6,000-Passenger Cruise Ship Arrives in Port Canaveral (First of Its Class Based in US)

After a 15-day sailing from Barcelona, the first Meraviglia Plus-class ship from MSC Cruises arrived in Port Canaveral, Florida.  The ship is scheduled to remain in Port Canaveral through April 2026.

Port Canaveral has been on a roll lately, having once again taking the title of “World’s Busiest Cruise Port”.  Offering over 1,000 cruises each year across 7 different cruise lines, there’s a new ship in town.

MSC Grandiosa arrived in Port Canaveral today, after making a short stop in PortMiami yesterday.  This is now the second ship from MSC Cruises sailing out of the port, and this marks the first time that a Meraviglia Plus-class ship has been based in the U.S.

The 6,334 max-passenger (4,842 at double capacity) ship joins MSC Seashore in Port Canaveral.  MSC Seashore offers mostly 3- and 4-night sailings with a variety of other durations (5-11 days).

At 181,541 in gross tonnage, MSC Grandiosa is the larger of the two ships and will offer a mix of 7-night Caribbean and Bahamas cruises throughout its winter season.

New Itineraries

The arrival of MSC Grandiosa gives MSC Cruises greater exposure and more variety for their future passengers who sail out of Florida. While MSC Seashore focuses on short cruises to the Bahamas (including stops at the line’s private island, Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve), Grandiosa will handle a variety of itinerary types.

• Short Bahamas Sailings: The ship offers multiple 3- and 4-day sailings to The Bahamas in January. These trips include a stop at Nassau and MSC’s private island, Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve.
• Extended Voyages: The ship also offers 8-day Western Caribbean and Bahamas cruises (like the December 27th sailing) and unique 14-day back-to-back cruises that combine two different week-long itineraries, going to destinations like Puerto Rico, the Cayman Islands, and Jamaica.
• 7-Day Sailings: The 7-day sailings will primarily alternate between Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries, with calls at Ocean Cay, Nassau, San Juan , Puerto Plata, Cozumel, and Grand Cayman.

Onboard MSC Grandiosa

MSC Grandiosa was built in 2019 and was the first Meraviglia Plus-class ship with the cruise line.  This new class is slightly larger than Meraviglia-class, with some additional amenities.

The new ship in Port Canaveral has an enlarged Galleria Grandiosa, an indoor promenade that is longer than in Meraviglia-class ships, and features more shops and dining venues. This space has the signature 80-meter-long LED Sky Screen as well, which features some special effect shows as well as setting the mood in décor for the day.

Grandiosa also features two new exclusive Cirque du Soleil at Sea shows specifically designed for its enhanced Carousel Lounge, a glass-walled venue near the aft of the ship. The increase in size (at 181,541 gross tons versus 171,598) means more public space and capacity for the water park and family areas.

Looking Ahead

The ship’s homeporting in Florida will last for the entire winter cruise season. Following its Caribbean deployment, MSC Grandiosa is scheduled to make a Transatlantic Grand Voyage back to Europe in April 2026 to begin its summer season in the Mediterranean, where it will sail from ports like Barcelona, Spain, and Genoa, Italy.