MSC Cruises this morning announced it will return to the sea starting in the Mediterranean with its flagship ship, the MSC Grandiosa, on Sunday, August 16.
That will be followed by the MSC Magnifica resuming operations in the Mediterranean starting Saturday, August 29.
The two ships will be the first to implement a new comprehensive health and safety protocol that has been approved by the relevant national authorities from the countries where the ships will call along their East and West Mediterranean itineraries this summer.
"During the pause in our operations we focused on developing a comprehensive operating protocol that builds upon already stringent health and safety measures that have long been in place on board our ships," Pierfrancesco Vago, MSC Cruises' Executive Chairman, said in a statement. "We have worked closely with the relevant (European Union)-level, national health and other authorities from the countries that MSC Grandiosa and MSC Magnifica will call along their Mediterranean itineraries to develop a comprehensive set of procedures designed to protect the health and safety of all passengers on board our ships as well as ashore to ensure that local communities feel comfortable welcoming our guests."
The cruises will allow guests the opportunity to discover five different destinations during a seven-night cruise.
MSC Grandiosa will offer seven-night cruises in the Western Mediterranean calling at the Italian ports of Genoa, Civitavecchia/Rome, Naples, Palermo and Valetta.
MSC Magnifica will offer seven-night cruises in the Eastern Mediterranean departing from the Italian ports of Bari and Trieste and calling at the Greek ports of Corfu, Katakolon and Piraeus.
Said Gianni Onorato, MSC Cruises' CEO: "We are very pleased to be able to start welcoming back guests for full-experience cruise vacations this summer on board two of our most popular ships - including our flagship MSC Grandiosa - and in the Mediterranean, the very region where our Company's roots are and we have long been market leaders."
Initially, the two MSC Cruises' ships operating in the Mediterranean for the current summer season will only welcome guests who are residents in Schengen countries -Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
Additionally, their itineraries have been designed according to the accessibility of the ports, reducing - where possible - the need for guests to use public transport or flights, and have been planned in conjunction with the authorities.
MSC Cruises has today canceled all other cruises in the Mediterranean from August 16 through October 31, 2020. In addition, MSC Cruises announced the cancellation of all U.S. cruise departures through October 31, 2020, in line with the announcement that CLIA members will voluntarily extend the suspension of cruise operations to Nov. 1.
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