Five Cruise Ships Enter European Drydocks in October 2026

Major refurbishments of Margaritaville at Sea Beachcomber and Oceania Marina are among five cruise-ship drydock projects taking place at European yards in October 2026. Norwegian Escape, MSC Opera and World Voyager are also receiving maintenance, class work or repairs before their next deployments.

The Belfast conversion of Beachcomber is expected to generate about £40 million in regional economic activity, according to Harland & Wolff. Beachcomber’s first sailing for its new operator is set for January 9, 2027, while the other four ships are due back in passenger service in late October or early November.

Major refurbishments in Belfast and Marseille

The former Costa Fortuna entered Harland & Wolff on September 26. No completion date has been given. Built by Fincantieri in 2003, the approximately 103,000-gross-ton, 2,720-guest vessel was handed over to Margaritaville at Sea earlier this year.

The conversion includes changes to staterooms and public areas, a new livery and the addition of the 5 o’Clock Somewhere Bar, JWB Steakhouse and Cheeseburger in Paradise Burger Bar. Technical maintenance and equipment upgrades are also expected during the yard stay.

Harland & Wolff said the project would “support jobs, skills and businesses across Belfast and the wider maritime sector.” The yard previously refurbished Margaritaville at Sea Islander in 2024.

After the refit, Beachcomber is scheduled to cross the Atlantic to PortMiami. Its inaugural season will include three- to eight-night itineraries to Florida, the Bahamas and the Caribbean, with calls including Cozumel, Freeport and George Town in the Cayman Islands.

A move to Galveston is planned for 2027 and will introduce Margaritaville at Sea operations in Texas. Announced destinations from that homeport include Aruba, Curaçao, Belize and Veracruz.

In France, Oceania Marina is undergoing its OceaniaNEXT refurbishment at Chantier Naval de Marseille from October 11 through November 5. The 1,260-guest ship was built by Fincantieri at Sestri Ponente in Genoa and entered service in 2011.

All 629 passenger cabins are due to receive revised layouts and replacement furnishings, along with redesigned bathrooms. Work in shared spaces includes carpeting, furniture and lighting, alongside the addition of Founders Bar and the Chef’s Studio.

Marina is scheduled to return to service in early November with Mediterranean itineraries, followed by a repositioning to the Caribbean for winter.

Maintenance and repairs ahead of winter deployments

Norwegian Escape is also at Chantier Naval de Marseille, with its drydock scheduled for October 12–28. The 2015-built ship, which carries 4,200 guests and measures approximately 163,000 gross tons, paused its North American operations for technical maintenance and class work.

The vessel is due to resume passenger operations with a late-October transatlantic crossing. Beginning in mid-November, it will operate weeklong Caribbean cruises from Port Canaveral.

MSC Opera’s October 10–29 yard period is taking place at Palumbo in Valletta, Malta. Built in 2004, the ship measures 65,591 gross tons, carries 2,160 guests and is in for routine maintenance and class work.

MSC Cruises has not detailed the individual tasks. Expected work includes technical overhauls, statutory inspections and upkeep of guest accommodation and facilities. The ship is due to sail again in late October on a transatlantic voyage to the Dominican Republic before beginning year-round Southern Caribbean operations.

World Voyager’s shorter repair period at Lisnave in Setúbal, Portugal, runs October 10–20. The 200-guest Mystic Cruises vessel, completed by Portugal’s WestSEA shipyard in 2020, is having one stabilizer replaced.

Passenger service is scheduled to resume in early November for an Antarctic deployment. It will be World Voyager’s first season under charter to Quark Expeditions.