She was built in 2002 by Chantiers de l'Atlantique in Saint-Nazaire, France for the now-defunct Festival Cruises as MS European Stars.

Initially her hull was all-white without decorations,[1] but on 2008-04-15 MSC made known their intention to paint their compass logo on the sides of all their ships during 2008.

[9] The interior decorations of the MSC Sinfonia are described as European Moderne by cruise review author Douglas Ward, with minimalist furniture that is in places impractical.

The public spaces include two main dining rooms, a self-serve buffet, cafeteria, two-deck high showlounge, a discothèque, several bars, a casino and a library.

The lido deck includes two outdoors swimming pool, two thalassotherapy jacuzzis and the Doremi spray park for children.