A major new player is about to launch Alaska cruises — and it's one you might not expect

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Alaska cruise fans, you're in for a treat. Another giant cruise line is about to start sailing cruises in Alaska.

It might surprise you, but MSC Cruises — best known for its European itineraries — announced Monday that it will launch its first Alaska sailings in May 2026. It will base 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 seeking to attract U.S.-based cruisers and build its presence within the U.S. cruise market, and these new itineraries are in line with that goal — and maybe not that surprising, after all.

The Seattle cruise port. MSC CRUISES Seattle will become the line's fifth home port in the U.S., along with Miami, Port Canaveral (near Orlando), New York City and Galveston, Texas.

The 92,627-ton, 2,550-passenger MSC Poesia will depart on its inaugural Alaska cruise from Seattle on May 11, 2026. It will end the season with a Panama Canal cruise departing Sept. 28, 2026. Throughout that spring and summer, the midsize ship will sail round-trip cruises to the marquee Alaska ports of Ketchikan, Icy Strait Point and Juneau, with a stop in Victoria, British Columbia.

A highlight of each itinerary will be a scenic cruising day in Alaska's Tracy Arm, home of the Sawyer Glacier.

"Guests from all over the world tell us they want to see Alaska's beauty firsthand, which makes these itineraries the perfect addition to MSC Cruises' global portfolio of bucket-list destinations," Lynn Torrent, executive vice president and chief commercial officer of MSC Cruises USA, said in a press statement. "Seattle will be our fifth U.S. home port, bringing our signature mix of European style and American comforts to the West Coast as we continue to expand our offerings in the North American market."

MSC Poesia will have to make its way from the Mediterranean to Seattle at the beginning of the Alaska cruise season in the spring, and in the fall, it will head to Miami, where it will stay for the winter. (Miami itineraries have not yet been announced.) This opens the door to some exciting one-off repositioning sailings across the Atlantic and through the Panama Canal.

First, the ship will sail a transatlantic cruise April 6, 2026, with stops on either side of the ocean. MSC Poesia will depart from Civitavecchia, Italy (the port for Rome) and visit Marseille, France; Barcelona; Funchal, Madeira (an autonomous region of Portugal); Philipsburg, St. Maarten; and the cruise line's private island, Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, in the Bahamas before disembarking 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 from Seattle to Miami on Sept. 28, 2026. Ports of call include San Diego; Los Angeles; Cartagena, Colombia; Cabo San Lucas, Mexico; and Puntarenas, Costa Rica.

MSC Poesia launched in 2008 and currently sails in the Mediterranean, Northern Europe and South America. Ship highlights include three pools and a giant poolside movie screen, the line's signature Aurea Spa, a dinosaur-themed play space for kids and a hangout area for teens, a sushi bar and a casino.

MSC Poesia's Alaska, Panama Canal and transatlantic cruises are now available for booking.

Planning a cruise? Start with these stories:

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