MSC Cruise Ship Cancels Baltic Season in Favor of the Norwegian Fjords

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MSC Grandiosa will not be sailing in the Baltic this summer. Instead, the cruise ship will be fully dedicated to cruising the Norwegian Fjords this summer. The change in the itinerary has been announced due to the cruise line dropping calls to St. Petersburg, Russia, this summer.ย 

Several cruise lines have been shuffling their ships around due to sanctions against Russia. The resulting drop in interest in Baltic cruises has made cruise companies position their ships elsewhere. Not all vessels for the Swiss-based cruise line have seen their Baltic season canceled; MSC Poesia and MSC Preziosa will still be sailing in the region.ย 

MSC Grandiosa Will be Fully Dedicated to the Norwegian Fjords

This summer, MSC Grandiosa will be fully committed to sailing in the Norwegian Fjords. The cruise ship was scheduled to alternate 7-day sailings in the Baltic Sea with 7-day sailings to the Norwegian Fjords.ย 

The Baltic Sea sailings have now been removed entirely as a result of the situation in Eastern Europe and the resulting sanctions against Russia. MSC Cruises announced earlier this month it would be canceling all calls to St. Petersburg.

MSC Grandiosa in Barcelona, Spain
Photo Courtesy: MSC Cruises

As the Russian port is a highlight for many people and often the reason to book a Baltic cruise, demand for Baltic cruises has dropped significantly, as we’ve seen with Princess Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line earlier this week. Instead of the Baltic, MSC Grandiosa will now spend her summer amongst the stunning Norwegian Fjords:

MSC Cruises announced: “MSC Grandiosa will now be fully dedicated to the Norwegian Fjords for the entire summer 2022 season. This sees one of MSC Cruisesโ€™ most modern and environmentally advanced ships offering stand-out seven-night itineraries in one of the most stunning regions in Northern Europe.”

MSC Grandiosa’s seven-night itineraries will sail from Kiel, Germany, calling at the capital city of Denmark, Copenhagen. The ship then heads north to Norway, calling at the village of Hellesylt, sailing through Sunnylvsfjord and Aurlandsfjord on the way to the port city of Alesund and stunning Flam village.

MSC Cruises Dedicates Five Ships To Northern Europe

MSC Cruises is not canceling all cruises to the Baltic Sea this summer. Although MSC Grandiosa has been re-assigned, MSC Poesia and MSC Preziosa will be in the area from May through September 21, 2022, with St. Petersburg replaced by other ports in the Baltic region.

Read Also: MSC Grandiosa Cruise Ship – Overview & Must-Know Things

Guests booked on one of MSC Grandiosa cruises in the Baltic that still wish to experience a cruise there can choose to sail on one of the alternative vessels still sailing there this summer.ย ย 

MSC Cruises Ship
Photo Credit: Ronald Rampsch / Shutterstock

MSC Poesia will sail from Warnemunde, Germany, on seven- and 11-night itineraries with calls to Riga, Latvia; Helsinki, Finland; Stockholm, Sweden; Tallinn, Estonia; Copenhagen, Denmark; and Kristiansand and Oslo, in Norway.ย 

MSC Preziosa sails from Kiel, Germany, on seven- to 12-night voyages with calls to Tallinn, Estonia; Helsinki, Finland; Stockholm, Sweden; and Bergen, Kristiansand, and Stavanger, Norway.

Also sailing in Northern Europe are MSC Magnifica and MSC Virtuosa. MSC Magnifica is sailing 10 to 14-night itineraries from Hamburg, Germany, with calls to various destinations in Norway. This includes a call to Longyearbyen in Svalbard, the most Northern city in the world.ย 

MSC Virtuosa will split her cruises between Southern Europe and the Norwegian Fjords. The seven- and 12-night itineraries include calls to Haugesund, Flaam, Olden, Maloy, Nordfjordeid, and Molde Fjord in Norway.

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Robert McGillivray
Robert McGillivray
Robert has been involved in the cruise industry since January 2007. He joined his first ship, the Seabourn Pride, in Miami Florida, and never looked back. Robert started his cruise career as a bar-waiter and worked his way up to being a corporate trainer for the same luxury 6-star cruise line. After a short break from ships in 2013, Robert has worked as a Hotel Director onboard several different cruise ships worldwide and even in Antarctica, and on the North Pole. As a writer for Cruise Hive Robert stays on top of all current developments and brings you breaking news, facts, and special reports. As an avid traveler and photographer, Robert has visited no less than 101 countries worldwide and stepped on to his 7th continent on his 30th birthday. His photos have been published by news media like Bloomberg and The New York Times, and are used by Celebrity and Azamara Cruise lines for their promotional materials. Robert currently resides in the Philippines on the tropical island of Panglao, with his wife and two daughters. Find out more about us here.

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