Tourism

What is the MSC Splendida cruise ship and when does it visit Gibraltar?

The cruise ship MSC Splendida
Photo: Olaf Tausch, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Short answer

MSC Splendida is an MSC Cruises family ship for up to 4,363 guests, built in 2009. Its upcoming visits to Gibraltar, with times and expected passengers, are listed on this page.

Upcoming visits to Gibraltar

  • Tuesday 17 November 2026, in port 08:00–17:00, about 4,363 passengers expected

    Also in port: Bolette. Combined: about 5,743 passengers where known.

From the Port of Gibraltar schedule, last checked 15 October 2026.

Detailed answer

MSC Splendida is a Fantasia-class ship built by STX France at Saint-Nazaire and named in Barcelona in July 2009. MSC gives a gross tonnage of 137,936, a length of 333 metres, a maximum of 4,363 guests and a crew of 1,370. MSC sells it as a family ship, with clubs for every age group. Its MSC Yacht Club is a ship within a ship of 71 suites with butler service and its own restaurant, lounge and pool deck. Other features include the MSC Aurea Spa, the adults-only Top 18 Exclusive solarium, the Strand Theatre, a 4D cinema and a Formula Racer simulator. It was refreshed in a dry dock in Malta in early 2026.

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. Until Sunday 8 November 2026 MSC Splendida sails weekly seven-night western Mediterranean cruises, with Barcelona as one of the boarding ports. From Sunday 15 November 2026 it crosses from Barcelona to Rio de Janeiro (14 nights) or Buenos Aires (18 nights), and it spends the winter in South America. In summer 2027 it is in the eastern Mediterranean, then it sails from Trieste to Barcelona from Saturday 6 November 2027 (12 nights) and from Barcelona to Buenos Aires from Thursday 18 November 2027 (17 nights).