Imagine trading in chilly winter winds for the warm Mediterranean sun. MSC Cruises is making that dream a reality by extending its 2024 Mediterranean sailing season well into the cooler months.
From October through December, travelers can soak up sunshine and mild temperatures across a variety of Mediterranean hotspots, with the cruise line revealing, “Weather data for some of the cruise line’s Mediterranean destinations throughout October, November, and December shows that guests can expect to enjoy temperatures up to 82 degrees.”
It added, “With up to 295 hours of sunshine per month and no chance of rain!”
One of the notable additions is MSC Sinfonia’s new itinerary, which features Greece for the first time. The 7-night cruise will take up to 2,567 passengers to Bari, Italy; Piraeus (Athens) and Corfu, Greece; and Izmir and Istanbul, Turkey.
The 65,542-gross-ton-vessel will also offer sojourns starting at just three nights between Bari, Athens and Izmir, with a season filled with 3- to 7-night options in the region.
Also offering 3- to 7-night journeys, the 137,936-gross-ton MSC Fantasia, which accommodates 3,300 passengers, will offer additional Mediterranean voyages from Naples (Pompei), Italy; Marseilles, France; Valencia, Spain; and Genoa (Portofino), Italy.
Its longer voyages will call on Palermo, Italy; La Goulette, Tunisia; and Barcelona, Spain, while its shortest cruise, departing October 25, 2024, travels between Valencia and Genoa, stopping in Tarragona, Spain.
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MSC Lirica’s smaller size at 59,058 gross tons, makes it easier to visit smaller ports. It will feature 7- to 12-night itineraries from Venice, Ancona (Urbino), Livorno (Florence), Cagliari (Sardinia), and Civitavecchia, Italy, as well as Valencia.
The 1,800-passenger ship’s longer voyages are one-way journeys and feature stops in Katakolon (Olympia), Heraklion (Crete), and Rhodes (Lindos), Greece. They will also visit Cyprus, Croatia, and Egyptian ports in Said and Alexandria.
For MSC Grandiosa, sailing out of Livorno, Palermo, Naples, Genoa, Marseille, and Barcelona during the extended season, travelers will find cruises extending up to 21 nights.
With late-season cruises stretching from October into December, the vessel will be the first to leave the area, heading to the Canary Islands during its November 18, 2024, trip.
That voyage will cross the Atlantic and end in Sao Paolo, Brazil, where the ship will spend its winter.
MSC World Europa, which recently became the first ship to use shore power in Valletta, Malta, will also enjoy more time in the Mediterranean, traveling from Barcelona, Civitavecchia, Genoa, Naples, Palermo, and Marseille.
Most of its cruises will be 7-night itineraries with a 3-night one-way from Barcelona to Civitavecchia on November 1, 2024, and a 5-night from Genoa to Barcelona on November 3, 2024.
Expanding into the U.S.
MSC Cruises’ Mediterranean season follows a summer with nine of its ships stationed in the region, including MSC Magnifica, MSC Meraviglia, MSC Musica, MSC Opera, MSC Orchestra, MSC Poesia, and MSC Seaside.
The Mediterranean is a key destination for the cruise line, but the upscale cruise provider is expanding its presence in the U.S. with new itineraries launching in 2025 available of four ships.
Sailing new routes from Miami and Port Canaveral, Florida, New York City, and Galveston, Texas, the expansion into the American market will take MSC Cruises deeper into the Caribbean and the Bahamas.
