MSC Cruises expands South Africa season and adds new destination for 2025/26

MSC Cruises has announced two additions to the upcoming 2025/26 South African cruise season out of Durban and Cape Town, with expanded itineraries and a new destination in Mayotte in the Mozambique Channel.

For the upcoming season, MSC Opera is due to arrive earlier than usual in November, offering an additional departure out of Durban, while the cruise line has also added a new cruise destination to its line-up.

Mamoudzou in Mayotte at the northern end of the Mozambique Channel will join Portugese Island and Pomene Bay as one of the destinations on offer on MSC Opera’s roundtrip itineraries out of Durban.

The ship will now sail a total of 37 sailings from Durban and Cape Town between November 2025 and April 2026.

“We have made two exciting additions to the upcoming season,” said Ross Volk, managing director of MSC Cruises South Africa. “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 added.

The move by MSC Cruises comes as the cruise line attempts to entice more South Africans, especially repeat cruisers, to book itineraries amid ongoing economic stagnation in the country that has impacted the local cruise source market.

During the most recent 2024/25 cruise season, MSC deployed the larger MSC Musica, but carried a total of 90,000 passengers, fewer than the 2018/19 cruise season, when MSC first deployed MSC Musica to the country. 

Despite this, MSC Cruises South Africa has expressed confidence in the future potential of the South African cruise market, and remains committed to its ongoing development. The cruise line recently opened the new Nelson Mandela Cruise Terminal in Durban.

“We are very pleased to see our loyal customers return to cruise with us every new season and we appreciate their support,” said Volk. “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,” he said.

In addition to Durban to Pomene and Durban to Mayotte itineraries, MSC Opera will also offer the cruise line’s traditional Durban to Mauritius extended vouage, as well as repositioning cruises on the South African coast between Durban and Cape Town, as well as Cape Town to Walvis Bay cruises.