MSC Cruises To Restart This Week

MSC Cruises has confirmed it is to restart cruising this Sunday, 24 January 2021, with MSC Grandiosa to sail from Italy.

With strict travel restrictions relaxed by the Italian government, MSC’s 6,300 passenger flagship will resume weekly cruises from Genoa, with port calls at Civitavecchia, Naples, Palermo and Valetta in Malta.

The resumption of sailings follows a month-long pause in operations in December, when a strict lockdown across the country halted travel. Prior to that, the cruise line had successfully operated since summer, with over 30,000 passengers having sailed.

MSC Magnifica was also forced to pause and will resume cruising on 14 February, subject  to Greek lockdown restrictions lifting as scheduled.

MSC Cruises developed its health and safety protocols together with the Italian health, transport and safety authorities last summer, creating the basis for resumption authorised by ministerial decree.

New protocols include additional testing measures for all guests, both mid-way through their cruise and prior to embarkation. Crew testing has increased from twice-monthly to weekly, with additional health monitoring in place. Further measures included extensive sanitation and close contact tracing, much like we’re becoming used to seeing on dry land.