Ocean Cruising · Contemporary

MSC Cruises

Europe’s largest cruise line, with the Mediterranean as home turf.

MSC Cruises logo

Overview

Sailing with MSC Cruises

MSC is the largest cruise line in Europe and part of the same family that runs one of the world’s biggest container shipping companies. The Mediterranean is where they operate the most ships and the most frequent sailings.

Good to know

  • Strongest Mediterranean schedule of any line
  • Family-friendly
  • Growing Caribbean presence

What Makes Them Different

What sets MSC Cruises apart

A robot bartender

MSC Starship Club is staffed by Rob, a humanoid robotic bartender that mixes and serves cocktails on select ships.

MSC Yacht Club

MSC Yacht Club

A ship-within-a-ship enclave with its own pool, restaurant, and butler service, tucked inside an otherwise mainstream ship.

Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve

Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve

Their private Bahamian island used to be an industrial sand-mining site before MSC restored it into an actual marine reserve.

The Fleet

MSC Cruises ship classes

World Class

World Class

MSC World Europa, MSC World America, and MSC World Asia, the newest and largest ships MSC has ever built, LNG-powered and laid out around distinct onboard districts rather than one continuous deck plan.

  • Venom Drop @ The Spiral on MSC World Europa is the longest dry slide at sea, an 11-deck stainless-steel drop from deck 20 down to deck 8
  • MSC World America adds an over-water swing ride roughly 160 feet above the ocean
  • The newest and largest MSC ships, built around distinct districts instead of one deck plan
Meraviglia Class

Meraviglia Class

MSC Meraviglia, Bellissima, Grandiosa, and Virtuosa form the core of the class, with MSC Euribia built as a larger Meraviglia Plus version. Built around a long indoor promenade topped with an LED sky screen, more indoor mega-resort than open-air ship.

  • The Galleria is a two-deck indoor promenade topped with an LED sky dome nearly 300 feet long, running animated sky scenes and shows overhead
  • MSC Euribia’s larger Meraviglia Plus size adds even more room to spread out
  • Feels like an indoor resort on a rainy sea day, when other ships have nowhere to go but a pool deck
Seaside Class

Seaside Class

MSC Seaside, Seaview, Seashore, and Seascape, with Seashore and Seascape built as the slightly larger Seaside EVO update. Designed around outdoor living, with more open deck space and ocean views than the indoor-focused Meraviglia ships.

  • The Waterfront Promenade circles the ship at water level, one of the widest ocean-level boardwalks at sea
  • Seascape’s outdoor deck space is the largest in the MSC fleet, including a promenade stretching over 1,700 feet
  • Built around outdoor living, with far more open deck space than the indoor-focused Meraviglia ships
Fantasia Class

Fantasia Class

MSC Fantasia, Splendida, Divina, and Preziosa, built between 2008 and 2013 and still solid mid-size ships within the fleet.

  • Birthplace of the MSC Yacht Club, the ship-within-a-ship suite enclave that later rolled out across the whole fleet
  • The Aqua Park runs 150 illuminated musical fountains, a genuine show after dark, not just a splash pad
  • Solid, dependable mid-size ships that usually price below MSC’s newest classes

Next Step

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