MSC Cruises' flagship MSC Grandiosa departed the evening of Jan. 24 from Genoa, Italy, as it resumes seven-night cruises in the Mediterranean.
Two cruises were canceled when Italy prohibited access to its seaports through Jan. 15 during a coronavirus flare-up.
The MSC Grandiosa cruises are scheduled to call at the Italian ports of Civitavecchia, Naples and Palermo, as well as Valetta, Malta.
MSC Grandiosa, which first resumed cruising in August 2020, has welcomed more than 30,000 guests since then. "The company's health and safety protocol helped to set the standard for the industry, making embarking on a cruise aboard an MSC Cruises ship one of the safest ways to vacation," the line said in a news release.
The protocols, which have been approved by national authorities in Italy, Greece and Malta, are being used as a basis to help restart cruising in other parts of the world, MSC Cruises said.
Prior to embarkation, all guests pass through a series of health checks, including COVID-19 testing for all guests and crew. The health and safety measures also include mid-cruise testing for guests and weekly testing for crew, mask-wearing in public areas and onboard contact tracing. Guests can only go ashore as part of protected shore excursions.
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