A look inside the MSC Divina, Port Canaveral's newest cruise ship
PORT CANAVERAL, Fla. - Port Canaveral is getting back to business and this week it welcomed a new ship from MSC Cruises.
The MSC Divina sets sail from Port Canaveral to the Bahamas for the very first time and passengers could barely contain their enthusiasm.
"Just so excited! Oh my gosh," said Debra Milner.
She and her husband, Mike, were the first ones to board.
MSC Cruises had already been departing from Miami, but the company chose to add Port Canaveral because of its strategic location.
"Our passengers are a lot of ‘drive market’ passengers – people that don’t want to fly today," explained MSC Cruises CEO Ken Muskat.
He said the ship normally holds 3,500 people but is booking about half that number at present time.
"It’s not fully sold out," he said. "We did that on purpose because we’re slowly ramping back up."
Port Canaveral Commission Chair Wayne Justice said MSC is their fifth cruise ship partner to operate out of the port. They are still waiting on Norwegian Cruise lines to come back.
The MSC Divina sets sail from Port Canaveral to the Bahamas for the very first time and passengers could barely contain their enthusiasm.
The MSC Divina sets sail from Port Canaveral to the Bahamas for the very first time and passengers could barely contain their enthusiasm.
The MSC Divina sets sail from Port Canaveral to the Bahamas for the very first time and passengers could barely contain their enthusiasm.
The MSC Divina sets sail from Port Canaveral to the Bahamas for the very first time and passengers could barely contain their enthusiasm.
"In the last 15 months, Port Canaveral lost over $115 million in revenue – revenue that would normally be put into our economy here," Justice said.
He said the pandemic hasn’t been easy on the 260 employees working out of the port, as well as local businesses.
"We laid off about 40% of our staff and rehired about 10%, and as the cruise numbers pick up, we will book as many people as we need."
The MSC Divina sets sail from Port Canaveral to the Bahamas for the very first time and passengers could barely contain their enthusiasm.
The MSC Divina sets sail from Port Canaveral to the Bahamas for the very first time and passengers could barely contain their enthusiasm.
The MSC Divina sets sail from Port Canaveral to the Bahamas for the very first time and passengers could barely contain their enthusiasm.
The MSC Divina sets sail from Port Canaveral to the Bahamas for the very first time and passengers could barely contain their enthusiasm.
That’s why cruise ships like the Divina are just divine for the local economy.
"It’s about transportation, moving people around. It’s about hotels and putting them up. It’s about people who supply these ships. All the food, water, drink all that backside is all back and running again," Justice added.
The MSC Divina will offer an exciting voyage to help keep local businesses afloat, as people like the Milners travel to the port from Jenson Beach.
"Parking was easy, everyone’s friendly. It’s probably our go-to from now on," Mike Milner said.
The MSC Divina will offer three, four, and seven-night trips to the Bahamas and the Caribbean.
MSC Cruise said a second ship, the MSC Seashore, will debut at Port Canaveral in November.
This story is developing, check back for updates.