly reduced CO2 emissions,” says Van den Steen. “Sulphur and nitrogen emissions have been reduced almost to zero. There are also numerous technological applications on board out of respect for the environment, such as a wastewater treatment plant, for example.”
Norwegian Fjords
In the summer, the ship will be used for a cruise from Kiel, Germany, to the Norwegian Fjords, and there different rules apply to ships in terms of sustainability. Is sustainability also more of an issue for passengers today? “Whether it is a decisive factor, I don’t know, but we do notice that the theme is much more alive,” echoes MSC Cruises.
Gert Verhulst’s family could already discover the ‘MSC Euribia’ for the programme of the same name. For the new season of ‘De Verhulstjes’, a camera crew will follow the Studio 100 founder together with his family on this luxury cruise towards the Norwegian Fjords. But who – apart from the influencers – are actually the passengers who choose to go on a cruise?
Is it true that mostly the elderly call the shots on cruise ships? “We have to adjust that image a bit,” Van den Steen responds. “The average age of all our passengers is 46, but the average age per ship is very different from route to route. For a trip to the Caribbean, for example, you see a much younger audience, while the ‘Pearls of the North’, for example, does attract a slightly older audience.”
Mixed audience
One reason for choosing a cruise is to take a trip together with the whole family, at the initiative of grandparents, for example. “That is a trend we are seeing more and more, and with the children ánd grandchildren included, you get a very mixed audience that way. The challenge then is to entertain both a younger and older audience on board. We offer something for everyone, from entertainment and shows, to wellness and water parks, to kids clubs and active courses,” says MSC Cruises Belgium spokesman Wim Willems.
The assumption that cruises are only for the ‘happy few’ is also wrong. “Take the cruise ‘Pearls of the North’, which departs from Zeebrugge. There, you can already book a seven-night trip from €600 per person,” says Willems.
Winetasting
“One good reason to choose a cruise? It is a combination of very many different types of trips: it is several city trips, there is a culinary aspect, you stay on the water,” Van den Steen lists. “If I can recommend anything on the ‘MSC Euribia’ to the more experienced cruise traveler, it’s our winetasting bar. It’s like a tour of numerous vineyards from all over the world, and you can taste 96 different types of wine.”
“For the less experienced cruise traveller, I would particularly draw their attention to the shows offered on board. Their quality can be compared to Broadway productions, and every night you can go and watch a show for free,” says Van den Steen. The ‘Pearls of the North’ cruise will depart weekly from Zeebrugge from autumn onwards, from the cruise terminal in the ABC building on Swedish Quay. There, by the way, you can leave your car for free for a week.
With 22 ships and more than 150 destinations in 70 countries, MSC Cruises offers a wide choice of travel experiences, ranging from mini-cruises and 7-night trips, to the 120-night MSC World Cruise 2024. For the winter cruise programme for 2023-2024, the shipping company offers various itineraries in Northern Europe, the Mediterranean, Caribbean and Antilles, Emirates, South America, Egypt, Red Sea, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and so on. There are also the MSC Grand Voyages and the MSC World Cruise 2024. Find more info via the website.
