MSC Cruises Cruises: Ships, Prices & Deals

Who MSC Cruises suits

MSC is the value-for-money European giant of cruising. The ships are large and new, fares are low for what you get, and the atmosphere is distinctly continental: Italian-led crews, late dinners, several languages in every announcement and an international passenger mix. It suits families above all, since children sharing a cabin with two adults pay only taxes and fees on many fares, and kids clubs are split by age group. It also suits first-time cruisers who want a big resort ship without a big price, and Europeans who want to board close to home.

It is less suited to travelers who want an all-inclusive or quiet, adults-focused trip. Embarkation days can be busy, and the experience on a standard fare is busier than on a premium line.

MSC stands for Mediterranean Shipping Company. The cruise line belongs to MSC Group, the family-owned shipping company headquartered in Geneva. That ownership is unusually stable: no stock-market pressure, deep pockets for new ships, and a sister luxury brand, Explora Journeys, for travelers who want a more exclusive product. MSC sails more often than any other line we track, with nearly 800 sailings on our schedule over the next 12 months.

The MSC fleet by class

The fleet table above lists all 24 ships with tonnage, capacity and current status. Here is how the classes differ:

• World class: MSC World Europa, MSC World America and MSC World Asia. These LNG-powered flagships are the largest in the fleet, with an open-air promenade, a dry slide that drops through several decks and the widest choice of restaurants. World America is based in Miami.
• Meraviglia and Meraviglia-Plus: MSC Meraviglia, MSC Bellissima, MSC Grandiosa, MSC Virtuosa and MSC Euribia. Built around an indoor Galleria promenade under an LED dome ceiling. They are big, all-weather ships, well suited to Northern Europe and winter Mediterranean sailings.
• Seaside and Seaside EVO: MSC Seaside, MSC Seaview, MSC Seashore and MSC Seascape. Designed for sunshine, with a waterfront promenade close to the sea and lots of outdoor deck space.
• Fantasia class: MSC Fantasia, MSC Splendida, MSC Divina and MSC Preziosa. The class that introduced the Yacht Club; still large, but with a more classic layout.
• Musica class: MSC Musica, MSC Orchestra, MSC Poesia and MSC Magnifica. Mid-size ships that handle longer itineraries, including the World Cruise.
• Lirica class: MSC Lirica, MSC Opera, MSC Armonia and MSC Sinfonia. The oldest and smallest ships, lengthened with a new mid-section. They reach ports the giants cannot and often carry the lowest fares.

MSC Yacht Club: a ship within a ship

The Yacht Club is MSC's answer to luxury on a mass-market ship. Guests stay in suites inside a private, key-card-access area with its own restaurant, lounge, pool and sun deck, and get 24-hour butler and concierge service. Drinks in Yacht Club venues are included, and you get priority boarding and disembarkation. Outside the enclave you have the run of the whole ship, so children can still use the water park while you return to a quiet pool. It is available on Fantasia-class ships and newer, not on the Musica or Lirica classes.

Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve

Ocean Cay is MSC's private island in the Bahamas, a former industrial sand-dredging site turned into a marine reserve. Ships dock at a pier, so there is no tender. Most of the island is beaches and lagoons, with a lighthouse at the center of the evening program, and many calls run into the evening. It features on most MSC Caribbean and Bahamas itineraries from Miami and Port Canaveral.

What is included on MSC, and what costs extra

Your fare covers the cabin, the main dining room and buffet, entertainment, pools and kids clubs. Tap water and basic hot drinks at the buffet are free.

These cost extra:

• Drinks packages: several tiers, from soft drinks and house wine up to premium spirits. Buying before you sail is usually cheaper than buying on board.
• Wi-Fi: sold as browse or streaming packages, per device.
• Specialty dining: steakhouses, Asian and teppanyaki restaurants and other venues on the larger ships.
• Hotel service charge: a daily charge per person added to your onboard account in most booking markets; the rate depends on itinerary and where you booked.
• Shore excursions: see our MSC excursions guide for when the ship's tour is worth it and when an independent tour is the better buy.

MSC experiences: Bella, Fantastica, Aurea and Yacht Club

MSC sells most cabins under an "experience" that bundles perks:

• Bella is the entry price. You get a cabin in the category you choose, but with less choice of location and dining time.
• Fantastica adds better cabin locations, more flexible dining and some room-service extras.
• Aurea is mainly sold with balconies and suites. It adds a drinks package, spa access and flexible dining.
• Yacht Club is the top tier described above.

When you compare fares, compare the same experience. A cheap Bella fare plus a drinks package can cost more than Aurea on the same sailing.

MSC Voyagers Club and status match

MSC Voyagers Club is the free loyalty program. You earn points per night sailed, with more for higher experiences, and move up through Welcome, Classic, Silver, Gold, Diamond and Black tiers. Higher tiers add discounts, priority services and onboard credit. MSC also runs a status match: show your tier with another cruise line's loyalty program and MSC can place you on an equivalent Voyagers Club tier, which is useful if you are switching lines.

Where MSC sails and from which ports

The Mediterranean dominates, accounting for more than half of upcoming MSC sailings. MSC runs it year-round, and its loops can be joined at several ports. Barcelona, Marseille, Genoa and Civitavecchia (Rome) are the busiest departure ports in our data, followed by Naples, Palermo, Bari, Valencia, Piraeus, Valletta and Venice. See Mediterranean cruises for the region overall.

The Caribbean and Bahamas come second, sailing from Miami, Port Canaveral and Galveston, with Southern Caribbean seasons from Fort-de-France and La Romana. See Caribbean cruises and cruises from Miami. Northern Europe sails from Southampton, Hamburg, Copenhagen, Le Havre and Warnemünde in summer. Smaller programs include Brazil and Argentina from Santos, Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires, Asia from Shanghai and Keelung, the Canary Islands, South Africa from Durban and a few Alaska departures from Seattle.

MSC Grand Voyages and the World Cruise

Grand Voyages are one-way repositioning trips, such as Europe to Miami, Brazil or the Caribbean at the start of a season and back again at the end. Our data shows 64 of them, at a median of about €93 per person per night, the lowest of any MSC category. The cheapest we captured was €615 for 17 nights from Genoa, or about €36 a night. The MSC World Cruise sails from Civitavecchia in January on MSC Magnifica for 121 nights, and is also sold in segments.

MSC price level and the cheapest months

The stat tiles above show MSC's median fare per night. At about €160 per person for the cheapest cabin, that puts MSC in the value bracket with Carnival and NCL, below Royal Caribbean and well below Celebrity. Short one- to three-night segments start from €53 per person. For a full week, the cheapest fares we captured were €379 per person for seven nights in the Caribbean from Galveston or Miami.

Season matters more than ship. In the Mediterranean, the median per night falls to €120 to €131 from November to March and rises to €203 to €217 from July to September. In the Caribbean, October to March runs at €83 to €102 a night, against €151 to €167 in June and July. Inside cabins have a median of €121 a night, balconies €153 and suites €263.

All prices are the cheapest cabin, per person, captured on the date shown on this page.

How to catch MSC price drops

MSC prices move often, and they differ by booking country. We collect MSC fares from the Irish/EU site in euros and the US site in dollars. On one four-night MSC Magnifica Mediterranean sailing, the cheapest inside cabin was €481 on the European site and the equivalent of €373 on the US site on the same day.

To use that:

1. Watch the MSC deals feed for fares that have just dropped.
2. Set a price alert on the sailings you like; you will get an email when the fare falls.
3. Check where your ship is now on the MSC fleet tracker.
4. Upgrade to Pro to see the cheapest booking market for each sailing and 12 months of price history, so you know whether today's fare is actually low.