Key Aspects:
- Strong winds prevented MSC World Europa from visiting Marseille, France, on February 14.
- Instead, the MSC ship pivoted to spend Valentine’s Day in Toulon, France.
- It was previously announced that intense winds will also block MSC Splendida from the French port on the following day.
It’s a blustery weekend in Marseille, France, and unfortunately, guests of MSC Cruises won’t get to enjoy it.
Cruise Hive previously reported that MSC Splendida was forced to cancel her call to the French Riviera destination on January 15, 2026, due to dangerous weather conditions.
Now, MSC World Europa has been forced to do the same for her planned visit on February 14, 2026. This means that all calls to Marseille from MSC cruise ships have been cancelled for the entirety of Valentine’s Day weekend.
“Forecasts indicate bad weather in the Marseille area tomorrow morning, with wind gusts that could exceed 40 knots, which would affect our ability to enter the port,” guests were notified on February 13.
Wind speeds of 40 knots equate to around 46 miles per hour, with the Met Office reporting gusts reaching up to 53 miles per hour on February 14.
“Your safety and comfort are our top priorities, so we have made the difficult decision to cancel the scheduled port call,” the cruise line continued.
“This situation is due to causes beyond our control. As always, we are committed to ensuring your comfort and enjoyment for the rest of your cruise.”
Conditions are supposed to worsen overnight, with winds reaching closer to 50 knots (around 57 miles per hour) when MSC Splendida would have arrived the following day.
Thankfully, the Met Office predicts that winds will begin dying down by Monday, February 16, when MSC Orchestra and Viking Ocean Cruises’ Viking Saturn are expected to call.
Toulon Replaces Marseille
On the morning of February 14, the up to 6,782 guests onboard woke up in Toulon, France, instead of Marseille.
The World-class ship remained docked from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. local time to allow guests to enjoy the destination’s natural beauty and attractions, such as colorful markets in the old town and the famous Mont Faron cable car.
“We are pleased to confirm that, instead, we will visit Toulon, which offers more favorable conditions and is sheltered from the approaching weather system,” MSC told guests on February 13.
As Toulon is only around 40 miles away from Marseille, it’s also possible that guests could have still enjoyed their original shore excursions. Driving between the ports takes less than an hour.
Indeed, MSC guests were told they would receive updates on their booked excursions rather than the standard note that their tours were automatically cancelled and refunded, as is what usually happens with port cancellations.
“All guests who have purchased an MSC shore excursion will receive an additional letter delivered directly to their cabin with more information about their tour,” the cruise line advised.
Specific tours were then handled on a case-by-case basis.
Embarkation and Debarkation
Similar to MSC Splendida, MSC World Europa is also operating several 7-night Mediterranean sailings simultaneously. Embarkation and debarkation occur every time the 215,863-gross ton ship calls at Genoa, Civitavecchia (Rome), Messina, Barcelona, and, of course, Marseille.
Valentine’s Day was meant to be one of those passenger turnover days where a chunk of guests disembark and a new round of guests take their place.
But given the proximity between Marseille and Toulon, it likely wouldn’t have been too hard for guests to travel the extra distance between the two ports.
And typically in these situations, Cruise Hive usually sees that MSC Cruises will offer a free shuttle service to help guests complete their journeys to and from the port.
For example, this is how the Switzerland-based brand aided stranded guests when protesting sailors blocked MSC Orchestra’s call to Marseille on February 2.
Embarking guests who were left behind in Marseille were shuttled 244 miles to meet the ship in Genoa, Italy, as quickly as possible.
