This June, the MSC Opera celebrates 20 years of service at sea for MSC Cruises.
Built at the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyards in St. Nazaire, France, the 65,000-ton cruise ship was delivered to the company on May 23, 2004.
Sister ship to the MSC Lirica, built in 2003, the vessel was the second built for MSC Cruises and entered service after a series of inaugural festivities across Europe.
After departing from northern France, the ship, with a capacity for 2,160 passengers, sailed to Barcelona (Spain) and Marseille (France).
Once in Italy, it spent three days docked in Naples, where it served as the setting for a gala organized by MSC Cruises to benefit the Italian Association for Cancer Research.
The celebrations continued in Civitavecchia, the port of Rome, where the MSC Opera remained docked for two days before setting sail for Genoa.
On June 26, 2004, the ship was finally named during a special ceremony in the city, which is one of MSC Cruises' largest home ports in Europe.
Sophia Loren, who would later reprise her role on all of the company's new ships, acted as godmother of the MSC Opera.
The next day, the ship embarked on its maiden voyage, kicking off an inaugural season in the Western Mediterranean.
After five months in the region, the MSC Opera repositioned itself to North America in November, ahead of a winter season in the Caribbean.
Sailing round trip from Fort Lauderdale, the ship offered alternating itineraries to the Western and Eastern Caribbean throughout the winter of 2004-2005.
In 2015, the MSC Opera underwent the biggest refurbishment of its career, which also included lengthening it and significantly increasing its capacity.
After the dry dock in Palermo, Italy, the ship underwent a refurbishment, with additional cabins, new public areas, and an additional 25-meter section added.
During its two decades of service, the MSC Opera cruised to various parts of the world, including South America, the Middle East, Northern Europe, the Atlantic islands, and South Africa.
In 2024, the ship will spend the summer in the Eastern Mediterranean before repositioning in the Canary Islands for the winter.
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