ENTIRE MSC CRUISES FLEET BACK AT SEA IN 2022 WITH OUTSTANDING SUMMER LINE-UP

• 14 ships to be deployed in the Mediterranean - the Company’s biggest ever offering with more than half of the fleet sailing over 40 different itineraries
• MSC Virtuosa enriches its northern Europe offering, returning to homeporting in Southampton, UK, with a range of stunning itineraries including the Norwegian Fjords and the Baltic Capitals

Geneva, Switzerland – December 2, 2021 – MSC Cruises today confirms that the Company’s entire fleet of 19 ships will be sailing during summer 2022 offering an outstanding choice of cruises. With almost 500 departures to choose from, different length cruises, an incredible choice of convenient embarkation ports and a modern fleet of ships offering an unparalleled onboard experience, there truly is something for everyone. Guests can enjoy round-the-clock onboard activities; award-winning entertainment; immersive kids and family programs; refined, international dining; and luxurious spas all while staying in a stylish and comfortable accommodations. There’s an itinerary and ship to suit every type of vacationer, from short cruises in the Mediterranean to longer scenic cruises in Northern Europe through and beach cruises in the Caribbean, and guests can book their dream getaway now.

MSC Virtuosa, one of the Company’s newest ships, will return from a season in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar to enrich MSC Cruises’ offering in Northern Europe. The ship will replace MSC Magnifica and will homeport in Southampton, UK, starting in May. Guests wishing to experience the magic of Northern Europe next summer have plentiful choices with MSC Cruises offering five ships and more than 50 different itineraries including stunning Fjords, bustling cities, historic capitals and breathtaking landscapes, with a huge variety of itineraries ranging from three to 21 nights in length and multiple convenient embarkation ports. Meanwhile, MSC Magnifica will spend the summer in Northern Europe and will take on the cruises previously announced for MSC Orchestra offering the exact same itineraries out of Hamburg with 10-,11- and 14-night cruises. The ship is popular in this region and features the magrodome pool.

Those dreaming of a taste of the Mediterranean, one of the most popular cruise regions in the world, have more than 40 itineraries to choose from throughout the summer 2022 season, sailing on one of 14 glamourous, modern ships over the course of the season. This summer program marks the largest number of ships the Company has ever had in the region, with an extensive choice of convenient embarkation ports on offer allowing guests from all around the world to embark with ease, from mini-cruises to longer cruises of up to 21 nights.

There will be a brand-new itinerary for MSC Orchestra next summer calling regularly in Lisbon, Portugal. This will strengthen MSC Cruises’ offering guests from Portugal by providing the chance to cruise from a local port for the entire summer season with a rich itinerary featuring many interesting ports of call.

The new 10-night itinerary will call at Genoa in Italy, Marseille/Provence in France, Malaga, Cadiz/Seville, Alicante/Costa Blanca and Mahon/Menorca in Spain, Lisbon in Portugal and Olbia in Emerald Coast/Sardinia in Italy. Sales for MSC Orchestra will open soon.

MSC Grandiosa, MSC Meraviglia, MSC Opera, MSC Splendida, MSC Seaview and MSC Seaside will be in the Western Mediterranean next summer, with MSC Magnifica and MSC Poesia joining in autumn. Meanwhile, in the Eastern Mediterranean, guests can choose from MSC Musica, MSC Fantasia, MSC Sinfonia, MSC Armonia or MSC Lirica. 

For autumn 2022, MSC Fantasia will offer 11-night cruises from Trieste with calls in Izmir/Ephesus or Istanbul. MSC Magnifica will offer 11-night sailings from Genoa to Morocco and the Canary Islands. MSC Preziosa will sail from Hamburg to the Northern Pearls on 7-night itineraries, while MSC Poesia will be deployed on mini-cruises in the Mediterranean Sea.

In the Caribbean, the Company’s flagship, MSC Seashore, will continue to sail out of PortMiami while MSC Divina will offer 3-, 4- and 7-night cruises out of Port Canaveral (Orlando), with both ships calling at Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve in The Bahamas.

In the Far East, MSC Bellissima will be deployed in Asia with cruises in Japan and China.

Since August 2020, MSC Cruises’ guests have been sailing under the protection of the line’s industry leading health and safety protocol that was developed with the input of a Blue-Ribbon Panel of experts and has proven to be both safe and effective throughout the pandemic. This protocol was designed to adapt according to the situation ashore and, over the last 16 months, the measures in place have either been eased or tightened to match the evolution of the pandemic and continue to ensure the highest level of protection possible to guests and crew. All MSC cruise sailings are now open only to vaccinated guests and this will remain so through summer 2022. The line will continue to implement the appropriate measures to ensure that guests can enjoy one of the safest vacation options available while having a memorable time on board.

MSC Cruises wants to help guests book with confidence for their summer vacation next year. As a result, all new bookings that are made before December 31, 2021 – for both winter 21/22 and summer 22 sailings – will be subject to a flexible booking policy. This means that guests can book with a standard deposit and they will be able to reschedule their cruise free of charge up to 15 days prior to the cruise departure or 21 days prior to a Fly&Cruise booking. For further information, guests should speak with the MSC Cruises contact center or their Travel Agent.

For more information on MSC Cruises’ Summer 2022 itineraries, please visit here.

-ENDS-

Notes to editors:

Northern Europe highlights for summer 2022 include:

• MSC Virtuosa offers 7- to 14-night itineraries from Southampton (UK) to the Norwegian Fjords, St. Petersburg (Russia) via Sweden and Denmark. The ship will also offer longer cruises to the Canary Islands (Spain), the Mediterranean, and Norway’s North Cape plus some mini-cruises of 3-4 nights.

• MSC Grandiosa, embarking in Kiel (Germany) will offer 7-night itineraries with highlights including a destinations such as Copenhagen (Denmark), Helsinki (Finland), St. Petersburg (Russia), Tallinn (Estonia) and Flaam (Norway).

• MSC Preziosa, embarking in Kiel (Germany) will offer itineraries between 7 and 11 nights with highlights including two alternative itineraries to the Norwegian Fjords or St. Petersburg (Russia) via Tallinn (Estonia), Helsinki (Finland) and Stockholm (Sweden).

• MSC Poesia, embarking in Warnemunde/Berlin (Germany), will offer itineraries between 7 and 14 nights including 11-night sailings visiting nine countries (an overnight in Russia, Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Finland, Estonia, Sweden, Denmark). The ship will also offer longer cruises to St. Petersburg (Russia) via Tallinn (Estonia), Stockholm (Sweden) and Copenhagen (Denmark), and an epic 21-night cruise that includes calls to a number of destinations in Iceland and Greenland.

• MSC Magnifica, embarking in Hamburg (Germany), will offer itineraries between 10 and 14 nights to Norway or Iceland. The Norway cruise includes calls to Alesund, Honningsvag/North Cape, Tromso, Trondheim, Bergen and Kristiansand. Iceland cruises include calls to Reykjavik (overnight), Isafjordur and Akureyri), along with the Orkney Islands and Invergordon (Scotland, United Kingdom). Spitsburgen cruises include Kristiansand, Andalsnes, Narvik, Longyearbyen, Honningsvag and Nordfjordeid.

Western Mediterranean highlights for summer 2022 include:

• MSC Meraviglia will homeport in Barcelona, offering the perfect itinerary for any sun-seeker: Cannes (France), Genoa, La Spezia and Civitavecchia (Italy), plus Palma de Mallorca (Spain).

• MSC Opera will homeport from Genoa and visit Palermo. Other destinations include calls at Marseille (France), Barcelona (Spain), and the newly reinstated embarkation ports of La Goulette (Tunisia) and Naples (Italy).

• MSC Splendida will offer cruises from Genoa (Italy) to Marseille (France), one of Sicily’s most sought-after destinations, Siracusa, the awe-aspiring beaches of Taranto, and Civitavecchia (Italy).

• MSC Seaview will offer the best of the Western Mediterranean. From Genoa (Italy), she will visit the historical ports of Naples and Messina (Italy), Valletta (Malta), Barcelona (Spain) and Marseille (France).

• MSC Seaside, departing from Genoa, will offer itineraries to Civitavecchia and Palermo (Italy), Ibiza and Valencia (Spain), and Marseille (France). 

• MSC Orchestra will perform cruises of 4-5 nights during the spring and in June, the ship will begin new 10-night cruises from Genoa (Italy) to Marseille/Provence (France), Malaga, Cadiz/Seville, Lisbon (Portugal), Alicante/Costa Blanca and Mahon/Menorca (Spain), and Olbia (Italy).

In autumn, MSC Magnifcia will offer 11-night cruises to the Canary Islands, Morrocco and Madeira, while MSC Poesia will offer 3-, 4- and 5-night cruises rounding out the season in the West Mediterranean.

Eastern Mediterranean highlights for summer 2022 include:

• With Trieste (Italy) as her homeport, MSC Fantasia will offer calls to Ancona (Italy), Kotor (Montenegro), Bari (Italy), Corfu (Greece) and the picturesque city of Dubrovnik (Croatia). From September, the ship will sail 11-night cruises that include Pireaus/Athens (Greece), Izmir/Ephesus and an overnight in Istanbul (Turkey).

• MSC Musica will depart from Monfalcone (Italy), Katakolon/Olympia, Heraklion and Santorini (Greece), and Bari (Italy).

• MSC Sinfonia and MSC Armonia will both homeport from the heart of the Mediterranean, the Italian port of Venice via Marghera. Other exciting ports on MSC Sinfonia’s itinerary include Kotor (Montenegro), the Greek islands of Mykonos and Santorini (Greece), and Bari (Italy). MSC Armonia is putting a focus on gorgeous views with calls to Brindisi (Italy), Mykonos and the Greek mainland destination of Athens via the port at Piraeus, as well as Split and Zadar (Croatia).

• A variety of spectacular destinations await guests aboard MSC Lirica, which will depart from Piraeus/Athens (Greece) and call at Kusadasi (Turkey), Haifa (Israel), the islands of Limassol (Cyprus), plus Rhodes and Santorini (Greece) and an 11-night add-in itinerary.

Caribbean highlights for summer 2022 include:

• MSC Seashore, embarking in Miami (USA), will offer alternating 7-night itineraries to the western and eastern Caribbean. Destinations will include Nassau (The Bahamas), Puerto Plata (Dominican Republic), Ocho Rios (Jamaica), George Town (Cayman Islands), and Cozumel (Mexico) with each cruise calling at Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, MSC Cruises’ own private island in The Bahamas.

• MSC Divina, embarking in Port Canaveral/Orlando (USA), will offer cruises between 3- and 7-nights to the Caribbean with destinations including Costa Maya and Cozumel (Mexico) and Nassau (The Bahamas) with each cruise calling at Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve.

Far East highlights for summer 2022 include:

• MSC Bellissima will sail a range of departures from China and Japan.