Key Aspects:
- Guests booked on MSC Opera received last-minute cancellation notices on October 28, ahead of scheduled embarkations in Italy.
- MSC cited technical reasons, though it did not specify whether it was related to the ship’s current dry dock.
- The cruise line promised refunds and expense reimbursement to affected passengers, while other guests reported their embarkation was moved to Livorno on October 31.
Cruise guests booked on MSC Opera were surprised when they received text messages informing them that their cruise had been cancelled. The messages were sent to guests on October 28, 2026, just one day before the earliest embarkation.
“We are very sorry to inform you that, due to technical reasons, we had to cancel your cruise,” the text reads.
The 2,658-guest vessel was scheduled to depart from Civitavecchia, Italy on October 29. Several overlapping itineraries were offered, including shorter Mediterranean cruises and longer transatlantic voyages, with additional embarkation opportunities at ports such as Genoa and Livorno.
MSC Opera has been undergoing a dry dock operation in Valletta since earlier in October. As of the time of writing, cruise ship tracking data shows the vessel still docked in the Malta port.
MSC Cruises has not confirmed exactly what technical problems led to the cancellation. However, the timing points to a repair related to its dry dock.
These text messages prompted confusion from booked passengers, with some questioning whether they were a phishing attempt. Cruise phishing scams have become more common in recent years, as Cruise Hive has covered. That said, some passengers reported to have confirmed the cancellation directly with MSC Cruises.
As of the time of writing, the Port of Civitavecchia has not updated its port schedule to reflect the cancellation. The October 29 departures have since been removed from MSC’s website.
The cruise line’s notice said that guests would receive a full refund for the cancelled cruise. The notice also promised reimbursement for travel and accommodation expenses.
Some Guests Told to Embark in Livorno Instead
Not every guest reported receiving the cancellation message. Some guests, discussing the notice on Facebook, reported that they were told their sailing was not completely cancelled, but that embarkation was moved to Livorno on October 31.
“I got a message that it was postponed until October 31 and leaving from Livorno,” said one guest.
“I am already in Genoa. It doesn’t say it is totally cancelled,” said another guest. “My email says my embarkation is Livorno and to report to terminal as normal Oct 30 and get a free hotel and bus to Livorno on Oct 31 with obc [onboard credit].”
Livorno was already the scheduled port of call for MSC Opera on that day. While the guests did not specify the lengths of their sailings in their comments, it is possible that bookings are being handled differently depending on their length.
MSC Has Cancelled Cruises for Technical Issues Before
MSC Cruises has not confirmed exactly what technical problems led to the cancellation, though the timing points to a repair related to its dry dock. However, the cruise line has had similar last-minute cancellations due to technical problems in the past.
In April 2025, MSC Sinfonia passengers also received a text message the evening before departure informing them that their cruise had been cancelled because of technical issues. Following that cancellation, reports began to circulate that the ship had encountered a malfunction affecting its speed.
Guests booked on a May 2025 sailing aboard MSC Meraviglia, meanwhile, had slightly more notice. Their cruise was cancelled in mid-April, just over three weeks before embarkation, with the cruise line citing mechanical issues affecting the ship’s speed.
