MSC Cruises' MSC Magnifica has resumed operations in the Mediterranean, becoming the line's second ship to operate during the pandemic.
The ships have implemented healthy and safety measures designed to protect guests, crew and communities visited. The protocols were put in place in August when the MSC Grandiosa returned to service. The measures include protected "social bubble" shore visits that prevent passengers from touring independently.
The company's flagship has now completed nine seven-night voyages.
At this time, MSC Grandiosa and MSC Magnifica are currently welcoming guests who are residents in Schengen countries only. The 26 Schengen countries are 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.
The MSC Magnifica will operate 10-night Western and Eastern Mediterranean itineraries from Genoa, Italy, with planned calls at Livorno for visits to Florence and Pisa, Messina in Sicily, Piraeus for Athens, Katakolon for Olympia, Valletta in Malta and Civitavecchia for Rome. MSC Magnifica also will operate an eight-night Christmas voyage that will depart Genoa on Dec. 18, 2020.
The protocols include health screening and COVID-19 tests before boarding, elevated sanitation and cleaning measures throughout the vessel, managed social distancing, face masks in public areas and technology to do contact tracing on board. The ship's capacity has also been reduced to 70 percent to ensure social distancing can be guaranteed on board.
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