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MSC Cruise Ships Listed Newest to Oldest [Updated]

MSC Cruises currently operates 22 cruise ships and is the world’s largest privately held cruise company.

With cruise ships all around the world, MSC is one of the fastest growing cruise companies in the world.

Here is a list of every MSC cruise ship in order from newest to oldest.  The list will be updated as new ships are added to the fleet and as older ships are retired.

In this article: MSC Cruise ships listed by size.

The ships range from the 65,542 ton Lirica class entering service in 2003 to the 215,000 gross ton World class.

The majority of MSC cruise ships operate in Europe with a growing number of sailings to the Caribbean.

MSC Seacape

MSC Seascape is the second Seaside EVO-class ship with the cruise line.  The 170,400 Gross Ton ship was added to the fleet in November of 2022.  The ship offers over 42,000 square feet of outdoor space and joins MSC Seashore in the same class.

MSC World Europa

MSC Virtuosa

This Meraviglia Plus sub-class ship was launched on May 20th, 2021.  With a gross tonnage of 181,541, MSC Viruosa is 1,08t feet long and can carry 4,842 passengers at double-capacity.

MSC Seashore

This Seaside EVO-class cruise ship was launched in August of 2020.  With a gross tonnage of 170,412, the ship is 1,112 feet long and can carry 4,540 passengers at double-capacity.

MSC Grandiosa

The inaugural sailing of MSC Grandiosa took place on November 10th, 2019.   This Meraviglia Plus sub-class ship has a gross tonnage of 181,541 and is 1,087 feet in length.  At double capacity MSC Grandiosa can carry 4,842 passengers.

MSC Bellissima

MSC Bellissima debuted in March of 2019 as the 2nd Meraviglia class ship with MSC Cruises.  This 4,500 passenger smart ship has the largest LED dome at sea, a chocolate factory, an indoor basketball court in the sports zone, and an impressive water park.  Read our post on 7 things we loved about MSC Bellissima and see our full video review of the ship here .

MSC Seaview

The 2nd Seaside class ship with MSC, Seaview debuted in June of 2018.  The 153,516 ton ship can accommodate 5,179 passengers.  This was the 3rd ship to enter service for MSC in a period of just 12 months.

MSC Seaside

Entering service for MSC Cruises in November of 2017, MSC Seaside was named the hottest cruise ship of the year.  The new design allowed for passengers to enjoy more outdoor space on the open decks.  The ship was christened in Miami, Florida and has been called “The ship that follows the sun”.  Read our post on 8 reasons to cruise on MSC Seaside .

MSC Meraviglia

MSC Meraviglia was the largest ship MSC had ever built.  The ship debuted in May of 2017 and at the time was the 4th largest cruise ship in the world at 171,598 tons.  Meraviglia can accommodate 4,500 passengers.

MSC Preziosa

MSC Preziosa debuted in March of 2013 as the 4th ship in the Fantasia class.  The ship is an enhanced version of the original MSC Fantasia and is identical to MSC Divina at 139,400 tons.

MSC Divina was the first enhanced Fantasia class ship with MSC.  The 139,400 ton ship debuted in June of 2012 and has a capacity of 3,500 passengers.  Read our post on the must-see features of MSC Divina here .

MSC Magnifica

The 4th Musica class ship, MSC Magnifica entered service in March of 2010.   The 95,128 ton ship can carry 2,550 passengers at double capacity and cost $547 million to build.  Magnifica has already done one World Cruise and will sail for another in 2020.

MSC Splendida

The 2nd Fantasia class ship, MSC Splendida is a 137,936 ton ship that debuted in July of 2009.   The ship was originally to be named Serenata but was changed to Splendida to reflect the ship’s beauty and elegance.

MSC Fantasia

The first Fantasia class ship, MSC Fantasia debuted in December of 2008.   At 137,936 tons, Fantasia was the largest cruise ship operated by MSC until MSC Divina was built.  This ship can carry 3,900 passengers.

The 3rd Musica class ship, MSC Poesia debuted in October of 2008.  The 96,627 ton ship was the first MSC ship named outside of Italy and was the flagship of the cruise line until MSC Fantasia entered service.

MSC Orchestra

MSC Orchestra debuted in May of 2007.  The 92,409 ton ship was the second Musical class vessel with MSC and after a refit can now carry 3,200 cruise passengers.

MSC Musica debuted in July of 2006 as the first Musica class ship with MSC.  The 92,409 ton ship can accommodate 2,550 passengers.

Once a flagship of the cruise line, MSC Opera is the 4th Lirica class ship.  Although Opera debuted in 2004 it was the 3rd Lirica class ship to undergo the “Renaissance Program” that added some lounges, a new buffet, spray park, and restaurant.

MSC Lirica is an identical design to MSC Opera and was first debuted in March of 2003.   This was the first newbuild ship to enter service for MSC cruises as the first two ships were acquired from another line.  Lirica is a 65,591 ton vessel after it’s last refurbishment and can carry 2,366 passengers.

MSC Sinfonia

MSC Sinfonia debuted for MSC in March of 2005 but was originally built in 2002.  The 2nd Lirica class ship, Sinfonia was originally built for another cruise line that is no longer in operation: Festival Cruises.  This is a 65,542 ton vessel that can accommodate 2,679 passengers.

MSC Armonia

MSC Armonia was built in 2001 and entered service for MSC in May of 2004.  Originally built for the now defunct Festival Cruises, Armonia was refurbished in 2014 with the Renaissance Program updates that upgraded some of the public areas.  The ship is 65,542 tons and can carry 2,679 passengers.

MSC Cruise Ships Listed by Size and Year Built

Future msc ships.

There are 4 World Class ships on order or under construction, with MSC World Europa scheduled to enter service at the end of 2022.  Each ship in this class will be LNG powered and have a gross tonnage of 205,700.

MSC Euribia is a “Meraviglia Plus” sub class cruise ship and is scheduled to enter service in June of 2023.

MSC Cruises has a total of 12 cruise ships either under construction or on order.

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Best and Worst MSC Cruise Ships (Full Ranking 2024)

August 23, 2024

MSC Cruises, has a fleet of 21 impressive ships . A very high number that offers a wide range of choices for travelers. However, this variety can sometimes be confusing when trying to find the ideal cruise.

To better guide potential customers, I decided to create a ranking that orders ships from the best to the worst based on customer reviews gathered from major cruise websites. After calculating the average score, it emerged that MSC Bellissima , launched in 2019 as part of the Meraviglia class, is the most liked ship. In contrast, despite being one of the newest, the MSC Seascape ranks last according to customer reviews.

Let’s see every ship in detail!

1. MSC Bellissima

Launched in 2019, Bellissima offers a sophisticated cruising experience with a focus on technology and comfort. Reviews often highlight the high quality of food at both the buffet and restaurants. However, there are mixed opinions on the adoption of overly technological solutions, such as the need to use the “MSC for me” app. Some reviews also note occasionally slow service and excessive crowding in the main venues.

From the opinions, it emerges that MSC Bellissima is the best ship in many aspects, most notably for its excellent cleanliness of the cabins and throughout the ship decks. Passengers also consider it the best ship in terms of size: not too big, not too small.

2. MSC Seaside

MSC Seaside, launched in 2017, is second in the list of the most appreciated ships. The idea of the ship is to emphasize its connection with the sea. Among its strengths is the wonderful outdoor deck that offers breathtaking and panoramic views of the sea and the ports visited. At the same time, as a downside, some customers said that the outdoor areas can’t be used in bad weather.

For this reason, cruisers consider it one of the best ships for cruises during the summer or for cruises in warm destinations.

3. MSC Sinfonia

MSC Sinfonia was lower in the ranking but climbed several positions after undergoing modernization works in 2015. The ship is loved because it has a more cozy and intimate environment, making it the preferred choice for guests who like smaller ships.

Reviews highlight the ease of moving on board and the more attentive service for the fewer passengers. However, the drawbacks include more limited entertainment options compared to larger ships.

4. MSC Seaview

Launched in 2018, Seaview offers an experience similar to Seaside, with a focus on outdoor areas. Therefore, its strengths include spacious outdoor decks, swimming pools, and numerous outdoor activities.

Some passengers found it a bit too crowded, and as with Seaside, good weather during the cruise is needed to enjoy all the best spaces.

5. MSC Meraviglia

MSC Meraviglia is a state-of-the-art ship with a spectacular LED promenade and a wide range of entertainment options. Guests have greatly enjoyed the variety of onboard activities available for all ages, from an excellent mini-club to adult entertainment. Everyone also liked the ship’s interior design, which was considered luxurious and elegant.

Like many larger ships, some negative reviews mention excessive crowding in common areas, but only during peak season.

6. MSC Divina

MSC Divina is one of those ships that is in the middle ground, neither too old nor one of the newest. Launched in 2012, it is renowned for its elegance and sophisticated design.

It has gained many points for the refined atmosphere onboard and a good selection of restaurants. In short, it is an excellent ship for those who are looking for a good ship without excesses.

7. MSC Preziosa

MSC Preziosa, launched in 2013, is the sister ship of the Divina I mentioned earlier. Being very similar ships, the customer ratings were almost identical. The only thing that changes is the interior decor in terms of colors and design. The spaces, however, remain mostly unchanged.

8. MSC Grandiosa

MSC Grandiosa was the first ship of the Meraviglia-Plus class, very similar to the Meraviglia class but with some improvements and a slightly larger gross tonnage. The ship is renowned for its imposing size and wide range of entertainment. On board, there are many restaurants and recreational activities. At the same time, the ship may seem a bit complicated, especially for inexperienced cruise passengers.

9. MSC Musica

Inaugurated in 2006, MSC Musica combines classic design with modern comforts. It is a medium-sized ship, so it has attracted positive reviews from those seeking relaxation. The atmosphere onboard is calm and relaxed, without crowds or large groups of people.

The flaws, however, are those that emerge with older ships. Being a 2006 ship, the years are showing, although it still appears well-maintained overall.

10. MSC Splendida

Splendida, the sister ship of Fantasia, offers elegance, comfort, and fun. Guests generally like the ship overall, finding it to be the right size and spacious. The entertainment on this ship has been particularly well-received, with guests reporting never feeling bored.

However, there are some criticisms regarding the food, perhaps explaining why this ship is only in the middle of the rankings.

11. MSC Virtuosa

Launched in 2021, MSC Virtuosa is one of the newest ships in the fleet. It stands out for its technological innovations and entertainment options, offering cutting-edge technology and a wide variety of fun activities.

However, like many other ships, its main drawback is overcrowding. Several customers have complained about long lines at both the buffet and reception.

12. MSC World Europa

The flagship, MSC World Europa, is at the twelfth position in the ranking of MSC Cruises’ best and worst ships. It is the newest ship, launched in 2022, and is inherently the most innovative with cutting-edge technology. The main criticism is the difficulty in moving around inside the ship, with some cruisers finding it too sprawling.

13. MSC Armonia

MSC Armonia is the oldest ship in the MSC fleet. It was launched in 2001 but renovated in 2014. Contrary to what some might think, the oldest ship is not necessarily the worst.

MSC Armonia has received good reviews for offering a more classic and intimate experience. The ship provides a welcoming and personal atmosphere that is perfect for those seeking a quieter cruise. The drawbacks are what you might expect: as the smallest ship, it has fewer restaurant and entertainment options than the larger ships.

14. MSC Seashore

MSC Seashore was the first ship of the Seaside EVO class, essentially an enhanced version of its sister ships Seaside and Seaview. Its strengths include more spacious cabins and excellent outdoor areas. However, like the other ships, the main drawbacks include overcrowded areas and sometimes a lack of good service.

15. MSC Fantasia

Launched in 2008, MSC Fantasia combines luxury and innovation. Although it was an excellent ship, several years have passed since its launch, and it’s starting to show signs of aging compared to newer ships.

However, the reviews still have a good rating and classify her as a good cruise ship.

16. MSC Magnifica

MSC Magnifica blends traditional style with modernity. Launched in 2010, it belongs to the Musica class but is slightly larger than its three sisters (Orchestra, Musica, and Poesia). Its positive points are the good mix of restaurants and entertainment activities, suitable for all ages. However, it lacks some features found in the newer fleet.

17. MSC Poesia

MSC Poesia launched just before MSC Magnifica (mentioned previously), is known for its calm environment, perfect for a stress-free cruise. The cabins are comfortable, and there’s a good variety of culinary choices onboard.

18. MSC Lirica

MSC Lirica is one of the older ships in the company’s fleet, but it was renovated in 2015. Despite the renovation, its age is pronounced, and some guests find it quite visible. It may be a good choice for travelers who are more focused on the itinerary and destinations than the ship itself.

19. MSC Orchestra

Launched in 2007, MSC Orchestra offers a good combination of relaxation and entertainment. Although not very large, it has a diverse selection of restaurants and bars and a well-structured entertainment program. However, cruisers have found the layout of the spaces sometimes confusing, and it may lack some of the attractions of newer ships.

20. MSC Opera

MSC Opera is almost at the bottom of the MSC ship rankings. Thus, cruisers consider it one of the worst ships. It’s relatively small, which might limit daytime activities or food options. It could be a good choice for experienced cruisers who know what they want and what to expect from a smaller ship.

21. MSC Seascape

Surprisingly, according to reviews, MSC Seascape, launched in 2022, is considered the worst ship of the cruise line.

Despite being a brand-new ship, passengers might have high expectations for new vessels and end up disappointed, even by minor flaws. Seascape is known for its revolutionary design; many passengers find it appealing. They also love the ship’s stunning interiors and the excellent entertainment and dining options. However, as with similar ships, criticism mainly comes from the overcrowding and the not-so-good service quality.

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MSC Cruises

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MSC Cruises fleet

Msc world asia, msc world america, msc euribia, msc world europa, msc seascape, msc virtuosa, msc seashore, msc grandiosa, msc bellissima, msc seaview, msc meraviglia, msc seaside, msc preziosa, msc magnifica, review of msc cruises.

MSC Cruises Ltd (MSC Crociere, msccruises.com/en-gl) is a passenger shipping company headquartered in Miami Florida USA (since 2024). the company is a fully-owned subsidiary of MSC Group/Mediterranean Shipping Company (1960-established, Geneva Switzerland-headquartered) currently ranked as the world's second-largest containership company (after Maersk).

MSC Crociere is the world's largest privately owned cruise company. 2020-Q4 statistics ranked MSC the world's 3rd-largest cruise shipowner (by combined fleet's passenger capacity ~13%), preceded by Carnival Corporation (39%) and RCG-Royal Caribbean Group (24%).

The company's current management team is led by Pierfrancesco Vago (Executive Chairman), Gianni Onorato (CEO), and Emilio La Scala (President and Managing Director).

Ruben Rodriguez is MSC Cruises USA's current President. Effective April 30, 2025, he will retire from the post and will be succeeded by Lynn Torrent (MSC Cruises USA's current Executive VP & CCO/Chief Commercial Officer) effective May 1st/2025.

In 2021, MSC launched its travel brand EXPLORA JOURNEYS , with a separate fleet of smaller-sized luxury ships. EXPLORA JOURNEYS' main competitor in the European market is Viking OCEAN .

Between its official launch (2003) and July 2019, MSC served 20+ million passengers. MSC is also the world's fastest-growing cruise company, with a USD 20,5 billion investment plan (2017-2027) for building 17 new vessels and increasing its fleet to 29 vessels.

The parent company (MSC Group) was founded and owned by its current Chairman Gianluigi Aponte (1940-born). Since 2014, the company's President and CEO is his son - Diego Aponte, while his daughter (Alexa Aponte Vago) is the CFO. MSC entered the ship cruising market in 1988. MSC also owns Going2Italy (1982-founded Italian tour operator).

MSC's main competitor in the Mediterranean is Costa Cruises .

Company History

Founded by Achille Lauro as "Lauro Lines" (aka Flotta Lauro), MSC entered the cruise shipping business in the 1960s. Initially, MSC operated two ships - Achille Lauro (IMO 5390008, launched as "Willem Ruys") and Angelina Lauro (IMO 5264077, launched as "Oranje"). Angelina Lauro (1939-1979) burnt in St Thomas USVI in 1979. Achille Lauro (1947-1994) sank off Somalia'scoast due to onboard fire.

In 1985, Achille Lauro was hijacked by Palestinian Liberation Front members, and the accident resulted in decreased passenger numbers. Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) purchased Flotta Lauro in 1989, and renamed it "StarLauro Cruises". Achille Lauro caught fire and sank in 1994. In 1995, the company changed its name to "MSC Cruises". Fleet's oldest liner - the 1982-built MSC Melody - was sold in November 2013 and scrapped in September 2018 (as MS Qing).

In 2014, MSC announced that its four Lirica-class boats are scheduled for refits and extensive drydock refurbishments under the company's "Renaissance Program" (budgeted USD 273 million). By this project, all four vessels (Armonia, Lirica, Opera, Sinfonia) were stretched/elongated by 25 m (80 ft).

Ship-reconstruction works were done at Fincantieri shipyard in Palermo Sicily , between 2014 (August 31) and 2015 (November 17).

Since 2021, all MSC cruise ship refurbishment projects have been conducted at Palumbo Malta Shipyard (co-owned by MSC / 50% stake). Palumbo Group's other shipyards are in France (Marseille) and Italy (Ancona, Naples, Savona).

Most of MSC's fleet operates in Europe (Mediterranean and Baltic). The company's other strong markets are the USA (Caribbean), Canada New England, East Asia, South America, South Africa. Because of the international passenger base, all shipboard announcements are generally read in Italian, Spanish, French, German and English. Onboard mealtimes are fixed, with assigned seatmates. Optional dining includes Lido buffet restaurant, sushi, and Italian eateries.

Globally, MSC owns and operates several cruise terminals - in the USA (Terminals AA/AAA, PortMiami Florida ), Italy (Palacrociere Terminals in Genoa and Civitavecchia-Rome ), Spain (Helix Cruise Center in Barcelona , and South Africa ( Durban Cruise Terminal ).

MSC liners offer standout evening show entertainment - from classical concerts and jazz to contemporary dance music and circus-type acrobatics. Voyages are typically priced at value-oriented levels, but the liners offer an unprecedented range of modern vacation travel amenities and services that cost extra, such as fees for port shuttle buses, a la carte restaurant menus, etc.

Company changes 2024

In January was announced that in November 2025 MSC starts year-round homeporting operations from Galveston TX (ship Seascape, 7-night roundtrips departing on Sundays). Also in January, MSC started homeporting in NYC New York (ship Meraviglia).

In mid-January, MSC Group moved its operational headquarters to Downtown Miami (Block 55 at Sawyer's Walk/Overtown). The new facility (130,000-ft2/12080-m2 sized office space) now houses the company's three divisions - MSC Cargo (container ships/logistics), MSC Cruises (passenger liners) and Explora Journeys (expedition ships).

In February as fleet's COO/Chief Operating Officer was appointed Elia Congiu (with MSC since 2013, previously Chief HR Officer/Human Resources).

In late-February was introduced the "Open Booking" program, allowing passengers on a current cruise to reserve a future cruise without committing to a specific vessel/itinerary/date. The initiative complements MSC's existing "Future Cruise" (onboard booking) program introduced in 2023. The new "Open Booking" option requires a reduced deposit payment (USD100/EUR100/GBP100 per person) while on board. The customer receives a certificate that allows up to 12 months period to choose the next MSC voyage. If the ship and departure date are selected within 60 days (of making the onboard open booking), the customer receives up to USD200/EUR200/GBP200 in OBC (onboard credit per stateroom). With a booking made within a year is received up to $100 in OBC. MSC's open booking is also transferable (can be gifted to a family/friend) before choosing the ship/departure date.

In February, on two ships (Virtuosa and Euribia) MSC banned smoking and vaping in the Casino (turning the gaming lounge into a smoke-free venue) while on two other ships (Seascape and Seashore) were added a separate smoking-allowed Casino Lounge.

In April was appointed Neil Palomba (with MSC since 1996) as MSC Cruises USA's Executive VP of Operations, managing MSC's USA-based fleet plus Ocean Cay Bahamas. As MSC Cruises USA's VP of Food and Beverage Operations was appointed Josef Jungwirth (previously employed by Sandals Resort International and RCI/Royal Caribbean International.

In May was expanded fleetwide the shipboard family program. The new activities and services include Extended Baby Care Services (for infants 6 months to 2 yo/in collaboration with Chicco), Doremiland Open House and Family Party (held once-per-cruise), new Family Game Shows (MasterChef at Sea Juniors, Break the Wall, MSC Dance Crew, plus two new - World Quest/geography-based trivia game, and Caravaggio/art-themed spy game), extended Teenagers Club Hours (12-17 yo/open between 10 AM-1 PM, and 3 PM-midnight on sea days, and 3 PM-midnight on port days), Guinness World Record Activities (families can participate in quiz shows and win prizes) and MSC Foundation Day (in collaboration with the MSC Foundation/marine conservation initiatives/1-hour sessions allow kids to learn about environmental topics).

Company changes 2023

In May MSC Foundation signed a partnership with NatureMetrics (provider of biodiversity monitoring data) for collecting data for marine species during voyages. By MSC's "eBioAtlas" project, the collected samples (from the seawater) are sent to NatureMetrics where they are analyzed using eDNA.

In June MSC signed a long-term agreement with Gasum Oy (1994-founded Finnish state-owned energy company) for the fleet's LNG bunkering operations in the Baltic. The deal was signed by Linden Coppell (MSC's VP of Sustainability & ESG/Environmental, Social and Governance) and Mika Wiljanen (Gasum's CEO).

MSC Explora Journeys (a total investment of ~EUR 3,5 billion) officially starts commercial operations in July 2023, with Explora I 's Maiden Voyage (July 17th).

In October was signed an agreement with Shell Western LNG BV (part of Shell plc/the world's second-largest oil and gas company/after ExxonMobil) to provide LNG for the ship Euribia. The deal was signed by Pierfrancesco Vago and Tahir Faruqui (Shell LNG's General Manager). Euribia's first LNG bunkering was in Port Rotterdam.

Since November 15th, the shipboard children's and teen's clubs (fleetwide/facilities for kids ages 12 to 17) operate with extended opening hours and longer live entertainment (8 hours daily). The company's expanded youth programming also includes more and new organized/supervised activities (sports, aquapark entertainment, kids-themed dinners, a different game show for teens every night/followed by a disco).

For 2023, MSC reported serving ~4,1 million cruisers (on 22 ships maintained by 46006 crew from 137 nationalities), 7669 operating days, 26,845167 million ALBDs (Available Lower Berth Days). Throughout 2023, MSC operated 385 itineraries (visiting destinations in 102 different countries) and offered 2150 different shore excursions.

Company changes 2022

In mid-March, MSC Group announced a partnership with Travelife Ltd for EXPLORA JOURNEYS' shore excursion program. "Travelife for Tour Operators" allows tour companies and travel agents access to the company's online management system (16x sustainability modules) with excursion checklists, planning tools, travel- and tourism industries' best sustainability practices examples.

In late-March, MSC became the Official Cruise Partner of "Formula 1".

In August, the entire MSC fleet received "ISO 21070:2017" certification (issued by the International Organization for Standardization) for marine environment protection. The certification specifies the onboard procedures regarding waste management practices (collection, separation, treatment, storage).

For winter 2022-2023 season (December thru April) MSC introduced fly-cruise packages from Brazil to the Caribbean. Via partnerships with Brazilian airlines, MSC provided Brazilian tourists with the opportunity to enjoy affordable 6-hour chartered flights from Sao Paulo (Guarulhos Airport) to Fort-de-France Martinique (Aime Cesaire Airport). In Martinique, they board the ship ( MSC Seaside ) for 7-day roundtrip Caribbean voyages and then fly back to Brazil. MSC's Brazil-to-Caribbean fly cruises are also inclusive of bus transfers (airport-cruise port-airport). The offer was available again for winter season 2023-2024 and again on MSC Seaside.

Company changes 2021

In June 2021 MSC officially launched its luxury brand " Explora Journeys ".

For summer 2021 season (July-October) MSC chartered flights (26000+ seats) to offer fly-cruise packages via partnerships with Europe's largest airlines including Iberia (Spain), Alitalia (Italy), Air France, Eurowings (Germany) and Neos (Italy). This way MSC guaranteed accessible airports and convenient flight times for accessing the homeports (embarkation ports) of 6x ships deployed in the Western Mediterranean (Grandiosa, Seaside), Eastern Mediterranean (Splendida, Orchestra, Magnifica), and the Baltic (Seaview). The package deals were also inclusive of airport-ship bus transfers and COVID health insurance (EUR 25 pp, by Europ Assistance).

On October 6, 2021, MSC opened bookings for Magnifica's Northern European winter 2021-2022 season - the company's first-ever winter season with deployment in the Baltic Sea. Starting on November 14th, the program offered 7-night roundtrips from all call ports in the itinerary (Hamburg, Ijmuiden-Amsterdam, Zeebrugge-Bruges, Le Havre-Paris, Southampton-London) and up to 12-hour port stays.

Company changes 2020

On July 30, 2020, MSC Cruises Ltd and Palumbo Group formed a 50-50 joint venture company to operate Palumbo Malta Shipyard (in Citta Cospicua). The Palumbo shipyard has 4x drydocks and will be used for refurbishments and general maintenance works on MSC ships (passenger and cargo) as well as on other cruise and ferry companies' vessels. The facilities will be updated, including with technologies to handle LNG-powered ships. The deal was signed by Pierfrancesco Vago (MSC Cruises' Executive Chairman) and Antonio Palumbo (Palumbo Group's founder and Chairman).

In late-November 2020, MSC signed a long-term agreement with ABP Southampton for preferential docking rights. The deal starts in summer 2021 with the homeporting of MSC Magnifica at Southampton's newest/5th passenger terminal. By this agreement, every year MSC has to homeport at least one ship in Southampton.

Company changes 2019

In May 2019, MSC became the industry's first mainstream cruise shipping company with a permanent office in Canada (Mississauga, Ontario). MSC Cruises Canada's new office is served by 15 employees (full-time staff) led by Ian Patterson (Country Manager). With the Canadian office, MSC also launched two new websites - MSCCruises.ca (for consumers) and MSCbook.com/ca (for travel agents). Both websites debuted in English and were later upgraded with French language versions. MSC Cruises Canada has a bilingual call center and provides bilingual materials (brochures, flyers) for potential clients and travel agencies.

In early-December 2019, MSC signed with Japanet a 5-year sponsorship deal for V-Varen Nagasaki - Japanese professional football club owned by Japanet (TV shopping channel). As of 2020, the company also partners with the professional football clubs Chelsea FC ( London England ), Paris Saint-Germain FC ( Paris France ) and SSC Napoli ( Naples Italy ).

Company changes 2018

Since September 2018, MSC has an exclusive partnership with "Mohegan Sun" - Uncasville (Connecticut USA)-based casino/gambling complex operated by Mohegan Tribe and located on reservation land along Thames River. By this deal are matched MSC's loyalty program (Voyager's Club) with Mohegan Sun's Momentum program. Momentum members receive exclusive cruise perks (including booking discounts, priority embarkation-disembarkation, onboard amenities). MSC's shipboard casino program offers customers the chance to play on over 1300 different slot machines fleetwide, plus various table games. Onboard casino rewards also include specialty dining, spa treatments, booking discounts. Mohegan Sun loyalty program members receive the corresponding MSC status based on their current casino card levels.

In mid-October 2018, MSC planned to eliminate single-use plastics fleetwide by March 2019. The list of such items includes bags, cups, cutlery, toothpicks, aprons, stir pins, drink mixers, coffee lids. By the end of 2018, they will be replaced with 100% compostable and biodegradable substitutes made of renewable resources (corn-based polylactic acid, paper, bamboo, other organic materials. In addition, shipboard drinks are no longer served with straws.

In late-November 2018, MSC signed an exclusive partnership with Chelsea Football Club to become its official global cruise partner (January 2019 thru June 2024). The deal includes LED advertising at Stamford Bridge (football stadium in Fulham/west London). By the agreement, Chelsea FC representatives attended MSC Bellissima 's naming ceremony (March 2019) and on the new ship was also displayed Chelsea FC memorabilia.

In 2015, MSC ordered 4 newbuilds from STX France and Fincantieri Italy , with an option for 3 more units. The first two vessels were delivered in 2017 - Meraviglia (May) and Seaside (November).

On February 1, 2016, MSC announced it would build two "Meraviglia Plus"-class units, with max capacity 6300 passengers. The newbuilds ( Grandiosa /2019, Virtuosa /2021, Euribia /2023) have 200 additional cabins and are 16 m (50 ft) longer compared to Meraviglia-class (2444 staterooms). The last unit's/Euribia's construction started on June 28, 2021.

The first Meraviglia-Plus vessel was delivered in November 2019 (Grandiosa), the second - in February 2021 (Virtuosa). Meraviglia-Plus features include the first-at-sea Fine Art Museum with original artworks, an additional space allowing bigger indoor Promenade (length 111 m / 36 ft), two additional restaurants, and a larger outdoor LED screen (95x6 m / 280x20 ft). MSC signed an exclusive partnership with both Samsung (providing the technology) and Cirque du Soleil (live show programming).

In November 2017, MSC ordered 2 more (Seaside-EVO class) units from Fincantieri (contract value EUR 1,8 billion). They are bigger (16 m longer, 17330 GT-tons larger, capacity 467 more passengers) in comparison to Seaview-Seaside. Their deliveries were scheduled for 2021 May ( Seashore ) and 2022 November ( Seascape ).

In early-August 2018, MSC signed an agreement for EUR 1,5 billion (USD 1,74B) for financing both Seaside-EVO liners. The financing was via a partnership with a syndicate of lender banks (Unicredit, BNP Paribas, Cassa Depositi e Prestiti). Fully backing the credit line was the Italian export credit agency SACE SIMEST. With the addition of Seaside EVO, MSC had an unprecedented total investment of EUR 10,5 billion into 12 new vessels with scheduled deliveries by 2026.

On November 30, 2017 (during Seaside's launch) the company Marlink (world's largest independent satellite Internet provider) provided over 0,5 gigabit per second throughput on its Sealink VSAT network. Seaside's record-breaking Internet speed was enabled on Intelsat's new EpicNG satellites. Marlink is MSC fleet's provider of satellite Internet via optimized "cloud of bandwidth". As of 2017, Marlink had as part of its Sealink network 25 satellites and 32 overlapping beams.

On June 14, 2018, MSC signed with STX France shipbuilding order for the 5th Meraviglia-Class unit (delivery in 2023, dual-fuel LNG -powered engines ). With this order, MSC had 13 newbuilds under construction or on order (2017-2026), of which 5x LNG-powered. The announcement was made at St-Nazaire yard. The ceremony was attended by Bruno Le Maire French Minister of Economy and Finance) and Pierfrancesco Vago (MSC's Executive Chairman). The event celebrated 3 major milestones - Virtuosa's steel-cutting, Grandiosa's keel-laying and Bellissima's float-out. For the first time in the shipyard's history, 3 vessels of a single shipowner were simultaneously under construction.

On October 18, 2018, MSC signed with Fincantieri an MoA agreement for 4x EXPLORA class ultra-luxury expedition ships. The contract's total value was EUR 2+ billion. Compared to the company's "liner fleet", the EXPLORA units are smaller (GT 64,000 tons, 500 staterooms). The first boat enters service in 2023, and the remaining 3 will be launched one per year (2024-2025-2026). The signing ceremony was attended by Pierfrancesco Vago and Giuseppe Bono (Fincantieri's CEO).

A curious fact is that Sophia Loren (1934-born Italian film actress) is MSC's traditional Godmother, naming each newbuild since 2003 ( MSC Lirica ).

(NEW) MSC Silenseas ships by STX France

On January 20, 2020, MSC and Chantiers de l'Atlantique (STX France) signed an MoU for the development of a sail-based (wind-powered) prototype of a cruise liner. The new class will be based on the Silenseas concept (introduced by STX France in 2018) that represents hybrid propulsion combining sails with dual-fuel marine engines.

MSC's new cruise vessel will be able to sail with min wind speed 15 knots (28 kph) and wind angle 50+ degrees. The currently considered design features GT tonnage 23,000, LOA length 210 m (689 ft), passenger capacity 300 (150 staterooms).

The sailing ship can reach speeds of 12 knots (14 mph / 22 kph) under sail in 15 knots (17 mph / 28 kph) winds. In winds over 15 knots, the vessel's propellers will be used, acting as a turbine that draws power from the sails. On Caribbean Sea routes, the new technology could reduce propulsion energy by 60%.

STX France's sail-ship design was developed for 3 vessel sizes, the biggest being 15,000 GT tons vessel with LOA length 190 m (620 ft) and 150 passenger staterooms. The French shipbuilding company started research in sail propulsion in 2009, Silenseas has technology patents (2009 and 2017) for the new sail. The unit is made from fiberglass, carbon and epoxy-resin panels. Similar is the concept of Peace Boat's new vessel Ecoship (built by Arctech Helsinki Shipyard in Helsinki, Finland ).

STX France's new wind-power technology was trialed on the Ponant -owned superyacht Le Ponant , on which one of the existing sails was replaced and the new technology tested.

Shipboard safety

In October 2017, MSC Cruises installed on Meraviglia a modern "Man Overboard Detection System". The company also announced its plans to install such systems fleetwide.

This is an intelligent video capturing, image processing and analysis system that was tested and tuned on the cruise ship for over 25,000 hours, resulting in confirmed accuracy level of 97%. The real-time video data (provided by the ship's HD CCTVs) is monitored and analyzed in a central security center by 2 independent image processing systems, which significantly lowers false alerts.

When the alarm activates (in a man overboard case), light and acoustic signals notify the ship's security officer who can immediately review the recorded video and notify the Navigation Bridge crew to start a rescue operation.

MSC WORLD-Class liners

On April 6, 2017, during the Meraviglia ship's delivery ceremony at STX France shipyard (Saint-Nazaire) , MSC signed a new ship construction MoU ("memorandum of understanding") with STX France for a new series of 4 vessels (WORLD Class) at a total cost EUR 4.5 billion. The ship's order was signed on May 31, 2017.

WORLD Class MSC vessels are with a max capacity of 6761 passengers. The number of staterooms is 2632 ( passenger capacity 5264 lower berths). The building cost (per unit) is EUR 1,125 billion, the shipbuilder is STX France.

Each unit has Gross Tonnage/volume 215,863 (GT tons), LOA length 333 m (1093 ft), waterline beam/width 41 m/135 ft (max width 54 m/177 ft), height 75 m (245 ft), draft 9,2 m (31 ft).

Among these liners' key features are latest generation LNG-powered marine engines , new wastewater treatment plants, ultra-modern marine architecture with a Y-shaped superstructure (better panoramic views, significantly increased number of balcony staterooms), G-bow hull (vertically positioned / at a 90-degree angle, improving the vessel's stability and hydrodynamics/fuel efficiency), family-themed "villages", panoramic aft pool, glass-covered pool deck.

The first ships from the WORLD series were inaugurated in 2022 Dec ( MSC World Europa ) and 2025 April ( MSC World America ). The two optional vessels were ordered in November 2023 and scheduled for deliveries in 2026 May ( MSC World Asia ) and 2027 February (MSC World tbn). There is also an option for a 5th unit from this class.

In January 2016, MSC signed a partnership with Samsung for the latest technology equipment upgrade fleetwide. Among the provided by Samsung equipment are top-line flat HDTVs (for passenger cabins), LED screens and digital signage boards (in public areas), specialized medical equipment (for onboard hospitals), augmented reality mirrors, printing solutions.

In April 2018, the company introduced its new "Family Explorer Club" excursions program with expected over 250,000 children on cruises in 2018. The new tour program is designed to involve kids and their parents on custom-made shore excursions. The first boat offering this program was Divina. The new interactive land tour experiences are themed on the destination's history and each tour features a local historical character symbolic to that destination/city. Teams are equipped with digital explorer maps, detailed instructions for the mission, and kids receive stickers for every accomplished task. On these family-only tours, kids are booked half-price. Excursions usually start later in the morning and have a max duration of 4 hours.

MSC private islands (Sir Bani Yas, Ocean Cay)

In December 2015, MSC unveiled plans to develop an "unprecedented exclusive marine reserve island experience in the Bahamas". The USD 200-million project was launched in Nassau , where The Bahamas' Prime Minister and MSC's Executive Chairman signed a 100-year lease agreement, enabling MSC Cruises to occupy and develop the island - officially named Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve .

Ocean Cay was a 2-year long, USD 200 million project. The island is sized 95 acres / 38 hectares (0,38 km2 / 0,15 mi2) and is the world's only private marine reserve. It has a 3470 m (11400 ft) long beachfront across 6 beaches, Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve is the biggest Caribbean private island development done by a cruise company. An interesting fact is that when the MSC ship is berthed in Ocean Cay, all its onboard facilities and services (including the casino) stay open and operational. Ocean Cay Island is surrounded by 64 mi2 (166 km2) of protected waters with coral reefs and ~90 different fish species.

In June 2016, MSC officially announced the exclusive "beach oasis" for MSC cruiseship tourists on roundtrips from UAE ( Abu Dhabi and Dubai ) starting winter 2016-2017. The 2,5 km (1,5 mi) stretch of land on Sir Bani Yas Island features shaded cabanas, hundreds of palm trees and 2000+ sunbeds across 36,000 m2 (387,500 ft2) of sand beaches. Other facilities and amenities available on the island include food and drink bars, MSC Aurea Spa (wellness complex, massages), sports facilities (beach volleyball, tennis), family-kids playground area (with pergola / outdoor garden for parrents), Bedouin tent (selling hand-made local arts and crafts), lounge space (live music, full-service bar), exclusive beaches (with VIP areas and cabanas).

The MSC island development is on a smaller isle connected to the main island by wooden boardwalk allowing exclusive access to MSC passengers. MSC worked closely with ecologists and the Abu Dhabi Port Authorities for over 2 years to develop the island and support the ongoing preservation work. The isle is one of the region's largest wildlife reserves due to decades of conservation works and ecological investments to maintain its biodiversity. The "Arabian Wildlife Park" on the main island is home to over 13,000 endangered and indigenous animals, as well as millions of plants and trees.

The first cruise to Sir Bani Yas Island departed on December 3, 2016 (visiting the island on December 5th). Prices started from USD 720 per person (7-night itinerary on MSC Fantasia ). In July 2016, Costa Cruises announced that Sir Bani Yas Island will be added as a 1-day stopover (port of call) during season 2016-2017 on Costa neoRiviera . In 2017-2018, neoRiviera was replaced in Dubai by Costa Mediterranea . Costa passengers have access to a private (Costa exclusive) beach with VIP areas with cabanas.

Among the island's shore excursion options are jeep safaris in the wildlife park, sea kayaking, diving and snorkeling tours.

MSC Cruises Asia

In mid-January 2018, MSC announced a new partnership with China's largest online payment platform "Alipay". The deal offers mobile payments fleetwide - on all MSC vessels deployed in Asia. It allows customers to pay for onboard purchases. In November 2017, the Alipay option was introduced on MSC Lirica. Next ship with Alipay technology was MSC Splendida - homeported in Shanghai China since May 2018.

Since May 2017, all Costa Asia -managed cruise vessels (of all Carnival Corporation brands) allow use Alipay payment services onboard. The partnership between Carnival Corporation and Ant Financial Services Group (a subsidiary of Alibaba, China's biggest online trading company) enables Chinese cruise passengers on all Carnival Corp ships in Asia to pay for onboard services and products using their Alipay (mobile payment platform) accounts. Among these onboard services and products are shopping, tours/excursions, food, and drinks. These expenditures are added to the passenger's cabin folio, then cleared via his/her Alipay account on a nightly basis.

(NEW) MSC kids programming

In November 2019, on Grandiosa (fleet's flagship) MSC introduces a new kids' entertainment program featuring hundreds of hours (per week) of themed activities. For children and teens is allocated up to 700 m2 (7535 ft2) of shipboard space with separate rooms for different age groups. The activities include virtual gaming (consoles and arcade machines), large aqua parks with slides, treasure hunts, trivia games, themed parties, supervised playgrounds (indoor and outdoor).

Starting with Grandiosa, MSC now offers 3 new activities for children (MSC Dance Crew, The Drone Academy, Spy Mission) plus a new web series targeting teenagers.

• "MSC Dance Crew" is developed via partnership with FremantleMedia - the company behind the TV show franchises "The X Factor", "Idols" and "Got Talent". The new music competition experience is based on teams of 12-17-year-old children battling to win the title "dance crew of the year".
• "The Drone Academy" is via partnership with The Department ( London UK -based event agency). The high-tech drone racing activities take place in the ship's Sportsplex and happen at night due to flicker effects and the glowing drones. Teens (battling in teams) are previously trained on drone piloting. The race is at the 390 m2 (4200 ft2) sized arena and includes navigating 15 obstacles in the fastest time possible.
• "Spy Mission" is MSC's first activity where kids play a central role. They are led through different scenes (throughout the ship) to unravel storylines, follow clues and solve the mystery in order to win prizes.
• "Cabin 12006" is MSC's new teen-targeting web series tha follows "Kelly and Kloe Onboard" - run for 3 years (2016-2019) with 5+ million views online. Filming the "Cabin 12006" episodes is currently underway on Bellissima (March 2019-inaugurated).

MSC wedding cruise deals

Since 2015, MSC Cruises has a new cruise wedding program available on Caribbean itineraries. The program offers onboard marriages (also ashore) in several Caribbean port destinations, including Nassau Bahamas, Bridgetown Barbados, Grand Cayman Island, Falmouth Jamaica, Cozumel Mexico, San Juan Puerto Rico, Philipsburg St Maarten, Charlotte Amalie St Thomas, and also Miami (on the embarkation day only).

MSC partnered with the wedding-planning company "The Wedding Experience" and offers cruise wedding packages with prices starting from USD 1600 (onboard) and USD 2200 (ashore) weddings. MSC's basic wedding package includes a pre-cruise event manager, a ceremony coordinator, 1 bottle of Champagne, 1 cake for two, 1 bridal bouquet, 1-hour photo session.

Event planners work with the couples to handle all the details (weddings and vow renewals). Also provided are wedding consultants and ceremony coordinators. Onboard / ashore receptions and ceremonies offer various options - video/photo packages, fresh flowers, themed music, food and drink packages, also specialty items (personalized stationaries for invitations) and ground transportation for ashore events.

Couples booking groups of 13 or more cabins receive a complimentary balcony stateroom. Couples booking groups of 30 or more cabins receive a complimentary suite. Complimentary Yacht Club stateroom is offered for 50 or more booked cabins. Onboard ceremonies can be attended by up to 150 non-cruising guests.

MSC Cruises' first ship to offer onboard weddings was MSC Divina.

MSC cruise booking and cancellation policy changes

In July 2017, MSC changed the company's cruise booking policy. It now requires final payments to be made 30 days earlier - from 60-days to 90-days prior departure.

• Cancellations made 89-61 days prior departure result in losing the non-refundable deposit.
• Cancellations between 46-60 days prior departure result in paying 50% of the original price.
• Cancellations between 16-45 days prior departure result in paying 75% of the original price.
• Cancellations made 15 days or less prior departure result in paying the full cruise price.

Since April 2, 2019, tips (gratuities) are included into MSC cruise fares for all UK and Ireland passengers.

On February 1, 2019, MSC officially revealed the in-cabin digital assistant ZOE. The technology ("cruise industry first") was developed by Harman International (US-based company, fully-owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics). Harman International has developed digital audio solutions for major corporations (Including Google, Microsoft, Amazon).

• ZOE is an artificial intelligence device (voice-enabled, with advanced voice recognition software) available in all passenger staterooms.
• ZOE speaks 7 languages, answers cruise-related questions, provides info on shipboard services-activities-facilities, makes reservations and bookings.
• The digital device features far-field microphones, top-quality speaker, quad-core processor (for fast response times), direct phone connection (through Bluetooth). The system can also upgrade its own database to answer previously unanswerable questions.
• Passenger data (including itinerary/tour and shipboard preferences) is stored in Cloud Storage system and used on the next scheduled voyage.
• The device (sized ~15 cm) can be activated whenever passengers choose. A waiver must be signed to agree for their personal data to be stored.

Starting with Bellissima (2019), ZOE will be available on all newbuild MSC liners - including Grandiosa (2019) and Virtuosa (2020) - and introduced fleetwide over 2019-2024.

"MSC for Me" - fleetwide Digital Innovation Program 2017-2018

Each of the MSC cruise ships is fitted with thousands of connectivity points, digital access points, iBeacons (Bluetooth) and hundreds of interactive digital screens throughout the ship. In all staterooms are implemented RFID (radio-frequency identification) and NFC (near-field communication) access technologies.

The new program is implemented fleetwide but was first introduced on MSC Meraviglia . The ship, launched in June 2017, was fitted with a total of 114 Interactive screens, 244 info screens, 31 virtual screens, 81 video wall monitors, 3050 iBeacons, 700 WAPs (wireless access points), 1200 CCTV cameras.

MSC digitalization program's main features are:

• The apps implement facial recognition technology and interactive/smart bracelets by Samsung.
• Digital Concierge app - passengers can reserve/book onboard services, restaurants and shore excursions in real-time. The app is real-time and 24-hour, connecting MSC customers to the company's experienced staff online.
• Capture - virtual reality tool to preview the cruise itinerary, create personal photo galleries, online sharing.
• Organizer - a cruise planning tool used at mobile devices. It provides detailed information and also allows pre-booking (tours, theatre seats, dinner table, etc) before ship embarkation (pre-cruise booking) and while onboard (realtime cruise planner).
• Navigation - Interactive map (way finder) provides advice (scheduled events, opening hours, etc) and directions while on the ship. The app also allows real-time kids monitoring (via bracelets).
• TailorMade - digital advisor for personal recommendations based on the passenger's preferences (interactive gaming, gambling, culinary, recreational, entertainment, etc).
• Passengers can always opt out of all these connected ("Internet of things" / IoT) services offered.
• All passenger staterooms are fitted with door locks with built-in keypads (Samsung SHS-1321 NFC Ring).

MSC fitness cruise packages

Since 2017, MSC Cruises offers an upgraded fleetwide onboard wellness experience via a partnership with TechnoGym. It is part of the company's cruise fare-inclusive offers that can be chosen upon booking.

• The new program starts with an online questionnaire determining the customer's specific wellness goals, aspects of a healthy lifestyle (exercises, healthy diet, weight loss).
• The new wellness program is linked with the company's fitness-themed cruises . It also includes one-time personal trainer consultation. Personal training sessions are available onboard at extra cost.
• Also included are themed shore excursions (jogging, hiking, cycling), fitness classes (hula hooping, barre, yoga, Pilates).
• Resistance bands and workout mats are provided on the ship for in-cabin use.
• TechnoGym workout gear and laundry service for the exercise clothing are provided on the ship.
• Healthy food menu options are available in the ship's main dining rooms and Lido buffet restaurants.
• Deals are also inclusive of a medical evaluation with the ship's doctor (blood pressure, EKG, lipid panel).
• The new "Wellness Experience" program is operated with a total of 5 fitness cruise packages available for booking. Pricing starts from USD 930 pp (7-night itinerary, Interior Stateroom).

FREE Birthday cruise

In 2017, MSC started offering a new "free cruise deal" for customers celebrating their birthday. in case your birthday falls during select cruises, it is complimentary.

• MSC's free cruise offers are on itineraries in Europe (Mediterranean, Baltic), Asia (Arabian Peninsula /Dubai), Caribbean (West Indies, Cuba). Longer itineraries are available through World Voyages .
• Booked passengers can extend their free birthday cruise and combine itineraries into B2Bs (back to back cruises) from 14 to 22 nights.
• Bookings must have at least one paying passenger and only one free birthday passenger. The birthday of the passenger must fall on one of the itinerary days, but excluding the arrival and departure days.
• Such offers are usually promotions, subject to selected availability and valid for lower cabin categories only (usually excluding Suites).

MSC's "Dolphins Fan Cruise"

MSC Seaside ship's itinerary March 17-24, 2018 (7-day Caribbean and Antilles roundtrip from Miami to Nassau Bahamas, St Thomas USVI, St Johns Antigua) was officially themed "Dolphins Fan Cruise". This special voyage was the result of the 3-year partnership between MSC and the NFL team. The sports-themed voyage will be hosted annually over the next 3 years (2017-2020). The 2018 voyage's prices started at USD 700 per person (balcony cabin rates based on double occupancy).

During these sports cruises, passengers have the opportunity to interact in person with team alumni. The list of pre-scheduled onboard activities includes:

• Meet team's legends Joe Rose, Kim Bokamper, Nat Moore, Patrick Surtain, Sam Madison, Terry Kirby.
• Take autographs from the alumni, and get a photo with the team's cheerleaders.
• Cheer alongside team's cheerleaders and hype up the crowd with the mascot TD (The Dolphin).
• Enjoy special performances by cheer squad and the mascot.
• Get to know former players during Q&A sessions.

On April 28, 2018, the ship hosted the Miami Dolphins Cheerleaders for the team's annual calendar photo shoot, with special onboard show programming.

• Via company's "Save & Sail" summer promotion, potential MSC cruise customers had the chance to book a balcony stateroom on the "Cheerleaders voyage" starting at USD 650 pp. The off-promo prices started from USD 1098 pp (Inside Cabin rates with double occupancy).
• Cheerleaders cruise itinerary (April 28 - May 5) was a 7-day roundtrip from Miami to St Maarten Island, Puerto Rico and Bahamas (Nassau).

MSC virtual reality ship tours

Samsung and MSC developed a cutting-edge virtual reality tool for touring MSC cruise liners. The new technology was announced during at Expo Milano 2015 (May 1 through October 31, 2015).

With this innovative technology, MSC made available to the company's top European sellers (travel agencies) a powerful tool for introducing the brand to potential customers. The technology is based on Samsung's "Gear VR" headsets (powered by Oculus) plus a custom-built software app. Potential MSC passengers can walk through any cruise ship in the fleet without setting foot on board. The tool allows "walking" through 6 key onboard areas (including staterooms, restaurants, pools, theatre / also watching a show). The 360-degree sensory experience even brings aromas in the air (when observing an onboard restaurant) - such as fresh-baked bread, fresh fruits, chocolate.

The virtual cruise ship tour technology uses software and hardware by AxedGroup. The virtual ship tour app runs on Samsung Galaxy Note phones. Other experiences include tours of new (prototype) MSC ships *currently under construction).

(Coronavirus crisis) passenger shipping pause 2020-2021

Due to the COVID pandemic, MSC suspended its North American fleet's passenger shipping operations (all US-homeported liners) by canceling all voyages with pre-scheduled departures in the period March 14, 2020, through May-June 2021.

European operations resumed in 2020 on August 16 (Grandiosa) and October 19 (Magnifica) but all voyages were eventually canceled. MSC had its fleet fully operational by June 5th, 2022.

Next are listed MSC's first scheduled departure dates by ship/region/homeport - ARMONIA (April 10, 2022/Mediterranean from Venice), BELLISSIMA (July 2021/Red Sea from Jeddah Saudi Arabia), DIVINA (Sept 16, 2021/Bahamas from Port Canaveral), FANTASIA (Nov 7, 2021/Mediterranean-Genoa), GRANDIOSA (Jan 24, 2021/Mediterranean-Genoa), LIRICA (April 12, 2022/Med-Aegean-Athens), MAGNIFICA (June 20, 2021/Adriatic-Greece from Venice), MERAVIGLIA (Aug 2, 2021/Caribbean from Miami), MUSICA (June 5, 2022/Mediterranean from Monfalcone), OPERA (April 24, 2022/Mediterranean-Genoa), ORCHESTRA (June 5, 2021/Adriatic-Greece from Venice), POESIA (April 30, 2022/Med-Baltic repositioning/Rome-Rostock), PREZIOSA (Sept 23, 2021/Mediterranean-Genoa), SEASHORE (Aug 9, 2021/Mediterranean-Naples-Messina-Valletta-Barcelona), SEASCAPE (Nov 19, 2022/ Maiden Voyage /Transatlantic from Rome to NYC New York), SEASIDE (May 1, 2021/Mediterranean-Rome-Genoa), SEAVIEW (July 3, 2021/Kiel Germany), SINFONIA (March 26, 2022/Mediterranean from Venice), SPLENDIDA (June 12, 2021/Adriatic from Trieste), VIRTUOSA (May 20, 2021/UK-British Islands from Southampton), WORLD EUROPA (Dec 21, 2022/ Maiden Voyage /Red Sea from Dubai).

• In early-January 2021 MSC planned to start Mediterranean cruises (with Grandiosa) scheduled between January 24 and March 21. The 7-day itinerary (leaving on Sundays from Genoa) visited Civitavecchia, Palermo, Naples and Valletta (Malta), with embarkation available in all the Italian ports.
• MSC USA's pause (ex-Florida cancellations) affected 3 ships - Meraviglia and Armonia (from Miami) and Divina (from Port Canaveral).
• MSC South America 2021-2022 winter program was canceled (due to Brazil's new policies/ordinance 657) affecting 4 ships (Sinfonia, Orchestra, Preziosa, Splendida).
• LIRICA's Mediterranean 2021 season (7-day roundtrips from Ancona and Venice) was canceled and the liner restarts operations in 2022 (April 11/Aegean from Athens).
• MUSICA's South Africa 2021-2022 program (from Durban) was canceled.
• OPERA's Red Sea 2021-2022 program (from Dubai) was canceled.
• PREZIOSA's 2021 Baltic season (Baltic-Norway from Hamburg) was canceled.
• MSC's 2021-2022/winter South America (Preziosa, Seaview) and Arabia-Dubai (Fantasia) programs were canceled.

All affected bookings received full refunds in FCC (future cruise credit), including on prepurchased through MSC packages and services. With rebooking (made by December 31, 2021) was offered a 125% refund in FCC. Available for rebooking were all departures thru April 30, 2022. Optionally was offered a 100% monetary refund.

Itinerary of MSC Cruises

This section provides a concise review of MSC's current and future cruise itinerary program. The company operates regularly scheduled voyages in Europe (Mediterranean, UK, Baltic), the Caribbean (ex-Florida USA departures), South America, South Africa, Asia, Arabian Gulf.

Currently, MSC has no plans for ship deployments in Alaska, except via the sister brand Explora Journeys .

MSC's Grand Voyages are seasonally offered relocation voyages including Transatlantic crossings (Europe-USA-Caribbean, Europe-South America), Suez Canal (Mediterranean-Arabia/ Dubai UAE ), Mediterranean-Baltic-UK, Europe-South Africa. Cruises to Nowhere MSC offers in South Africa.

Note: An extensive ship relocation schedule you can see at RepositionCruises.com

With its newbuilds , MSC attracts a large number of retirees during winter and targets families with kids during summer and the school holidays. The company's smaller liners offer longer and more exotic itineraries but lack modern kids' facilities as they are tailored to older travelers.

In 2025, MSC starts homeporting in Galveston Texas USA (ship Seascape).

Middle East 2024 Arabian Gulf voyages

MSC Opera 's Arabian/Red Sea deployment in winter 2024-25 (from Dubai) was canceled and replaced with a Canary Islands deployment. In the Canaries, MSC Opera had scheduled 7-night itineraries (November 3, 2024, through March 16, 2025) visiting 6 call ports. Departing roundtrip from  Santa Cruz de Tenerife , the ship visits  Las Palmas de Gran Canaria ,  Puerto del Rosario (Fuerteventura) ,  Funchal (Madeira) ,  Santa Cruz de la Palma , and  Arrecife (Lanzarote)  before returning back to Tenerife. MSC's new Canary Islands itinerary offers flexible homeporting options allowing boarding in Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Sundays), Las Palmas (Mondays), Madeira (Thursdays or Fridays) and Arrecife (Saturdays).

MSC Orchestra  is introducing a new Middle East cruise itinerary from  Safaga  in Egypt, featuring 20 seven-night sailings to  Jeddah ,  Aqaba for Petra  in Jordan,  Sharm El-Sheikh , and  Cairo .

Cruises from China

In May 2018, MSC Splendida started service on the Chinese market following its 2017 drydock refurbishment . The China-based ( Shanghai ) itinerary program included destinations in Japan, Korea, China.

MSC offers cruises in China since 2016 (with MSC Lirica ), followed by the deployments of Splendida (2018) and Virtuosa (2022).

In 2024 (April thru September), in China are deployed the MSC ships Bellissima and Splendida. Itineraries are based on homeporting in/roundtrip departures from Shanghai and Shenzhen/Shekou . Bellissima starts from Shenzhen on June 29th, and has scheduled 8x voyages (2- to 5-night in length) visiting Hong Kong and Japan (Okinawa, Yaeyama Islands, Miyako Island). In July-September (2024) Bellissima has scheduled 8x voyages (4- to 6-night) leaving out of Shanghai and visiting Japan (Fukuoka, Kagoshima, Osaka, Okinawa, Shimonoseki).

MSC Caribbean 2024-2025 itineraries

Caribbean and the French Antilles

• 2024/Seascape (PortMiami): 7-night Eastern Caribbean (Ocean Cay and Nassau Bahamas, San Juan, Puerto Plata Dominicana) 7-night Western Caribbean (Ocean Cay, Cozumel, Grand Cayman, Ocho Rios Jamaica)
• 2025/Seascape (Galveston TX, departing on Sundays): 7-night Western Caribbean (Mexico's Costa Maya and Cozumel, and Honduras's Roatan Island)
• Meraviglia (Port Canaveral): 3- to 7-night (Nassau and Ocean Cay, Costa Maya and Cozumel, Belize City)
• Divina (PortMiami): 3- to 10-night (Ocean Cay, Belize City, Roatan Honduras, Costa Maya, Ocho Rios, Cartagena Columbia, Colon Panama, Puerto Limon Costa Rica)
• Seaside ( Fort-de-France, French Antilles ): 7-night (Pointe-a-Pitre Guadeloupe, Castries St Lucia, Bridgetown Barbados, St Georges Grenada, Kingstown St Vincent)

Western Mediterranean

• Grandiosa . 7-night (Genoa, Civitavecchia/Rome, Palermo Italy, Valletta Malta, Barcelona Spain, Marseille France)
• Virtuosa : 7-night (Genoa, La Spezia/Florence, Naples, Palma de Mallorca, Barcelona, Marseille
• Lirica (Genoa) 11-night (Civitavecchia, Messina Sicily, Lindos/Rhodes, Heraklion/Crete, Limassol Cyprus, Haifa Israel) 10-night (Ceuta, Malaga, Barcelona, Alicante, Tangier and Casablanca/Marrakech Morocco, Marseille)

South America

• Seashore (Brazil). 7-night (Maceio Salvador & Buzios Brazil)
• Seaview (Rio de Janeiro) 3- to 8-night (Buzios, Ilhabela, Ilha, Grande/Angra dos Reis, Ilheus & Salvador Brazil, ports in Uruguay & Argentina)
• Fantasia (Santos, Brazil) 3- to 7-night (Buzios, Ilha Grande/Angra dos Reis Brazil, Montevideo & Punta Del Este Uruguay, Buenos Aires)
• Armonia (Itajai/Santa Caterina, Brazil) 7-night (Ilhabela Brazil, ports in Uruguay & Argentina)
• Musica (Bueno Aires) Ilhabela, Rio de Janeiro, Buzios, Ilha Grande/Angra dos Reis Brazil

South Africa

• Sinfonia (Cape Town) Mossel Bay, Walvis Bay and Ludertize (Namibia).
• Orchestra (Durban) Pomene & Portuguese Island/Inhaca Archipelago (Mozambique), Walvis Bay (Namibia), Cape Town (South Africa)

Middle East

• World Europa (Dubai) 7-night (Abu Dhabi/Dubai, Sir Bani Yas, Dammam/Al Ahsa Oasis Saudi Arabia)
• Opera (Dubai) Abu Dhabi, Sir Bani Yas, Muscat, Khasab (Oman); 22 separate 7-night sailings in 2023-2024, starting from Dubai and covering ports like Abu Dhabi, Sir Bani Yas Island,  Khasab in Oman  or  Fujairah in the UAE , the  Omani capital Muscat , and returning to Dubai.
• 17 new 7-night voyages in the Arabian Gulf by  MSC Virtuosa  from Dubai , taking passengers to  Doha in Qatar , the newly added  port of Manama in Bahrain ,  Abu Dhabi ,  Sir Bani Yas Island  in the UAE, and back to Dubai. 
• MSC Orchestra  is offering a new itinerary during the winter 2023-2024 season. Departing from  Safaga in Egypt , she sails on 20 7-night sailings to destinations like  Jeddah  in Saudi Arabia,  Aqaba for Petra  in Jordan, a newly introduced port of call at  Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt ,  Sokhna Port  for  Cairo in Egypt , and back to Safaga. International guests have embarkation options at Safaga, Jeddah, Sharm El-Sheikh, and Sokhna Port.

In 2025 debuts World Europa's sistership MSC World America and both are homeported in  Miami . Out of PortMiami, World America operates on two 7-day roundtrip itineraries - Eastern Caribbean (to  Puerto Plata Dominicana ,  San Juan Puerto Rico , and  Ocean Cay Bahamas ) and Western Caribbean (to Mexico's  Costa Maya  and  Cozumel Mexico ,  Isla Roatan Honduras , and Ocean Cay). World America's Maiden Voyage departs Miami on April 12, 2025 (Eastern Caribbean).

Winter 2025-2026 itineraries from the USA

In May 2024, MSC unveiled an expansion of ex-USA operations planned for winter 2025-2026 season.

The program is based on four homeports and seven ships leaving roundtrip from three states - Florida ( Miami  and  Port Canaveral ), New York ( NYC ) and Texas ( Galveston ).

Season's key highlight is the debut of MSC Grandiosa ship in Port Canaveral - the first USA-based Meraviglia-Plus class vessel. Grandiosa offers alternating 7-night Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries, while MSC Seashore ship (also from Port Canaveral) offers short breaks (3- and 4-night) to The Bahamas ( Nassau and Ocean Cay ).

In 2025, MSC starts operations from Texas (Galveston) with MSC Seascape ship offering 7-night Western Caribbean itineraries.

MSC World America ship (launched April 2025) embarks on its first season from Miami.

The other two USA-based MSC ships are MSC Divina (from Miami) and MSC Meraviglia (from New York City to Florida-Bahamas).

Summer 2026 Mediterranean itineraries

From May to October 2026, MSC Cruises' fleet of 9 elegant ships offers journeys to iconic destinations as well as off-the-beaten-path gems, blending relaxation, exploration, culture, and entertainment seamlessly.

• Valencia, Spain , entices with its vibrant port city charm, historical richness, and lively nightlife. Guests can explore cobblestone streets steeped in Spanish heritage, indulge in culinary delights like tapas and paella, and bask in the beauty of Playa de Las Arenas beach.  MSC Fantasia  and  MSC Seaside  offer 7-night itineraries departing from Valencia and Genoa, respectively.
• Livorno, Italy , a coastal gem in Tuscany, boasts historical marvels, fascinating museums, and mouthwatering seafood. From Livorno, travelers can easily visit Florence, the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance, or marvel at the iconic Leaning Tower of Pisa. MSC Fantasia and  MSC Grandiosa  offer 7-night itineraries departing from Livorno and Valencia, respectively.
• Barcelona, Spain , thrives during the summer months with its festivals, beaches, and cultural attractions. From world-class museums to the architectural wonders of Gaudí, Barcelona promises a vibrant experience.  MSC Seaview  and  MSC World Europa  offer 7-night itineraries departing from Barcelona and Genoa, respectively.
• Palermo, Italy , the capital of Sicily, blends Norman architecture, Baroque churches, and bustling markets. Exploring its labyrinthine streets reveals a rich tapestry of history and culture. MSC Seaside and MSC Grandiosa offer 7-night itineraries departing from Genoa and Livorno, respectively.
• Ibiza, Spain , renowned for its beauty and nightlife, offers more than just revelry. From the charming Ciutat d’Eivissa to the stunning views atop Montserrat, Ibiza captivates with its diverse offerings.  MSC Musica  and MSC Seaside offer 7-night itineraries departing from Civitavecchia and Genoa, respectively.
• Cadiz, Spain , the oldest city in Western Europe, boasts a rich cultural heritage, pristine beaches, and delectable cuisine. Nature enthusiasts will find solace in the nearby Donana National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  MSC Orchestra  offers 10-night itineraries departing from Genoa that include a stop in Cadiz.
• Naples, Italy , a vibrant city on the southern coast, enchants with its historic treasures and proximity to Pompeii and the island of Capri. Guests can explore ancient ruins or bask in the beauty of the Amalfi Coast. MSC World Europa, MSC Grandiosa, and  MSC Divina  offer 7-night itineraries departing from Genoa, Livorno, and Civitavecchia, respectively.
• Cannes, France , epitomizes glamour and Mediterranean allure, boasting pristine beaches, upscale boutiques, and the renowned Cannes Film Festival. Exploring the city’s old town, Le Suquet, offers a glimpse into its rich history. MSC Musica and MSC Seaview offer 7-night itineraries departing from Civitavecchia and Barcelona, respectively.

MSC Cuba cruises from Havana

In January 2016 MSC became the first major cruise line to homeport in Havana, with MSC Opera (sailing to Jamaica, Mexico, and the Cayman Islands) while MSC Armonia operated on 8-day/7-night itineraries, visiting ports in Central America and the Caribbean:

• 8-day roundtrip from Havana visited Roatan (Honduras), Belize City (Belize), Costa Maya (Mexico), Isla de la Juventud (Cuba)
• 8-day roundtrip from Havana visited Montego Bay (Jamaica), George Town (Grand Cayman) and Cozumel (Mexico).
• Both itineraries were combinable into a 14-night roundtrip Havana back-to-back cruise .

Cuban itineraries on MSC Opera were roundtrips from Havana .

Note: According to the current Cuban law, US citizens of Cuban origin (born in Cuba) are not allowed to visit the island country (including on cruise ships). Regardless of their US citizenship status, Cuba-born Americans were denied booking on cruise itineraries visiting ports in Cuba. However, the situation changed in April 2016, after Carnival Corporation negotiated with the Cuban government to allow ships with Cuban-born passengers, as such US citizens are allowed to visit the country on USA-Cuba charter flights. The Carnival-fathom line started Miami to Cuba cruises in May 2016.

Alaska Airlines offers regular nonstop flights to Havana from Los Angeles (California USA). An 80-minute JetBlue flight from Fort Lauderdale (Florida) to Havana costs less than USD 100. Previously, air travel from the USA to Cuba was thought charter flights only.

IMPORTANT: On June 4, 2019, the US Government announced new regulations (economic sanctions) that ended group travel to Cuba, including via US-homeported cruise liners, effective immediately. The ban relates to "private and corporate aircraft, cruise ships, sailboats, fishing boats, and other similar aircraft and vessels". The US travel restrictions impacted hundreds of pre-scheduled cruise itineraries, which were adjusted to no longer stop in Cuban seaports.

(NEW) PortMiami MSC Terminal AAA

In July 2018, Miami-Dade County and MSC signed an agreement for extended preferential berthing rights and a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the building of a new Cruise Terminal AAA at Port Miami .

Port Miami is MSC's exclusive homeport in the USA. The new agreement extended the existing Saturday preferential MSC berthing rights also to Sundays. Additionally, the new cruise terminal (completed in October 2022) was projected to be able to accommodate MSC's largest World Class ships (carrying up to 7000 pax).

As of November 2019, MSC Cruises' largest ship, MSC Meraviglia joins the other 3 ships at PortMiami.

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List of MSC Cruises Ships by Class, Age and Size

Read About the comprehensive list of MSC Cruises ships by class, age, and size for your ideal luxury cruise experience.

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Mediterranean Shipping Company, known as MSC Cruises, is the largest privately-owned cruise line in the world with a 23-cruise fleet. After Carnival and Royal Caribbean, more than 10% of travelers choose MSC cruises worldwide each year. MSC Cruises is the 3rd largest cruise company in the world. Each cruise offers comfort, innovation, dining, entertainment areas, and onboard experiences.

MSC Cruises covers 140 destinations and 50 boarding points in the summer. MSC ships sail year-round in the Caribbean and Mediterranean. MSC seasonal itineraries include South America, Southern Africa, North America, Northern Europe, Dubai, Asia, Abu Dhabi, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the Red Sea.

With many cruise options, it isn't easy to choose the best cruise for you as they cover the most popular destinations like South America, Europe, The Caribbean and the Bahamas, Bermuda, Eastern Canada and New England, The Persian Gulf, and many more. Here is everything you need to know about MSC Cruises for planning your upcoming MSC Cruises journey. We covered all MSC Cruise ships by class, year, and size.

MSC Cruise Ships by Class

Cruise ships can be of various sizes and types. When you choose any of the cruises, you will have a class of that Individual cruise ship. It helps you to find similar cruises and separate cruises of the same cruise line.

MSC Cruise ships fleet in groups of classes. Each ship with the same classes has a very similar, with some minor changes on board. MSC Cruises has eight classes. The first-ever class of MSC cruises was "MSC Lirica Class," and the latest one is "MSC World Class".

1. Lirica Class

The “Mistral Class” cruise ships currently owned by MSC Cruises are the oldest group of ships in the MSC Cruise line. As per history, the mistral class ship was ordered by Renaissance Cruises in 1996, but later, they withdrew the order. Then Festival Cruises took the order and went bankrupt. In 2004, 4 cruise ships were taken over by MSC Cruises, and Mistral Class cruises became MSC Lirica Class Cruise ships.

New features in Lirica Class cruise ships included elegant accommodation, suites, family options, cabins with a balcony or ocean view, new child and teen areas, a spray park, more dining options, bars, refurnished shops, a longue, and restaurants.

MSC Armonia

MSC Armonia is one of the Lirica class cruise ships built in 2001, originally built for Festival Cruises as “MS European Vision,” and has been operated by MSC Cruises since 2004. She can accommodate 760 crew members and 2,065 passengers. Her itineraries destinations are the Mediterranean, MSC Grand Voyages, and South America.

MSC Sinfonia

Like the sister cruise MSC Armonia, MSC Sinfonia was a part of Festival Cruises before known as “MS European Stars.” She was the last cruise ship built for Festival Cruises, then it became a part of MSC in 2004 and sailed under the name of “MSC Armonia.” The maximum speed of MSC Sinfonia is 21.7 knots, and sailing is a famous destination in the Mediterranean with a capacity of 2646 passengers and 721 crew members.

MSC Lirica was the first newbuild cruise ship on service for MSC Cruises. Her sister cruises, MSC Armonia and MSC Sinfonia, are basically the same but have a smaller ship funnel and other modifications like windows and interior, but MSC Opera is a very similar sister cruise ship. She can carry 2648 passengers and 721 crew members. MSC Grand Voyages, the Mediterranean, and South America are the destinations where MSC Lirica is sailing.

MSC Opera cruise ship, built in 2004, is currently operated by Swiss company MSC Cruises. She is carrying 2658 passengers and 728 crew members. She served as the flagship of the company till 2006. She built with more classic lines than her sister in the Fantasia and Musica classes. She is sailing to the destinations of MSC Grand Voyages, Emirates, and the Mediterranean.

2. Musica Class

Musica Class ships started in 2006, operated by MSC Cruises, a Swiss global cruise line located in Geneva. The first cruise was MSC Musica, and the class was named after her. The 4 ships are on the list: MSC Musica, MSC Orchestra, MSC Poesía, and MSC Magnifica.

The features of this Musica class cruise ship are luxury cabins and suits with an obstructed view, entertainment areas, pools, bars, restaurants, café areas, a Pullman bed facility, and more.

MSC Musica is the first cruise ship of the Musica Class, built in 2006 and operated by MSC Cruises. She has 1014 passenger cabins with 3223 passengers and 987 crew members capacity. The popular destinations she is sailing are the Mediterranean, MSC Grand Voyages, South America, Saudi Arabia, and the Red Sea.

MSC Orchestra

MSC Orchestra is the second cruise ship of the Musica Class family. It was built in 2007 for MSC Cruises. She accommodates 3223 passengers and about 940 crew members. The interior décor of marble and wood, soft furnishing, and Italian quality colors. She is sailing to cover the Mediterranean and MSC Grand Voyages.

MSC Poesía

MSC Poesía was built in 2008 by the “Aker Yards” in France. She is a sister Cruise ship of other Musica Class Cruise ships. She was the flagship of MSC Cruises until MSC Fantasia replaced her. She is the first vessel in the MSC Cruises fleet officially named outside Italy in 2008. She has 3223 passengers capacity and 1039 crew members capacity. The Mediterranean, MSC Grand Voyages, and Northern Europe are the destinations available to enjoy the MSC Poesía Cruise ships.

MSC Magnifica

MSC Magnifica was launched in January 2009, built in January 2010, and entered service in March 2010. She was constructed by “STX Europe” in France. MSC Magnifica can carry 987 crew members and 3223 passengers with 1279 cabins. MSC Magnifica sailing around the Caribbean & Antilles, Mediterranean, MSC Grand Voyages, and other global destinations. The ship has 13 decks, an Art-Deco style theatre, casino, cinema, dining and bar areas, and other entertainment areas.

3. Fantasia Class

The MSC Fantasia Class cruise ships have been operated by MSC Cruises since 2008. All Fantasia Class Cruise ships are part of third-generation ships built by STX Europe in St. Nazaire. Four Cruise ships, MSC Fantasia, MSC Splendida, MSC Divina, and the MSC Preziosa, are vessels under the MSC Fantasia Class.

The ships from Fantasia Class have 1313 seat theaters, around 30,000 m² large public areas, 1700 m² fitness areas, a mini golf course, and a tennis/basketball court. MSC Fantasia Class Cruise Ships received the “Six Golden Pearls” trophy for health, safety, and environmental-related capabilities.

MSC Fantasia

MSC Fantasia was the first ever cruise ship for MSC Fantasia Class, which is owned and operated by MSC Cruises. She started cruising from Genoa in 2008. MSC Fantasia was the largest ship to operate for MSC Cruises at the time of delivery. She has a 4D cinema, a spa, a race car simulator, and musical fountains.

She can carry 4363 passengers and 1370 crew members. MSC Fantasia vessels to the ports of the Mediterranean and MSC Grand Voyages.

MSC Splendida

MSC Splendida , previously known as “MSC Serenata,” was built in 2009 with a $550 million investment. Her capacity is 1370 crew members and 4363 passengers. She is ready to schedule to be sailing in Durban for 2023/2024 and will serve South Africa to Mauritius, Port Elizabeth, Mozambique, Reunion, Namibia & Cape Town. The ship has a system to program multiple songs to play and enjoy. She is the best Eco-ship that gives you luxury, style, and comfort to the MSC Grand Voyages, South Africa, and Mediterranean destinations.

In the Fantasia Class, MSC Divina is the third ship for the class and the twelfth ship built and sailing for MSC cruises. With 139,072 tons gross tonnage, she is larger than MSC Fantasia and MSC Splendida. They renamed MSC Fantastica to honor the actress, Sophia Loren. The Cruise provides modern comfort, a variety of sports and entertainment, and relaxation facilities. She is one of the ships that are sailing to the private island destination, “Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve,” Bahamas.

MSC Preziosa

Preziosa is a magnified version of her two sister cruise ships, MSC Fantasia and MSC Splendida. She was the 13th cruise ship of MSC Cruise line. 80% of rooms have an ocean view with a veranda on this cruise. The ship has 24.21 knots maximum speed. Public areas included seven restaurants, 20 lounges and bars, four swimming pools, a gym, and a spa. She has a capacity of 1388 crew members and 4345 passengers. MSC Preziosa departs from Rotterdam, Santos (Sao Paulo), Hamburg, Copenhagen, Le Havre, Le Havre Southampton, Oslo, Southampton, Copacabana Beach and Rio de Janeiro. She sailed to cover the ports & areas of South America, MSC Grand Voyages, and Northern Europe.

4. Seaside Class

The first and leading cruise ship MSC Seaside starts from December 2017 in the Caribbean Sea. The two original MSC Seaside Class is MSC Seaside and MSC Seaview are designed to sailing in warmer climates as MSC describe, they follow the sun. The ship features convertible staterooms and cluster cabins for groups and families, open modular, luxury suits with private jacuzzies and hanging gardens.

She sails with extra space areas and environmental technologies. The Seaside Class is developed on Fincantieri's "Project Mille". The all-cruise ships of this class have "Sea" prefix.

MSC Seaside

MSC Seaside was built by Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri and entered services in 2017. She was the first ship of the MSC Cruises line's fleet in the United States. She is the 14th largest cruise ship in the world. She has cabins and suites with balconies to open-air bars and restaurants. Also, passengers can enjoy the ocean view from panoramic elevators and two glass-floor catwalks. She sails to the Caribbean & Bahamas, the Mediterranean, and MSC Grand Voyages.

MSC Seaview

MSC Seaview is a sister cruise ship of MSC Seaside and a very family-friendly ship. MSC Seaview is sailing to the Mediterranean, South America, and Western Mediterranean, but she is sailing to Europe or Brazil if you are planning during the winter months. She offers the longest zip lines at sea, shooting water cannons, and many other activities for kids and adults.

5. Seaside EVO Class

There are two cruise ships, MSC Seashore and MSC Seascape, in the Seaside EVO Class. The first Cruise MSC Seashore entered service in 2021. It is a sub-class of Seaside Class, and both cruises are Eco-friendly. With the larger dimensions, more generous public spaces, countless options for relaxing and outside dining, and staterooms with more luxury and relaxation.

MSC Seashore

MSC Seashore became the lead ship of the Seaside EVO class. She is an evolution of her sister cruise ships, MSC Seaview and MSC Seaside from Seaside Class. She sails to the Western Caribbean, Bahamas, and Eastern Caribbean. She is equipped with the latest advanced environmental technology to increase energy. She can carry 5632 passengers and 1648 crew members.

MSC Seascape

The second Seaside EVO Class Cruise ship, MSC Seascape, is a similar version of the sister cruise, MSC Seashore . She can accommodate approx. 5877 passengers. She features a glitzy, New York City-inspired aesthetic. Start sailing from sunny Miami and explore white-sand beaches and turquoise waters of the Bahamas and Caribbean. Many environmentally friendly policies, safety features, and other minor details are similar to her sister ship, MSC Seashore.

6. Meraviglia Class

The Meraviglia Class has two MSC Cruise ships, MSC Meraviglia and MSC Bellissima. The class is larger than the Seaside class. This class has the sixth largest cruise ship in the world, behind Royal Caribbean's AIDAnova and Oasis-class cruise ships. This class of sheep can journey all around the world. Meraviglia Class was uniquely designed, allowing it to reach ports that other cruise ships couldn't access.

Some signature features of Meraviglia Class cruise ships are F1 simulators, Sportsplex, beverage options, various luxurious cabins and staterooms, spacious shopping areas, bars and restaurants, and more. Passengers can enjoy all-new entertainment concepts, including acrobatics, dance, and live music in Meraviglia Class ships.

MSC Meraviglia

MSC Cruises set the bar high as they launched the first cruise of this class, MSC Meraviglia , the biggest ship in the European market, in 2017. She is the lead ship of MSC Cruises' new "Vista Project" cruises. MSC Meraviglia offers an overnight stay on Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, a Private Island of MSC in The Bahamas. She sails to Bermuda, the Caribbean, and Canada/New England. The cruise has 5642 passengers capacity.

MSC Bellissima

MSC Bellissima is the best family-friendly cruise. She debuted and started her journey in March 2019. Facilities on the cruise include a large number of dining, drinking, and entertainment options, including the second Cirque du Soleil at Sea, four pools, a ropes course, a water park, and a large central promenade lined with bars, shops, and restaurants. She has the capacity to carry 5655 passengers and sail to Asia.

7. Meraviglia-Plus Class

MSC Meraviglia-Plus Class has three new updated versions and new-generation cruises of Meraviglia Class with more advanced technology, space areas, entertainment areas, and more fun. The first cruise of this class, MSC Grandiosa, was launched in 2019. This class cruise has featured the first and only masterpiece, “Contemporary Fine Art Museum at Sea.”

The environmental-friendly cruises of Meraviglia-Plus Class operate at a global level, covering routes in Northern Europe, the Mediterranean, the Caribbean, Europe, the Baltic Sea, North and Central America, the Arab Emirates, South America and the Indian Ocean, and the Far East.

MSC Grandiosa

MSC Grandiosa was the first ever cruise ship of Meraviglia-Plus Class debut in 2019. She offers more public space areas with exciting innovations. Passengers can enjoy flexible dining and unlimited drinks in various restaurants. She is MSC’s first ship with a selective catalytic reduction. She sails to MSC Grand Voyages, the Mediterranean, and South America. She has the capacity to carry 6334 passengers.

MSC Virtuosa

MSC Virtuosa is the second ship in the Meraviglia-Plus class. She is a sister ship to MSC Grandiosa with similar features and entered the service in May 2021. She is also the largest ship, like a sister cruise, with 181,541 GT and carries a total of 6334 passengers. An updating feature on MSC Virtuosa is the extended interior Promenade, with cafes, shops, and bars, and overhead the entire ceiling is a 95m by 6m LED screen displaying panoramas and the night sky.

MSC Euribia

The best family-friendly cruise, MSC Euribia offers a wide range of family activities, fun top decks, cabins, and more dining and drink options. She is called after "the ancient goddess Eurybia," furthering the vision of the MSC Euribia to learn the deployment of state-of-the-art sustainable technologies to save and maintain the precious marine ecosystem. MSC Euribia sails to the Baltic Sea and the Middle East with a capacity of 6327 passengers.

8. World Class

In 2022, MSC debut the first Word Class cruise ship “MSC World Europa” - the largest cruise ship in MSC’s history built by Chantiers de l'Atlantique of France. The design of this class would become the third new prototype ordered by MSC Cruises. The World Class series cruise installed with GE Power Conversion. MSC revealed that their upcoming sister cruise ship of MSC World Europa will debut in 2024 and two more in 2025 and 2026 respectively. All ships are powered by LNG.

The Word Class cruise ships have largest waterpark in fleet, 7 swimming pools including sliding roof, MSC kids club for families and children, 13 dining venues, 19 various cabin categories, with 7 new designs. The Gross tonnage of the Word Class cruise ships is 2,15,863.

MSC World Europa

MSC's first-class cruise ship, MSC World Europa , is the first cruise ship with green technology, MSC's first and the world's sixth largest cruise ship, debuting in 2022. With a 6762 capacity of passengers and 2626 cabins, she is cruising in the Mediterranean. MSC World Europa is a groundbreaking addition to the MSC Cruises set to redefine the concept of innovation and luxury on the high seas. The main activity hub onboard is "The World Galleria."

MSC World America

Enjoy the journey of the Caribbean as never before. In Spring 2025, MSC Cruises' second World Class ship, MSC World America, will join the fleet. Get ready to sail from Miami for two jaw-dropping tropical 7-night itineraries in the Eastern and Western Caribbean. She has similar features to the sister cruise MSC World Europa. The ship is 215,863 gross tons and will be ready to carry 6,762 passengers at full, with 2,126 crew.

MSC Cruise Ships by Age (From newest to oldest)

The first MSC cruise was MSC Armonia, previously known as a "European Vision" in 2001, built with 245 million USD cost, and MSC's newest ship is "MSC World America," which will launch in 2024 with approx. 1.1 billion USD built worth.

The table below shows MSC Cruises Ships from newest to oldest by built year and also mentions refurbished year and approx. Built cost of each MSC cruise.

MSC Cruise Ships by Size

MSC has a total of 23 cruises on the list. All Cruises are made with different dimensions, shapes, and features. The large cruise ships (MSC World Class Cruises) have the greatest number of pools, waterslides, hot tubs, and other deck-top allures, as well as various bars, restaurants, and entertainment areas. There are a large number of cabins, staterooms, and more facilities in comparison to small cruise ships (MSC Lirica Class).

So, what about small cruises? Small cruises are also capable of carrying 2000 to 3000 people easily. It means small Cruises of MSC Cruises also offer luxurious and relaxation journeys with tasty dining and entertainment areas and fun activities. The main point is MSC Cruises sails globally. Travelers can choose their dream destination with their favorite MSC cruise ships.

From the biggest or largest cruise to the smallest one, all are covered in the list below, including Gross tonnage, capacity of passengers, number of cabins, including guests with disabilities.

Final Words

MSC Cruises has a wide range of cruise ships based on class. You can choose the best one as per your preference. If you are looking for a small one, you can go on Lirica Class cruises, but if you like giant and advanced tech cruises with a lot of activities and fun with more options in food, stay, drinking, and shopping, then you must book most luxurious and largest MSC World Class Cruises.

Enjoy your cruise journey with MSC with global destinations.

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Helene begins to disrupt cruise schedules at Port Canaveral; temporary closing possible

Port Canaveral cruise schedules are being disrupted by Helene, which is expected to be a major hurricane by time it makes landfall, likely Thursday night along Florida's Panhandle. The National Hurricane Center is predicting winds of up to 115 mph from Helene near its center, which would make it a Category 3 hurricane.

Although the storm will be traveling along the eastern Gulf of Mexico before making landfall, tropical-storm-force winds are possible along the Space Coast. So there is a potential for the U.S. Coast Guard to order Port Canaveral to temporarily close sometime Wednesday because of expected winds and high waves.

Already, the scheduled Thursday morning arrival at Port Canaveral of the MSC Seashore at the end of its cruise has been pushed back to Friday, meaning the ship's next cruise departure will be delayed by at least a day.

Also affected could be four cruise ships scheduled to arrive at Port Canaveral to complete their cruises on Friday morning and to depart on their next cruises Friday afternoon. The ships are the Carnival's Glory, Disney's Wish, and Royal Caribbean's Adventure of the Seas and Utopia of the Seas.

If the port is temporarily closed, there would need to be an inspection after the storm passed to check the port's channel for shoaling caused by the high winds and the rough waves.

The port advises cruise passengers to check with their cruise lines for schedule changes.

Port Canaveral has set up a special status hotline at 321-394-3411 for general updates about the port's status. 

Coast Guard status rundown

The Coast Guard raised Port Canaveral's status from "Port Condition Whiskey" to "Port Condition X-Ray" on Tuesday morning, meaning tropical storm conditions were expected within 48 hours. The next highest status, "Port Condition Yankee," could take effect by Tuesday night, indicating tropical storm conditions were expected within 24 hours. If the port goes to "Port Condition Zulu," it will be closing.

Under Port Condition X-Ray, Port Canaveral remains open and conducting normal port operations, but anticipates limited waterside and vessel shoreside port operations will follow as conditions change.

The Coast Guard advises vessel owners and operators to "review heavy-weather plans and make necessary plans to safeguard vessels, crews and/or facilities."

Port officials say, even if the port temporarily closes, there are no current plans for the port to order the evacuation of small boats from the port marina areas, although some space-industry vessels and other larger ships might have to temporarily leave.

The National Hurricane Center predicts a 29% chance of tropical-storm-force winds of at least 39 mph being experienced in Cocoa Beach sometime between Wednesday evening and Friday morning.

Dave Berman is business editor at  FLORIDA TODAY.  Contact Berman at  [email protected] , on X at  @bydaveberman  and on Facebook at  www.facebook.com/dave.berman.54

Why this cruise line you've barely heard of is ordering 6 giant new ships

The rapid expansion of MSC Cruises will continue through at least 2030.

The Europe-based megaship operator announced on Monday a trio of shipyard deals that will bring it at least six more vessels over the next few years — on top of six already on order.

The deals, with the giant Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France, included a firm contract for the construction of a third and fourth ship in the line's World Class series, to be delivered in 2025 and 2027, respectively.

At 205,700 tons, the World Class vessels will be among the biggest cruise ships ever built and have room for up to 6,761 passengers a piece. The first ship in the series already is under construction at the shipyard and due for delivery in 2022. A second vessel in the series has been on order for delivery in 2024.

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The trio of deals announced Monday also included a so-called Memorandum of Understanding between MSC Cruises and Chantiers de l'Atlantique to develop yet another new class of vessels .

MSC Cruises offered few details of the ships in the new series other than to say there would be four of them, and the total cost of the series would come to around $4.4 billion. Such a price tag suggests the ships in the new series will be quite large.

The third deal announced Monday was a Memorandum of Understanding to develop a second new class of vessels that MSC Cruises said would be innovative in its design. The line offered almost no details about the project other than to say the line and shipyard would "explore opportunities that wind power and other advanced technologies could bring to passenger shipping."

MSC Cruises also didn't say when the ships in the two new series would arrive. But, in a statement accompanying the announcement, MSC Cruises executive chairman Pierfrancesco Vago suggested the vessels would be in service by 2030.

"The three agreements signed today extend our investment plan up to 2030," Vago said. "They stem from an exceptional partnership, with Chantiers de l'Atlantique, that has already delivered 15 highly-innovative cruise ships over the past two decades and will see many more vessels come to life at Saint-Nazaire's docks in the next 10 years."

MSC Cruises currently has 17 ships in its fleet.

The agreements extend what has been one of the fastest-growing expansions of a cruise line in years. As recently as early 2017, MSC Cruises had just 12 ships in operation. At the time, the line promised to triple its capacity within a decade.

While it's well known to Europeans, MSC Cruises has far less name recognition among Americans than such big U.S.-based lines as Royal Caribbean and Carnival Cruise Line . But the line has been moving aggressively to change that.

As part of its expansion, MSC Cruises has been rapidly building its footprint in North America in an effort to woo more Americans. In 2017, MSC Cruises only had a single vessel based in North America. It now has two vessels based year-round in Miami and two more sailing out of the port on a seasonal basis. Later this year, it'll begin its first sailings from Tampa . It has scheduled voyages from the New York City -area for later this year and in 2021, too.

All of the North America-based ships are marketed heavily to Americans.

Founded in 1989 in Naples, Italy, and now based in Switzerland, MSC Cruises in recent years has been building big, resort-like vessels that compete with the biggest ships from the likes of Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line. It currently operates three of the 10 biggest cruise ships in the world.

With the addition of five major new vessels since early 2017, MSC Cruises is now the world's fourth-largest cruise line by number of passengers carried, behind only Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian. It's bigger than such well-known U.S.-based brands as Princess Cruises , Celebrity Cruises and Holland America Line .

Related: How to plan a cruise with points and miles

The new World Class vessels that MSC Cruises has in the works will be the biggest vessels ever operated by a Europe-based cruise line, but not quite the biggest ships in the world. Royal Caribbean's record-breaking Oasis Class vessels, including the recently unveiled Symphony of the Seas , still will be a tad bigger.

MSC Cruises is a division of privately owned MSC Group, one of the world's biggest shipping companies. In addition to expanding its MSC Cruises brand, the MSC Group is investing an additional $2.2 billion into an as-yet-unnamed new luxury cruise brand. The new brand, which will operate yacht-like vessels, is scheduled to debut in 2023. Four ships for the brand are on order.

The Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard has built some of the world's most famous cruise ships, including Symphony of the Seas and Cunard's Queen Mary 2. It's one of the few shipyards in the world capable of building today's biggest cruise ships.

Planning a cruise for 2020? Check out these articles:

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MSC CRUISES CONFIRMS ORDERS WITH CHANTIERS DE L’ATLANTIQUE FOR TWO NEW ENVIRONMENTALLY-ADVANCED WORLD CLASS SHIPS

Msc cruises has confirmed the order of two liquefied natural gas (lng)-powered vessels with french ship builder chantiers de l'atlantique. the two ships, known as world class 3 and 4, will be delivered in 2026 and 2027, respectively. msc cruises is committed to investing in future environmental technologies and aims to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050..

Geneva, Switzerland and St-Nazaire, France, 13 November 2023 – MSC Cruises today confirmed the order of two liquefied natural gas (LNG)-powered vessels with French ship builder Chantiers de l’Atlantique. This sees the two World Class options confirmed as firm orders with an option for a fifth ship. The two new ordered vessels – currently referred to as World Class 3 and 4 - will be delivered in 2026 and 2027. MSC World Europa and MSC World America are already the most energy efficient ships in the industry performing significantly better than the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) requirement, and the new ships will be an evolution of the state-of-the-art World Class prototype with innovative solutions to maximise the energy efficiency, with extensive use of heat recovery and other technological solutions, which will see the vessels having an even further reduced carbon footprint. In addition, the new ships will be ready for a variety of alternative fuels including bio and synthetic methane and green methanol. The ships will also be fitted with the next generation dual fuel internal combustion engines with reduced methane slip. Pierfrancesco Vago, Executive Chairman, MSC Cruises, said, “ We are proud to continue our 20-year partnership with the Chantiers de l’Atlantique, with whom we have already built 18 ships with our 19th under construction. The World Class is a truly innovative prototype and together we are building some of the most advanced ships in the world. We are committed to researching and investing in future environmental technologies as they become available, to ensure we continue progressing on our decarbonisation journey to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. ” Laurent Castaing, General Manager, Chantiers de l’Atlantique added, “ At a difficult time for the European shipbuilding industry, MSC Cruises has shown its confidence in our abilities and skills with this order. We would therefore like to express our gratitude to MSC Cruises for its renewed confidence at this crucial time. In addition, MSC Cruises, always seeking to reduce the environmental impact of its ships quickly and significantly, has accepted a significant cost premium to improve the energy efficiency of these new ships which, according to the IMO's EEDI index, will emit 50% less CO2 than the IMO's 2008 benchmark.” Castaing continued, “We would also like to thank our government, whose support for our R&D policy to make our ships greener has enabled us to meet the customer's expectations for this order.” The new World Class vessels will feature shore power plug-in connectivity to reduce carbon emissions in port, the most advanced wastewater treatment systems designed in line with the IMO, new advances in waste management, and a comprehensive range of onboard energy efficient equipment to optimise engine use and hotel energy needs to further reduce emissions. The two new orders will be subject to access to financing, as per industry practice.

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