MSC Cruises ends SA season with 90,000 guests, eyes MSC Opera return
MSC Cruises South Africa has wrapped up its 2024/2025 summer cruise season, with MSC Musica carrying more than 90,000 passengers to destinations including Mozambique, Reunion, Mauritius and Namibia. According to managing director Ross Volk, the company is satisfied with the vessel’s performance this season and is already preparing for the arrival of MSC Opera for the 2025/2026 season.
MSC Cruises operates four routes from two South African ports. The Durban-to-Mozambique route is the most popular with local cruisers, while the Cape Town-to-Walvis Bay route is particularly popular with overseas cruisers as well. The other two routes are Durban-to-Mauritius and Durban-to-Cape Town.
“We are very pleased to see our loyal customers return to cruise with us every new season, and we appreciate their support. It is also great to see new travellers discovering cruising as an alternative holiday, which offers good value for money. The demand for cruising locally continues to show growth," adds Volk.
After completing a season in the Mediterranean, MSC Opera will make her way to South Africa to officially start her second local season in the country. The vessel, which is part of MSC Cruises’ Lirica class ships, will complete a total of 37 sailings out of Durban’s Nelson Mandela Cruise Terminal and the Cape Town Cruise Terminal between November 2025 and April 2026.
Designed to prioritise open deck space with a balance of intimate spaces for guests to enjoy, MSC Opera is ideal for the local traveller’s entertainment profile and has something special on offer for everyone.
“We have made two exciting additions to the upcoming season. An extension to the season, which will offer guests the opportunity to book an additional departure in November, and we have introduced Mamoudzou as a new destination. Mamoudzou is a beautiful city on the coast of Mayotte, another great destination for our guests to discover,” Volk concludes.