Cruise passengers could eventually be able to pack their bags and sail from Alicante in the middle of winter again, as MSC Cruises looks at bringing back a service it last operated in 2023.
The cruise company is considering restoring winter departures from the Costa Blanca as part of a wider expansion at Alicante port.
Nothing has been confirmed yet, and any return is unlikely before 2028. But MSC has already committed to Alicante for the next two years, with more ships, more calls and more cruises allowing passengers to start their holiday here.
Alicante is staying on MSC’s map
MSC Cruises first began using Alicante as a home port in 2022.
Being a home port is rather different from simply having a cruise ship stop for the day. It means passengers can embark and disembark in Alicante, starting and finishing their cruise on the Costa Blanca.
The relationship has continued ever since, and MSC has now confirmed 27 calls at Alicante in 2027 and 32 in 2028.
Of the 27 calls planned for next year, 18 will allow passengers to begin their cruise in Alicante. That rises to 20 in 2028.
MSC’s 2027 programme will run from 29 March until 23 December, although those later calls should not be confused with a return of the winter home-port season.
What happened to the old winter cruises?
Alicante has actually had MSC winter departures before.
In 2023, MSC operated ten departures from the city between 16 January and 6 April aboard MSC Lirica.
The ten-night Western Mediterranean cruises called at destinations including Genoa, Marseille, Barcelona, Ceuta, Tangier, Casablanca and Málaga.
The experiment lasted just one winter.
MSC had been expected to continue winter departures in 2024, but changes to its fleet and itineraries followed the outbreak of conflict in the Middle East. The company also cancelled Red Sea itineraries and repositioned ships elsewhere in the Mediterranean.
Alicante kept its summer home-port operation, but the winter departures disappeared.
Could they really come back?
That is now back on the table.
MSC is studying options to restore Alicante as a winter embarkation port, although the company has not announced routes, dates, ships or prices.
According to the latest information, it would not happen before 2028. Cruise companies plan their programmes well in advance, and MSC is already working on its schedules for 2029.
So this is not a case of winter cruises suddenly appearing for booking.
It is better described as a statement of intent: MSC likes what it is seeing in Alicante and wants to explore whether year-round departures can work again.
More cruises are already coming
There is plenty happening before then.
MSC expects 85,000 passengers to travel on cruises calling at Alicante during 2026, with around 43,000 of them using itineraries that start from the city.
The company has 24 Alicante calls planned this year, rising to 27 in 2027 and 32 in 2028. That would bring MSC back to the record number of visits it made in 2023.
MSC Sinfonia will also take over the company’s Alicante home-port route in 2027.
Its itinerary will leave Alicante before visiting Mahón, Olbia, Genoa, Marseille, Málaga, Cádiz and Lisbon, then returning to Alicante.
For people living on the Costa Blanca, the appeal is obvious. Alicante becomes the beginning of the holiday rather than another airport on the way to it.
Why MSC likes Alicante
MSC Cruises says Alicante works particularly well because of its location, transport connections, food and the range of excursions available to passengers.
Beyond Alicante city and Santa Bárbara Castle, trips to Elche and the Huerto del Cura are among the company’s most popular excursions, with Guadalest another favourite.
MSC estimates that its Alicante home-port operation generates around €12 million a year for the local economy, although that figure comes from the company’s own calculations.
Bringing winter departures back would also spread some of that activity beyond the traditional summer season.
For now, though, anyone already mentally packing for a January cruise from Alicante should leave the suitcase in the cupboard.
MSC wants winter sailings back. We just do not have a departure date yet.
Bridging the Gap’s recap
- MSC Cruises is considering bringing winter departures back to Alicante.
- No winter routes or dates have yet been confirmed.
- A return is not expected before 2028.
- Alicante previously had ten MSC winter departures in 2023.
- MSC has confirmed 27 Alicante calls for 2027 and 32 for 2028.
- Eighteen of the 2027 calls will allow passengers to start their cruise in Alicante, rising to 20 in 2028.
- MSC Sinfonia will operate the Alicante home-port route in 2027.
- MSC expects around 85,000 passengers on cruises calling at Alicante during 2026.
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