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 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) - 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 world's 4th largest cruise company (after Carnival Corporation, RCCL-Royal Caribbean and NCL-Norwegian) with over 5% global market share.

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 à 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-seat Dining Room, offers different Italian traditional meals and wines; open for Breakfast 7:00-9:30 a.m., Lunch 12:00-2:00 p.m., and Dinner with 2 fixed seatings at 7:00 and 9:30 p.m.; with 7-course dinner menu; also features vegan and vegetarian meals)
• Le Maxim’s Restaurant (714-seat Main Dining Room, with 2 fixed dinner seatings; dinner-only)
• Kaito Restaurant (54-seat Asian speciality restaurant; open for Lunch and Dinner)
• Gli Archi Restaurant (472-seat, self-service buffet; offers Afternoon and occasional midnight buffet)
• Onboard Pizzeria (inside Gli Archi, surcharge)
• Il Giardino Steakhouse (250-seat, inside Gli Archi, steaks and seafood speciality restaurant).

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 café 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-deck high central ship area with live entertainment)
• Bar della Cascata Bar (142-seat Atrium Lobby; speciality coffee offered)
• Cybercafe (Internet computers room)
• Teatro La Scala Theatre (1240-seat, 2-level; features grand-style show productions and classical concerts, with 2 shows per night - at 8:00 p.m. and 10:15 p.m.)
• Il Tucano Lounge and Bar (477-seat lounge with full bar and dance floor; hosts shows, bingo, trivia quizzes, aerobic classes)
• Blue Velvet Bar (220-seat speciality coffees bar)
• The Diamond Bar (45-seat); The Golden Bar (45-seat cocktail bar)
• Sanremo Casino (222-seat, smoking allowed area, own full bar)
• Card Room; Library (card and board games)
• L’Enoteca Bar (135-seat wine bar)
• Havana Club (32-seat smoking room with full bar)
• Crystal Lounge and Bar (336-seat show lounge with full bar, karaoke, dance competitions, game shows, cooking demonstrations, occasional midnight buffets)
• Duty-Free Shop; MSC Logo Shop; Diamond Shop; Accessories Shop; Le Parfum; L’Angolo dell’Oggetto; Via Montenapoleone Boutique; Lo Smeraldo; Photo Gallery and Shop
• Art gallery
• MSC Musica Aurea Spa and Fitness (1160 m2 complex, with Sauna, Relaxation Room, Frigidarium, Treatment Rooms, Thalassotherapy hot tubs, 2 Whirlpools, Aerobics Studio/Yoga classes, Beauty Salon, Spa Bar)
• Fitness (complimentary Gym, fitness classes at a surcharge)
• Copacabana Pool (salt water pool with two Whirlpools and a mini pool, served by Blue Marlin Bar)
• La Spiaggia Pool (outdoor pool with two Whirlpools, served by Laguna Bar)
• Q32 Disco and Nightclub (a 172-seat club with dance floor, bowling lanes; dance classes; during the day serves as a teen club)
• Teen Club (13–17 aged lounge)
• Space Trip (kids club area); Children’s Indoor/Outdoor Playrooms
• Video Games Arcade; Shuffleboard; Deck Quoits; 9-hole Mini Golf Course
• Solarium (adults-only area with 2 Whirlpools)
• LED Wall (outdoor screen for virtual games)
• Sports Center (combined sports court for volleyball, basketball, tennis)
• Power Walking/Jogging Track.

Itineraries

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

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

The ship's last drydock refurbishment (October 19 through November 12) was 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. Vessel's previous drydock was in 2016 (November).

MSC Musica refurbishment 2019 review

The ship's last drydock refurbishment in 2019 (October 19 through November 12) was done 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.

Vessel's previous drydock was in 2016 (November).