Alaska cruise fans, you are in for a treat. Another giant cruise line is set to launch sailing cruises in Alaska.

This might surprise you, but MSC Cruises — best known for its European routes — announced Monday that it would launch its first Crossings in Alaska in May 2026. It will base the MSC Poesia in Seattle through September and send it on weekly seven-night sailings to Alaska and Canada.

Not only will these itineraries mark MSC Cruises’ Alaska debut, but it will be the first time the line has based a ship in Seattle. The cruise line is increasingly looking to attract U.S.-based cruise lines and strengthen its presence in the U.S. cruise market, and these new itineraries are in line with that goal — and perhaps not so surprising, after all .

Seattle will become the line’s fifth home port in the United States, with Miami, Port Canaveral (near Orlando), New York and Galveston, TX.

The 92,627-tonne MSC Poesia, which can accommodate 2,550 passengers, will depart on its inaugural Alaska cruise departing from Seattle on May 11, 2026. It will conclude the season with a Panama Canal cruise departing on September 28, 2026. Throughout this spring and summer, the mid-sized MSC Poesia ship will operate round-trip cruises to Alaska’s flagship ports of Ketchikan, Icy Strait Point and Juneau, with a port call at Victoria, British Columbia.

The highlight of each route will be a panoramic cruise day in Tracy Arm, Alaska, where the Sawyer Glacier is located.

“Guests from around the world tell us they want to see the beauty of Alaska for themselves, which makes these itineraries the perfect addition to MSC Cruises’ global portfolio of must-see destinations,” Lynn Torrent, Vice President executive and commercial director of MSC Cruises. United States, said in a press release. “Seattle will be our fifth U.S. home base, bringing our signature blend of European style and American comfort to the West Coast as we continue to expand our offerings in the North American market.”

The MSC Poesia will have to sail the Mediterranean to Seattle at the start of the Alaska cruise season in the spring, and in the fall it will head to Miami, where it will spend the winter. (Miami itineraries have not yet been announced.) This opens the door to unique and exciting events. repositioning of navigations across the Atlantic and through the Panama Canal.

First, the ship will sail on a transatlantic cruise April 6, 2026, with stopovers on both sides of the ocean. MSC Poesia will depart from Civitavecchia, Italy (the port of Rome) and visit Marseille, France; Barcelona; Funchal, Madeira (an autonomous region of Portugal); Philipsburg, Saint-Martin; and the cruise line’s private island, MSC Ocean Cay Marine Reservein the Bahamas before disembarking the passengers in Miami.

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The ship will also sail two Panama Canal Cruises between Miami and Seattle on April 23, 2026 and Seattle to Miami on September 28, 2026. Ports of call include San Diego; Los Angeles; Cartagena, Colombia; Cabo San Lucas, Mexico; and Puntarenas, Costa Rica.

MSC Poesia was launched in 2008 and is currently sailing in the Mediterranean, Northern Europe and South America. Highlights of the ship include three swimming pools and a giant poolside cinema screen, the line’s signature Aurea spa, a dinosaur-themed play area for children and a relaxation area for teenagers, a sushi bar and a casino.

MSC Poesia’s Alaska, Panama Canal and Transatlantic cruises are now available for booking.

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