MSC Cruises, which just completed its first seven-day Mediterranean cruise during the coronavirus pandemic, has delayed plans to operate a second ship in Europe.
The MSC Magnifica was scheduled to restart sailing on Aug. 29, but the company postponed that until Sept. 26, 2020.
"In connection with the recent introduction of additional testing measures for residents of Italy having traveled to Greece, we are seeing cancellations and a softening in demand since the ship's itinerary includes as many as three ports in that country," MSC Cruises said in a press release. "This has led to the decision to delay the restart of the ship by four weeks.
MSC Cruises said it believes that reservations will start to pick up again in the coming weeks due to the appeal of the itinerary. MSC Magnifica's sales are open to residents of the Schengen area, yet the majority of guests are expected to be Italian nationals and residents in the early phase of the restart.
As a result, MSC Magnifica cruise departures from Aug. 29 to Sept. 19 have been canceled. The first cruise will depart from Bari, Italy, with an unchanged itinerary on Sept. 26.
MSC Grandiosa is currently offering seven-night cruises with embarkation in the Italian ports of Genoa, Civitavecchia, Naples and Palermo and Valletta, Malta.
MSC Cruises instituted new health protocols before restarting operations, including COVID-19 testing for all guests and crew before embarkation, protected visits at each destination only with an MSC Cruises excursion, and the introduction of a COVID Protection Plan for guest peace of mind.
MSC is strictly enforcing the rules - one family was not allowed to reboard the ship after abandoning an escorted shore excursion.
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