The story goes that Juan Sebastián Elcano was the first sailor to circumnavigate the world. It took him three years to complete this feat: departing in 1519 and returning to the port of Sanlúcar de Barrameda (Andalusia) in 1522. Jules Verne imagined this same journey around the world by balloon in just 80 days. Today, the 2,300 passengers who have set sail on the MSC Magnifica will be able to travel the five continents in just 132 days, on a cruise that has also been renovated in record time to improve the onboard experience, combining gastronomy, leisure, and comfort.
A world tour that begins in the port of Barcelona — since the Catalan capital is the first of the three possible starting points for this sea itinerary, also stopping in Marseille and the Italian cities of Genoa and Civitavecchia. And the choice of Barcelona as a starting point is no coincidence: the city plays a strategic role in the roadmap of MSC Cruises, the Geneva (Switzerland) based company that has already become the third largest cruise group in the world, with a fleet of 23 ships operating in more than a hundred countries across five continents. "The port of Barcelona has been, is, and will be key in MSC's international growth strategy," says Fernando Pacheco, general director of MSC Cruises Spain.
"Barcelona is, first of all, a city that tourists from all over the world want to discover both gastronomically and culturally," says Pacheco. But the city is much more than this: "it also has key infrastructures, such as the modern Port, and services for tourists: with connectivity by train, sea, and air, and local companies with a wide variety of excursions," summarizes the general director. In fact, such is the importance of the Catalan capital in MSC's expansion strategy — not only in Europe, where it is already the market leader, but also worldwide — that of the 500 calls the company will make this year at its nine Spanish ports, almost 200 will be concentrated in the Catalan capital.
The 2,300 passengers who began their journey around the globe from the Catalan capital this Wednesday did so by embarking at MSC's new cruise terminal on the Adossat Quay of the Port of Barcelona. With an investment of fifty million euros, the modern terminal has been in operation since mid-February, although it was officially inaugurated in early April.
With an area of 12,500 square meters, it has been designed by Ricardo Bofill Taller de Arquitectura (RBTA), and the goal is to improve the user experience even before boarding the ship. From the access to the terminal, the passenger already has the feeling of entering a large international airport. These facilities will also allow the company to advance its sustainability objectives, connecting to the first Onshore Power Supply (OPS) point when it becomes operational to be able to turn off the engines of docked cruise ships and reduce emissions.
Among the more than 2,000 passengers who have started their adventure aboard the MSC Magnifica —on a ship with completely reserved cabins—, 285 are Spanish, 85 of whom are Catalan. "Cruises like the round-the-world trip allow you to visit a large number of countries while relaxing and being comfortable, without the need to repack your luggage every night," says Joan Ramírez, who embarks accompanied by his wife. This is the third time this retired couple will go around the world on a cruise, having already done so in 2023 and 2024 and accumulating a total of 25 cruises on their travel list.
"I spent more than 30 years without enjoying summer vacations, but the dream of my life had always been to travel," says Ramírez. As soon as he could afford it, with a lifetime's savings and good stock market investment results, he didn't hesitate and embarked on the adventure. Together with his wife, they have already visited a hundred countries and accumulated 100,000 photographs of all of them. "Getting on a cruise means isolating yourself from routine, from bad news, from everything negative," says the passenger. Now, the couple confesses to being excited to visit the different Asian countries that the cruise travels through, such as China, Japan or the Philippines, where they have not been before.
Although, as in the case of Joan Ramírez and his wife María Isabel Santé, they are mostly retired couples or friends—because they are the age group with enough time to undertake this trip—among the passengers one can even find children running through the corridors of this cruise, with spaces that seem to have no end. And it is that the ship is, in itself, part of this experience. A true floating city almost 300 meters long, controlled in every corner by a crew made up of more than a thousand people, among whom many Spanish citizens can also be found.
A yacht within a floating city
Such are the dimensions of this vessel that reporters accumulate in the corridors to help passengers find their cabin or common areas. Especially because the MSC Magnifica presents a renovated appearance, after having been modernized in record time in the Malta shipyards. Among the novelties of this reform, a renovated spa area and wellness, a gym with yoga rooms and spinning, two new restaurants specializing in cuisines from around the world —select cuts of meat at Butcher's Cut and Asian dishes at Kaito Sushi Bar— which join an extensive gastronomic offer with five restaurants in total, 12 bars, an indoor pool with a retractable roof, and water parks.Also noteworthy are areas such as a photo gallery, a full-size bowling alley, a 4D cinema, or a theater with 1,200 seats where widely acclaimed shows are performed every night —and it is that on MSC cruises, works such as Dirty Dancing or from Cirque du Soleil have been performed–. Prices also reflect the exclusivity of the experience: from 18,000 euros for the 132 days of cruising, during which they will visit 46 destinations in 33 countries, without worrying about luggage, flights or hotel reservations, leaving behind routine and life on land.
But these prices can rise even further if extras such as the MSC Yacht Club are added. A novel concept incorporated into the renovated vessel that simulates the experience of a "yacht within a ship," with 63 luxury suites, a private terrace with a pool, an exclusive restaurant, and areas with 24-hour butler and concierge service. Although these facilities have already been incorporated into the MSC Magnifica, it will not be until the 2027 world tour that passengers on this ship will be able to enjoy them.
As these are trips that require a large cushion of savings, but a great investment of time (more than four months), these are circuits that are usually booked in advance, which is why MSC has already opened reservations for the 2028 world tour. In addition, for those who do not have enough time, the cruise also offers the possibility of embarking only for a specific section of the route, being able to complete the world tour in different years.
33 countries without the need to unpack luggage
The itinerary begins in the Mediterranean and departs for Madeira and the Caribbean, with stops in Barbados, Grenada, Bonaire, and Curaçao. After crossing South America and the Panama Canal, the ship calls at countries in Central America and Mexico, before arriving in the United States. The journey continues through Hawaii and the Pacific islands, New Zealand and Australia, with notable stops such as Sydney and the Great Barrier Reef. The Asian continent also occupies a central part of the itinerary, with destinations such as Manila, Tokyo, Shanghai or Vietnam. The final leg takes passengers through the Indian Ocean, Africa and Cape Verde, before returning to the Mediterranean.
"At the end of our days, the only thing we will take with us are experiences, and everything we can enjoy now is welcome," exclaims Àngels Solà, 81, who is traveling with her husband Bonaventura Magrassó, 85. This will be the fourth round-the-world trip by sea for this retired couple from Maresme, after those in 2013, 2016, and 2019, and after the pandemic frustrated new opportunities for them. "We didn't think we would do another round-the-world trip, we thought we were too old, but a Mediterranean cruise with MSC brought back our desire," confesses Bonaventura, who always carries a travel notebook in which he jots down each destination and the experiences that surprise them the most, to later recall landscapes such as the tranquility of Bora Bora or the modernity of Tokyo.
MSC, an expansion without horizons
MSC Magnifica is not the only novelty that the third most important cruise company in the world has reserved for this year 2026. Another of its great debuts is the official premiere of the MSC World Asia, the group's most modern ship to date.A premiere in which Barcelona will once again play a leading role: being the starting point for this modern vessel, which will start its first route on December 4, 2026, departing from the Catalan capital to visit the most attractive cities in the Mediterranean.
Designed to recreate the art and culture of Asian countries, the MSC World Asia will sail weekly every Friday from Barcelona, with a total of 50 annual departures. Outside of Spain, the shipping company will also strengthen its international presence with the inauguration of two new routes in the summer of 2026, one in the Dominican Republic and another in Alaska, departing from Seattle. An ambitious growth plan that reflects the strategy of a company in full expansion —with Barcelona as one of its strategic ports—, determined to conquer new horizons, with the sea, eternal and infinite, being the only one that marks the way.
Add The New Barcelona Post as your preferred Google source for free
Stay informed with the latest news.
