MSC Cruises has officially announced the launch of world’s largest and most advanced cruise terminal.
According to certain reports, the stated cruise terminal becomes the first one implement a complete biometric journey with digital identity verification for a seamless embarkation experience. More on that would reveal how, designed by Arquitectonica and built by Fincantieri Infrastructure, the 492,678 square foot facility can process up to 36,000 passengers daily.
Markedly enough, the terminal will also serve both MSC Cruises’ and Explora Journeys’ ships sailing from PortMiami, including MSC Cruises’ new flagship, MSC World America.
Talk about the whole value proposition on a slightly deeper level, we begin from the facility to check in from the comfort of home. You see, guests can check in for their cruise online, via the MSC for Me app or the MSC Cruises website. The process here would include uploading of their travel documents, receiving their boarding pass in a matter of minutes, and preparing in advance for biometric processing. The overarching idea is to save guests their valuable time when they eventually enter the terminal.
Almost like an extension of that, we now must dig into prospect of arriving at the terminal with ease. Guests can arrive by car, bus, taxi, or ride share without hassle. For instance, those arriving by car can park in the terminal’s six-level garage with over 2,400 spaces and reserve their parking spot in advance via the MSC for Me app or the MSC Cruises website.
In case that wasn’t enough, guests can also come expecting a covered drop-off zone for buses, taxis and ride shares. All forms of arrival markedly share a covered path straight to the terminal’s main entrance.
Another detail worth a mention is rooted in a facility to drop your bags in a breeze. Basically, guests who have checked in online can simply scan their boarding pass and drop their luggage at one of the secure, strategically placed drop-off points across the parking garage before continuing to terminal.
Joining that would be an option to relax before your cruise. We get to say so guests can enjoy a terminal bathed in natural light, with Biscayne Bay’s sparkling waters reflecting through the facility’s expansive glass façade. Guests of the MSC Yacht Club, the cruise line’s luxury “ship-within-a-ship” concept, will also have exclusive access of a private lounge, where they can enjoy premium drinks and snacks.
Moving on to MSC’s biometrics-driven embarkation process, it translates to how the terminal leverages 22 biometric E-gates to finalize the embarkation process before guests enter the gangway. As onboarding is now being performed on the terminal side, guests can start their holiday immediately.
Not just embarkation, guests can also bank upon an advanced baggage handling and processing system to achieve quick disembarkation.
Among other things, we ought to mention how MSC’s makes for the first terminal in the world to be able to welcome three cruise ships simultaneously.
Furthermore, it features 7 pieces of artwork including a 10,816-square-foot digital art installation displayed on the outside of the terminal. The terminal in question also has more than 42 luggage screening machines, 18 biometric facepods that verify passport and identification, along with 22 e-gates used for embarkation.
