MSC Cruises has released the details for its Winter 2022-2023 season, and safe to say, the company is undoubtedly offering an itinerary for everyone. The Switzerland-based family-owned cruise line plans to provide itineraries with a staggering 190 destinations in 85 different countries on board 21 ships.
Those 21 ships include two new cruise liners MSC will be launching this year. MSC World Europa will be sailing the Gulf region, and MSC Seascape will be cruising the Caribbean.
Two New Ships to Be Launched Ahead of Winter 2022-2023 Season
MSC Cruises will be launching two new ships this year, ahead of the winter season. MSC Seascape is the second of MSC Cruises’ Seaside EVO-class vessels, set to launch in December 2022; she will be based in Miami, Florida.
From Miami, MSC Seascape will offer two different 7-night itineraries from PortMiami starting from 11 December. Cruises will include both Western and Eastern Caribbean cruises with ports of call such as Nassau, Bahamas; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic; and Cozumel in Mexico, George Town in the Cayman Islands, and Ocho Rios in Jamaica.
MSC World Europa will be the first LNG-powered ship for MSC Cruises. The vessel is the first of four ships in the class. The 205.000 gross tonnes vessel will be easy to recognize with the distinctive X-hull, which will make for smooth sailings for the 6,774 passengers.
For her inaugural season, the MSC World Europa will be based in Doha, Qatar, for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. After that, she will be sailing on a route between Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sir Bani Yas, Doha, and Dammam, in Saudi Arabia. The cruises will be 7-nights.
Four MSC Ships Will Be Sailing the Caribbean
Of the 21 ships in the MSC fleet, four will be sailing the Caribbean in the winter of 2022-2023. Besides MSC Seascape sailing from Miami, MSC Seaside will also be cruising the Caribbean.
However, MSC Seaside will be embarking guests from three ports, including Fort De France, Martinique; Pointe-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe; and St. Maarten. From here, she will sail two different Eastern Caribbean itineraries that include calls to Saint Lucia, Barbados, Grenada, Antigua, and more.
Sailing from Port Canaveral, MSC Meraviglia will be calling in destinations such as Nassau and Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve and Cozumel and Belize City. For MSC Divina from PortMiami, each cruise will call at Ocean Cay, and a variety of cruises that include calls to Belize City, Roatan, Ocho Rios, Cartagena, Colombia, and more.
MSC Strengthening Presence In Middle East
Over the last years, MSC Cruises has been steadily building its presence in the Middle East. Besides MSC World Europa, two more cruise ships will be sailing in the region in the winter.
MSC Opera will sail from Dubai to Abu Dhabi and Sir Bani Yas in the Persian Gulf and visit the beautiful ports along the Omani coastline, such as Muscat and Khasab. MSC Splendida will be sailing in the Red Sea and be one of the few ships to ever homeport in Saudi Arabia.
Sailing from Jeddah, MSC Splendida will be visiting Yanbu and Al Wajh in Saudi Arabia, Aqaba in Jordan, from where guests can visit the ancient city of Petra, and Safaga in Egypt for visits to Luxor.
The Mediterranean Sea & Northern Europe Cruises
Despite the colder climate in winter, the Mediterranean remains a popular destination for thousands of guests. No surprise then that MSC has decided to offer cruises onboard three ships in the region.
MSC Grandiosa will offer 7-night cruises from Genoa, Civitavecchia, Palermo, Malta, Barcelona, and Marseille. Guests can choose to board in either city and disembark again seven days later.
MSC Virtuosa will sail from Genoa, Florence and Naples, Palma de Mallorca, Barcelona, and Marseille. And MSC Lirica will offer longer cruises for voyages of discovery of 11 nights from Genoa to ports in Spain, Italy, Greece, and Morocco.
MSC Preziosa will be visiting Northern Europe and sailing to five of the most famous cities in the region. The ship will be offering guests visits to Hamburg, Germany, Zeebrugge for Bruges and Brussels, Rotterdam, Le Havre for Paris, and Southampton for London.
South America & South Africa
Two regions where MSC cruises have always had a presence in the last few years are South America and Southern Africa.
Heavily focussed on Brazil, the company will have five cruise ships based in South America. MSC Seashore, MSC Seaview, MSC Fantasia, MSC Armonia, and MSC Musica will all be based or visiting Brazilian ports such as Rio De Janeiro, Salvador de Bahia, and Ilha Grande, but also visit ports in Uruguay and Argentina.
Last but not least, two MSC ships will be based in South Africa and explore the wonders of Southern Africa. Starting in December 2022, MSC Sinfonia will be based in Cape Town and sail to Mossel Bay, South Africa, and Walvis Bay and Luderitz in Namibia.
MSC Orchestra will operate from Durban, South Africa, and sail to Pomene and Portuguese Island/Inhaca Archipelago in Mozambique, Walvis Bay, Namibia, and Cape Town, South Africa.
All in all, MSC Cruises is leaving no stone unturned to offer guests as many exciting destinations as possible. With cruises ranging from 3-days to 118 nights to the Middle East, Caribbean, Mediterranean, Northern Europe, South America, and South Africa, there is something there for everyone.
