MSC Cruises have published the details of the Winter 2022/2023 programme with a choice of 21 ships sailing to more than 190 destinations in 85 different countries. “With cruises ranging from mini-cruises through to the 118 night world cruise, ships will explore the Middle East, Caribbean, Mediterranean, Northern Europe, South America and South Africa - there really is a ship and itinerary for everyone looking for the perfect winter cruise holiday,” the company said in a statement.

MSC Cruises will launch two new ships for the upcoming winter season, with the first being MSC World Europa, the indoor promenade of which is shown in CGI above. It will be based in Doha for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ and then following this the new ship will offer cruises calling Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sir Bani Yas (United Arab Emirates) Doha (Qatar) and Dammam (Saudi Arabia) starting with a mini-cruise on 20 December before resuming a regular schedule of 7-night cruises.

MSC Seascape will become the second new ship to launch next winter and the line’s second innovative Seaside EVO class ship will offer two different 7-night itineraries from PortMiami (U.S) starting from 11 December. This will further enrich MSC Cruises’ already strong offering in the Caribbean.

The cruise line, which was the first to restart operations sailing from Southampton in the wake of the pandemic last May confirms that MSC Preziosa will sail from the UK from October 2022. This news follows the announcement earlier this week that MSC Virtuosa will extend her EX-UK season which means MSC will have two ships sailing from the port throughout October 2022.

MSC Preziosa will arrive in Southampton on the 3^rd October performing Northern European cruises visiting destinations including Amsterdam, Bruges and Le Havre for Paris and will sail from the port until April 2023. MSC Virtuosa will arrive in the port from 29^th April beginning the summer season with a mini-cruise to Guernsey with the last sailing to the Mediterranean departing 4^th November.

Middle East highlights for winter 2022-2023

MSC Cruises continues to strengthen and enrich the offering in the Middle East with three ships offering the chance to discover the rich culture and tradition of this region along with making the most of the beautiful beaches and waters.

• MSC World Europa will offer 7-night sailings from Dubai including Abu Dhabi and the beautiful island Sir Bani Yas (United Arab Emirates), Dammam/Al Ahsa Oasis (Saudi Arabia), Doha (Qatar).
• MSC Opera will also sail from Dubai to Abu Dhabi and Sir Bani Yas as well as Muscat and Khasab (Oman).
• MSC Splendida will homeport in Jeddah Saudi Arabia calling at Yanbu and Al Wajh also in the Kingdom and then Aqaba in Jordan for Petra and Safaga in Egypt for Luxor. Sales for MSC Splendida will open in the coming days.

Caribbean and Antilles highlights for winter 2022-2023

• MSC Seascape will commence her inaugural season from December 11, 2022 out of PortMiami (U.S) on Sundays. She will offer 7-night itineraries calling at the eastern Caribbean calling at Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve and Nassau in The Bahamas, San Juan in Puerto Rico, and Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic and the Western Caribbean also calling at Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, Cozumel in Mexico, George Town in the Cayman Islands and Ocho Rios in Jamaica
• MSC Meraviglia: sailing from the newly established MSC Cruises homeport Port Canaveral/Orlando (U.S), will offer cruises between three and seven nights to the Caribbean with destinations including Nassau and Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve (Bahamas), Costa Maya and Cozumel (Mexico) and Belize City (Belize).
• MSC Divina: based out of PortMiami (U.S), each cruise will call at Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve and the ship will offer a range of 3 to 10-night exciting itineraries, with visits to Belize City (Belize), Isla de Roatan (Honduras), Costa Maya (Mexico), Ocho Rios (Jamaica), Cartagena (Colombia), Colon (Panama), Puerto Limon (Costa Rica).
• MSC Seaside: h 7-night cruises from Fort de France (Martinique), Pointe-a-Pitre (Guadeloupe) and Philipsburg (St Maarten) with two different itineraries that include calls to destinations such asCastries (Saint Lucia), Bridgetown (Barbados), Saint George (Grenada), or St John’s (Antigua and Barbuda), Basseterre (St Kitts and Nevis) and Roseau (Dominica)

Mediterranean highlights for winter 2022-2023

This winter, MSC Cruises will offer a rich and diverse choice in the Mediterranean Sea, with three ships sailing in this iconic cruise region, including two of the Company’s most innovative ships – MSC Grandiosa and MSC Virtuosa giving guests not only the chance to discover everything that the Mediterranean has to offer but also a memorable experience on board.

• MSC Grandiosa will offer 7-night cruises from Genoa, Civitavecchia and Palermo (Italy), Valetta (Malta), Barcelona (Spain) and Marseille (France).
• MSC Virtuosa will sail from Genoa, La Spezia/Florence and Naples (Italy), Palma de Mallorca and Barcelona (Spain) and Marseille (France). Sales for MSC Virtuosa will open in the coming days. 
• MSC Lirica will offer longer cruises for voyages of discovery of 11 nights from Genoa, Civitavecchia, Messina (Italy), Lindos/Rhodes (Greece), Limassol (Cyprus), Haifa (Israel), Heraklion/Crete (Greece), all from Genoa (Italy) or 10-nights from Genoa that calls Marseille (France), Barcelona (Spain), Tangier and Casablanca/Marrakech (Morocco), Ceuta, Malaga and Alicante/Costa Blanca (Spain)

Northern Europe highlights for winter 2022-2023

• MSC Preziosa will offer the new 7-night winter itinerary introduced this season visiting five of Europe’s most popular cities - Hamburg (Germany), Zeebrugge for Bruges and Brussels (Belgium), Rotterdam (the Netherlands), Le Havre for Paris (France) Southampton for London (UK). Sales for MSC Preziosa will open in the coming days.

South America highlights for winter 2022-2023

Guests can choose from five ships sailing in Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay, all hand-picked and vibrant destinations right in the heart of the South American region.

• MSC Seashore: will offer her brand-new 7-night itinerary from Santos visiting Maceio, Salvador and Buzios (Brazil) with local guests having the possibility to embark in Salvador (Brazil).
• MSC Seaview will homeport for the first time in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) from December to March. She will offer 3 to 8-night cruises with different itineraries ranging from breath taking views and islands, such as Buzios, Ilhabela, Ilha Grande/Angra dos Reis, Ilheus, Salvador (all in Brazil) to Uruguay and Argentina.
• MSC Fantasia: homeporting from Santos (Brazil), will offer a range 3 to 7-night cruises with calls including Ilha Grande, Buzios and Ilha Grande/Angra dos Reis (Brazil), Montevideo (Uruguay), as well as, Punta Del Este (Uruguay) and Buenos Aires (Argentina).
• MSC Armonia: will focus on Southern Brazil homeporting from Itajai/Santa Caterina and will bring guests on a 7-night journey to Uruguay, Argentina and Ilhabela (Brazil).
• MSC Musica: will homeport from Buenos Aires (Argentina) and offer a range of memorable destinations in Brazil with Ilhabela, Rio de Janeiro / Copacabana, Buzios, Ilha Grande/Angra dos Reis.

South Africa highlights for winter 2022-2023

Two ships will operate in South Africa offering a complete getaway to enjoy brilliant beaches and striking landscapes.

• MSC Sinfonia: starting December 2022, will homeport in Cape Town (South Africa) sailing the west coast to Mossel Bay (South Africa), Walvis Bay and Luderitz (Namibia).
• MSC Orchestra: will based in Durban (South Africa) and will then perform calls including Pomene and Portuguese Island/Inhaca Archipelago (Mozambique), Walvis Bay (Namibia) and Cape Town (South Africa).

MSC World Cruise for winter 2022-2023

MSC Magnifica and MSC Poesia will both perform the MSC World Cruise 2023. The two ships in an industry first will host over 5,000 guests for a round journey around the world and they will both depart from Civitavecchia and Genoa (Italy), respectively on 4 and 5 January, Marseille (France) one day later and Barcelona (Spain) on 7 January.