What is the MSC Sinfonia cruise ship and when does it visit Gibraltar?
Short answer
MSC Sinfonia is an MSC Cruises ship built in France in 2002 and lengthened in 2015, carrying up to 2,646 guests. Its upcoming visits to Gibraltar, with times and expected passengers, are listed on this page.
Upcoming visits to Gibraltar
Friday 14 May 2027, in port 07:00–14:00, about 2,679 passengers expected
Monday 11 October 2027, in port 07:00–14:00, about 2,679 passengers expected
Plan your shore day in Gibraltar
From the Port of Gibraltar schedule, last checked 6 November 2026.
Detailed answer
MSC Sinfonia was built by Chantiers de l'Atlantique at Saint-Nazaire in France for Festival Cruises and entered service as European Stars on Thursday 25 April 2002, sailing from Barcelona. After Festival Cruises went bankrupt, MSC Cruises bought the ship in July 2004, renamed it MSC Sinfonia and brought it into its fleet in March 2005. In 2015 the Fincantieri yard in Palermo cut the ship in two and added a 24-metre midsection with 193 cabins. Since then it has a gross tonnage of 65,542 and a length of 274.9 metres, and carries 2,087 guests at double occupancy, up to 2,646 in all, with a crew of 721. The port listing expects about 2,679 passengers, mainly Italian, slightly more than the maximum Wikipedia gives.
How busy will town be?
The upcoming visits listed on this page show the passengers expected on each call and any other ships in port the same day. Town is busiest when several ships are in at once or a large ship arrives at a weekend. A ship carrying a few hundred passengers makes little difference on its own.
Can you sail on it from nearby?
Yes, from Malaga and Alicante. In spring 2027 MSC Sinfonia sails a ten-night western Mediterranean loop calling at Malaga, Casablanca, Cadiz, Gibraltar, Alicante, Civitavecchia, Genoa and Marseille, and guests can start at any of the embarkation ports on the loop. For the call on Friday 14 May 2027, the Malaga departure leaves on Tuesday 11 May 2027 and returns on Friday 21 May 2027, and the Alicante departure leaves on Wednesday 5 May 2027. In autumn 2027 the ship sails similar ten-night loops before leaving for South Africa. For the call on Monday 11 October 2027, the Alicante departure leaves on Saturday 2 October 2027 and calls at Port Mahon and Olbia on its way to Genoa, Marseille and Malaga. Booking listings show no Malaga departure for this call; the ship stops in Malaga on Friday 8 October 2027 on its way to Gibraltar. Booking listings also show a 31-night voyage from Alicante through the Suez Canal to Durban leaving on Tuesday 12 October 2027.