MSC Cruises announced this week a further extension of the temporary pause of its U.S.-based sailings through to and including June 30, 2021. The decision will affect the schedules of three ships based in Florida: MSC Divina scheduled to sail from Port Canaveral, and MSC Meraviglia and MSC Armonia, scheduled to sail from PortMiami.
Guests paid in full and booked through MSC Cruises USA or affiliated U.S.-based travel advisors on the impacted sailings between June 1, 2021 and June 30, 2021 will be offered a 100 percent future cruise credit (FCC) of the original cruise fare to be used on any future cruise of their choice on any ship and any itinerary that is open for sale. In addition, guests will receive up to $200 onboard credit to use on their next cruise—based on the length of their original cruise—or they can request a refund.
Additional Ships and Itineraries in Europe
At the same time, MSC Cruises has announced new and updated itineraries in the Mediterranean and across Europe for this coming summer. The ships offering these fully confirmed itineraries will operate under the same health and safety protocol that has been safely protecting over 60,000 MSC Cruises guests sailing on the line’s ships in the Mediterranean since August 2020.
The following is a complete list of MSC Cruises confirmed itineraries now available for booking for this summer”
Western Mediterranean
MSC Grandiosa will initially extend its current seven-night itinerary, calling at the Italian ports of Genoa, Civitavecchia (Rome), Naples and Palermo, as well as Valletta, Malta. The Spanish ports of Valencia and Barcelona will be added to the ship’s current itinerary as soon as these destinations confirm their availability.
MSC Seaside will commence sailing on May 1 from Genoa, calling at the newly introduced ports of Siracusa in Sicily and Taranto in Puglia, as well as Civitavecchia for Rome and Valetta in Malta. The ship’s itinerary will then be updated with calls to the French port of Marseille as soon as its availability is confirmed. In addition to the range of protected excursions developed for MSC Seaside’s itinerary, MSC Cruises will introduce a special private beach experience in Taranto, exclusively for the ship’s guests.
MSC Seashore will join the MSC Cruises fleet at the end of July to become its new flagship, and from August 1 until October 31 will offer seven-night cruises calling the Italian ports of Genoa, Naples and Messina, as well as Valletta, Malta; Barcelona, Spain; and Marseille, France. After its season in the Mediterranean, MSC Seashore will then arrive to Miami in November 2021 to begin sailing the Bahamas and Caribbean, including stops at MSC Cruises’ private Bahamian destination, Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve.
Eastern Mediterranean
MSC Cruises will deploy three ships in the Eastern Mediterranean for the upcoming summer season, offering a range of itineraries, calling at Greek Islands, Kotor in Montenegro and the ports of Dubrovnik and Split in Croatia. Ports of embarkation include Trieste, Venice and Bari in Italy, as well as Piraeus for Athens in Greece.
MSC Orchestra will now depart on June 5 with embarkation in the Italian ports of Venice on Saturdays, Bari on Sundays, calling at the Greek Islands of Corfu, Mykonos as well as Dubrovnik in Croatia. MSC Splendida will commence sailing from June 12 with embarkation in Trieste, Italy on Saturdays and in Bari on Tuesdays, calling at Dubrovnik in Croatia, Corfu in Greece and Kotor in Montenegro. Rounding out the offering in the East Mediterranean is MSC Magnifica from June 20, offering embarkation in the Italian ports of Venice on Sundays, Bari on Mondays and Piraeus for Athens on Wednesdays and calling at the Greek Island of Mykonos and Split, Croatia.
Northern Europe
From May 20, the line’s flagship MSC Virtuosa will perform its inaugural season in the U.K. and offer mini cruises from Southampton, calling at Portland in Dorset on the Jurassic Coast. From June 12, it will operate seven-night cruises from Southampton with embarkation in Liverpool, Greenock for Glasgow and also calling at Portland and Belfast in Northern Ireland. These cruises are designed for British residents only. The sailings are open to vaccinated and non-vaccinated guests and all guests will be tested prior to embarkation.
Note: In Germany, considering the current uncertainty regarding the timing for the reopening of local ports, MSC Cruises ships must delay the start of their summer season out of the country’s ports until June 15. MSC also announced that MSC Seaview will homeport in Kiel, Germany starting on June 19, replacing MSC Virtuosa. Lastly, MSC Preziosa is planned to depart on June 21 from Hamburg and MSC Musica on June 20 from Warnemunde, if the German ports are open.
The three ships are planned to operate seven-night and longer sailings with itineraries either to the Norwegian fjords or the Baltic capitals, as per their current schedule.
Visit www.msccruisesusa.com.
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