MSC Grandiosa
MSC Grandiosa was the first Meraviglia Plus-class ship — 181,541 GRT, the largest ship MSC had built at the time of her 2019 delivery
MSC Grandiosa (2019) is the lead ship of the Meraviglia Plus class, at 181,541 gross tons carrying up to 6,334 guests at double occupancy. At her delivery, she was the largest ship MSC had ever operated — the Meraviglia Plus class extended the Meraviglia concept with additional volume added to the hull, primarily in the aft section where the stern infinity pool became the class's signature visual feature. Grandiosa deploys on Mediterranean itineraries year-round, with seasonal Northern European and Arabian Gulf programmes.
The Meraviglia Plus class was designed as a response to market demand for larger ships operating the same promenade-and-entertainment concept that MSC Meraviglia had introduced in 2017. The class lead Grandiosa carries the same 94-metre LED promenade and Carousel Lounge at the forward end, but the additional hull volume — approximately 10,000 GRT more than the base Meraviglia class — allowed MSC to expand the aft section with a larger pool deck and the now-class-signature stern infinity pool.
The MSC Yacht Club on Grandiosa is configured over the forward upper decks as on the other Meraviglia and Meraviglia Plus ships, with private pool, restaurant, and concierge butler service limited to suite guests. The Yacht Club inventory on a Meraviglia Plus ship is proportionally larger than on the Fantasia class; the private section covers enough deck area to feel genuinely separate from the main ship rather than simply a partitioned section of it.
Grandiosa's Arabian Gulf deployments have included Dubai and Abu Dhabi as home ports, typically for the Northern Hemisphere winter season when the Mediterranean programme is lighter. The Gulf itinerary circuits visit Oman (Muscat, Khasab), Saudi Arabia (Jeddah, when itinerary-accessible), and the UAE coastal ports, offering a market MSC has grown significantly since establishing the Gulf programme with Armonia and, later, the Fantasia-class ships. The Meraviglia Plus capacity means that Grandiosa is the highest-volume MSC ship in the Gulf when she operates there.
For Mediterranean deployments, Grandiosa operates on Western and Eastern Mediterranean circuits from Genoa and Civitavecchia. The Western circuit is the more consistent pattern: Marseille, Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Valletta, and Naples in various combinations. Eastern circuit deployments have included Piraeus, Santorini, Mykonos, Corfu, and Bari. The ship's size limits the smaller harbour ports but fits comfortably at the major Mediterranean berths.