MSC Splendida Celebrates 15 Years of Excellence at Sea
The MSC Splendida is marking its 15th year of service this month.
Constructed at the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in France for MSC Cruises, the vessel officially joined the company’s fleet during a ceremony on July 12, 2009.
This event was held at the Spanish port of Barcelona, with MSC Cruises’ fleet godmother, actress Sophia Loren, bestowing the name on the ship.
A day after the ceremony, the MSC Splendida embarked on its maiden season in the Western Mediterranean, offering cruises to destinations in Italy, Malta, Spain, and France.
The ship’s standard seven-night itinerary included stops in Civitavecchia, Genoa, Messina, Valletta, and Barcelona, allowing guests to embark from multiple ports.
During the 2009-10 winter season, the 3,300-guest vessel extended its offerings to include ten- and 11-night cruises with additional destinations in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Canary Islands.
As a sister ship to the 2008-built MSC Fantasia, the MSC Splendida was MSC Cruises’ second post-panamax vessel.
The 133,500-ton ship was also the second to feature MSC Cruises’ innovative “ship-within-a-ship” concept, the MSC Yacht Club.
Situated on the vessel’s top deck, this VIP suite enclave is accessible only to guests staying in one of its 90 staterooms and includes exclusive areas such as a lounge, a library, a solarium, and a pool deck.
Originally slated to be named MSC Serenata, the vessel saw its name changed early in its construction in 2007. At that time, MSC Cruises stated that the new name, Splendida, better reflected the ship’s “beauty and elegance.”
The name change was inspired by the “enthusiastic response” of Raphaela Aponte, wife of MSC’s owner Gianluigi Aponte, to the vessel’s interiors designed by architect De Jorio.
The MSC Splendida continued to sail year-round in the Mediterranean until 2015, when it expanded its itineraries to include Northern Europe and South America.
In late 2024, the ship is scheduled to return to Asia, offering cruises departing from the Chinese port of Shenzhen.
