Royal Caribbean and Carnival Cruise Line are two of the most well-known names in the cruise industry. However, MSC Cruises, a European line based in Geneva, Switzerland, has infiltrated the global market.
MSC Cruises was founded in Naples, Italy, in 1988 as part of the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), which has grown into the world’s largest container shipping business, operating a fleet of over 800 vessels.
Building on that success, MSC's founder, Gianluigi Aponte, entered the cruise industry to expand the company's portfolio to include leisure travel.
However, his family's maritime history can be traced as far back as 1675, when they operated shipping routes in and out of Naples, Italy. One of their vessels was the felucca Giovannina, which sailed around the Sorrento Peninsula for years.
Three hundred years later, in 1970, Aponte and his wife founded MSC, but it wasn't until the late 80s that the cruise line came into the picture.
In 1988, MSC bought the liner Monterey, marking its entry into the cruise business. Shortly after, the company purchased Lauro Line and rebranded it as StarLauro Cruises. Until 1994, StarLauro operated just two ships: the Monterey and Lauro Line's former Achille Lauro.
Unfortunately, the Achille Lauro sank off the coast of South Africa in 1994. The incident marked the end of StarLauro, prompting a full rebranding. As such, in 1995, MSC Cruises as we know it today was officially born.
Today, MSC Cruises is the third-largest cruise company in the world
The MSC Group is the owner of MSC Cruises, the third-largest cruise company in the world behind Carnival Corporation & plc and the Royal Caribbean Group.
They have two main divisions: cargo (the Mediterranean Shipping Company) and passenger (MSC Cruises). Explora Journeys, MSC's luxury cruise brand, is also part of the passenger division.
Explora Journeys is a relatively new venture, having been founded in 2021. Today, they operate just two ships but have four more on order scheduled to join the fleet between 2026 and 2028.
Comparatively, MSC Cruises operates a fleet of 23. The ships range in age from the 24-year-old MSC Sinfonia to the brand-new MSC World America, which launched in 2025 as part of the cruise line’s North American growth strategy.
MSC Cruises has invested heavily in new infrastructure. In April 2025, MSC opened a new state-of-the-art cruise terminal in Miami, Florida. Not only is the one of the most technologically advanced, but it's also the largest cruise terminal in the world with the ability to process as many as 36,000 passengers per day.
They're also opening another brand-new terminal in Galveston, Texas, in November. The $151 million complex at Pier 16 will include a 165,000-square-foot terminal and a $55 million parking garage.
MSC Cruises' current CEO is Gianni Onorato. Previously the President of Costa Cruises, another European cruise line, he's been with MSC Cruises since 2013. Onorato has over 30 years of experience working within the cruise industry.
Read more: MSC cruise ships by size
MSC Cruises is one of the world’s largest privately owned cruise lines
Cruise lines like Royal Caribbean, Carnival, and Norwegian are owned by shareholders and publicly traded. However, MSC Cruises is privately owned by the Aponte family. This means that people can't buy shares in MSC Cruises like with others.
Whereas stockholders with Royal Caribbean, Carnival, and Norwegian can receive onboard credit as a shareholder benefit, MSC Cruises does not offer this benefit.
Elizabeth Wright
Elizabeth graduated from New York University's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute with her M.A. in Journalism in May 2023. Growing up, she traveled frequently with her family and fell in love with cruising after sailing on the Oasis of the Seas during her freshman year of high school. Having sailed on over 30 cruises across different lines, including Royal Caribbean, Carnival, MSC, Margaritaville at Sea, and Princess, she loves sharing her insight and expertise on all things cruising!
