MSC Cruise Line Guide

MSC Cruises is a mainstream, family-focused cruise line that includes accommodation, main dining, buffet meals, kids’ clubs and entertainment in the base fare. Drinks, Wi-Fi, speciality dining and hotel service charges are usually extra unless your booking is a promotional fare or package. This guide covers what’s included, ships, cabin grades, UK departures, documents, costs and tips.

What’s included in an MSC cruise fare?

Your core MSC fare covers your cabin, meals in the main dining rooms and buffet, entertainment, pools and children’s clubs. In the buffet, water, milk, coffee, tea and fruit juices are included. Drinks in the main restaurants are charged unless you have a package or a promotional fare that includes them.

The included spaces go beyond the buffet and main restaurant. Theatre shows, live music, pool areas, sports facilities and the age-banded kids’ clubs all come with the fare. Speciality restaurants, most drinks, Wi‑Fi, excursions, spa treatments, laundry and some adult-only areas cost extra.

Hotel service charges are handled differently by fare type. Some UK fares advertise that port taxes and hotel service charges or gratuities are already included. Where they are not, Mediterranean, Canary Islands, Northern Europe, Antilles, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Qatar and Red Sea sailings carry a service charge of €12 per adult per night and €6 per child aged 2 or over per night. Always check your booking confirmation because this is the single largest add-on after drinks. See our tipping guide for more on how service charges work.

Drinks packages, Wi‑Fi and laundry: what costs extra

MSC sells drinks as bolt-on packages rather than making the whole ship all-inclusive as standard. The main packages are Easy, Premium Extra, Alcohol-Free and Minors.

Premium Extra covers drinks priced up to €14/£14/$16 and is capped at 15 alcoholic drinks per person per day; after that you pay the menu price. Easy and Alcohol-Free cannot be used in speciality restaurants, while Premium Extra works in speciality restaurants and on private islands.

Every guest in a cabin must buy the same package, and children travelling with adults on a package must take the Minors package. All pre-paid and onboard drinks packages include gratuities. MSC advertises Premium drinks from £28 per person per night on Mediterranean fly-cruises, but exact pricing only appears once you are in a booking.

Wi‑Fi is sold as two packages, Browse and Browse & Stream, for one to four devices. Prices are set per cruise rather than per day and are only shown in the booking area. If you want to know the exact cost, start a booking or check My MSC.

Laundry is also a bookable extra. You can buy prepaid laundry packages of 20 or 40 items per cabin per cruise. Items are collected before noon and returned before dinner 48 hours later, with no service on the last day. Guests in Aurea suites get two complimentary ironing items per suite.

Cabin grades and fare tiers made simple: Bella, Fantastica, Aurea and Yacht Club

MSC prices cabins through four booking tiers.

Bella is the lead-in fare. You get a guaranteed cabin, but MSC assigns the number and you cannot choose the exact location. You may be assigned an obstructed or promenade-view cabin.

Fantastica lets you choose your cabin and location, adds one free cruise change, free breakfast delivery and free 24-hour room service delivery.

Aurea is the entry-level suite and wellness tier. It includes thermal area access, My Choice dining, access to the Top Exclusive Solarium, welcome Prosecco and chocolates, priority boarding, priority luggage drop-off and 10% off spa treatments. Aurea suites add priority tender and disembarkation, a first free minibar fill, two complimentary ironing items, an in-suite espresso machine and concierge service.

Yacht Club is MSC’s keycard-only ship-within-a-ship area. It comes with a 24-hour butler, dedicated concierge, private restaurant, lounge and sun deck, priority check-in and check-out, and a minibar replenished daily. The Premium Extra drinks package is included in Yacht Club fares and works in all bars and restaurants across the ship, with the same 15-alcoholic-drinks daily cap.

Yacht Club is currently available on 19 ships and is being added to MSC Musica and MSC Orchestra, which will complete the Musica class. The four Lirica-class ships, MSC Armonia, MSC Lirica, MSC Opera and MSC Sinfonia, do not have a Yacht Club.

MSC ships: fleet sizes, new ships and smaller options

The fleet ranges from MSC Armonia at 65,542 gross tonnes and about 2,620 guests to the World Class ships. MSC World America is the largest in service at 216,638 gross tonnes and 6,764 guests. MSC World Atlantic is expected to be 215,863 gross tonnes and carry 6,758 guests, with 144 Yacht Club suites and six speciality restaurants including Butcher’s Cut and Kaito.

MSC World Asia is the next ship to join the fleet and will sail the Mediterranean, followed by MSC World Atlantic, which will homeport at Port Canaveral for the Caribbean. Two further World Class ships have been ordered, taking the class to six. A separate New Frontier class of about 180,000 gross tonnes and 5,400 guests is also on order from Meyer Werft.

If you prefer smaller ships, MSC Armonia and the other Lirica-class vessels are the most compact in the fleet. They lack Yacht Club but still carry the main dining, buffet, children’s clubs and entertainment programmes.

Kids’ clubs and adult-only areas

MSC is not an adults-only cruise line. It runs five age-banded kids’ clubs that are included in the fare and open daily: Baby Club for ages 0–3, Mini Club 3–6, Junior Club 7–11, Young Club 12–14 and Teen Club 15–17. MSC Baby Care takes babies from six months to three years for up to eight hours a day and carries an extra charge.

Teen programming includes Drone Academy, a Dance Crew Competition run with the company behind The X Factor, and Wii, Xbox and PlayStation tournaments.

Adults can use the Top Exclusive Solarium, which is free for Aurea guests and charged for Bella and Fantastica guests. The Aurea Spa thermal area is adults only when reserved. Yacht Club areas are also restricted to Yacht Club guests and are overwhelmingly adult-focused outside school holidays.

Where MSC sails and Ocean Cay

MSC sails the Mediterranean, Northern Europe, Caribbean, Canary Islands and Madeira, South America, Bermuda, Canada and New England, South Africa, Asia, Alaska, the Panama Canal, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Qatar, plus a world cruise. The guest mix is heavily European, particularly in the Mediterranean, and onboard announcements and staff are multilingual.

MSC also has its own private island, Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, in the Bahamas. Read more about MSC’s private island. If you want to compare it with other lines’ islands, see our complete private island cruise guide.

UK departures: Southampton sailings and fly-cruises

MSC Virtuosa currently sails from Southampton. From 2027, MSC Meraviglia takes over the ex-UK season with 19 sailings of six to 14 nights to Northern Europe, the Norwegian fjords, the Canary Islands, Ibiza, Gibraltar, Tangier and a new Baltic itinerary. MSC Preziosa covers the UK winter season from Southampton with seven-night sailings to England, France, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands. MSC Virtuosa moves to a full Western Mediterranean season from Barcelona once Meraviglia takes over at Southampton. The 2027 Meraviglia Southampton season does not include the shorter two- to five-night UK cruises.

MSC uses the Horizon Cruise Terminal at berth 102 in the Western Docks. It is about a 15-minute walk from Southampton Central station, with 52 check-in desks and 985 seats in the departure lounge. ABParking runs the secure on-site parking used by MSC at Southampton. Terminal allocations can change, so check your final cruise documents.

Many Mediterranean and Caribbean MSC holidays are sold as fly-cruises from the UK. A fly-cruise fare includes direct flights, airport-to-ship transfers, checked luggage, luggage recovery and airport assistance, and is ATOL protected. A non-refundable deposit of £250 per person applies to air-inclusive holidays, or £100 per person on selected fly-cruise departures. Flight timings and routes arrive with your travel documents about seven days before departure.

Passports, visas and documents

All guests must hold a valid passport. For cruises calling in the UK, your passport needs at least three months’ residual validity on arrival. EU ID cards are not accepted, even if you plan to stay on board. Non-British and non-Irish guests need a UK visa or Electronic Travel Authorisation, with printed or digital proof shown at check-in.

MSC’s UK booking terms require you to hold valid passports, visas and any other documents needed for every scheduled port of call and for disembarkation. For a world cruise, guidance asks for one year’s residual passport validity and five blank pages.

MSC Cruises S.A. is registered in Geneva, Switzerland. The UK office is MSC Cruise Management (UK) Ltd, 5 Roundwood Avenue, Stockley Park, Uxbridge. The UK contact number is 0203 426 3010, open Monday to Friday 9am–7pm, Saturday 9am–5.30pm and Sunday 10am–4pm.

MSC Voyagers Club loyalty programme

Repeat guests join MSC Voyagers Club, which has six tiers: Welcome at 0 points, Classic at 1–2,199, Silver at 2,200–4,299, Gold at 4,300–9,999, Diamond at 10,000–24,999 and Blue Diamond at 25,000 or more.

All tiers get 5% off internet packages. Blue Diamond members receive a free Browse internet package for one device and a free shuttle bus ticket once per cruise. Silver members get 10% off laundry packages. Diamond and Blue Diamond members get priority check-in, priority luggage drop-off, a free speciality restaurant tasting menu and a free photo.

Join before booking if you can, because the tier level applies to the cruise you are booking and higher tiers unlock the most useful perks.

What does an MSC cruise actually cost?

Lead-in prices are genuinely low, but they are for a guaranteed Bella cabin on a selected sailing and usually exclude drinks, Wi‑Fi and sometimes the service charge. Example fares on MSC Armonia have been advertised from £263 per person for three nights from Venice and from £729 per person for seven nights from Split. Seven-night Northern Europe sailings from Southampton are often advertised from £369 to £409 per person.

World cruises sit at the top end. A 115-night MSC World Cruise on MSC Magnifica from Civitavecchia has been advertised from £15,679 per person for an inside cabin, £17,589 for an ocean view, £23,319 for a balcony and £59,039 for a suite. The typical MSC guest averages 42 years old, with many itineraries drawing families, couples and groups in their 40s and up.

Tips for booking MSC Cruises from the UK

• Choose the cabin tier before the ship. Bella is fine if you only care about price and do not mind an assigned cabin. Fantastica is usually worth the small step up if you dislike obstructed views or want one free cruise change and free breakfast delivery.
• If you want adult-focused quiet space, book Aurea or Yacht Club. Aurea gives you the Top Exclusive Solarium and thermal area access; Yacht Club gives you a private sun deck, restaurant and lounge.
• Add drinks before boarding. Exact Wi‑Fi and drinks package prices appear only inside a booking, so check My MSC once you have a reservation and compare with the advertised from price of £28 per person per night for Premium on selected Mediterranean fly-cruises.
• Check the service charge line on your confirmation. If it is not included, budget €12 per adult and €6 per child per night on most European and Middle East sailings.
• For Southampton sailings, use Horizon Cruise Terminal at berth 102 and book ABParking if you are driving. The terminal is a short walk from Southampton Central station.
• If you are flying to join the ship, book a fly-cruise rather than a separate flight. The package includes transfers, luggage recovery and ATOL protection, and your deposit may be lower on selected sailings.
• Check your passport early. UK port calls need three months’ validity, and a world cruise needs one year and five blank pages.

MSC Cruises FAQs

Are MSC cruises adults only?

No. MSC is family-focused and runs five children’s clubs from 0 to 17. Adults can use the Top Exclusive Solarium and the Aurea Spa thermal area on an adult-only basis, but the ships are not child-free.

Does MSC Armonia have a Yacht Club?

No. The four Lirica-class ships, MSC Armonia, MSC Lirica, MSC Opera and MSC Sinfonia, do not have a Yacht Club. Yacht Club is available on 19 other ships and is being added to the Musica class.

Are there washing machines or irons on MSC ships?

MSC does not advertise self-service washing machines. You can buy laundry packages of 20 or 40 items per cabin. Irons and ironing boards are not provided in cabins; Aurea suites get two complimentary ironing items.

Can I get married on an MSC cruise?

Wedding packages vary by ship, itinerary and sailing date. If you are planning a cruise wedding, read our Getting Married on a Cruise Ship Guide before you book.

Do MSC cruises include flights?

Only if you book a fly-cruise fare. Those fares include flights, transfers, checked luggage, luggage recovery and airport assistance, and are ATOL protected. Southampton sailings are cruise-only unless you add a flight package.

What is the average age on MSC Cruises?

MSC’s vice president of international sales puts the average age at 42. Expect a broad mix of families, couples and groups, with heavily European passenger lists on Mediterranean and Northern Europe sailings.