Getting to Europe from Australia means serious air miles, so a short one-week cruise can feel like a lot of jet lag for not much holiday. MSC Cruises has clearly been listening: for its 2027 European season, the line has opened a 14-night round-trip sailing out of Southampton exclusively to Australian and New Zealand guests.

The ship is MSC Meraviglia, and the itinerary is a proper sampler. It calls in France, Spain and Portugal, then pushes north to Norway's fjords and Scandinavian cities. The sailing runs on four different departure dates through the season, so there's flexibility if you're pinning it to school holidays or a specific anniversary. The logic behind the exclusivity is simple: long-haul travellers tend to want a longer trip to make the flights worthwhile, so MSC is bundling its Antipodean guests onto one extended voyage rather than have them sprinkle across shorter sailings.

The 2027 program is also a chance to be early on a brand-new ship. MSC World Asia debuts from Barcelona in December 2026, so anyone booking the 2027 European season will be among the first passengers aboard. The name is a clue to the design: Asian decor, cuisine and art threaded through a ship sailing the Med, which makes for an unusual but intriguing pairing.

Another angle worth considering: Europe in the Aussie summer. MSC sails European waters year-round, and during the December and January school holidays there are still eight ships in the region. That's a shot at Christmas markets, snow-dusted old towns and far thinner crowds than the July peak — a very different kind of family holiday if you can handle trading beach weather for winter coats.

If the Med is calling, MSC is also stretching the format. Mediterranean cruises are typically around seven nights, but the 2027 program includes 10- to 12-night options that spread across much of the region — Spain, France, Italy, Malta, Tunisia, Greece, Turkey, Cyprus, Croatia and more. Fewer ports crammed together and more time onboard between them.

For something further north, MSC Preziosa will be stationed in Northern Europe, with stops including Hamburg, Rotterdam, Cherbourg, Bruges, Paris and London. It's a tidy way to tick off several of Europe's great cities without a single internal flight or hotel check-in.

Why it matters: Australians face the longest haul to Europe of almost anyone, and cruise lines are starting to build products around that reality. An exclusive fortnightly sailing, longer Mediterranean itineraries and a genuine off-season option give long-haul travellers more than the standard one-week loop. If you've been waiting to justify the flights, 2027 is shaping up as a good year to pull the trigger — and booking early on World Asia's second-ever season is likely where the value sits.

Story via Cruise Passenger.