MSC Cruises Plans Eight-Ship Europe Lineup for Winter 2027-28
After winter, MSC Seaview is scheduled for its first Greece, Turkey and Croatia season, sailing a nine-night route from Trieste with a thirteen-hour Istanbul call.
Updated September 17, 2026
MSC Cruises has revised its winter 2027-28 deployment, moving MSC World Asia from the Western Mediterranean to the South Caribbean and keeping MSC World Europa in the Western Mediterranean instead of sending it to the Middle East. The changes affect existing bookings on MSC World Europa, MSC World Asia and MSC Meraviglia.
MSC World Europa will operate seven-night Western Mediterranean cruises, while MSC World Asia will offer seven- and 14-night South Caribbean itineraries from Martinique, Guadeloupe and Barbados. MSC Cruises will still have eight ships in Europe for the season. That total includes six vessels in the Mediterranean, plus separate programs in Northern Europe and the Canary Islands and Madeira.
By the 2027-28 season, MSC Cruises’ fleet is scheduled to include 25 ships following the addition of MSC World Atlantic in late 2027, with other vessels assigned to the Caribbean, South America, Asia, South Africa and the Middle East.
World Europa remains in the Western Mediterranean
Five ships are assigned to the Western Mediterranean. MSC World Europa will continue offering seven-night itineraries with calls at Barcelona, Marseille, Genoa, Civitavecchia, Messina and Valletta. Passengers will be able to embark at multiple ports.
MSC Euribia and MSC Lirica are also scheduled for seven-night Western Mediterranean itineraries, covering ports in Spain, France, Italy and Tunisia. MSC Magnifica will operate ten-night winter cruises before departing on its world cruise in early 2028.
MSC Seaview is the fifth ship in the Western Mediterranean deployment, its first winter program in the region, with sailings to Italy, Spain, France and Malta. The schedule currently lists no cruises for the 2018-built, 154,000-ton vessel between mid-January and late March 2028.
World Asia moves to the South Caribbean
MSC World Asia will operate seven- and 14-night itineraries with embarkation available in Fort-de-France, Pointe-a-Pitre and Bridgetown. Scheduled destinations include Castries, St. George’s, Philipsburg, St. John’s, Basseterre, Roseau and Kingstown.
The 215,863-gt ship, with capacity for up to 6,758 passengers, left Chantiers de l’Atlantique for sea trials on July 15 ahead of scheduled delivery in late November 2026. Its first revenue sailing remains scheduled from Barcelona on Dec. 4, 2026, beginning a regular itinerary that includes Marseille, Genoa, Civitavecchia, Messina and Valletta. The reassignment applies to the winter 2027-28 season.
Booking changes and refund options
Passengers booked on MSC World Europa in the Middle East for winter 2027-28, along with their travel partners, are being contacted directly. They can move to another sailing or request a full refund.
MSC World Asia Mediterranean bookings and MSC Meraviglia South Caribbean bookings for the season will be updated. MSC Cruises said affected passengers will be contacted directly regarding individual changes.
Orchestra, Preziosa and Fantasia extend the winter map
MSC Orchestra is scheduled for the Eastern Mediterranean, operating itineraries to Italy, Turkey and Greece. In Northern Europe, MSC Preziosa will sail to destinations in England, France, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands.
The 139,072-gt Preziosa is programmed for year-round Northern Europe through at least late 2028, with British Isles, Baltic and Scandinavia sailings around its week-long winter Western Europe cruises. MSC also has the ship returning to Svalbard in 2027 and 2028, with two Spitsbergen cruises scheduled each year.
MSC Fantasia will operate a full winter season in the Canary Islands and Madeira. Its seven-night cruises include calls at Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Arrecife de Lanzarote and Funchal.
Seaview moves east after winter
After its winter program, MSC Seaview is scheduled to reposition to the Eastern Mediterranean in March 2028 for the ship’s first season in Greece, Turkey and Croatia. The nine-night itinerary sails from Trieste across the Adriatic, Aegean and Marmara seas, with calls at Bari, Corfu, Piraeus, Split and Kusadasi, plus a 13-hour call at Istanbul.
Passengers will be able to board in multiple ports. MSC Fantasia currently operates the itinerary, which MSC Splendida is scheduled to handle in 2027 before Seaview takes over.
Seaview’s 4,140-passenger capacity gives MSC more berths on the route than the Fantasia-class ships previously assigned to the program. The ship is scheduled to remain in the Eastern Mediterranean through October 2028 before repositioning to the Western Mediterranean for the following winter season.
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