MSC Opera Launches Portugal Interporting Season in Lisbon

Updated June 19, 2026

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, Alicante and Malaga.

The deployment follows the ship's winter season in South Africa, where MSC Opera sailed from Durban and Cape Town on itineraries that included destinations in Namibia and Mozambique, among them Walvis Bay, Portuguese Island and Pomene. It also precedes a late-2026 move to year-round Caribbean service, where the ship is set to become MSC's first year-round vessel in the region. MSC has 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. Beyond the interporting cities, the schedule includes Olbia in Sardinia, Mahon in Minorca and Cadiz.

MSC Opera will sail 15 roundtrip cruises from Lisbon before repositioning to Genoa and then setting off on an early November trans-Atlantic crossing to La Romana. The 65,591-GT Lirica-class ship was built in 2004 at Chantiers de l'Atlantique. It underwent a major refurbishment in 2015, when it was lengthened with a new 25-meter section that added staterooms and public spaces. 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 year-round Caribbean service in late 2026, operating seven-night cruises from La Romana in the Dominican Republic, Fort de France in Martinique and Bridgetown in Barbados. Its Caribbean program includes sailings to the French Antilles, the British Virgin Islands, St. Maarten, the Dominican Republic and other destinations. Early-2027 itineraries are also scheduled to visit the ABC Islands and Grenada, including Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao and St. George's.

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, among them 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 exact sailing dates for the later program were not listed.