MSC Splendida

The 2009-built MSC Splendida cruise ship is the second of MSC's Fantasia-class liners, with sisterships Divina, Fantasia, Preziosa.

The vessel (IMO number 9359806) is currently Panama-flagged (MMSI 357698000) 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 4000-passenger ship MSC Splendida is a relatively large vessel designed for the European source market. Splendida has a wide range of amusement along with rich cuisine alternatives. She features appropriate for families design. Passengers tend to be of all age ranges and mostly European.

Decks and Cabins

MSC Splendida staterooms (1637 total, in 12 grades) include 107x Suites, 1142x Balcony, 94x Oceanview, 294x Inside. Most staterooms are Balcony (sized 190 ft2 / 18 m2) with cabin balconies sized 40 ft2 / 4 m2. The largest accommodations are the Yacht Club Royal Suites (400 ft2 / 37 m2, with wraparound terrace, sized 170 ft2 / 16 m2).

The boat has 17 decks, of which 14 are passenger-accessible and 9 with cabins.

MSC Splendida decks are named after famous Italian painters.

Shipboard dining options - Food and Drinks

The 2-deck-high formal restaurant serves open-seating breakfast and lunch, as well as dinner in two assigned seatings. A couple of specialty restaurants serve Tex-Mex and Italian cuisine. The Lido buffet is a casual dining option. The buffet restaurant serves pizza at night. Coffee bars are a good option when the buffet is closed, but a charge is applied for coffee and pastries. MSC Splendida room service features a limited menu of cold sandwiches and Continental breakfast. Midnight buffet varies nightly and ranges from snacks to gala affair.

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

La Palmeraie (yacht club)

• La Reggia Restaurant (2-level, forward Dining Room, Deck 5 / 6, capacity 626 seats on level 1, 529 seats on level 2; open for Breakfast 7-10 am, Lunch 12-2 pm, and Dinner (formal dining, 2 fixed dinner seatings- at 7 or 9:30 pm; with different Italian traditional meals and wines, 7-course menu for dinner/vegan and vegetarian choices)
• Butcher's Cut (121-seat American steakhouse with show galley and bar, size 261.5 m2, Deck 7) with exclusive Chef's Table is at a fixed charge pp (EUR 49, pre-set menu) or with ordering from an a la carte priced menu. The steakhouse offers brunch (sea days only) with a la carte menu (omelets, carnitas, sandwiches, pancakes, surf-and-turf, desserts, premium wines. Butcher's Cut is open for lunch and dinner.
• Bora Bora (412 seats, size 1288 m2) and Pago Pago (404 seats, size 882 m2) Buffet restaurants on Deck 14 (self-service, complimentary, open for Breakfast 6:30-11am, Lunch 12-5:30pm and Dinner 7-10pm), both have different food stations/corners- Grill (hot dogs, burgers, wraps), Pizza, Pasta, Mediterranean, Carving Show (meat cuts), Bakery, Children’s (healthy food), Desserts, Salads, Fruits, Ethnic (international cuisine).
• L’Olivo Restaurant (136 seats aft Dining Room for MSC yacht club passengers, with gourmet French and Italian cuisine and selected wines/a la carte surcharge; open for Lunch and Dinner, size 218 m2, Deck 15).
• Sea Pavilion by Jereme Leung (174-seat, size 510.5 m2 main dining room, Deck 16).

Shipboard entertainment options - Fun and Sport

MSC Cruises Splendida provides a casino, cinema, library. Sports lovers enjoy the fitness center, 5x swimming pools (L’Equatore/covered), twelve jacuzzis, plus sauna, solarium, Turkish bath, relaxation room, and Thalassotherapy. The Aurea Spa will take good care of you with Balinese massage and holistic water treatments. Enjoy all the relaxing facilities and luxurious surroundings. As one of the MSC largest ships, Splendida has the “MSC Yacht Club” complex (with its 71 luxury suites) and the “Top 18” deck area. Additional amenities include complimentary 24-Hour Room-Service, Supervised Children Program, Internet/WiFi Access, Laundry.

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

• Medical Center (13-seat Infirmary, size 284 m2, Deck 4) is the ship’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.
• Splendida Atrium (5-decks high midship area with live entertainment)
• Reception (93-seat guest services desk/reservations, booking, assistance, size 479 m2, Deck 5)
• Business Center (capacity 36 seats conference/meeting room, size 47 m2, Deck 5)
• Splendida Bar (28-seat Atrium Lobby bar, size 120 m2, Deck 5)
• Cyber Library (4 Internet computers room and library/10 seats, size 52 m2, with 6 Majong Tables, Deck 5)
• La Prua Piano Bar (108-guest piano bar, Martini tastings, size 393 m2, Deck 7)
• Gallery Plaza (art exhibitions and auctions, Deck 7)
• Fashion Bijoux (top brand jewelry Swarovski, Majorica, Pandora and Antica Murrina Veneziana, Deck 7)
• The Purple Jazz Bar (106-seat, with fine liquors selection, “molecular cocktails”, live music, quizzes, size 235 m2, Deck 7)
• Galleria D’Arte (4-seat fine art auctions gallery, size 110 m2, Deck 7)
• Photo Gallery & Shop (photo services, equipment, size 145 m2, Deck 7)
• Sports Fun Bar (87-seat a la carte bar, with large TVs, 2 bowling lanes/10 pins, snacks, and international cuisine, cocktails, beer, size 148 m2, Deck 7)
• L’Espresso (58-seat specialty coffee bar/a la carte menu, with complimentary cookies and pastries; offers Cappucino, American Coffee, Espresso Martini, also coffee packages, size 258 m2, Deck 7)
• Dim Sum Bar & Tea House (105-seat, size 340 m2, offers a selection of Chinese dim sum and international teas, Deck 7)
• The Aft Lounge (268-seat show lounge with dance floor and own full bar; also used for bingo and trivia quiz games, size 888 m2, Deck 7)
• MSC Aurea Spa (18299 ft2 / 1700 m2 wellness complex on Deck 14) has Beauty Salon, Solarium, 2x Steam Rooms, 4x Saunas, Treatment Rooms (for massages), Relaxation Room, Thalassotherapy spa pools, sliding roof-covered heated pool, 3x Whirlpools.
• Fitness (MSC Gym powered by Technogym, Deck 14, opens 6 am - 10 pm, guests must be over 14)
• The Pool Shop (swimwear, accessories, Deck 14)
• L’Equatore Pool (indoor heated pool with sliding glass roof, size 820 m2, 3 Whirlpools, Deck 14), served by L’Equatore Bar (Caribbean cocktails, cold-hot drinks, fruit juices)
• Aqua Park (main pool area, size 2091 m2, with 2 Whirlpools, kids splash areas, water jets, fountains, Deck 14)
• LED-Wall (open-air gaming video screen, Deck 14)
• Bar del Riccio (97-seat Aqua Park poolside bar, ice cream, and beverages, Deck 14)
• Tartaruga Bar (Aqua Park poolside bar, Deck 14)
• Top Sail Lounge (141-seat MSC Yacht Club Lounge, panoramic views, piano live music, continental breakfast and aperitifs served between 11:30 am - 2 pm, buffet lunch 12-4:30 pm, Afternoon Tea every day after 4:30 pm, size 297 m2, Deck 15)
• 1 Whirlpool, Power Walking/Jogging Track (6,5 laps = 1 mi, size 1140 m2, Deck 15)
• Il Polo Nord (kids club with outdoor pool, water fountains, sprays, and also has an indoor play zone, size 195 m2, Deck 15). The kids' lounge also hosts feature activities by the new MSC-LEGO partnership called “Lego Experience at Sea”. The new fleetwide program is complimentary and uses LEGO materials for LEGO DUPLO (kids 3- yo), Classic LEGO bricks plus Vertical Play Wall (kids 7-11 yo), Building Happening (6-11 yo /themed builds).
• Mini & Junior (kids play area on Deck 15, TVs, movies, games, arts-crafts, climbing area, mini football, has a 2-section Kids Club-  Mini (for kids 3-6 yo) and Junior (7-12 yo)
• Teen’s Toboga (the Splendida’s water slide/exit level)
• Playa del Sol Pool (adults only, open 7 am - 7 pm, size 320 m2, Deck 15)
• Movida Bar (17-seat alfresco bar/aft location, serves The Garden Pool area, size 57 m2, Deck 15)
• Concierge Area / Reception (open 24 hours, 24-seat, size 113 m2), MSC Yacht Club Library (8 seats, size 39 m2, Deck 15)
• Teen Club (22-seat, for younger passengers between 13 and 17 years, live music, dance classes, sports, and video games, size 85 m2, Deck 16)
• Virtual World (10 machines teens-only video games arcade; open 9 am - 8 pm, size 80 m2, Deck 16)
• F1 Simulator (Formula 1 car racing simulator/surcharge, Deck 16)
• 4D Cinema (10 moving seats/at a surcharge, Deck 16)
• MSC Arena Sports Center (combined sports court with stadium seating/120 seats, large outdoor movie screen, Deck 16) Tennis Tables, Squash, Shuffleboard, Football Pitch, Foosball Tables.
• Splendida’s The One Pool (for MSC Yacht Club members only, has 2 Whirlpools), served by The One Bar (MSC Yacht Club passengers only butler service complimentary restaurant for lunch and dinner) total size 1177 m2.
• Top 18 Exclusive Solarium (adults only private access area, with 1 Whirlpool, Garden, Tiki Bar/daily or whole cruise passes available for purchase at the reception or at the complex’s entrance, size 845 m2).

Itineraries

MSC Splendida itinerary program is based on Western Mediterranean roundtrips from homeports Civitavecchia-Rome, Palermo, Barcelona, Marseille. The ship also visits the Canary Islands and Madeira. During summer, Splendida operates Baltic Sea and British Isles cruises out of Hamburg. From May 2018 MSC Splendida will serve the Chinese market following dry dock refurbishment planned for 2017.

In 2018, MSC deployed Splendida to China (replacing MSC Lirica / repositioned there since May 2016) in order to meet the Asian market's growing demand. From May 2018, Splendida served the Chinese source market following a drydock refurbishment (November-December 2017).

Following the Coronavirus crisis, Splendida was deployed in South America/Brazil (with homeporting in Santos-Sao Paulo) for winter 2021-2022 (November-March).

For winter 2022-2023, Splendida was deployed in the Red Sea to operate a 7-night roundtrip itinerary from 3x homeports - two Egyptian (Sokhna and Safaga/port to Luxor and Hurghada) and one Saudi Arabian (Jeddah/port to AlUla and Mecca). With a total of 33x shore excursions (including Cairo). the Red Sea itinerary's call ports also included Jordan's Aqaba/Petra and Saudi Arabia's Yanbu Al-Bahr. MSC's 9-night fly-cruise package program offered a 2-night Cairo hotel before embarking on the 7-night voyage.

In August 2024, MSC announced Spledida's deployment in South America in 2024-2025 (December 13-March 21). Homeported in Santos, the ship offers 7-night roundtrips to Buenos Aires; Punta del Este and either Balneario Camboriu or Itajai.

The vessel (STX France, Chantiers de l’Atlantique yard/hull number B33) has volume 137936 GT-tons, DWT-deadweight tonnage 13413 tons, max draught 8,7 m. The powerplant is based on GE Power Conversion marine diesel engines (Converteam model 16V46C) with combined output 43,7 MW (58600 hp). The registered shipowner is SPLENDIDA BAIL SNC, while the registered manager is MSC CROCIERE SA.

The vessel's construction officially started with the steel-cutting ceremony on April 12, 2007.

Curiously, the MSC ship Splendida was initially to be named "MSC Serenata", but the name was changed in May 2007, by Raphaela Aponte (the wife of Gianluigi Aponte/MSC Group's founder, owner and chairman).

Splendida is MSC's largest FANTASIA-class liner (maiden voyage July 4, 2009, christened on July 12th in Barcelona), with sisterships Divina, Fantasia, Preziosa. Splendida's 7-day inaugural cruise itinerary visited Civitavecchia-Rome, Genoa-Milano, Messina Sicily, Valletta Malta, and  Barcelona, and was with multiple embarkation port/roundtrip options. For the inaugural season (2009-2010) the ship had scheduled Eastern Mediterranean and Canary Islands itineraries with lengths 10-days and 11-days.

Don't forget that on MSC Splendida cruises kids sail for free!

In 2018, MSC deployed Splendida to China (replacing MSC Lirica / repositioned there since May 2016) in order to meet the Asian market's growing demand. From May 2018, Splendida will serve the Chinese market following a 2017 drydock refurbishment. The Asian itineraries will include ports in Japan, Korea and China (details are yet to be revealed). The ship's customization for the Chinese market featured a new restaurant (via a partnership with celebrity chef Jereme Leung), new "MSC for Me” program (with Deloitte), new shipwide artificial intelligence translation system (based on the Baidu search engine and technology provided by Tuge). The new translation system automatically identifies the languages spoken and translates, allowing passenger-crew interactions in real time.

The ship’s Master is Captain Giuseppe Moresco.

On December 18, 2018, MSC announced a partnership with celebrity chef Harald Wohlfahrt (3-starred Michelin chef). The German chef created a new menu of Mediterranean and international specialties for the exclusive MSC Yacht Club Restaurant on Meraviglia, Splendida, and Preziosa. The enhanced menu is offered only on cruises in Northern Europe. He also created two new main courses for the "Elegant Night" - a formal dining event held in the Main Dining Room on each voyage. Chef Wohlfahrt also completed an interactive training to all MSC's cruise ship chefs.

MSC Splendida's last drydock refurbishment was in 2024 (May 10-29) conducted in Malta at Palumbo Shipyard (Valletta Harbour). The project included routine maintenance and classification works/safety inspections, technical overhaul, hull cleaning/repainting.