MSC Musica

The 2006-built MSC Musica cruise ship is the first of MSC Cruises' Musica-class liners, with sisterships Orchestra, Poesia, Magnifica.

The vessel (IMO number 9320087) is currently Panama-flagged (MMSI 352003000) and registered in Colon.

History - construction and ownership

MSC Cruises (MSC Crociere) is a passenger shipping company headquartered in Genoa and Naples. It was established in 1960. Today, MSC Crociere is a subsidiary of MSC (Mediterranean Shipping Company) - the world's 2nd largest containership company. MSC Crociere is the world's largest privately-owned cruise company.

By annual passenger shipping volumes, MSC is ranked the world's 3rd largest cruise shipowner - following only Carnival Corporation and RCG-Royal Caribbean Group.

The 2500-passenger ship MSC Musica was launched in 2006 as the MSC fleet's largest vessel (at the time). With Musica, MSC grabbed a large piece of the English-speaking source market, but the liner attracted different nationalities - Germans and British in the winter, Italians in the summer months, as well as more and more Americans during high season.

Decks and Cabins

MSC Musica staterooms (1275 total, in 8 grades) include 18x Suites, 809x Balconies, 173x Oceanviews, 275x Inside. Most staterooms are sized 150-190 ft2 / 14-18 m2. Most cabin balconies are sized 40 ft2 / 4 m2. The largest are the Balcony Suites (270 ft2 / 25 m2 with terrace sized 50 ft2 / 5 m2).

The boat has 16 decks, of which 13 are passenger-accessible and 8 with cabins.

MSC Musica decks are named after musical terms/tempos.

Shipboard dining options - Food and Drinks

Two formal restaurants onboard MSC Musica serve Mediterranean and Italian cuisine in traditional assigned seatings. Two buffet restaurants, which seem like a single dining area during the day, with long-serving counters, provide casual dining for breakfast and lunch. The aft buffet restaurant is reserved at night for seated dining and features a steak-house menu and extra charge; the forward one serves pizza. The a la carte sushi and Asian speciality restaurants require reservations and carry an additional charge. Ship's room service is limited to a menu including cold sandwiches and Continental Breakfast. Midnight buffets vary, ranging from traditional shipboard gala affair to themed snack-type offerings.

Follows the complete list of MSC Musica restaurants and food bars.

• L'Oleandro Restaurant (720 seats Dining Room, serving Breakfast 7:30-9:30 am, Lunch 12-2 pm, and Dinner (formal dining, with 2 fixed seatings- at 7 and 9:30 pm, size 1120 m2)
• Belle Epoque Restaurant (714 seats dinner-only Dining Room, with 2 fixed seatings- at 6:15 and 8:45 pm), left section is American-vegetarian cuisine, and right - Italian-Mediterranean, size 1120 m2)
• Gli Archi Restaurant (capacity 349 seats cafeteria/self-service complimentary buffet, with different food sections; open for breakfast 7-10 am, lunch 11:30am-4:30pm, afternoon tea 4-5pm, dinner and late-night snacks 7pm-12am, size 1811 m2)
• Onboard Pizzeria (in Gli Archi, open 7-10:30 pm, pizza and calzone, cover charge a la carte, usually between EUR 5,20-9)
• Il Giardino Steakhouse (250 seats steaks and seafood specialty restaurant/a la carte surcharge PP, reservations recommended, open 7-11 pm)
• Kaito Restaurant (54 seats Japanese specialty restaurant/a la carte menu sushi bar, open for Lunch 12-3 pm and Dinner 7-12 pm, size 150 m2).

Shipboard entertainment options - Fun and Sport

MSC Cruises Musica ship provides a casino, cinema, and library. The professional entertainment is provided in Teatro La Scala. Another venue is the Tucano Show Lounge. Feel free to dance in the Disco, stay in touch in Musica Internet cafe or the virtual reality centre. Stay slim and fit after visiting the fitness centre, or enjoy the three pools and seven jacuzzis, plus sauna and beauty salon. Additional amenities include complimentary 24-Hour Room-Service, Supervised Children Program, Internet/WiFi Access, Laundry.

Follows the complete list of MSC Musica lounges, clubs and other entertainment venues for kids, teens and adults.

• Musica Atrium (3-decks high midship area with a grand piano on water)
• La Cascata Reception (56-seat guest services, reservations, bookings, size 250 m2)
• Bar della Cascata Bar (142 seats specialty coffee Atrium Lobby bar/a la carte menu, complimentary cookies, pastries; selling also coffee packages, size 400 m2)
• Teatro La Scala Theatre (capacity 1123 seats, grand shows, concerts, acrobatic performances, with 2 night shows- at 7 and 9 pm, size 1249 m2, level 1 of 2)
• Il Tucano Bar Lounge (477 seats, 920 m2 show lounge with dance floor, full bar, shows, quiz games, karaoke, bingo, Sudoku, dance parties, and classes)
• Sala Viola Meeting Room (capacity 26 seats, 35 m2)
• Blue Velvet Bar Lounge (142 seats specialty coffees bar/a la carte menu, with complimentary snacks and desserts; sells coffee packages, size 500 m2)
• MSC Logo Shop (clothes, towels, toys, games, souvenirs, size 60 m2)
• L'Angolo Dell'Oggetto (brand jewelry, sunglasses, watches, size 35 m2)
• Accessories Shop (leather goods boutique)
• Le Parfum (brand cosmetics and perfumes, size 70 m2)
• The Mini Mall (size 60 m2)
• The Diamond Shop (luxury jewelry, accessories, size 60 m2)
• Duty-Free Shop (liquor, tobaccos, snacks, electronics)
• Via Montenapoleone Boutique (brand fashion clothes, size 120 m2)
• Lo Smeraldo Shop (luxury jewelry and accessories by brands such as Chimento and Pandora, watches, accessories, pens)
• The Golden Bar (45 seats specialty cocktails bar with live music, size 190 m2)
• The Diamond Bar (45 seats cocktail bar, live music, size 190 m2)
• MSC Travel Agency / Shore Excursions Desk (3-seat, booking, information, size 73 m2)
• Sanremo Casino (capacity 196 seats, size 630 m2, smoking allowed, has slots, gambling tables, Blackjack, Roulette, own full bar)
• Card Room (28-seat Texas Hold'Em poker room, next to the Casino Lounge, size 40 m2)
• Library (12 seats, books in different languages, board games, size 40 m2)
• Art Gallery (12-seat art exhibitions, auctions, size 200 m2)
• Cyber Cafe (18 Internet computers room, open 24-hour, size 128 m2)
• L'Enoteca Bar (135 seats wine bar, tapas, wine tastings, live music, size 324 m2)
• Havana Club (32 seats cigar and premium liquors bar/smoking lounge, size 140 m2)
• Photo Gallery & Shop (photo services, cameras, accessories, size 285 m2)
• Crystal Lounge & Bar (capacity 336 seats, dance floor, full bar, karaoke, dance competitions, game shows, cabaret/live musical performances, size 850 m2)
• MSC Musica Aurea Spa & Fitness (size 12486 ft2 / 1160 m2 spa & gym complex, with Beauty Salon, Solarium, Steam Room, Sauna, Relaxation Room, Thalassotherapy hot tubs, Treatment Rooms, Tanning Showers, 2 Whirlpools; Spa opens 8 am - 8 pm, Gym opens 6 am - 10 pm/complimentary, with Aerobics Room for classes), served by the MSC Aurea Spa Bar (16 seats, serving hot-cold drinks, fresh juices, cocktails)
• Copacabana Pool (outdoor saltwater pool with 2 Whirlpools and a round mini-pool, open 7 am - 7 pm), served by the Blue Marlin Bar (al fresco poolside bar, size 96 m2), pool area's size is 1600 m2
• La Spiaggia Pool (the smaller saltwater outdoor pool with a sliding glass roof and 2 Whirlpools), served by the Laguna Bar (ice cream, smoothies, size 96 m2), pool area's size is 1300 m2
• Outdoor LED Movie Screen (by the Copacabana pool)
• Power Walking/Jogging Track (10 laps = 1 ml, size 575 m2), Golf Net (portside), Tennis Tables, Shuffleboard
• Children's Indoor and Outdoor Playrooms (soft play areas, TVs, movies, games, crafts-arts, outdoor splash pool, mini football)
• Space Trip (15-seat kids club area, size 70 m2)
• Video Games Arcade (5 machines, size 65 m2)
• Q32 Disco & Nightclub (214-seat club with dance floor, full bar, size 615 m2)
• Juniors Club & Teens Club (16-seat teenagers lounge with live music, dance parties, classes, sports and video games, size 45 m2)
• Medical Center (3-seat Infirmary, size 230 m2) is the liner's hospital operated by resident doctors/physicians and nurses on 24-hour duty. Payments are made by the boarding pass (treatments equivalent to a private doctor's visit). General health insurance policies do not apply, so buying cruise health insurance is recommended
• Shuffleboard (size 354 m2)
• 9-hole Mini-Golf Course (by the funnel/smokestack, size 54 m2)
• Top 16 Solarium (adults-only sundeck relaxation area with 2 Whirlpools)
• LED Wall (huge outdoor screen for virtual games playing)
• Combined Sports Court (basketball, volleyball, soccer; complimentary equipment from Deck 13's pool zone, size 474 m2).

Itineraries

MSC Musica itinerary program is based on 7-day Eastern Caribbean roundtrips from La Romana, Pointe-a-Pitre and Fort-de-France. During summer, Musica operates 7-day Eastern Mediterranean roundtrips out of Venice to the Greek Islands. The ship also offers cheap Transatlantic repositioning crossings between Europe and the Caribbean.

Due to the Coronavirus crisis, the MSC ship Musica was paused for 2+ years (between March 2020 and June 2022), restarting operations on June 5th (Mediterranean from Monfalcone). Musica's South Africa 2021-2022 program (from Durban) was canceled.

In December 2021, MSC announced that starting on June 5, 2022, Musica will be seasonally homeported in Monfalcone Italy for 7-day roundtrips visiting Bari Italy, Katakolon-Olympia Greece, Thyra/Santorini Island Greece, and Heraklion/Crete Island Greece. Alternatively, roundtrips from Bari (homeporting) were also offered.

In the summers of 2023 and 2024 (May-November), MSC homeported Musica in Greece (Piraeus-Athens). The Eastern Mediterranean programs were based on a 7-day itinerary visiting Santorini Greece, Kusadasi-Ephesus Turkey, Haifa Israel, Limassol Cyprus, and Mykonos Greece. Besides Athens, roundtrips were also offered from the ports in Turkey, Israel and Cyprus.

For the remaining time, the ship was deployed in South America operating 8-9-day roundtrips from Buenos Aires Argentina and Montevideo Uruguay. Seasonal relocation included Transatlantic crossings between the Mediterranean and South America (RepositionCruises.com).

The vessel (STX France, Chantiers de l’Atlantique yard/hull number Q32) has volume 92409 GT-tons, DWT-deadweight tonnage 9945 tons, max draught 7,9 m. The powerplant is based on Wartsila marine diesel engines (model W16V38B) with combined output 36,05 MW (48340 hp). The registered shipowner is MUSICA CRUISE LTD, while the registered manager is MSC MEDITERRANEAN SHIPPING CO.

Musica is MSC's first Musica-class liner (Inaugural cruise June 29, 2006), with sisterships the fleetmates Magnifica, Orchestra, Poesia.

MSC Musica refurbishment 2019 review

MSC Musica's last drydocking was in 2024 (April 21-May 13) at Palumbo Shipyard in Valletta (Malta). The project was for routine maintenance, technical overhauls, classification works/safety inspections, steelworks/minor repairs.

The drydock refurbishment in 2019 (October 19 through November 12) was conducted at Port Marseille's Chantier Naval de Marseille Shipyard.

The USD 40 million drydocking project included scheduled general maintenance works plus technology upgrades - including a new EGCSA (exhaust gas cleaning system / aka scrubbers).

All staterooms and public areas were renovated.

The vessel's previous drydock was in 2016 (November).