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Top 5 Reasons MSC Cruises Will Make Your Family Forget Vacations on Land

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When it comes to vacationing with the family, happy kids mean happy parents, and looking for new experiences to share together can be both exciting and daunting. Between planning, making sure everyone is happy and keeping an eye on budget, the process can quickly become complicated and stressful.

Fortunately, cruising is the turnkey vacation that families crave, without sacrificing any of the fun. Cruising makes it easier to choose a family trip by offering activities and amenities that appeal to everyone in your group —from the little kids to the grandparents — so everyone gets to enjoy their own, personalized experience. And MSC Cruises offers just that, with its innovative ships, onboard activities and unique destinations that make for an unforgettable family vacation.

Here are the top five reasons to choose MSC Cruises for your next family vacation:

Lego Experience on MSC. Courtesy of MSC Cruises.

1/5 Three Words: Kids Sail Free 

MSC Cruises makes traveling as a family extremely affordable with its Kids Sail Free program, where children 11 and under sail free and kids ages 12 to 17 can get a significant discount. This means that the vacation cost of a family of four can be virtually cut in half on many sailings.

Beyond putting money back in your wallet, MSC makes vacationing together even simpler by offering modular connected staterooms on new ships like MSC Meraviglia, which was christened in June, and MSC Seaside, arriving to Miami in December. These new staterooms allow up to three to be connected, accommodating up to 10 people. Whether traveling with families large or small, it’s simple and comfortable to stay together. And if you’re sailing with young children, Babycare services onboard offer easy, worry-free drop-off and pick-up for parents, with extended hours and dedicated napping areas on the newest ships.

Courtesy of MSC Cruises

2/5 There’s Plenty of Fun for the Kids and for You

There is really something for everyone on MSC Cruises. Kids will feel right at home, thanks to dedicated clubs and activities for all ages, keeping them entertained while meeting other kids from all over the world. Kids can bring home new skills in cooking classes, learn sentences in six different languages during a variety of courses and enjoy themed costume parties and parades, sports tournaments, scavenger hunts, arts and crafts and more.

On MSC Meraviglia, thrill-seeking teens can jet down multiple water slides at the Aqua Park, and cross the ship from 200 feet above the water on its Himalayan Bridge ropes course. MSC Seaside even has one of the most interactive waterparks at sea, including dueling water slides with slide-boarding technology, a combination of a slide and video game and two of the longest zip lines at sea.

While the kids hop around the ship, parents can easily sneak away for some much-needed alone time. MSC Meraviglia’s sprawling new 12,000 square-foot MSC Aurea Spa has one of the largest and most interactive thermal experiences to hit the high seas. And parents can sneak away for their own night of entertainment in another round of firsts for MSC Cruises. MSC Meraviglia has partnered with Cirque du Soleil for their first shows ever at sea. Dine in with a Dinner & Show experience — where the menu and performers will dazzle you with a specially curated meal — or grab a signature cocktail created specifically for the show.

MSC Cruises’ speciality restaurants have always been a standout feature, but now on the newest ships dining has never been more exciting or diverse. On MSC Meraviglia, guests can stroll into the expanded Eataly, crafted after New York’s favorite Italian food hall. Also on MSC Meraviglia, renowned French chocolatier and pastry chef Jean-Philippe Maury partnered with MSC Cruises to create an open chocolate atelier and creperie. On MSC Seaside, celebrity chef Roy Yamaguchi is bringing his first restaurant to the sea. The chef put his personal touch on every single part of the Asian Market Kitchen by Roy Yamaguchi, from the menu, concept and decor all the way down to the china and music. The three distinct areas of the restaurant are a tour of diverse flavors, with a sushi bar, teppanyaki grills and an á la carte restaurant.

MSC for UNICEF field trip in Malawi. Courtesy of MSC Cruises

3/5 Watch Your Kids Marvel at the World’s Coolest Destinations

MSC Cruises sails to some of the world’s greatest cruise ports and also ventures to new and unique travel hotspots you may not normally visit with family. Travel to cruiser favorites like Europe and the Mediterranean, with several ports in Italy, the Greek Isles and throughout the Baltic. And check off new sights on your bucket list, like the iconic redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, the desert of Abu Dhabi, the Northern Lights in Iceland and the rich urban texture of Cape Town.

When you only have to unpack once, taking an adventurous trip with the family becomes that much simpler. MSC Cruises puts so much of the world right at your fingertips, making it even easier to introduce your kids to new cultures, sights, tastes and sounds.

MSC Seaside, MSC Yacht Club Royal Suite

4/5 Easily Get Everyone in the Family the Kind of Comfort They Need

Travelling with the whole family is about making sure everyone gets the kind of vacation they need to recharge. While parents and kids may opt to stay together, grandma and grandpa may be looking for something a little more private. Available on all Fantasia class and newer ships, the MSC Yacht Club is a “ship within a ship” luxury oasis that mimics a private yacht with all the amenities of a larger ship.

Guests of the MSC Yacht Club can be catered to with 24-hour butler and concierge service, the private One Pool Deck, Top Sail Lounge and Yacht Club restaurant and private access to the MSC Aurea Spa. MSC Yacht Club concierge will also coordinate private shopping experiences and exclusive excursions throughout for its guests the voyage.

Courtesy of MSC Cruises

5/5 High-Tech Ships Provide a Tailor-Made Getaway 

MSC Cruises’ newest ships are outfitted with the latest in customer-centric technology, meaning less worry for parents and more fun for the family. The MSC for Me digital innovation program was created with some of the world’s leading experts like Samsung, HP, and Deloitte. The program first launched on MSC Meraviglia, will be introduced on MSC Seaside second and is planned to be progressively rolled out to the entire fleet.

MSC for Me creates a more personalized vacation experience with wearable technology, interactive screens throughout the ship, and more. Near Field Communication (NFC) interactive bracelets allow you to access staterooms, make purchases easier and book services, restaurants and excursions. The bracelets also give parents the peace of mind of being able to find their children wherever they are on the ship in real time, meaning the kids can play all day, and parents can enjoy time on their own.

New tech also means more tailor-made service, with 1,200 onboard video cameras that can recognize individual guests with facial recognition and share personalized recommendations based on their preferences.

MSC Cruises’ incredible itineraries and activities onboard not only give families something to look forward to, but a vacation that the kids will beg for again. And with 10 new ships on the horizon, you can see a new part of the world each time you cruise.

For more information and to book your cruise visit MSC Cruises.

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