Gianni Onorato jumped from rival Costa Cruises in September 2013 to join MSC Cruises as CEO. The first ships to be designed under his command are arriving this year. He spoke with senior editor Tom Stieghorst at the Fincantieri shipyard in Italy, where several of them are being built.

Q: MSC is never going to be No. 1 in North America in passenger volume, so what does success look like for MSC in that market? 

A: Let's say we have the possibility of having a reasonable level of market share, to have a different product, a more multinational, international product but with a strong American accent. [America] will see different ships with a different design and also get the opportunity to be part of our extensive program in different parts of the world, like Dubai, like in Europe. Most of all, with our new ships we can offer the possibility of some unique features, like Cirque du Soleil, like the (promanade on the) MSC Seaside, that can't be found on all ships.