MSC Cruises’ two flagships, MSC Grandiosa and MSC Magnifica will resume operations in the Mediterranean starting from 16 and 29 August 2020 respectively, offering guests from Schengen countries full-experience cruise holidays.

MSC Cruises is a global cruise line registered in Switzerland and based in Geneva. It was founded in Naples, Italy, in 1989. It is part of the Mediterranean Shipping Company S.A. (MSC), the world’s second-biggest container shipping operator. In addition to being the world’s largest privately held cruise company, employing about 23,500 people worldwide and with offices in 45 countries as of 2017, MSC Cruises is the fourth largest cruise company in the world, after Carnival Corporation & plc, Royal Caribbean Group and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, with a 7.2% share of all passengers carried in 2017

The two ships will be the first to implement a new operating protocol that has been designed to protect the health and safety of guests, crew as well as the local communities that the Company’s ships visit. For this reason, it meets and goes beyond guidelines provided by key international and regional regulatory and technical bodies, as well as regulations set forth by the governments in the countries in which MSC Cruises ships operate. Additionally, RINA, the independent maritime certification corporation, has verified that the protocol meets the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) Guidance, which incorporates additional health standards including those from the EU Healthy Gateways Joint Action. We have worked to encompass every aspect of the guest’s journey, from the moment of booking to embarkation, life onboard and through to the return back home, whilst preserving the uniqueness of the guest experience.

MSC Cruises, which will resume sailings in the Mediterranean as soon as August 16, said passengers will only be allowed to disembark on chaperoned visits at ports of call, instead of having free rein to move on and off the ship as they please. On a conference call with reporters, executives said this was to ensure that passengers were following social distancing, mask wearing, and other hygiene rules while ashore. Not only will the move likely help limit any spread of the virus by passengers to unassuming cities where the ships stop, it will also help keep the highly contagious virus off of ships, where it has already created nightmares for the few cruises that marked the birth of the post-covid industry, Business Insider reported.

MSC Cruises has developed comprehensive operating procedures, that build upon already stringent health and safety measures that have long been in place on board the Company’s ships. The new procedures include universal COVID-19 testing for all guests and crew prior to embarkation, protected ashore visits at each destination only with an MSC Cruises excursion as added level of protection for guests and the introduction of a COVID Protection Plan for further peace of mind for guests. With all of these measures in place MSC Cruises aims to offer guests the safest possible holiday.

For detailed information visit: http://www.mscpressarea.com/en_INT/press-releases/3515

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