Operational career
Beginning on 23 November 2019, MSC Grandiosa began sailing weekly Mediterranean itineraries for her inaugural season, calling in Genoa, Rome, Palermo, Valletta, Barcelona, and Marseille.[19][17] On 30 December 2019, at the Port of Palermo, the ship struck the Vittorio Veneto pier with her stern on the port side when maneuvering to dock.[20] Minor damage was reported on her stern and the pier, but no injuries were reported, and the ship left for Valletta later that day.[20]
MSC Grandiosa was originally expected to continue sailing in the Mediterranean until repositioning to Santos, Brazil in autumn 2020 to begin cruising in South America for the 2020–2021 season, which would have made her the largest passenger ship to ever homeport in South America.[21] However, after the COVID-19 pandemic forced MSC to reduce its operations and redeploy its fleet, MSC Grandiosa was ultimately scheduled to continue sailing Mediterranean cruises through 2021.[22] On 16 August 2020, she also became MSC's first ship to resume operations amid the pandemic, and the first major cruise ship overall to restart operations in the Mediterranean since the cessation of cruises earlier in the year.[23][24]
On 25 November 2023, she arrived in Santos, Brazil to begin cruising for the 2023-2024 Brazilian Season, calling in Búzios, Salvador, and Maceió. MSC Grandiosa is confirmed in the 2024-2025 Brazilian Season with the same itineraries.
On 16 May 2024, MSC announced she will start 7 day eastern and western Caribbean itineraries sailing from Port Canaveral Florida beginning in December 2025.
