MSC Cruises UK managing director Antonio Paradiso is a happy man. Sitting on board MSC Virtuosa on the second sailing of the line’s domestic cruises, he explains to Cruise Trade News why the line is appealing to new-to-cruise passengers.

How does it feel to be back sailing?

It feels amazing. Just being at sea again and being on board, seeing happy faces… I’ve missed this so much. This is what we strive for. The ultimate purpose of our business is to make people happy and to give people a well-deserved break.

There’s lots of competition out there this summer – what makes MSC Cruises stand out?

We were the first ones to restart, so that gives confidence and peace of mind to guests. Our health and safety protocols have been tested for months [on Mediterranean sailings] and are now being tested in the UK.

So far, everything has gone smoothly. We are bringing that international and cosmopolitan experience to the UK. It’s a 360-degree experience. MSC Virtuosa is the most modern ship in the world and there is so much on offer.

This is a tricky summer for everyone; the situation is still unfolding. Cruises are the perfect answer to the traffic light system, once guests are on board, they can just relax and there’s nothing to worry about.

You’re not insisting guests have a vaccine to board – why?

We’re a family-run business. For years we’ve been hosting families from all over the world. We would have felt bad by saying no to families and a younger generation of people. We didn’t think it was the right thing to do [insisting on a vaccine], especially as we’ve had the chance to test our health and safety protocols in the Med [since last summer]. We were doing that in the middle of the pandemic when no-one had a vaccine.

I said to myself, ‘why should I leave out a fair share of the population, of our customers, when in reality the vast majority of passengers are fully vaccinated anyway?’ Guests also have to take a test 72 hours before embarkation, then we test them again at the terminal.

On a seven-night cruise, we will test passengers again, halfway through the cruise on day four. It’s so nice to see kids and families enjoying the ship, having fun by the pool. I can smell happiness in the air.

Bringing MSC Virtuosa to the UK is one the best things I’ve ever done. I think it’s been a game changer, not just for us but also the whole sector.

How are these domestic cruises selling in the new-to-cruise market?

This is something unexpected. If you had asked me the same questions two months ago, I would have told you I’m expecting many MSC repeaters on board – and yes, we have a fair share of them on – but what’s surprising to see is how many new-to-cruise guests booked on these sailings. On the first one, 55 per cent were new. We’ve never seen these percentages before.

Why do you think this is?

It’s a bit of everything. When you focus on UK staycations, land-based holidays, the options are limited and the prices of such options are above average, so cruising has never been so competitive. After the first sailing we had a spike in bookings. Touch wood, everything is going well.

Are we seeing the emergence of a new type of cruiser?

Yes, I believe so. This whole situation has removed some of the barriers surrounding the cruise industry. It’s been an eye opener for many people out there. I’ve seen guests I’ve never seen before. It has completely changed the history of the cruise industry in this country. We’ve all learned so much.