MSC Cruises Partnering with Martha Stewart for New Onboard and Ashore Experiences

 
MSC Cruises is partnering with another big name, announcing today that it’s partnering with Martha Stewart on new culinary and discovery experiences both onboard and ashore during its sailings.

“Martha Stewart’s philosophy and passion for discovery is a perfect match for MSC Cruises and we are excited to bring her innovation, style and expertise to life in this special partnership designed to help our guests create memorable vacation moments with friends and family,” MSC Cruises CEO Gianni Onorato said in a statement announcing the news.

The partnership means that guests will soon get to experience a new set of curated shore excursions, all chosen by Stewart. They will focus on “Martha’s passion points” including activities such as hands-on culinary classes, horseback riding in the ocean, visiting craft markets, and more. The excursions will range from $115 to $199 per adult.

Photo: Douglas Friedman 

The experiences will first debut during MSC’s Caribbean sailings on MSC Seaside and MSC Armonia starting June 1, before being added to MSC Divina and MSC Meraviglia sailings in November 2019. There are plans to add additional experiences to Ocean Cay Marine Reserve, the cruise line’s Bahamian private island set to debut in November. 

“In addition to being designed around Martha Stewart’s interests, together we created these shore excursions with insight from the local tourism boards to identify the true, hidden treasures of the islands and really provide our guests with an exceptional and rare experiences” MSC EVP and COO Ken Muskat said.

Outside of the excursions, the partnership will also add new celebration surprise package options that guests and travel advisors can add to a sailing prior to departure or once onboard.

Three packages will be on offer—the Martha Stewart Delightful Surprise, which includes a personalized letter from Stewart along with a dessert and recipe card ($10); the Sweet Delight & Cheers package that also includes wine; and the Sensational Celebration package that adds a free digital and printed professional photo taken onboard, a picture frame, and a canvas beach tote bag.

Along with the celebration packages, there are also plans for the partnership to transform MSC’s holiday offerings—Martha Stewart and MSC will create special holiday menus during Easter, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve.

The Martha Stewart is yet another partnership that MSC is using to expand its offerings. The line already has agreements in place with Cirque du Soleil, Lego, celebrity chef Ramon Freixa, and more.