MSC Cruises to run UAE winter trips aboard newest and most eco-friendly vessel

The 'MSC World Europa' will have six swimming pools, 13 restaurants and the longest dry slide at sea

The 'MSC World Europa' will make the UAE its home port next winter and will run on the cleanest marine fuel available. Photo: MSC Cruises

Travellers keen go on a UAE cruise will soon be able to do so aboard the MSC World Europa, a new vessel that will sail the Arabian Gulf using one of the cleanest marine fuels available.

Next winter, MSC Cruises' most environmentally advanced ship will make the UAE its home port.

Traversing the Arabian Gulf, the 22-deck ship will offer seven-night sailings from Dubai and Abu Dhabi to Sir Bani Yas Island, Dammam in Saudi Arabia and Doha in Qatar.

Currently still under construction at a shipyard in France, the MSC World Europa is set to be delivered to the cruise line in October before making its voyage to Dubai in December where it will begin winter sailings.

The promenade on the 'MSC World Europa' where travellers will find entertainment, shops and bars. Photo: MSC Cruises

The mammoth passenger cruise ship will have 2,626 cabins and can accommodate almost 7,000 passengers. At over 330 metres in length, it will also have six swimming pools, 13 restaurants, an indoor promenade, aqua park and a spiral-shaped 11-deck slide, which will be the longest dry slide at sea.

Sailings will be powered by liquefied natural gas and the ship will have an underwater radiated noise management system, advanced wastewater treatment systems and a range of energy-efficient equipment.

MSC World Europa is the first in the MSC Cruises’ fleet to use cleaner fuel, something that is a key part of the company’s wider plan to eradicate carbon emissions.

“MSC World Europa will redefine the cruise experience with a variety of never-before-seen features unlike anything at sea today and the vessel will be an additional benefit to the UAE’s tourism industry,” said Gianni Onorato, chief executive of MSC Cruises.

“The ship will attract many international passengers from around the world, especially from Europe, and we hope to also see strong interest from guests from the GCC, especially the UAE”.

Winter cruising to Oman's Khasab and Muscat

The 'MSC Opera' will sail from the UAE to Oman's Muscat and Khasab next winter. Getty Images

It isn't the only MSC cruise ship headed for the Emirates.

The MSC Opera — a Lirica-class cruise ship — will also port in the UAE next winter.

Built in 2004 and refurbished in 2015, the 250-metre-long ship is able to reach destinations that are inaccessible to larger mega-ships. This is why the beauty of Oman's Muscat and Khasab will feature on MSC Opera's winter itineraries.

The seven-night sailings will finish with an overnight stay in Dubai to give international passengers plenty of time to explore the city.

A new jetty in Abu Dhabi

A first look at the new jetty at Sir Bani Yas Cruise Beach.

The news comes following the opening of a new jetty for passenger ships at Sir Bani Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. MSC Cruises said this new facility will be well received by cruise holidaymakers.

In November, the cruise liner held the naming ceremony for the MSC Virtuosa in Dubai. The city's largest cruise ship was inaugurated in a ceremony at Port Rashid attended by Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed, chairman of Dubai Council for Border Crossing Points Security, Hollywood actress Sophia Loren and musician Rag’n’Bone Man.

Since then, despite the Covid-19 pandemic, the ship has been sailing around the Arabian Gulf and is one of the company's best-performing ships for the winter season, according to Onorato.

MSC Virtuosa will finish voyaging on Saturday, March 26, and the company has already extended the season by replacing the ship with the MSC Bellissima from April until Saturday, June 25.

The extension marks the first time that the company will offer spring break holidays at sea in the Arabian Gulf.

Inside the $800 million 'MSC Virtuosa': Dubai’s largest cruise ship

The promenade of the MSC Virtuosa. All photos: Pawan Singh / The National

The largest ship in MSC's fleet is more than 65 metres tall

A Formula One simulator in the ship's amusement zone

The back deck of the MSC Virtuosa as it docked in Dubai for its official naming ceremony

The ship has luxury shops, restaurants and bars on board

The view towards the Galleria Virtuosa, the longest LED dome at sea

A deluxe balcony cabin on the MSC Virtuosa

The dome changes colour and displays to create various atmospheres and ambience for passengers

Le Grand theatre on the MSC Virtuosa hosts nightly Broadway-style performances, free for travellers to book

Passengers on the MSC Virtuosa embark in Dubai before the ship's journey to Abu Dhabi and Doha

Savannah Aquapark is one of the largest waterparks at sea

Running and walking tracks on the upper deck

The Attic nightclub on the vessel

One of the five swimming pools on the ship

The Virtuosa bar

The children's club has a basketball and football indoor court

Gym-goers will be rewarded with ocean views

View from the balcony of a cabin on the MSC Virtuosa, overlooking Hamdan Bin Mohammed Cruise Terminal 3 in Port Rashid, Dubai

The sparkling Swarovski-crystal staircase on the MSC Virtuosa

Passengers enjoy the aqua park as the ship is docked in Dubai

Children can enjoy their own places to play with separate supervised facilities for babies, children and teenagers

The $800 million MSC Virtuosa cruise ship was officially named in Dubai by Sheikh Mansoor and Hollywood actress Sophia Loren

The view from the pool on the MSC Virtuosa

Adults and children can enjoy the amusement zone

The Tropical Pool has a retractable glass roof allowing it to be open air or enclosed

Lifeboats on the MSC Virtuosa

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