MSC Opera Launches Portugal Interporting Season in Lisbon
The summer schedule includes Olbia in Sardinia, Mahon in Minorca, Malaga and Cadiz, followed by a repositioning voyage to Genoa.
MSC Opera began MSC Cruises’ summer interporting season in Portugal on May 30, arriving at Lisbon Cruise Port for a program of 15 ten-night cruises through late September. The 2,160-passenger ship is operating western Mediterranean and Atlantic itineraries with embarkation available in Lisbon, Genoa, Marseille and Alicante.
The deployment follows the ship’s winter season in South Africa and precedes a late-2026 move to the Caribbean. MSC has also lined up MSC Sinfonia and MSC Fantasia for subsequent Portugal-linked programs in 2027 and the 2027-28 winter season.
Ten-night cruises from Lisbon
The summer program combines calls in Portugal, Italy, Spain and France. In addition to the interporting cities, the schedule includes Olbia in Sardinia, Mahon in Minorca, Malaga and Cadiz.
MSC Opera will sail 15 roundtrip cruises from Lisbon before a repositioning voyage to Genoa. The 65,591-GT Lirica-class ship was built in 2004 and is one of MSC’s smaller vessels compared with the line’s newer tonnage.
Lisbon is handling the program after a record 2024, when the port reported 763,752 passengers across 369 cruise calls.
Sinfonia and Fantasia follow in Portugal programs
MSC Opera is scheduled to shift to full-time Caribbean service in late 2026, operating seven- and 14-night Southern Caribbean cruises from the Dominican Republic and Martinique. MSC Sinfonia will then take over the ten-night Portugal, Italy, Spain and France itineraries between April and September 2027.
The Sinfonia program will add calls beyond Opera’s 2026 schedule, including Portimão in Portugal, Ceuta in Spain and Tangier in Morocco. MSC did not list starting fares.
MSC Fantasia is also scheduled for a Portugal-linked winter program from Madeira, operating seven-night Canary Islands cruises from Funchal between Dec. 15, 2026, and March 23, 2027. The 3,500-passenger ship’s itinerary includes Arrecife de Lanzarote, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Puerto del Rosario.
MSC Fantasia is due back in Funchal for a similar 2027-28 winter season, though the later program’s exact sailing dates were not listed.
