MSC Cruises will return to the United Kingdom in 2018 with MSC Magnifica sailing her first full season ex-UK program.
The ship, launched in 2009, will make Southampton home for 8 months, from April until November.
The company also revealed it will operate its first world cruise in 2019.
UK managing director Antonio Paradiso announced the ‘big UK comeback’ at their All Star of the Seas event held on Sunday November 13 onboard the MSC Fantasia in Barcelona. Paradiso said:
There will be five new itineraries out of Southampton including a 14-day sailing calling at Le Havre, La Coruna, Leixoes, Lisbon, Malaga then Amsterdam and Hamburg.
A North Sea sailing will travel to Stavanger, Bergen, Olden and Alesund in Norway plus a round-UK sailing calling at Southampton, Newcastle, South Queensferry in Edinburgh and Invergordon.
Following the UK sailings, the Magnifica will then host the company’s first ever world cruise from January 2019.
The 119-day itinerary will visit 32 countries with 49 ports of call with some destinations including Panama, San Francisco, Melbourne and Petra in Jordan.
Bookings for the ex-UK Magnifica sailings will be available in early 2017, no set date has been released yet.