• 21 modern ships sailing to more than 190 of the world’s most sought-after destinations across 85 different countries
Geneva, Switzerland – 03 February 2022 MSC Cruises today revealed the details of the Winter 2022/2023 programme with an incredible choice of 21 modern, elegant ships sailing to more than 190 of the world’s most sought-after destinations in 85 different countries. With cruises ranging from mini-cruises through to the 118 night world cruise, ships will explore the Middle East, Caribbean, Mediterranean, Northern Europe, South America and South Africa - there really is a ship and itinerary for everyone looking for the perfect winter cruise holiday.
MSC Cruises will launch two new and innovative ships for the upcoming winter season, with the first being the much-anticipated MSC World Europa. Not only is this the Company’s first LNG powered ship but it is a brand-new class of ships that introduces a completely new cruising platform so that guests sailing on this spectacular ship will enjoy a completely redefined cruise experience unlike anything at sea today.
MSC World Europa will be based in Doha for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ and then following this the new ship will offer cruises calling Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sir Bani Yas (United Arab Emirates) Doha (Qatar) and Dammam (Saudi Arabia) starting with a mini-cruise on 20 December before resuming a regular schedule of 7-night cruises.
MSC Seascape will become the second new ship to launch next winter and the line’s second innovative Seaside EVO class ship will offer two different 7-night itineraries from PortMiami (U.S) starting from 11 December. This will further enrich MSC Cruises’ already strong offering in the Caribbean.
The cruise line, which was the first to restart operations sailing from Southampton in the wake of the pandemic last May confirms that MSC Preziosa will sail from the UK from October 2022. This news follows the announcement earlier this week that MSC Virtuosa will extend her EX-UK season which means MSC will have two ships sailing from the port throughout October 2022.
Antonio Paradiso, MD MSC Cruises UK & Ireland said ‘Our commitment to the UK market continues to grow and we are proud that we are providing agents with such a variety of products to sell in the EX-UK space this year. Sailing MSC Virtuosa from Southampton last year allowed us a great opportunity to access the new to cruise market who made up 50% of our sales for Summer 2021. The impact the ship made in the UK was clear to see when it was awarded ‘Best New Ship’ in the Ocean Awards division as part of the Cruise Critic Editors Pick awards for 2021. I am delighted to be bringing MSC Virtuosa and MSC Preziosa to the UK in 2022 allowing us to offer more choice than ever before for guests seeking a no-fly adventure.’
MSC Preziosa will arrive in Southampton on the 3rd October performing Northern European cruises visiting destinations including Amsterdam, Bruges and Le Havre for Paris and will sail from the port until April 2023. MSC Virtuosa will arrive in the port from 29th April beginning the summer season with a mini-cruise to Guernsey with the last sailing to the Mediterranean departing 4th November.
For further information on the winter programme see below:
Middle East highlights for winter 2022-2023 include:
MSC Cruises continues to strengthen and enrich the offering in the Middle East with three ships offering the chance to discover the rich culture and tradition of this region along with making the most of the beautiful beaches and waters.
• MSC World Europa will offer 7-night sailings from Dubai including Abu Dhabi and the beautiful island Sir Bani Yas (United Arab Emirates), Dammam/Al Ahsa Oasis (Saudi Arabia), Doha (Qatar).
• MSC Opera will also sail from Dubai to Abu Dhabi and Sir Bani Yas as well as Muscat and Khasab (Oman).
• MSC Splendida will homeport in Jeddah Saudi Arabia calling at Yanbu and Al Wajh also in the Kingdom and then Aqaba in Jordan for Petra and Safaga in Egypt for Luxor. Sales for MSC Splendida will open in the coming days.
Caribbean and Antilles highlights for winter 2022-2023 include:
• MSC Seascape will commence her inaugural season from December 11, 2022 out of PortMiami (U.S) on Sundays. She will offer 7-night itineraries calling at the eastern Caribbean calling at Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve and Nassau in The Bahamas, San Juan in Puerto Rico, and Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic and the Western Caribbean also calling at Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, Cozumel in Mexico, George Town in the Cayman Islands and Ocho Rios in Jamaica
• MSC Meraviglia: sailing from the newly established MSC Cruises homeport Port Canaveral/Orlando (U.S), will offer cruises between three and seven nights to the Caribbean with destinations including Nassau and Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve (Bahamas), Costa Maya and Cozumel (Mexico) and Belize City (Belize).
• MSC Divina: based out of PortMiami (U.S), each cruise will call at Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve and the ship will offer a range of 3 to 10-night exciting itineraries, with visits to Belize City (Belize), Isla de Roatan (Honduras), Costa Maya (Mexico), Ocho Rios (Jamaica), Cartagena (Colombia), Colon (Panama), Puerto Limon (Costa Rica).
• MSC Seaside: h 7-night cruises from Fort de France (Martinique), Pointe-a-Pitre (Guadeloupe) and Philipsburg (St Maarten) with two different itineraries that include calls to destinations such as Castries (Saint Lucia), Bridgetown (Barbados), Saint George (Grenada), or St John’s (Antigua and Barbuda), Basseterre (St Kitts and Nevis) and Roseau (Dominica)
Mediterranean highlights for winter 2022-2023 include:
This winter, MSC Cruises will offer a rich and diverse choice in the Mediterranean Sea, with three ships sailing in this iconic cruise region, including two of the Company’s most innovative ships – MSC Grandiosa and MSC Virtuosa giving guests not only the chance to discover everything that the Mediterranean has to offer but also a memorable experience on board.
• MSC Grandiosa will offer 7-night cruises from Genoa, Civitavecchia and Palermo (Italy), Valetta (Malta), Barcelona (Spain) and Marseille (France).
• MSC Virtuosa will sail from Genoa, La Spezia/Florence and Naples (Italy), Palma de Mallorca and Barcelona (Spain) and Marseille (France). Sales for MSC Virtuosa will open in the coming days.
• MSC Lirica will offer longer cruises for voyages of discovery of 11 nights from Genoa, Civitavecchia, Messina (Italy), Lindos/Rhodes (Greece), Limassol (Cyprus), Haifa (Israel), Heraklion/Crete (Greece), all from Genoa (Italy) or 10-nights from Genoa that calls Marseille (France), Barcelona (Spain), Tangier and Casablanca/Marrakech (Morocco), Ceuta, Malaga and Alicante/Costa Blanca (Spain).
Northern Europe:
• MSC Preziosa will offer the new 7-night winter itinerary introduced this season visiting five of Europe’s most popular cities - Hamburg (Germany), Zeebrugge for Bruges and Brussels (Belgium), Rotterdam (the Netherlands), Le Havre for Paris (France) Southampton for London (UK). Sales for MSC Preziosa will open in the coming days.
South America highlights for winter 2022-2023 include:
Guests can choose from five ships sailing in Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay, all hand-picked and vibrant destinations right in the heart of the South American region.
• MSC Seashore: will offer her brand-new 7-night itinerary from Santos visiting Maceio, Salvador and Buzios (Brazil) with local guests having the possibility to embark in Salvador (Brazil).
• MSC Seaview will homeport for the first time in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) from December to March. She will offer 3 to 8-night cruises with different itineraries ranging from breath taking views and islands, such as Buzios, Ilhabela, Ilha Grande/Angra dos Reis, Ilheus, Salvador (all in Brazil) to Uruguay and Argentina.
• MSC Fantasia: homeporting from Santos (Brazil), will offer a range 3 to 7-night cruises with calls including Ilha Grande, Buzios and Ilha Grande/Angra dos Reis (Brazil), Montevideo (Uruguay), as well as, Punta Del Este (Uruguay) and Buenos Aires (Argentina).
• MSC Armonia: will focus on Southern Brazil homeporting from Itajai/Santa Caterina and will bring guests on a 7-night journey to Uruguay, Argentina and Ilhabela (Brazil).
• MSC Musica: will homeport from Buenos Aires (Argentina) and offer a range of memorable destinations in Brazil with Ilhabela, Rio de Janeiro / Copacabana, Buzios, Ilha Grande/Angra dos Reis.
South Africa highlights for winter 2022-2023 include:
Two ships will operate in South Africa offering a complete getaway to enjoy brilliant beaches and striking landscapes.
• MSC Sinfonia: starting December 2022, will homeport in Cape Town (South Africa) sailing the west coast to Mossel Bay (South Africa), Walvis Bay and Luderitz (Namibia).
• MSC Orchestra: will based in Durban (South Africa) and will then perform calls including Pomene and Portuguese Island/Inhaca Archipelago (Mozambique), Walvis Bay (Namibia) and Cape Town (South Africa).
MSC World Cruise for winter 2022-2023 include:
MSC Magnifica and MSC Poesia will both perform the MSC World Cruise 2023. The two ships in an industry first will host over 5,000 guests for a round journey around the world and they will both depart from Civitavecchia and Genoa (Italy), respectively on 4 and 5 January, Marseille (France) one day later and Barcelona (Spain) on 7 January. These maiden calls will mark a unique moment for guests as they prepare to set sail around the world without having to unpack their suitcase. Once the two ships cross the Mediterranean Sea, the ships will part ways in the Atlantic Ocean. MSC Poesia is sold-out but there are limited cabins available on MSC Magnifica. To find out more visit here.
Sales are now open for most of the winter 22/23 sailings with itineraries for MSC Preziosa, MSC Splendida and MSC Bellissima coming soon.
Cruise with Confidence
Since August 2020 MSC Cruises guests have been sailing under the protection of the line’s industry leading health and safety protocol that was developed with the input of a Blue-Ribbon Panel of experts and this has proven to be both safe and effective through all evolutions of the pandemic. This protocol was designed to adapt according to the situation ashore and the measures in place have either been eased or tightened to match the evolution of the pandemic, to continue to ensure the highest possible protection to guests and crew.
Bookings for all sailings through to the end of the next winter 2022-2023 season will enable guests to Cruise with Confidence with a safe, flexible and enjoyable cruise holiday.
Guests who book before 31 March 2022 will have the peace of mind that comes from knowing their booking is flexible — with the ability to reschedule their cruise free of charge up to 15 days prior to departure and 21 days for Fly&Cruise bookings.
MSC Cruises holidays are open to vaccinated guests only and this will continue to be the case for winter 2022/2023. The line will continue to implement the appropriate measures, adapting to the health situation ashore, to ensure that guests can enjoy one of the safest holidays options out there all whilst having a memorable time on board.
For more information on MSC Cruises’ health & safety protocol and embarkation requirements, please click here
