Why Choose MSC Opera?

The MSC Opera is among the fleet's medium sized ships, beautiful and tastefully decorated throughout in a style that exudes quality and glamour entirely appropriate for a classic cruise. For the remainder of this year the ship offers cruises in Europe and around Africa. Several have UK departure ports.

Destinations and Itineraries

From July to the end of September the MSC Opera sails on 10 night cruise entitled ‘Continental Discovery’ which, happily for UK passengers, departs from and returns to Southampton. The first port of call is IJmuden, the port for Amsterdam and the Dutch beaches, as well as Beeckestijn. It's back to the British Isles for the next stop in the Channel Island of Guernsey. A day at sea follows as the ship heads south to the Iberian Peninsula, making its first stop at Vigo in Spain, the port for Santiago de Compostela, and then heading on to the Portuguese capital of Lisbon. The ship heads back north to the Spanish port of Bilbao, famous around the world for the breathtaking architecture of its Guggenheim museum. Another day at sea follows before the MSC Opera heads to Le Havre, where passengers can explore the Normandy beaches or travel into Paris. The ship then returns to Southampton.

This cruise is repeated seven times until the ship sails further into the Mediterranean on a voyage from Southampton to Genoa. After making stops at IJmuden, St Peter Port, Vigo and Lisbon, the MSC Opera then moves onto Cadiz at the southern tip of Spain, spending another day at sea before arriving in Palma in Mallorca. Next stop after a further day at sea is Sardinia before its final stop at Genoa.

The ship then heads to Africa on cruises, the first leaving Genoa and heading for Villefranche and Valencia before then heading to Casablanca, Agadir and Dakar. Another six days at sea follows before the ship arrives at Walvis Bay in Namibia. Another day at sea follows until the MSC Opera arrives at Cape Town in South Africa. A short cruise follows between Cape Town and Durban where the Opera will base itself until April next year, on short cruises to Mozambique and Madagascar.

On Board

Entertainment is provided in the MSC Opera's two show lounges. As the ship attracts a mostly European clientele, entertainment is multi-lingual. A new show is put on each evening at the Del Opera Theatre. The Caruso show lounge is a more intimate venue and passengers have the opportunity to show off their own dance moves in the Byblos disco. Departures into cyberspace are offered in either the virtual reality centre or the internet café. Life on board for children is certainly not dull and the MSC Opera has been rated as offering good facilities for children including a fully-supervised recreation centre and a programme of activities.

Staterooms

With a total capacity for 2,055 passengers, the Opera is looked after by more than 700 crew members. You’ll find 856 cabins on board - 200 with balconies and a further 297 with an ocean view. Typically for a cruise liner of this size there are 354 cabins on the inside of the ship. All are well-equipped and the bathrooms all have showers. Suites are spacious and also have a sitting area and a bath. The remaining cabins all have good storage space. As one might expect from a seasoned cruise provider, leisure and entertainment on the MSC Opera meets every passenger’s expectations.

Dining

There are two main restaurants, La Caravella and L'Approdo, offering good food and service. Alternative dining options includes a reservations-only Italian restaurant and self-service dining at Le Vele cafeteria and Il Patio outdoor eating - all are non-smoking. Dress code is smart casual in the evenings and casual and comfortable in the daytime. There are formal evenings where gentlemen are required to wear a dinner suit or dark suit and ladies a cocktail dress.