Chocolate, Gelato and Cocktails: MSC World Asia Is Taking Indulgence to Another Level
The new 300m² Venchi destination will combine chocolate, gelato, coffee, cocktails and a rather tempting chocolate-making experience.
If your idea of a perfect cruise involves a little sightseeing followed by a large amount of chocolate, MSC World Asia may have just become rather tempting.
MSC Cruises has announced that its newest flagship will be home to the largest Venchi chocolate experience at sea, with a huge 300m² destination combining a chocolate boutique, café and artisanal gelateria.
Yes, 300m².
That's quite a lot of chocolate.
Chocolate, gelato and cocktails all under one roof
Located in the ship's Galleria district on Deck 6, the new Venchi destination will be the first Venchi store on a World Class ship and the largest across the MSC Cruises fleet.
It will have seating for more than 60 guests and will bring together retail, café and gelateria experiences in one space.
Guests will be able to browse Venchi's signature chocolates, including pralines and gifting selections, before settling in for Italian gelato, freshly made treats or a coffee.
And if you're thinking “Surely there has to be more chocolate involved?”, don't worry. There absolutely is.
Fancy making your own chocolate?
One of the highlights will be a live chocolate-making experience where guests can watch Venchi's chocolate experts at work before stepping into the “chocolate lab” themselves.
There, they can create their own bespoke chocolate bars and slabs using premium ingredients including Piedmont Hazelnut and Venchi's famous chocolate caviar.
Digital tools will also allow guests to personalise their designs, adding a playful element to the experience.
So, essentially, you can make your own chocolate.
We suspect the difficult part will be deciding when to stop.
Gelato deserves its own moment
Of course, no Italian-inspired sweet experience would be complete without gelato.
Guests can enjoy classic flavours including extra dark chocolate and gianduja hazelnut, alongside an exclusive new flavour created especially for the MSC Cruises and Venchi partnership.
And this one sounds particularly interesting.
Guests can enjoy an exclusive new flavour created especially for the MSC Cruises and Venchi partnership.
Meet Crunchy Waves
Called “Crunchy Waves”, the new gelato has been designed to create a playful “sand and sea” effect inspired by the colours, flavours and textures of the seaside.
It starts with a creamy vanilla gelato base, followed by crunchy hazelnut biscuit and salted toffee pieces inspired by the traditional Italian Bacio di Dama biscuit.
Then comes a vibrant blue spirulina layer designed to evoke the shimmering tones of the Mediterranean.
It certainly sounds like a gelato that knows how to make an entrance.
The limited-edition flavour will be available in selected Venchi stores worldwide from 1 August to 31 August, as well as aboard MSC Cruises' Seaside Class ships featuring Venchi gelaterias.
It will also be available aboard MSC World Asia from December.
And then there's the coffee... and cocktails
The Venchi café and lounge will serve Italian espresso and speciality drinks paired with Venchi chocolates, alongside freshly prepared croissants and crêpes.
So, whether you're looking for breakfast, an afternoon treat or simply an excuse to wander towards the chocolate counter, there should be something on offer.
Then, as evening arrives, the venue will take things up another notch with chocolate-infused cocktails, combining Venchi flavours with fine spirits.
There will also be Gelatoshakes for those who apparently looked at gelato and thought, “Lovely, but could we make it into a drink?”
We admire the ambition.
MSC World Asia is bringing plenty of choice
The Venchi experience is just one part of the dining and drinking offering planned for MSC World Asia.
When the ship begins sailing the Mediterranean in December 2026, it will feature more than 40 bars, lounges, cafés and restaurants, with a number of concepts developed in collaboration with culinary partners.
MSC World Asia will sail from 4 December 2026, with embarkation options including Barcelona, Civitavecchia, Naples, Genoa, Marseille, Messina and Valletta.
But for anyone with a serious sweet tooth, there's now another reason to look forward to stepping aboard.
Because between the bespoke chocolate bars, Italian gelato, crêpes, coffee, Gelatoshakes and chocolate cocktails, MSC World Asia may just have created the ultimate holiday dilemma:
How many sweet treats can you reasonably fit into one cruise?
We suspect guests will be very keen to find out.
Until next time, keep dreaming of your next cruise.