Built for MSC Cruises at the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard in France, the ship was officially welcomed into the company's fleet during a ceremony on July 12, 2009.
The event took place in the Spanish port of Barcelona and was attended by the godmother of the MSC Cruises fleet, actress Sophia Loren, who christened the ship.
A day later, the MSC Splendida began its inaugural season in the Western Mediterranean, offering cruises to destinations in Italy, Malta, Spain and France.
The ship's regular seven-night itinerary included visits to Civitavecchia, Genoa, Messina, Valletta and Barcelona and allowed guests to embark at multiple ports.
During the 2009-2010 winter season, the 3,300-passenger ship offered ten- and eleven-night cruises that also included destinations in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Canary Islands.
Sister ship to the MSC Fantasia, built in 2008, the MSC Splendida was built as MSC Cruises' second post-panamax ship.
The 133,500-ton ship was also the second to offer the ship-within-a-ship concept from MSC Cruises, the MSC Yacht Club.
Located on the ship's top deck, the VIP suite enclave is only accessible to guests staying in one of its 90 cabins and features private common areas including a lounge, a library, a solarium and a poolside terrace.
Originally planned to be called MSC Serenata, the ship changed its name while still in the early stages of construction in 2007.
At the time, MSC Cruises said the change was intended to better reflect the “beauty and elegance” of Splendida.
The company added that the idea came about after the “enthusiastic response” from Raphaela Aponte, wife of MSC owner Gianluigi Aponte, to the ship's interior designs, which were created by architect De Jorio.
The MSC Splendida continued sailing in the Mediterranean year-round until 2015, when it debuted in Northern Europe and South America.
At the end of 2024, the ship is scheduled to return to Asia to conduct cruises departing from the Chinese port of Shenzhen.
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