- Introduced
- 2003
- Gross tonnage
- 65,542 GT (post-lengthening)
- Capacity
- 2,199–2,680 (max)
Lirica Class consists of MSC Lirica (2003), MSC Opera (2004), MSC Armonia (2001, joined MSC 2004) and MSC Sinfonia (2002, joined MSC 2005). All four were lengthened in 2014-2015 under the Renaissance Programme, gaining a new mid-body section that added roughly 200 cabins per ship.
At around 65,000 GT these are the smallest ships in the modern MSC fleet and consequently the ones deployed on the line's most port-intensive and geographically ambitious itineraries — including seasonal programmes in South Africa, the Red Sea, and Grand Voyages between hemispheres.
The onboard product is deliberately more traditional than the newer flagships: fewer dining venues, no LED promenade or dry slides, no Yacht Club. For guests who want a genuinely relaxed mid-size ship and are prioritising ports over onboard theatrics, the Lirica class is often the correct choice within the MSC fleet.
Ships in the Lirica Class
Launched 2015)
MSC Lirica
The class lead — MSC's oldest active modern ship, lengthened in 2015 and deployed on port-intensive itineraries.
Launched 2015)
MSC Opera
Near-identical Lirica sister — traditional format, port-intensive Mediterranean and Red Sea itineraries.
Launched 2014)
MSC Armonia
Ex-Festival Cruises hull adopted by MSC in 2004 — small-ship format with a Cuban deployment history.
Launched 2015)
MSC Sinfonia
The second ex-Festival hull adopted by MSC — small-ship format with a long South African deployment history.
Also in MSC Cruises
Other ship classes
World Class
MSC's flagship LNG-powered class — the largest ships the line has ever built and among the largest in the world.
Seaside Class
MSC's Miami-oriented outdoor-living class — waterfront promenades, generous outdoor deck space, and a proven Caribbean workhorse.
Meraviglia Class
MSC's smart-ship class — a covered LED-domed promenade, Cirque du Soleil at Sea, and the platform that professionalised the modern MSC product.
Fantasia Class
The class that introduced the MSC Yacht Club — still the model against which every subsequent MSC newbuild is measured.
Musica Class
MSC's mid-size Mediterranean workhorses — the class that took MSC from a regional operator to a genuine European market leader.
Cruise line
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