MSC Opera

MSC Opera is a cruise ship operated by MSC Cruises and the second ship of the Mistral class, also marketed by MSC as the Lirica class. Delivered in 2004 by Chantiers de l'Atlantique at Saint-Nazaire, France, she originally measured about 59,000 gross tons before later modification, and now measures roughly 65,600 gross tons at 275 metres across 13 decks.

In 2015 Opera was lengthened at Fincantieri in Palermo as part of MSC's Renaissance Programme, in which all four Mistral-class ships were cut in two and fitted with a new 24-metre midsection. The work added cabins, an enlarged buffet, a new spray park and water slides, and refreshed public rooms, extending the working lives of the oldest ships in the fleet.

Onboard she offers a main theatre, a two-level dining room, several bars and lounges, a casino, a spa, and pool decks that were substantially reworked during the lengthening.

In June 2019 the ship was involved in a widely reported accident in Venice, when a technical failure while approaching her berth caused her to strike a quay and the moored river cruise vessel River Countess in the Giudecca Canal, injuring several people. The incident sharpened the political debate over large cruise ships operating in the Venetian lagoon.

Opera has since continued in service, sailing Mediterranean and Northern European itineraries alongside her three Mistral-class sisters.