MSC Cruises announced that it will deploy MSC Seaside on a new seven-night Mediterranean itinerary this summer; plus, the line has cancelled more voyages. Here's what you need to know.
Cancelled Cruises
MSC Cruises updated the itineraries for the start of its summer season, beginning in April, as a result of the delay in the return to availability of certain ports across Europe.
- It's cancelled all itineraries (except for MSC Seaside's and MSC Grandiosa's sailings) in the western Mediterranean for April and May 2021 and plans to resume those starting in June 2021
- Similarly, in the eastern Mediterranean, cruises are cancelled for April 2021, with cruises resuming from May as planned
- In northern Europe, all itineraries are canceled in April
- In the Caribbean, all itineraries are canceled through May 31, 2021
New Med Itinerary
MSC Seaside will join the company's flagship, MSC Grandiosa, in the Mediterranean starting May 1, 2021. A new seven-night itinerary for MSC Seaside will include Genoa and Civitavecchia (Rome) in Italy and Valletta, Malta, plus for the first time, Siracusa, Sicily and Taranto in Puglia, Italy.
The cruise line is extending MSC Grandiosa’s current itinerary through the end of May with the ship calling at the Italian ports of Genoa, Civitavecchia, Naples, Palermo as well as Valletta, Malta. Currently, voyages on both those ships are bookable only by European residents of Schengen countries as well as those from Bulgaria, Croatia and Romania.
For MSC Seaside, MSC Cruises said it will use the same health and safety protocols that have been in use successfully since August 2020 on MSC Grandiosa. That ship has safely carried more than 40,000 guests. Protocol measures include universal testing at embarkation as well as mid-cruise, weekly testing of crew, social distancing, the wearing of masks in public areas, booking of only protected shore excursions as well as enhanced deep sanitation and ongoing cleaning procedures.
For more information, visit www.msccruises.com.
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