The Meraviglia Plus-class vessel is a sister to MSC Virtuosa, which sailed from the UK in summer 2021 and is due to return in April.

Grandiosa’s 2023 season will comprise a variety of itineraries including mini cruises to Rotterdam and Bruges, as well as longer voyages in the Mediterranean and to the Canary Islands.

Antonio Paradiso, MSC’s UK and Ireland managing director, said the line “have been delighted” with the response from the British and Irish market to Virtuosa and looked forward to “bringing another of our largest and most-loved ships” to Southampton.

“We have seen strong demand for the itineraries for this year with particular interest in the two 14-night sailings to the Mediterranean taking place in the school summer holidays and as a result have replicated many of these itineraries ready for the 2023 season,” said Paradiso.

He urged guests and agents to book early and “take advantage of the great rates” during the programme’s early booking window.

"Cruise has always been unique when it comes to early booking, our guests will happily book a number of different cruises several years in advance to secure their holiday, and we are thrilled to be able, once again, to provide them with the opportunity to book early,” Paradiso added.