The ship is one of the two units of the Musica class that will receive significant renovation work at the Palumbo Malta Shipyard shipyard
MSC Cruises announces that the modernization works of MSC Magnifica have begun in Malta, the first of the two ships of the Musica class to enter the dry dock at the Palumbo Malta Shipyard shipyard for refitting work. The ship will be equipped with the MSC Yacht Club with 63 new suites, two new themed restaurants— Butcher’s Cut and Kaito Sushi Bar — as well as an enhanced MSC Aurea Spa and a Technogym® fitness center and many other new features that will make the onboard experience truly unique.
The completion of the work is scheduled for December, with the exclusive MSC Yacht Club experience available from the summer of 2026, when MSC Magnifica will sail in Northern Europe. The CEO of MSC Cruises, Gianni Onorato, stated: “These works confirm our constant commitment to offering our guests the best possible experience and excellent facilities across the entire fleet. With the introduction of the MSC Yacht Club on these ships we intend to offer our guests more exclusivity and more choice than ever before. The MSC Yacht Club represents our flagship service, renowned for its exceptional service, elegant environments and exclusive comforts, and we are proud to bring this experience to MSC Magnifica and MSC Poesia — in time for our first season in Alaska and the MSC 2027 World Cruise”.
MSC Poesia, the sister ship of MSC Magnifica, will also enter the dry dock at the same shipyard in February 2026 for a refitting intervention that includes the introduction of the MSC Yacht Club, with 69 suites, and the All-Stars Sports Bar, in addition to the same themed restaurants and the improvement works for the fitness areas and the MSC Aurea Spa already planned for MSC Magnifica. The ship will rejoin the fleet in time for its debut in Alaska, scheduled for May 2026.
These modernizations are in line with MSC Cruises’ commitment to improving the guest experience across the entire fleet, ensuring that both MSC Magnifica and MSC Poesia continue to offer modern and high-quality services. These are the most extensive upgrade and refitting projects undertaken by the company in the last decade, entirely designed and managed internally by the Technical Department of MSC Cruises.
The Palumbo Malta Shipyard represents a strategic hub for the maintenance of the MSC Cruises fleet and for the high-quality ship refurbishment projects in Europe.
MSC Magnifica will set sail from Warnemünde, Germany, on May 16, 2026, towards Northern Europe, calling at Denmark, the Baltic Countries, Scandinavia and Finland, and then, in the second part of the year, will offer 3 to 8-night cruises in the Mediterranean to ports including Barcelona, Civitavecchia (Rome) and Marseille. Subsequently, the ship will depart for the 2027 World Cruise, where the MSC Yacht Club will make its debut on this 121-night journey, visiting 45 spectacular destinations in 25 countries.
MSC Poesia will offer 7-night cruises from Seattle from May to September 2026, and then, in the winter /2027 season, will propose round-trip itineraries from Miami to the Caribbean, with calls in Jamaica, Colombia, Costa Rica, Aruba, Curaçao and Belize. The MSC Yacht Club suites on MSC Magnifica and MSC Poesia are already available for booking.
