MSC Grandiosa - Grand Voyage: Barcelona to Port Canaveral

Where this cruise calls, day by day

5 ports and 10 sea days over 14 Nights.

1. Day 1

   Barcelona

   SpainDepart

   The busiest cruise port in Europe, and for many Western Mediterranean itineraries the place the whole trip starts or ends. Barcelona is a full-scale city rather than a port town: Gaudi's unfinished basilica, a dense medieval quarter, and a working waterfront all within a few metro stops. Ships berth on a long industrial mole well outside the centre, so the day begins with a bus ride rather than a gangway stroll.

   • Sagrada Familia - book a timed entry well ahead; walk-ups are usually turned away
   • Park Guell and the Gaudi mosaics on Carmel hill
   • The Gothic Quarter and Barcelona Cathedral, on foot from Placa de Catalunya
   • La Boqueria market and a walk down La Rambla to the Columbus monument

   Getting ashore

   All cruise ships now use the Moll d'Adossat terminals roughly 3 km from the old city; the paid blue Portbus shuttle runs to the foot of La Rambla, and walking out is not practical.

   Best months

   Apr-Jun and Sep-Oct (Jul-Aug is hot, crowded and expensive)

2. Day 2 · At sea

3. Day 3 · At sea

4. Day 4

   Funchal, Madeira

   PortugalPort

   Madeira's capital rises steeply from its harbour in a natural amphitheatre of terraced hillsides, and the climate is mild enough that ships call here in January. Funchal is a garden city more than a beach one - the island's coast is mostly cliff and pebble. The classic port day pairs a cable car up to Monte with a ride back down in a wicker toboggan steered by men in straw hats.

   • The Monte cable car, the tropical garden at Monte Palace, and the wicker toboggan run
   • Mercado dos Lavradores for fruit, flowers and scabbard fish
   • Cabo Girao's glass skywalk and the fishing village of Camara de Lobos
   • A guided levada walk along the island's irrigation channels

   Getting ashore

   Ships tie up on the long breakwater below the town; it is a flat 20-minute walk into the centre, and shuttles usually run.

   Best months

   Year-round; Apr-Jun and Sep-Oct are warmest without the summer crowds

5. Day 5 · At sea

6. Day 6 · At sea

7. Day 7 · At sea

8. Day 8 · At sea

9. Day 9 · At sea

10. Day 10 · At sea

11. Day 11

    San Juan

    Puerto RicoPort

    The piers sit directly under the walls of Old San Juan, which makes this one of the few Caribbean calls where you step off and are already somewhere worth being. Blue cobblestones, 16th-century Spanish fortifications, and a working city rather than a shopping arcade. It is also a major homeport, so a call often lands in the middle of turnaround traffic.

    • Castillo San Felipe del Morro on the headland
    • Castillo San Cristóbal and the city walls
    • Casa Bacardí distillery, reached by the Cataño ferry
    • El Yunque National Forest, about an hour east

    Getting ashore

    Most ships dock at Piers 1-4 in Old San Juan and you walk straight into the historic district; the largest ships use the Pan American piers on Isla Grande, a short shuttle or taxi ride out.

    Best months

    Dec-Apr is driest and busiest; Aug-Oct is peak hurricane season

12. Day 12 · At sea

13. Day 13 · At sea

14. Day 14

    Miami, FL

    United StatesPort

    PortMiami is the busiest cruise port on earth and behaves like it: a lettered row of terminals strung along Dodge Island - A for Royal Caribbean, B for Norwegian, C for MSC, D through F for the Carnival brands, V for Virgin. Traffic funnels in over the Port Boulevard causeway or through the tunnel under Government Cut, and on a Saturday with six ships turning around, both back up.

    • Ocean Drive and the Art Deco district in South Beach, 20 minutes across the causeway
    • Wynwood Walls and the warehouse murals around it
    • Calle Ocho in Little Havana - a cortadito and the domino tables at Maximo Gomez Park
    • Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, a 1916 bayfront villa in Coconut Grove

    Getting ashore

    Terminals A-G and V sit on Dodge Island, reached by the Port Boulevard causeway or the PortMiami Tunnel; Miami International is about 8 miles west, usually 20-30 minutes but longer on a heavy turnaround morning.

    Best months

    Nov-Apr (Aug-Oct is peak hurricane season and August ashore is punishing)

15. Day 15

    Port Canaveral, FL

    United StatesArrive

    Canaveral is Orlando's cruise port, which is the whole point: most passengers arrive off a theme-park week or straight from MCO, about 45 miles and an hour west. The terminals - 1, 3, 5, 6, 8 and 10 - are modern and low-rise, wedged between a working cargo harbour and a Space Force launch complex. Launches are visible from the ship and worth checking the schedule for.

    • Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, half an hour north - the Saturn V hangar alone eats three hours
    • Cocoa Beach and the original Ron Jon Surf Shop, open around the clock
    • Jetty Park, where you can watch your own ship sail out from the beach
    • Historic Cocoa Village for a slower afternoon of shops and riverfront bars

    Getting ashore

    Cruise Terminals 1, 3, 5, 6, 8 and 10 are spread along the harbour with their own parking garages; Orlando International is roughly 45 miles west (45-60 minutes clear of traffic) and Melbourne is closer at about 35 minutes.

    Best months

    Nov-May (Aug-Oct is peak hurricane season; summer afternoons bring daily thunderstorms)