{"id":6787,"date":"2026-09-07T06:04:31","date_gmt":"2026-09-07T06:04:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cruisebooking.com\/news\/?p=6787"},"modified":"2026-09-07T06:43:06","modified_gmt":"2026-09-07T06:43:06","slug":"msc-cruises-unveils-epic-2026-27-winter-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cruisebooking.com\/news\/msc-cruises\/msc-cruises-unveils-epic-2026-27-winter-season","title":{"rendered":"MSC Cruises Unveils Epic 2026-27 Winter Season"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>MSC Cruises has unveiled details of its 2026-27 winter season, and the scale is hard to overstate: the line&#8217;s ships will call at 168 destinations spread across 72 countries between December 2026 and spring 2027. From the debut of a brand-new ship in the Mediterranean to sun-soaked escapes in the Caribbean and Canary Islands, the MSC Cruises winter season is shaping up to be one of the line&#8217;s most ambitious yet. Here&#8217;s a closer look at the five itinerary highlights MSC is spotlighting this year.<\/p>\n<h2>1. MSC World Asia&#8217;s Inaugural Season<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Maiden Voyage Details<\/strong><br \/>\nMSC Cruises&#8217; newest ship, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cruisebooking.com\/ships\/msc-world-asia\">MSC World Asia<\/a>, recently completed her first round of sea trials and is on track to begin her maiden season on December 4, 2026. She&#8217;ll offer seven-night Mediterranean itineraries calling at:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Barcelona, Spain<\/li>\n<li>Marseille, France<\/li>\n<li>Genoa, Italy<\/li>\n<li>Civitavecchia (for Rome), Italy<\/li>\n<li>Messina, Italy<\/li>\n<li>Valletta, Malta<\/li>\n<li>Onboard Highlights<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Guests sailing MSC World Asia&#8217;s inaugural season can expect:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>More than 40 bars, lounges and restaurants<br \/>\nA newly introduced Pan-Asian street food concept<br \/>\nThe longest dry slide at sea, measuring 81.3 meters<br \/>\nThe Harbour, a dedicated outdoor destination area<\/p>\n<h2>2. Mediterranean Cruises at a Slower Winter Pace<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Fleet &amp; Itineraries<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Six ships will sail Mediterranean cruises this winter, giving travelers the chance to experience the region&#8217;s landmarks without the summer crowds: MSC World Asia, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cruisebooking.com\/ships\/msc-euribia\">MSC Euribia<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cruisebooking.com\/ships\/msc-magnifica\">MSC Magnifica<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cruisebooking.com\/ships\/msc-sinfonia\">MSC Sinfonia<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cruisebooking.com\/ships\/msc-lirica\">MSC Lirica<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cruisebooking.com\/ships\/msc-orchestra\">MSC Orchestra<\/a>. Seven-night sailings will visit:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Spain<\/li>\n<li>France<\/li>\n<li>Italy<\/li>\n<li>Malta<\/li>\n<li>Tunisia<\/li>\n<li>Greece<\/li>\n<li>Turkey<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Highlighted stops include Barcelona, Civitavecchia (for Rome), Istanbul, Valletta and Piraeus (for Athens).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Extended Sailing Options<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Travelers looking for a longer trip have two standout choices:<\/p>\n<p>A 10- to 12-night sailing aboard the MSC Lirica to Cyprus, Egypt, Croatia and Greece<br \/>\nA 10-night sailing aboard the MSC Magnifica to Morocco and Spain<\/p>\n<p>Notable stops along these routes include the Pyramids of Giza, Dasoudi Beach and Krka National Park.<\/p>\n<h2>3. Northern Europe Holiday Sailings<\/h2>\n<p><strong>MSC Preziosa&#8217;s Year-Round Route<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cruisebooking.com\/ships\/msc-preziosa\">MSC Preziosa<\/a>, which recently kicked off a year-round deployment in the region, will offer seven-night Northern Europe cruise itineraries calling at:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Hamburg, Germany<\/li>\n<li>Rotterdam (for Amsterdam), Netherlands<\/li>\n<li>Cherbourg, France<\/li>\n<li>Zeebrugge (for Bruges and Brussels), Belgium<\/li>\n<li>Le Havre (for Paris), France<\/li>\n<li>Southampton (for London), England<\/li>\n<li>Holiday-Season Appeal<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The timing puts guests in prime position to enjoy:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Christmas markets in Hamburg and Brussels<\/li>\n<li>Amsterdam&#8217;s canals<\/li>\n<li>Bruges&#8217; medieval streets<\/li>\n<li>Iconic landmarks in London and Paris<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>4. Sunny Caribbean Winter Getaways<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Itinerary Options<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>For travelers looking to escape the cold, MSC&#8217;s Caribbean cruises this winter range from mini-getaways to seven-night sailings and extended voyages, with stops including:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Puerto Rico<\/li>\n<li>Dominican Republic<\/li>\n<li>Mexico<\/li>\n<li>Saint Lucia<\/li>\n<li>Grand Turk Island<\/li>\n<li>The Bahamas<\/li>\n<li>New for This Season<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>A few firsts stand out in this year&#8217;s Caribbean deployment:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The line&#8217;s first-ever departures from La Romana, Dominican Republic<br \/>\nFrequent visits to Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, MSC&#8217;s private island in The Bahamas<br \/>\nNine ships deployed to the region: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cruisebooking.com\/ships\/msc-world-america\">MSC World America<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cruisebooking.com\/ships\/msc-world-europa\">MSC World Europa<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cruisebooking.com\/ships\/msc-grandiosa\">MSC Grandiosa<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cruisebooking.com\/ships\/msc-meraviglia\">MSC Meraviglia<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cruisebooking.com\/ships\/msc-opera\">MSC Opera<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cruisebooking.com\/ships\/msc-poesia\">MSC Poesia<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cruisebooking.com\/ships\/msc-seascape\">MSC Seascape<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cruisebooking.com\/ships\/msc-seaside\">MSC Seaside<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cruisebooking.com\/ships\/msc-seashore\">MSC Seashore<\/a><\/p>\n<h2>5. Winter Sun in the Canary Islands<\/h2>\n<p><strong>MSC Fantasia&#8217;s Route<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The MSC Fantasia will run seven-night Canary Islands cruise itineraries through the Canary Islands and Madeira, calling at:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Santa Cruz de Tenerife<\/li>\n<li>Puerto del Rosario<\/li>\n<li>Funchal<\/li>\n<li>Arrecife<\/li>\n<li>Las Palmas<\/li>\n<li>Destination Highlights<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Guests on this route can look forward to:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The volcanic landscapes of Lanzarote and La Palma<\/li>\n<li>Relaxing on Gran Canaria&#8217;s Maspalomas Beach<\/li>\n<li>Exploring the streets of Funchal, Madeira<\/li>\n<li>Booking Information<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>MSC Cruises&#8217; 2026-27 winter season itineraries are now open for booking. Travelers interested in any of the five highlighted routes \u2014 from MSC World Asia&#8217;s debut to the Caribbean&#8217;s nine-ship deployment \u2014 are encouraged to check MSC&#8217;s official site or a travel advisor for current pricing and availability, as popular sailings such as the World Asia inaugural season are expected to book up quickly.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>MSC Cruises has unveiled details of its 2026-27 winter season, and the scale is hard to overstate: the line&#8217;s ships will call at 168 destinations spread across 72 countries between [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6784,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v20.2.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\r\n<title>MSC Cruises Unveils Epic 2026-27 Winter Season | Cruise News<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Explore MSC Cruises&#039; 2026-27 winter season, featuring 168 destinations in 72 countries, including the MSC World Asia&#039;s inaugural voyage.\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cruisebooking.com\/news\/msc-cruises\/msc-cruises-unveils-epic-2026-27-winter-season\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"MSC Cruises Unveils Epic 2026-27 Winter Season | Cruise News\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Explore MSC Cruises&#039; 2026-27 winter season, featuring 168 destinations in 72 countries, including the MSC World Asia&#039;s inaugural voyage.\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.cruisebooking.com\/news\/msc-cruises\/msc-cruises-unveils-epic-2026-27-winter-season\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Cruise News\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-09-07T06:04:31+00:00\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-09-07T06:43:06+00:00\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.cruisebooking.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/msc-lists-5-reasons-to-choose-its-winter-2026-27-sailings.webp\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1700\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"810\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/webp\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"CruiseBooking.com Editorial Team\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"CruiseBooking.com Editorial Team\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\r\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"MSC Cruises Unveils Epic 2026-27 Winter Season | Cruise News","description":"Explore MSC Cruises' 2026-27 winter season, featuring 168 destinations in 72 countries, including the MSC World Asia's inaugural voyage.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.cruisebooking.com\/news\/msc-cruises\/msc-cruises-unveils-epic-2026-27-winter-season","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"MSC Cruises Unveils Epic 2026-27 Winter Season | Cruise News","og_description":"Explore MSC Cruises' 2026-27 winter season, featuring 168 destinations in 72 countries, including the MSC World Asia's inaugural voyage.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.cruisebooking.com\/news\/msc-cruises\/msc-cruises-unveils-epic-2026-27-winter-season","og_site_name":"Cruise News","article_published_time":"2026-09-07T06:04:31+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-09-07T06:43:06+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1700,"height":810,"url":"https:\/\/www.cruisebooking.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/msc-lists-5-reasons-to-choose-its-winter-2026-27-sailings.webp","type":"image\/webp"}],"author":"CruiseBooking.com Editorial Team","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"CruiseBooking.com Editorial Team","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.cruisebooking.com\/news\/msc-cruises\/msc-cruises-unveils-epic-2026-27-winter-season","url":"https:\/\/www.cruisebooking.com\/news\/msc-cruises\/msc-cruises-unveils-epic-2026-27-winter-season","name":"MSC Cruises Unveils Epic 2026-27 Winter Season | Cruise News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.cruisebooking.com\/news\/#website"},"datePublished":"2026-09-07T06:04:31+00:00","dateModified":"2026-09-07T06:43:06+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.cruisebooking.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/adcfb3f8fae9556923dd78a3be8610cf"},"description":"Explore MSC Cruises' 2026-27 winter season, featuring 168 destinations in 72 countries, including the MSC World Asia's inaugural voyage.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.cruisebooking.com\/news\/msc-cruises\/msc-cruises-unveils-epic-2026-27-winter-season#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.cruisebooking.com\/news\/msc-cruises\/msc-cruises-unveils-epic-2026-27-winter-season"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.cruisebooking.com\/news\/msc-cruises\/msc-cruises-unveils-epic-2026-27-winter-season#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.cruisebooking.com\/news"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"MSC Cruises Unveils Epic 2026-27 Winter Season"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.cruisebooking.com\/news\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.cruisebooking.com\/news\/","name":"Cruise News","description":"CruiseBooking.com","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.cruisebooking.com\/news\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.cruisebooking.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/adcfb3f8fae9556923dd78a3be8610cf","name":"CruiseBooking.com Editorial Team","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.cruisebooking.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8d1f2def7d7894cc78c3bf1eb9b6a91e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8d1f2def7d7894cc78c3bf1eb9b6a91e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"CruiseBooking.com Editorial Team"},"url":"https:\/\/www.cruisebooking.com\/news\/author\/cruisebooking"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisebooking.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6787"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisebooking.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisebooking.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisebooking.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisebooking.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6787"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisebooking.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6787\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6790,"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisebooking.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6787\/revisions\/6790"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisebooking.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6784"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisebooking.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6787"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisebooking.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6787"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisebooking.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6787"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}