Cunard vs MSC Cruises
A detailed side-by-side comparison of Cunard and MSC Cruises covering ratings, fleet size, food quality, entertainment, value for money, and available sailings from UK ports. Updated for 2026.
The head-to-head
Ratings are based on aggregated passenger reviews, editorial analysis, and expert scoring. The cobalt outline marks the stronger line for each attribute.
Who should choose which?
Every cruise line has its strengths and weaknesses. Here is an honest look at who each line is best suited for, based on passenger feedback and our editorial assessment.
Choose Cunard if you want…
- Luxury and sophistication
- Transatlantic crossings
- Formal dining
- History and tradition
Cunard may not suit you if…
- Budget travellers
- Families with young children
- Those who dislike formal dress codes
Choose MSC Cruises if you want…
- Value for money
- All-inclusive packages
- Families (kids sail free)
- Mediterranean itineraries
MSC Cruises may not suit you if…
- Those wanting British-focused experience
- Small-ship intimacy seekers
- Adults-only preference
Ships at a glance
A quick comparison of each line's fleet including passenger capacity, tonnage, and year of launch.
Cunard Fleet (4 ships)
Queen Mary 2
Built 2004 · 2,691 guests
Queen Victoria
Built 2007 · 2,081 guests
Queen Anne
Built 2024 · 2,996 guests
MSC Cruises Fleet (22 ships)
MSC Virtuosa
Built 2021 · 6,334 guests
MSC World Europa
Built 2022 · 6,762 guests
MSC Euribia
Built 2023 · 6,334 guests
Available cruises
Current sailings from both cruise lines. Prices shown are per person based on two sharing the lowest-grade cabin available.
Cunard Sailings
18 NIGHTSWestbound Transatlantic Crossing from Southampton to New York with Stay
Ports: Southampton · Zeebrugge · Olden · Skjolden · Isafjordur · Reykjavik
9 NIGHTS2-night Rome & 7-night Luxury Western Mediterranean
Ports: Civitavecchia · Tarragona · Palma de Mallorca · Villefranche · Marseille · Barcelona
Save 1%10 NIGHTSCunard Queen Elizabeth Alaska 10 nights
10 NIGHTS3-night Barcelona & 7-night Luxury Italy And Spain
Ports: Barcelona · Ibiza · Cagliari · Messina · Salerno · Civitavecchia
Save 1%7 NIGHTSCunard Queen Mary 2 Transatlantic 7 nights
7 NIGHTS2-night Seattle & 7-night Alaska in Luxury
Save 1%7 NIGHTSCunard Queen Elizabeth Alaska 7 nights
Save 1%11 NIGHTS2-night Rome & 7-night Luxury Greece & Adriatic & 2-night Venice
Save 3%17 NIGHTSAlaska Cruise and 5-night Seattle Stay with Mt Rainer National Park & Snoqualmie Falls Tours
Ports: Seattle · Ketchikan · Icy Strait Point · Juneau · Haines · Sitka
Save 1%2 NIGHTSCunard Queen Mary 2 Northern Europe 2 nights
Save 1%11 NIGHTSCunard Queen Elizabeth Alaska 11 nights
7 NIGHTSNorwegian Fjords Michelin-star Chef Michel Roux cruise from Southampton
Ports: Southampton · Kristiansand · Oslo · Skagen
Save 1%7 NIGHTSTransatlantic
Ports: Southampton · New York
14 NIGHTSSeattle Sights and Glacier Vistas: Cunard's Farewell Season to Alaska
Save 1%7 NIGHTSTransatlantic
Ports: Southampton · New York
Save 4%7 NIGHTSMediterranean
Ports: Barcelona · Civitavecchia (Rome)
Hot deal7 NIGHTS7 Night Transatlantic Crossing
Ports: New York
Save 9%10 NIGHTS3-night Rome & 7-night Luxury France And Italy
10 NIGHTSItalian Coastal Treasures with Cunard
Save 1%7 NIGHTSTransatlantic
Ports: Southampton · New York
10 NIGHTSAlaska from Seattle with Stay
Ports: Seattle · Ketchikan · Juneau · Victoria, British Columbia
19 NIGHTSMediterranean and Greek Islands cruise from Southampton
Ports: Southampton · Cadiz · Thira · Mykonos Town · Piraeus · Heraklion
10 NIGHTSVoyage of the Ancients: A Journey from Istanbul to Rome with Cunard
10 NIGHTSVoyage of the Ancients: A Journey from Istanbul to Rome with Cunard
Ports: Rome
Deal18 NIGHTSNo-fly Grand European Rail & Sail Adventure: Including 4* Hotel stays, Upgraded Rail & Queen Victoria Cruise
7 NIGHTS7 Night Transatlantic Crossing
Ports: New York
4 NIGHTS4-night Rotterdam And Zeebrugge Short Break
Save 1%16 NIGHTSCunard's Caribbean Eclipse with 12-night sailing on Queen Elizabeth
12 NIGHTSNorway and North Cape cruise from Southampton
Ports: Southampton · Alesund · Tromsø, Norway · Narvik · Stavanger, Norway
5 NIGHTS5-night Hamburg And Zeebrugge Short Break
Ports: Hamburg · Zeebrugge
13 NIGHTSFalls, Skyscrapers & Sea: Niagara, New York & Cunard Transatlantic Crossing
Ports: Niagara · New York
Save 3%7 NIGHTSSpain and France cruise from Southampton
Ports: Southampton · Bilbao (Getxo) · Santander · Gijon · Cherbourg · Southampton
Save 6%12 NIGHTSAzores, Portugal and Spain cruise from Southampton
Ports: Southampton · Ponta Delgada, Azores · Funchal, Madeira · Lisbon · Vigo · Southampton
Save 3%4 NIGHTS4-night Short Break To Rotterdam
4 NIGHTS4-night Zeebrugge And Cherbourg fr Southampton
12 NIGHTSNorway and North Cape Michelin-star Chef Michel Roux cruise from Southampton
Ports: Southampton · Alesund · Tromsø, Norway · Narvik · Stavanger, Norway
12 NIGHTSWestern Caribbean with Miami Beach Stay
Ports: Miami · George Town, Grand Cayman · Montego Bay · Roatan Island · Puerto Costa Maya · Cozumel
4 NIGHTS4-night Short Break to Rotterdam
Save 14%7 NIGHTS7-night Zeebrugge, Amsterdam And Cherbourg fr Southampton
Save 8%7 NIGHTS7-night Le Havre & Amsterdam
Save 3%12 NIGHTSWestern Caribbean with Miami Beach Stay
Ports: Miami · George Town, Grand Cayman · Montego Bay · Roatan Island · Puerto Costa Maya · Cozumel
30 NIGHTSTransatlantic crossing and Caribbean Celebration cruise from Southampton
Ports: Southampton · New York · Tortola · Philipsburg, St. Maarten · Bridgetown, Barbados · Castries, St. Lucia
7 NIGHTSHamburg, Rotterdam and Zeebrugge
Save 8%7 NIGHTS7-night Spain And Portugal fr Southampton
5 NIGHTS2-night Hamburg & 5-night Rotterdam And Zeebrugge Short Break
Ports: Rotterdam · Zeebrugge
5 NIGHTSRotterdam and Zeebrugge Short Break
Save 2%13 NIGHTSAzores from Miami to Southampton with 1-night Stay
Ports: Miami · Praia da Vitoria · Ponta Delgada, Azores · Southampton
45 NIGHTSSouthampton to Sydney
Ports: Southampton · New York · Oranjestad, Aruba · Panama Canal · Acajutla · Puerto Vallarta
34 NIGHTSSouthampton to the Caribbean & South America with Rio & Iguazu Falls Stays
Ports: Southampton · Hamilton · Orlando · Fort Lauderdale · Grand Turk · Bridgetown
Save 3%7 NIGHTS7-night Portugal & Spain fr Southampton
MSC Cruises Sailings
Save 5%7 NIGHTSCaribbean and Antilles
Save 12%7 NIGHTSMediterranean 7 Nights From Civitavecchia
Ports: Civitavecchia · Palermo · Ibiza · Barcelona · Marseille · Genoa
Save 2%4 NIGHTSCaribbean and Antilles
Save 2%4 NIGHTSCaribbean and Antilles
Hot deal7 NIGHTSAlaska 7 Nights From Seattle, Washington
Ports: Seattle · Ketchikan · Icy Strait Point · Juneau · Endicott Arm · Victoria
7 NIGHTS7 nights Western Mediterranean from Palermo (Monreale)
Ports: Ibiza · Barcelona · Marseille · Genoa · Rome · Palermo
7 NIGHTS7 nights Western Mediterranean from Naples (Pompeii)
Ports: Sicily · Malta · Barcelona · Marseille · Genoa · Naples
7 NIGHTS7 nights Western Mediterranean from Marseille (Provence)
Ports: Barcelona · La Goulette · Palermo · Naples · Florence/Pisa · Marseille
7 NIGHTS7 nights Eastern Mediterranean from Kusadasi
Ports: Marmaris · Naples · Rome · Mykonos · Kusadasi
7 NIGHTS7 nights Western Mediterranean from Marseille (Provence)
Ports: Florence/Pisa · Cagliari · Palermo · Malta · Barcelona · Marseille
7 NIGHTS7 nights Western Mediterranean from Civitavecchia (Rome)
Ports: Genoa · Marseille · Valencia · Ibiza · Cagliari · Rome
7 NIGHTS7 nights Western Mediterranean from Barcelona
Ports: La Goulette · Palermo · Naples · Florence/Pisa · Marseille · Barcelona
7 NIGHTS7 nights Western Mediterranean from Livorno (Florence)
Ports: Florence/Pisa · Cagliari · Palermo · Malta · Barcelona · Marseille
9 NIGHTS9 nights Eastern Mediterranean from Piraeus (Athens)
Ports: Kusadasi · Istanbul · Corfu · Bari · Venice (Trieste) · Olympia (Katakolon)
7 NIGHTSMediterranean 7 Nights From Piraeus
Ports: Piraeus · Katakolon · Argostoli · Corfu · Bari · Santorini
Save 12%7 NIGHTSMediterranean 7 Nights From Civitavecchia
Ports: Civitavecchia · Genoa · Marseille · Tarragona · Valencia · Livorno
7 NIGHTSMediterranean 7 Nights From Genoa
Ports: Genoa · Marseille · Valencia · Ibiza · Cagliari · Civitavecchia
7 NIGHTS7 nights Western Mediterranean from Messina (Taormina)
Ports: Malta · Barcelona · Marseille · Genoa · Naples · Sicily
10 NIGHTS10 nights Western Mediterranean from Malaga (Granada)
Ports: Cadiz · Lisbon · Alicante · Mahon · Olbia/Sardinia · Genoa
12 NIGHTSUniversal Orlando Resort Stay with Bahamas & Caribbean Explorer
Ports: Port Canaveral · Nassau · Cozumel · Puerto Costa Maya · Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve
Save 2%4 NIGHTSFar East
Ports: Shanghai, China
Save 5%7 NIGHTSMediterranean
7 NIGHTSMediterranean 7 Nights From Marseille
Ports: Marseille · Valencia · Ibiza · Cagliari · Civitavecchia · Genoa
Save 2%10 NIGHTS10 nights Caribbean from Port Canaveral (Orlando)
Ports: Port Canaveral · Nassau · Ocean Cay · Cozumel · Puerto Costa Maya
9 NIGHTS9 nights Eastern Mediterranean from Istanbul
Ports: Istanbul · Corfu · Bari · Venice (Trieste) · Olympia (Katakolon) · Athens
Save 5%7 NIGHTSMediterranean
Ports: Naples, Italy
Save 5%7 NIGHTSMediterranean
7 NIGHTSMediterranean 7 Nights From Marseille
Ports: Marseille · Tarragona · Valencia · Livorno · Civitavecchia · Genoa
Save 5%7 NIGHTS7 nights Western Mediterranean from Barcelona
Ports: Barcelona · Marseille · Genoa · Rome · Palermo · Ibiza
Save 5%7 NIGHTS7 nights Western Mediterranean from Valencia
Ports: Valencia · Ibiza · Cagliari · Rome · Genoa · Marseille
7 NIGHTS7 nights Western Mediterranean from Palermo (Monreale)
Ports: Naples · Florence/Pisa · Marseille · Barcelona · La Goulette
7 NIGHTS7 nights Western Mediterranean from Barcelona
Ports: Barcelona · Marseille · Genoa · Naples · Sicily · Malta
7 NIGHTS7 nights Western Mediterranean from Marseille (Provence)
Ports: Genoa · Rome · Palermo · Ibiza · Barcelona
Save 2%4 NIGHTSCaribbean and Antilles
Save 5%7 NIGHTSMediterranean
Save 6%7 NIGHTSMediterranean 7 Nights From Civitavecchia
Ports: Civitavecchia · Mykonos · Kusadasi · Marmaris · Naples
7 NIGHTS7 nights Western Mediterranean from Tarragona
Ports: Valencia · Florence/Pisa · Rome · Genoa · Marseille
Save 6%12 NIGHTSNorthern Europe
Save 12%7 NIGHTSMediterranean 7 Nights From Valencia
Ports: Valencia · Livorno · Civitavecchia · Genoa · Marseille · Tarragona
Save 12%7 NIGHTSMediterranean 7 Nights From Venice
Ports: Venice · Kotor · Mykonos · Syros · Ancona
Save 12%7 NIGHTSMediterranean 7 Nights From Split
Ports: Split · Venice · Dubrovnik · Corfu · Kotor · Brindisi
Save 12%7 NIGHTSNorthern Europe 7 Nights From Copenhagen
Ports: Copenhagen · Warnemünde · Eidfjord · Bergen · Kristiansand · Oslo
Save 12%7 NIGHTSMediterranean 7 Nights From Genoa
Ports: Genoa · Civitavecchia · Palermo · Ibiza · Barcelona · Marseille
Save 5%7 NIGHTSCaribbean and Antilles
Save 12%11 NIGHTSCaribbean 11 Nights From Port Canaveral, Florida
Ports: Port Canaveral · Nassau · Cozumel · Costa Maya · Ocean Cay · Port Canaveral
Save 12%9 NIGHTSAsia 9 Nights From Shanghai
Ports: Shanghai · Busan · Fukuoka · Shanghai · Jeju Island · Busan
Save 12%7 NIGHTSMediterranean 7 Nights From Civitavecchia
Ports: Civitavecchia · Palermo · Ibiza · Barcelona · Marseille · Genoa
Save 12%7 NIGHTSMediterranean 7 Nights From Venice
Ports: Venice · Dubrovnik · Corfu · Kotor · Brindisi · Split
Save 12%7 NIGHTSCaribbean 7 Nights From Galveston, Texas
Ports: Costa Maya · Roatán Island · Cozumel · Galveston
Save 10%4 NIGHTSCaribbean 4 Nights From Port Canaveral, Florida
Ports: Ocean Cay · Nassau · Port Canaveral
Cunard vs MSC Cruises: the bottom line
Choosing between Cunard and MSC Cruises ultimately comes down to what kind of holiday you are looking for. Both are well-established cruise lines with loyal followings, but they cater to different preferences and budgets.
Cunard, founded in 1840 and headquartered in Southampton, UK, operates a fleet of 4 ships. It is categorised as a luxury cruise line and scores 4.8/5 overall based on 8,900 reviews. The line is particularly strong for luxury and sophistication and transatlantic crossings, making it a natural choice for cruisers who value those attributes.
MSC Cruises, established in 1970 from Geneva, Switzerland, has a fleet of 22 ships. As a contemporary line rated 4.3/5 from 15,600 reviews, it excels at value for money and all-inclusive packages. If those are your priorities, MSC Cruises deserves serious consideration.
On food, Cunard scores 9/10 compared to MSC Cruises's 7/10. For entertainment, Cunard comes in at 7/10 versus MSC Cruises's 7/10. Value for money favours MSC Cruises with a score of 9/10.
Our recommendation: browse the available sailings above and compare itineraries, dates, and total cost including what is bundled in the fare. The best cruise line is the one that matches your specific needs, budget, and travel dates. Use the scores as a guide, but remember that individual ship and itinerary matter just as much as the cruise line brand.