MSC Opens Bookings as Musica, Orchestra Add Yacht Club in Refits

MSC Cruises has opened bookings for future sailings on MSC Musica and MSC Orchestra tied to refurbishments that will add the MSC Yacht Club to both ships. The upgraded MSC Musica is scheduled to enter service in November 2026, followed by MSC Orchestra in March 2027.

The projects sit within MSC’s broader fleet modernization program, which is expanding the line’s “ship-within-a-ship” concept through dedicated suites and access-controlled private venues, alongside wider updates to wellness, fitness, dining, and public spaces.

What the refurbishments add: MSC Yacht Club suite complex and private venues

On both MSC Musica and MSC Orchestra, the MSC Yacht Club is planned as a restricted-access area with accommodations and private spaces separated from the ships’ main venues. MSC’s plans for the two ships call for 63 suites and 24-hour butler and concierge service, supported by an exclusive Top Sail lounge and a dedicated restaurant.

The private sundeck is set to include two hot tubs, plus a grill restaurant and bar. MSC has also highlighted expanded suite options across four categories, including a new two-room, two-bedroom Grand Suite.

Other onboard changes: spa, fitness, and dining updates

Beyond the Yacht Club, both ships are set to receive redesigned guest facilities focused on wellness, training spaces, and refreshed dining concepts.

• MSC Aurea Spa: A redesigned spa concept that includes a sauna with panoramic sea views, steam rooms, a salt room, a Kneipp path, and a tea relaxation area.
• MSC Gym Powered by Technogym: Updated fitness areas designed around aft panoramic views, plus dedicated yoga and spinning studios and new training equipment.
• Dining concepts: Additions and refreshes that include Butcher’s Cut, an American-style steakhouse set to offer premium cuts including beef from Meat by Linz, and the Kaito Sushi Bar with sushi and other Asian dishes.

For MSC Musica specifically, MSC has also linked the work to refreshed public spaces and the creation of additional dining venues.

MSC Musica schedule: South America winter season, then a transatlantic and Mediterranean summer

After the refurbishment, MSC Musica is scheduled to operate in South America from November 2026 through April 2027. MSC has positioned the deployment around a mix of shorter cruises to Brazilian ports and longer holiday itineraries that extend deeper into the region.

Short cruises and longer holiday itineraries

MSC Musica is set to offer three- and four-night cruises to Brazilian destinations that include Santos, Búzios, and Ilha Grande. MSC is also selling eight- and nine-night holiday itineraries that include Buenos Aires, Montevideo, and Punta del Este.

Additional Brazil homeports in January and February

During the 2026–27 season, MSC Musica is also scheduled to sail from Paranaguá, Itajaí, and Rio de Janeiro. Between January and February, the ship is set to offer six seven-night cruises from those ports with calls that include Búzios, Ilha Grande, and Ilhabela.

Those seven-night itineraries were initially planned for MSC Lirica, but MSC Lirica’s South America season was cancelled earlier. MSC Musica had previously been scheduled to focus on short cruises from Santos during the same timeframe. MSC has also noted that the change means Yacht Club access will be available on sailings departing Paranaguá for the first time once the refurbished MSC Musica enters service with the new suite complex.

Season finale: 16 nights across the Atlantic, then weekly Mediterranean cruises

The South America program is scheduled to conclude with a 16-night transatlantic crossing departing Santos on April 1, 2027, arriving in Genoa. From there, MSC Musica is set to operate seven-night Mediterranean cruises in summer 2027, calling at ports that include Genoa, Civitavecchia (for Rome), Palermo, Ibiza, Valencia, and Marseille.

MSC Orchestra schedule: Eastern Mediterranean from Bari starting March 2027

MSC Orchestra is scheduled to begin sailing with the MSC Yacht Club from Bari, Italy, starting in March 2027. The ship’s Eastern Mediterranean itineraries are set to include calls in Turkey and Greece, with ports listed including Istanbul and Izmir in Turkey, plus Piraeus, Corfu, and Cefalonia/Argostoli in Greece.

How the two projects fit MSC’s wider Yacht Club expansion and fleet plans

MSC introduced the MSC Yacht Club concept in 2008 and has been extending it across more of its fleet through newbuilds and retrofits. MSC has said its modernization efforts will make the ship-within-a-ship concept available across 19 ships fleetwide, and it has also outlined additional Yacht Club upgrades that expand the concept further. By the time the upgrades on MSC Musica and MSC Orchestra are complete, MSC has said the Yacht Club will feature on 20 of its 24 ships.

Beyond MSC Musica and MSC Orchestra, MSC has announced Yacht Club debuts for the other two Musica-class ships, MSC Poesia and MSC Magnifica, scheduled for summer 2026.

MSC has also begun redesigning the Yacht Club Restaurant on its four Fantasia-class ships: MSC Fantasia, MSC Splendida, MSC Divina, and MSC Preziosa. The updated restaurant design is already in service on MSC Splendida following a refurbishment that concluded ahead of its February 7, 2026 return to operations, with additional Fantasia-class refurbishments scheduled to complete in December 2026 (MSC Fantasia), April 2027 (MSC Divina), and February 2028 (MSC Preziosa).

Separately, MSC has pointed to investments ashore as part of the same push, including state-of-the-art terminal facilities in PortMiami and Barcelona debuting in 2025.

Context: MSC’s broader South America deployment and ship background

Within MSC’s wider South America season, the cruise line is also deploying MSC Virtuosa, MSC Divina, and MSC Splendida in the region. MSC Virtuosa is scheduled to debut in South America with itineraries from Santos, Maceió, and Salvador, while MSC Divina is set to return to the region after more than a decade with cruises sailing from Santos, Balneário Camboriú, and Buenos Aires. MSC Splendida, which was initially planned to depart only from Buenos Aires, is also scheduled to sail from Rio de Janeiro.

MSC Musica is a 2,550-guest ship built at Chantiers de l’Atlantique in France that entered service in 2006 as the first ship in MSC’s Musica class.

With MSC Musica due back in service in November 2026 and MSC Orchestra following in March 2027, MSC is positioning the two refurbishments to introduce the Yacht Club experience to new sailings in both South America and the Eastern Mediterranean over the 2026–27 period.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

When will MSC Musica and MSC Orchestra begin sailing with MSC Yacht Club?

MSC Musica is scheduled to enter service with the new Yacht Club in November 2026, while MSC Orchestra is scheduled to follow in March 2027.

What private spaces are planned for the MSC Yacht Club on these two ships?

MSC’s plans include 63 suites supported by 24-hour butler and concierge service, an exclusive Top Sail lounge, a dedicated restaurant, and a private sundeck with two hot tubs plus a grill restaurant and bar. Guests are expected to have four suite categories to choose from, including a new two-room, two-bedroom Grand Suite.

Which additional Brazilian ports will MSC Musica use as homeports during the 2026–27 season?

Between January and February, MSC Musica is scheduled to offer departures from Paranaguá, Itajaí, and Rio de Janeiro, alongside sailings from Santos during the wider season.

What other upgrades are part of the refurbishments besides the Yacht Club?

Both ships are slated to receive updated wellness, fitness, and dining facilities, including a redesigned MSC Aurea Spa and an MSC Gym Powered by Technogym with dedicated yoga and spinning studios. Dining updates highlighted by MSC include Butcher’s Cut steakhouse and the Kaito Sushi Bar, with MSC Musica also tied to refreshed public spaces and additional dining venues.

How far is MSC expanding the Yacht Club concept across its fleet?

MSC introduced the Yacht Club in 2008 and has said its modernization efforts will make the concept available across 19 ships fleetwide, with additional upgrades expanding it further. MSC has also said that by the time the MSC Musica and MSC Orchestra projects are complete, the Yacht Club will feature on 20 of its 24 ships, including planned debuts on MSC Poesia and MSC Magnifica in summer 2026.