When you book a cruise more than a year away, you don’t expect the cruise line to have “operational reasons” that interfere with the itinerary so far in advance. But that just happened for passengers who booked a transatlantic voyage aboard MSC Divina in April 2026.
The 18-night cruise, scheduled to embark from Miami, Florida, on April 9, 2026, will no longer call at three scheduled ports, instead concluding its journey in Cannes, France, three days early.
As MSC Divina wraps up her 2025-2026 winter in the Caribbean to head to the Mediterranean for the 2026 summer, the repositioning sailing was initially touted to enjoy six ports of call amidst 10 sea days.
Instead, the cruise line just announced it is removing St. John’s, Antigua; Casablanca, Morocco; and Valencia, Spain, from the lineup. As a result, MSC Divina will end her sailing on April 23, 2026, instead of the originally planned April 26.
Now, the 139,400-gross-ton ship, whose godmother is Italian screen legend Sophia Loren, will continue to spend 10 days at sea but only call in Tortola, British Virgin Islands and the Canary Islands and Barcelona, Spain, ahead of her arrival in Cannes.
The cruise line is automatically adjusting the price of the voyage, and any guests who pre-paid will receive a prorated refund.
“Please rest assured, we will automatically recalculate your cruise fare based on the new cruise length,” said MSC Cruises. “If the booking has been paid in full, a prorated refund will be issued for the three missing nights.”
Reason Behind the Change
While MSC Cruises did not specifically reveal the operational reasons that affect the ship, the cruise line is not typically known for making changes to its voyages without good reason.
For example, its most recent adjustments to MSC Seascape in November, currently one of five ships enjoying a winter season in the Caribbean, were made to keep guests away from Tropical Storm Rafael, while its MSC Seashore and MSC Magnifica experienced cancellations and new schedules in October due to Hurricane Milton.
Typically, operational issues could mean weather and sea conditions or technical and mechanical issues, but that’s certainly not the case for this future cruise.
Other operational reasons, however, could be related to the ports having scheduling conflicts or if a cruise line needs to reposition a ship more quickly to meet other operational commitments.
It looks as if the latter is the reason for MSC Divina’s new itinerary, as it is currently advertising the 3,500-passenger ship will begin her Mediterranean season with a 7-night cruise from Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy, on April 24, 2026.
This means the vessel will drop its transatlantic passengers in France on April 23 and then make way to Italy the following day in order to provide the first of a series of roundtrip itineraries to Mykonos and Santorini, Greece; Kusadasi, Turkey; and Naples (Pompeii), Italy.
Still, guests can enjoy plenty of experiences during MSC Diniva’s now-15-night journey. The vessel offers a range of dining options, from the elegant main dining rooms to specialty restaurants like Eataly Steakhouse, where passengers can indulge in Italian-inspired cuisine.
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Entertainment onboard caters to various tastes, with the Broadway-style Pantheon Theater presenting nightly performances that range from musicals to acrobatics.
Guests looking for fun and competition can head to the bowling alley, catch the latest sports events at the Sports Bar, or try their luck at the casino. Kids will especially love Aqua Park, which has water features and sun loungers for parents.
Wellness amenities are also abundant, with the MSC Aurea Spa offering a selection of treatments, thermal baths, and a calming atmosphere, while the gym provides a space to keep up with fitness routines at sea, and adults can seek relaxation at the adults-only infinity pool at the ship’s aft.
