Inaugural call

The MSC Meraviglia sailed into Barbados on Sunday morning, setting a new record as the largest cruise ship to call at the Bridgetown port. That record was previously held by the Quantum of the Seas.

With a 5, 714 passenger capacity and a gross tonnage of 171,598 tonnes, the Meraviglia is ranked among the top ten largest cruise ships in the world.

Representatives of Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc., Barbados Port Inc., Platinum Port Agency Inc. and the Consulate of Italy in Barbados welcomed the captain and crew in a brief onboard reception during which commemorative plaques were exchanged to mark the inaugural visit.

The Meraviglia is currently on a 13-day cruise itinerary which departed New York on October 28 and ends in Miami on November 10, 2019. This voyage is its first Caribbean sailing. Coming in from Fort de France, Martinique, the ship left Barbados for Grenada.

The two-year-old Meraviglia, owned and operated by MSC Cruises, is the lead ship of MSC’s new “Vista Project” vessels, known as the Meraviglia-class. At 316 meters long and 65 meters high, it boasts decks all named after the wonders of the world. (PR)