MSC Cruises plans to expand its footprint at Port Canaveral beginning next year and shift up capacity in 2027 by bringing in what will be its newest World Class ship when it debuts.

The port confirmed a commitment from the line to build on the already-announced debut later this year of MSC Grandiosa’s presence at the port. The ship had been tapped to do the winter season from 2025 into 2026 with seven-night Caribbean sailings. The line announced it would return Grandiosa to the port in late 2026 to begin year-round Caribbean sailings while continuing to sail the MSC Seashore on shorter three- and four-night Bahamas cruises.

That will give the cruise line two ships sailing year-round from the port.

MSC Grandiosa already will become the largest ship from the line to sail from the port when it debuts in December this year. The Meraviglia Plus-class vessel is among the top 20 largest cruise ships worldwide at 181,541 gross tons and a maximum passenger capacity of 6,334. It debuted in 2019 and features a water park, five pools, nine hot tubs, spa, the MSC Yacht Club exclusive area and a Lego partnership in its kids clubs.

But MSC has since introduced the newer and larger World class, and its plans are to bring what will be fourth ship in the class to Port Canaveral for the winter sailing season from 2027-2028.

All constructed at the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyards in St. Nazaire, France, the first World class ship, MSC World Europa, debuted in 2022 with the second, MSC World America. set to debut this spring and sail out of PortMiami. A third ship, MSC World Asia, is due in 2026 and this yet-to-be-named fourth vessel in the class would debut in 2027 before making its way to Florida.

The giant ships with nearly 40 food and beverage venues on board feature what MSC calls districts. That includes The Harbour, an outdoor park with a over-the-side-of-the-ship swinging thrill ride called the Cliffhanger as well as a water park and ropes course. Another major space will be the three-deck World Galleria with shopping, restaurants and bars. The class of ships also features the largest versions of the line’s MSC Yacht Club ship-within-a-ship concept for suite-level guests.

“Our commitment to Port Canaveral is stronger than ever, thanks to the incredible support from our partners there and the growing demand from our guests who love the port’s convenient location,” said MSC Cruises USA’s Chief Commercial Officer Lynn Torrent. “Having ships dedicated to offering both short and seven-night cruises year-round will ensure we have the right options available no matter when someone wants to sail. We’re especially excited to bring a World Class ship to Port Canaveral, continuing our long-standing pledge to deploy our most modern and innovative ships in the Caribbean market.”

The vessels come in around 215,000 gross tons, and are only topped in the cruise industry by Royal Caribbean’s Oasis- and Icon-class vessels. Port Canaveral currently hosts the largest Oasis-class ship Utopia of the Seas and will this summer welcome the newest Icon-class ship, Star of the Seas, which will become the world’s largest cruise ship when it debuts.

Port Canaveral reports record 7.6 million passengers for fiscal year

The expanded number and capacity of ships at the port has helped drive record cruise revenue in recent years, although the port’s six cruise terminals have nearly topped out for demand, especially on the biggest sailing days on the weekends.

The port just had its busiest day in port ever on Saturday with every available berth taken. That included six cruise ships, six cargo ships, six space vessels, a gambling cruise ship and four fuel bunker barges at both the north and south cruise and cargo terminals as well as within The Cove bulkhead. That’s on top of all the commercial fishing and recreational ships sailing in and out of the port.

The port, which is only second to PortMiami for cruise passenger traffic in the world, has plans to pursue at least two more cruise terminals, but none that would come into service in the immediate future.

“We are excited to have MSC Cruises expand their presence at Port Canaveral with the arrival of MSC Grandiosa and the deployment of their fourth World Class ship to homeport with us,” said port CEO Capt. John Murray. “The addition of these exceptional ships to our homeported fleet will add even more sailing options from Central Florida and reaffirm the cruise industry’s confidence in our ability to consistently deliver a world-class guest experience.”