Chantiers de l’Atlantique’s work is not limited to megaships. Two smaller vessels were under construction during my visit: The Ritz-Carlton yacht collection’s 452-passenger vessel Luminara Celebrity Cruises 3,248-passenger Celebrity Xcel. The shipyard played a major role in several recent cruise innovations that used green technology. It will finish the construction of Orient Express, the world’s biggest sailing yacht by the end next year. Corinthian, The vehicle will feature a wind-powered propeller system, a world first.
Whatever your cruise preference, megaships represent a remarkable feat of human invention. “Any function you can imagine a land-based city should have—from electricity to water treatment plants—that’s all here,” Bernhard Stacher, MSC Cruises’ senior vice president of shipboard hospitality operations, told me. “It has to be a floating city,” says Bernhard Stacher, senior vice president of shipboard hospitality operations at MSC Cruises. The megaship will need its very own security forces, food production systems, waste disposal systems and medical centers. Its inhabitants need to be entertained. This means waterparks, Broadway musicals, comedy, karaoke and casinos, as well as hundreds of hours of music live.
Behind each sailing is a level and planning of logistics that rivals the best resorts. “If you’re on land, you can easily call a supplier and say, ‘Listen, I’m running out of flour. Can you deliver some tomorrow?'” Stacher replied. “Without a ship, this is impossible.”
When did I board? MSC World America No signs of months or years of preparation were visible on the inaugural flight. Instead of workers hanging from the ceiling in harnesses, I saw acrobats dressed in silver bodysuits who were suspended in aerial silks. The ship’s steel skeleton was stylishly hidden in Italian marble, polished chrome and other materials. Lynn Torrent said to me, MSC Cruises president for North America: “It is magical to watch a ship this large come to life.” It’s a really overwhelming feeling.
As I sipped a glass of champagne while singing singers belted songs from Dirty Dancing The sounds of saws, drills, and other machinery were a million miles away. It’s all about creating a world unto itself, untethered from any sort of reality.
On my balcony I looked up and saw a giant swing set in red hanging off the side. High above the blue Bahamian sea, its riders shrieked in excitement, feeling the adrenaline—and the magic of an experience like no other.
This article appeared in July/August 2025 Issue of Condé Nast Traveler. Subscribe to the Magazine here.
