July 2022

 

This month we’ve met up with Matteo Mancini, Youth Entertainment Manager here at MSC Cruises to give you the low-down on cruising with families this summer!
 
How many children are we expecting on board the MSC ships?

"In the month of April 2022, we exceeded 23,000 children and young people on board from 0 to 17 years old. This is an extraordinary number that does mark a return to normality even if, it has to be said, we never really stopped. In 2019 we had 350,000 kids on board and during the first lockdown in early 2020, when our ships were stopped, we entertained thousands of children at home with original content posted on the official MSC Cruises YouTube channel. From August 2020 to August 2021 we safely restarted and entertained over 55,000 children onboard. We are grateful that we did establish a continuous dialogue with the new generation."

What children and families’ activities are available on board?

"The great news is that our award-winning kids’ program has not been reduced at all and we continue to offer everything that our young guests love the most. From partnerships with Lego and Chicco, to the services of our clubs and game shows in the theater dedicated to the z-generation. For summer 2022, there are also some news across the fleet, such as a new family game show dedicated to music and a new late-night show for Teenagers."

 
What’s your favorite kids’ activity available onboard right now?

"Personally, I'm a fan of variety: if every 30-40 minutes you change activities and go from dancing to sports, to cooking, to technology, all kids on board surely have fun. However one of the lessons that our CEO Gianni Onorato taught us, and we always keep in mind in the Company, is that we have to put our personal and private taste aside when making choices. My mission is to entertain kids from 0 to 17 years old so, first of all, I listen to them and ask them what they like and what they are looking for, so that I can work with the team to create something that meets their desires."

Does every ship offer the same activities?

"The product offered is the same on all ships. Our most successful activities such as MSC Dance Crew, MasterChef At Sea Juniors, Cabin 12006 "The experience" and Lego Experience on board are available on the entire fleet. The spaces dedicated to children may vary from ship to ship and there are some small exceptions, but no matter which ship parents choose, fun for their children is guaranteed!"
 
What feedback haver you received from the guests so far?

"We’ve always received extremely positive feedback from our guests.  During lockdown, parents had the opportunity to spend more time than ever before with their children at home and are now keener than ever to see them spend time with other children onboard. And I have to say that they are just as keen themselves! You can see it in the numbers too: participation has risen from 60% to 75% of children onboard."

 

Do the very young kids spend time on social media on vacation?

"They definitely do and it is natural. They want to share unforgettable moments of their vacation with their friends and we help them by turning them into our creators and ambassadors. Technology is not a bad thing if you use it for dedicated activities where kids & teens can team up and create something. We thus have two specific hashtags, #MSCteens and #Cabin12006, that they can use to tell about their cruise on both Instagram and Tik Tok, and we also have a live experience designed around our MSC original web series, “Cabin 12006”. Kids can discover what MSC Cruises has in store for them when they’re still at home, come on board to experience it, and finally come back home to tell and relive it through content on social media and YouTube."