MSC Cruises Ships by Size, Age and Class (Updated 2023)
MSC Cruises has an active fleet of 22 ships currently. They are currently one of the largest cruise line fleets in the world.
Their next ship, MSC World America will launch in 2025 – taking them to 23 ships.
Introduction to MSC Cruises
MSC Cruises is a Swiss-Italian cruise line, founded back in 1989 in Naples, Italy.
A sibling company of the giant Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), MSC has strong roots connecting it with the sea dating back to 1675.
Since 1989, MSC Cruises has built a formidable fleet of cruise ships, with the last few years adding several brand new ships per year on average and an order book with many more lined up.
Whilst the cruise shutdown of 2020 stopped MSC from sailing briefly, they were quick to continue the building of their new ships and did not sell off any of their current vessels.
This guide will help you work out which MSC Cruises’ ship is which!
MSC Ships by Size (from largest to smallest)
What does ‘tonnage (grt)’ mean.
GRT (Gross Registered Tonnage) is a term used to calculate the volume inside a ship. It is a measure of cubic capacity and is calculated by the total volume from inside the hull and decks of the ship. 1 GRT = 100 cubic feet of space. In essence, the bigger the GRT – the more ‘space’ the ship has for passengers, cargo, etc.
How are ‘Passengers (Max)’ calculated?
You’ll see multiple numbers for passengers on ships – this is because many ships include extra beds in cabins (such as the sofa/couch can convert to a pull-out bed) – but the majority of cabins usually have 2 people in them. the ‘Max’ number is if every cabin used their additional pull-out bed, etc. This number is unlikely to be reached very frequently.
MSC Ships by Age (from newest to oldest)
Are all msc ships new builds.
Only two of MSC Cruises’ ships ( MSC Armonia and MSC Sinfonia ) are not new-builds for MSC Cruises. These two ships are ex-Festival Cruises ships (previously named European Vision and European Stars ).
They were acquired when Festival Cruises went bankrupt and MSC Cruises purchased them for their operations.
MSC Cruises chose to use a modified version of the European-class ships and built MSC Lirica and her twin sister, MSC Opera .
MSC Ships by Class (from newest to oldest)
What is the meraviglia plus class.
The Meraviglia Plus class was built after the success of MSC Meraviglia . The Plus class is an extended version of the ship (approx 15m longer) and has slightly larger facilities, including more cabins – giving an extra passenger capacity of 679 ( MSC Grandiosa – 6,334 compared to MSC Meraviglia 5,642).
What is the Seaside EVO class?
The Seaside EVO class was built after the success of MSC Seaside . This class is 16m longer, offering bigger facilities throughout the ship and more cabins. This enables a higher passenger capacity over the existing Seaside class of 548 passengers ( MSC Seashore 5,632 compared to MSC Seaside 5,084)
Additionally, newer classes of MSC ships are more environmentally advanced, offering enhanced wastewater treatment facilities and enhanced selective catalytic reductions (i.e reduced emissions).
MSC Cruise Ships Frequently Asked Questions
Which msc cruise ship is the biggest.
Currently, the biggest MSC cruise ship is actually a trio of sister ships: MSC Euribia, MSC Virtuosa and MSC Grandiosa – all 331 metres long and 191,200 GRT with a max passenger capacity of 6,344.
Which MSC cruise ship is the smallest?
Both MSC Sinfonia and MSC Armonia are the smallest MSC cruise ships in terms of GRT (Tonnage) but MSC Armonia actually carries 26 passengers less, at 2,520 max capacity.
Which MSC cruise ship is the newest?
The newest MSC cruise ship that has launched is MSC Euribia . She was handed over to MSC Cruises on 31st May 2023.
Which MSC cruise ship is the oldest?
The oldest (still at sea) MSC cruise ship is MSC Armonia . Whilst she entered service for MSC Cruises in 2004, she was actually built as European Vision for Festival Cruises back in 2001.
How many classes of ships does MSC have?
MSC Cruises currently have eight classes of ships. Two are hybrid classes (Seaside EVO and Meraviglia Plus) and the rest are unique classes.
Which MSC cruise ship is the best?
Ask ten different people which is their favourite MSC ship and you’ll get ten different answers! But MSC Seaside and MSC Meraviglia have frequently come top of many polls and are widely accepted as two of the most popular MSC cruise ships.
Where are MSC cruise ships built?
MSC Cruises builds a lot of its newer ships at the Chantiers de l’Atlantique (St. Nazaire) shipyard in France. The Meraviglia and Meraviglia Plus class are some of the latest ships from there.
The Seaside and Seaside EVO ships were built by Fincantieri in Monfalcone, Italy – one of the biggest cruise shipbuilders based in the Mediterranean.
How many ships does MSC have?
Twenty-two ships as of June 2023
Which MSC ships run on LNG?
Both MSC World Europa and the new MSC Euribia run on LNG fuel.
Final Thoughts
When it comes to choosing an MSC Cruise ship for your cruise there is a vast range of ships that are perfect whether you are travelling solo, as a couple or as a family.
Look out for our detailed guide on the different MSC classes shortly!
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MSC Cruises has an active fleet of 22 ships currently. They are currently one of the largest cruise line fleets in the world. Their next ship, MSC World America will launch in 2025 - taking them to 23 ships. Introduction to MSC Cruises. MSC Cruises is a Swiss-Italian cruise line, founded back in 1989 in Naples, Italy.. A sibling company of the giant Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), MSC ...