Key Aspects:
- MSC Sinfonia arrived in Santos around 10 hours late on January 5, 2026.
- The ship was delayed leaving her previous port due to poor weather conditions.
- Aside from moving back disembarkation and embarkation, no additional itinerary changes have been announced.
MSC Cruises’ MSC Sinfonia finally made it to Santos, Sao Paulo, Brazil, on January 5, 2026, after an extended delay.
The 2,646-guest ship was supposed to arrive in Santos to begin the disembarkation process at approximately 9 a.m. local time.
But due to bad weather that prevented a timely departure from Itajai, Brazil, on January 4, the Liraca-class ship did not make it to Santos until around 7 p.m. – which is approximately 10 hours late.
This also means the ship didn’t even arrive until well after she was supposed to depart Santos at 5 p.m. local time, though she may still scrape by without further itinerary changes.
Why Was the Delay So Extreme?
As always, the safety of all passengers and crew onboard the 65,591-gross ton ship is the top priority for MSC Cruises.
With this in mind, a careful decision was made to hunker down in the port of Itajai to let the worst of some inclement weather pass.
Read Also: What Happens If The Cruise Ship Is In Bad Weather
Instead of setting sail at 6 p.m. local time on January 4, the MSC ship didn’t depart until around 4 a.m. on the early morning of January 5.
With 230 nautical miles between Itajai and Santos, there was simply no way for the vessel to be on time.
Even sailing at top speeds (around 20 knots), this is a distance that still takes cruise ships between 10 and 11 hours to cover by sea.
Impact to Passengers
The most obvious impact is to the guests who were due to disembark from their 7-night South America sailing in Santos, who had their post-cruise travel plans and airfare disrupted.
Typically, the cruise line will reimburse or compensate guests as a gesture of goodwill in these types of situations, although it’s unclear what MSC Cruises may have offered in this case.
Guests embarking on a new 7-night South American sailing may have also been inconvenienced by the extended delay.
For example, these impacted guests may have had to pay for meals on land they didn’t budget for and secure alternate transfers from their hotel to the cruise port.
The 2002-launched vessel is also operating two other 7-night itineraries simultaneously, which are based out of Itajai and Rio de Janeiro.
While these guests weren’t anticipating a travel day in Santos, they missed out on exploring the port and pre-booked shore excursions.
No Itinerary Changes Made
As of 11:30 p.m. local time on January 5, cruise tracking data shows that MSC Sinfonia is still docked in Santos, meaning her departure has already been delayed by over six hours.
But luckily for current passengers, no itinerary changes have been announced as a result of this situation.
She is next due in Ilhabela, Brazil, at 8 a.m. on January 6, which is approximately 40 nautical miles from her current homeport.
This is a distance that the ship can cover in as little as two hours, so she may manage to avoid any itinerary changes as long as she can head back out to sea by 6 a.m. at the absolute latest on January 6.
