Dangerous Weather Blocks MSC Splendida from Visiting French Port
Key Aspects:
Strong winds will prevent MSC Splendida from docking in Marseille, France, on February 15.
Instead, the MSC ship will spend the day in the nearby Villefranche-sur-Mer.
It’s unclear what arrangements will be made for guests who were supposed to disembark or embark in Marseille at this time.
MSC Splendida has been dealt another rough blow by Mother Nature. The MSC ship, which is operating several 7-night Mediterranean itineraries simultaneously, has been no stranger to port cancellations due to inclement weather this winter.
Just days ago, Cruise Hive reported that the Fantasia-class ship had to cancel its call to La Goulette-Tunis,Tunisia, on February 12, 2026, due to extremely strong winds.
Now the same thing is happening again, but this time the vessel is blocked from visiting Marseille, France, on February 15, 2026.
Weather authorities are predicting winds of over 50 knots (about 57 miles per hour) for that Sunday, which makes docking too dangerous. In reality, any time winds reach 30 to 40 knots, entering a cruise port edges into dicey territory.
“Forecasts indicate bad weather around Marseille for Sunday, with wind gusts up to 50 knots, which could compromise the ability to enter the port,” MSC Cruises said in a letter to current guests.
“Your safety and comfort are our highest priority, therefore we have made the difficult decision to cancel the scheduled port call,” the cruise line continued.
In strong winds, there is a higher risk of collision with other ships or port infrastructure, as well as a heightened chance of mooring failures. It’s simply not worth taking the chance.
Replacement Port Added for MSC Splendida
Though it won’t be in Marseille, guests will still get the French experience on February 15 with a visit to Villefranche-sur-Mer, which has been added to the itinerary as a last-minute replacement.
Read Also: What You Should Know About Cruise Port Cancellations
The port, which is positioned between Nice and Monaco, is positioned in a way that shields it from the worst of the expected winds.
“We are pleased to confirm that we will instead call at Villefranche-sur-Mer, which offers more favorable conditions and is sheltered from the incoming weather system,” the cruise line confirmed.
MSC Cruises is offering a curated selection of tours and activities to help guests experience the port, which can already be booked at the shore excursions desk onboard or on the MSC for Me App.
Any shore excursions that were booked for Marseille will automatically be cancelled and refunded as a credit to guests’ onboard accounts, and this credit can be used to book new shore excursions.
Impact to Embarkation and Disembarkation
As another hiccup to consider, Marseille is one MSC Splendida’s homeports in the Mediterranean. In addition to Marseille, guests come and go in Genoa, Naples, and Palermo in Italy and in Barcelona, Spain.
Of course, February 15 was meant to be the end of the voyage for some guests and a new batch of guests was supposed to join the ship.
While MSC Cruises has not yet confirmed how it will handle the disruption to travel plans for these guests, the cruise line will most likely plan to shuttle impacted guests between Marseille and Villefranche-sur-Mer. The destinations are only about 130 miles apart, and it takes less than three hours to drive between them.
Cruise Hive will continue to monitor the situation and will share any operational updates as they become available.
Dangerous Weather Blocks MSC Splendida from Visiting French Port