MSC Cruises adds a third cruise ship as FIFA floating hotel in Qatar

MSC Cruises has announced that MSC Opera will be joining its line-up of floating hotels in Qatar for the FIFA 2022 World Cup.

MSC Opera will join MSC Poesia and MSC World Europa in Doha, providing an additional 1,075 cabins for FIFA ticket holders to book.

The ship will remain docked in Doha from November 19th to December 19th, 2022, with a minimum stay of two nights required.

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MSC Cruises says that visitors to Qatar for the FIFA tournament can book directly through the cruise line here, or via a travel agent.

MSC Opera is a sister ship to MSC Poesia, offering elegant comfort and unique hospitality with a variety of lounges and entertainment venues.

These include the glamourous La Cabala Piano Lounge, the Teatro dell’Opera theatre for evening entertainment, a range of restaurants, a spa, gym, and swimming pools and whirlpools.

The nine-deck cruise ship features a range of entertainment and relaxation options for guests, but is dwarfed in size by MSC World Europa, the second-largest class of cruise ship in the world.

MSC World Europa has 13 dining venues, 6 specialty restaurants, the world’s longest slide at sea, an interior promenade, 6 pools, 14 whirlpools, an entire deck for children and families and an adults zone as well.

The deployment of the three ships brings MSC Cruises’ floating hotel capacity in Doha to 4,800 cabins during the tournament, with demand for accommodation high despite relatively expensive prices.

While the price per room remains the same throughout the tournament, the number of minimum nights per stay can increase, the nearer the dates are to the closing stages of the tournament, depending on the choice of room and ship.

For dates around the semi-final, a three-night minimum stay is expected, while for the final and third-place play-off, there’s a minimum stay of four nights.

After FIFA, MSC Poesia and Opera will leave the region, but MSC World Europa will stay behind and reposition to Dubai, cruising roundtrip itineraries in the Arabian Gulf throughout the winter season.

MSC Cruises will hold a naming ceremony for the ship in Doha beforehand, making her the largest cruise ship ever to homeport in the region, and the largest ever to be officially named in the Middle East.