Celebrity Chefs to Join Epic MSC World Cruise

MSC Cruises will shine a spotlight on exotic cuisines during the second leg of MSC Poesia’s 2024 World Cruise, which is now sailing around Africa. Guests will be treated to the delicious creations of three celebrity chefs, who will join the exciting world voyage.

Three celebrity chefs will soon delight the guests sailing aboard MSC Cruises’ MSC Poesia, a ship that is roughly one-third of the way through her 2024 World Cruise. The ship left Rome on January 4, 2024.

The chefs will join the cruise at different times, each creating a three- to four-course menu that highlights their special cuisines. The concept is part of MSC Cruises’ enriched culinary program.

South African chef and restaurateur Reuben Riffel will offer guests the flavors of his homeland, such as authentic cape spiced pickled fish, peppered Karoo lamb, and malva pudding. Riffel is best known for founding Reuben’s Restaurant, writing three cookbooks, and serving as a judge on the TV show “MasterChef South Africa.”

Brazilian chef and restauranteur Allan Vila Espejo will dish up a menu of Brazilian specialties such as Manioc soup, Bahia-style fish stew, and traditional chocolate coconut cake.

The Michelin-starred Swedish chef, TV personality, and restauranteur Niklas Ekstedt, a champion of Nordic cuisine, will create dishes such as poached lobster and confit salmon. The renowned chef owns one of the top restaurants in Stockholm, called Ekstedt.

The special menus will be served in the ship’s main restaurants, and guests onboard MSC Poesia will have opportunities to meet the chefs in person.

MSC Poesia’s 115-day World Cruise, which visits 52 destinations in 31 countries, was altered in mid-January due to unsafe conditions in the Suez Canal and Red Sea areas. The 2,550-guest ship was to call at ports in Egypt and Saudi Arabia, but was rerouted to circumnavigate Africa.

In March, the Musica-class ship will cross the Atlantic Ocean, bound for calls in Brazil and in the Caribbean before reaching Miami. From there, the ship will head north to New York, and continue to ports in Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Northern Ireland, and England, before concluding in Southampton on April 28, 2024.

Other ships operated by MSC Cruises have been impacted by the unrest in the Middle East. The line has cancelled three “Grand Voyages” set to depart in April. Instead, the cruise line is transferring MSC Spendida, MSC Opera, and MSC Virtuosa back to Europe without any passengers, sailing around Africa’s horn to avoid the war-torn region.

A few other cruise lines, including Cunard and Princess Cruises, also have rerouted sailings as a result of the dangers in the Middle East waters.

New Itinerary For MSC’s 2025 World Cruise

Segments of MSC Poesia’s 2024 World Cruise are still available for booking. The ship, which entered service in 2008, features two main dining rooms, Il Palladio and Le Fontane, and the Villa Pompeiana buffet. Specialty venues include Kaito, which serves sushi. Several bars and lounges are offered, along with the MSC Aurea Spa, three pools, and a poolside movie screen. Guests can choose from eight stateroom categories.

Read Also: MSC Yacht Club: Is It Really Worth It?

Those who wish to plan further ahead can book MSC Magnifica’s 2025 World Cruise, a 116-night roundtrip voyage from Barcelona.

MSC Magnifica, also a Musica-class ship with a capacity for 2,550 guests, will depart on her 2025 world journey on January 7, 2025. The cruise line has designed a new itinerary for the ship, which will visit 50 destinations in 21 countries.

Her 116-day itinerary is to feature calls in the Mediterranean, Africa, South America, Australia/New Zealand, and Middle East destinations in Jordan and Egypt. The cruise and its various segments are open for booking.