Before the cruise - Useful Information

Embarkation begins at the time indicated on your cruise ticket.
Check-in closes 90 minutes before the ship is due to depart. For some destinations, it is possible to check-in on-line on the web site www.msccheckin.com

Online check-in
www.msccheckin.com has been created to help ensure you get off to a flying start, speeding you through the embarkation process. Thanks to an online check-in procedure you can follow at your convenience before you leave home. All passengers in the same booking will need to register in advance, filling in their personal details and printing the form that is provided at the end of the registration process. The online check-in has to be completed 48 hours before your departure date, otherwise the system will not print the online boarding form needed to complete the embarkation procedure. Please remember that if you do not have this form with you when you embark, you will have to follow the normal check-in procedures. To use the MSC Web Check-in you will need to present your printed boarding form, cruise ticket and a valid travel document to our staff. The service is available in the following ports of embarkation: Amsterdam, Barcelona, Bari, Civitavecchia, Copenhagen, Genoa, Kiel, Marseille, Naples, Palermo, Valencia and Venice.

All guests of the MSC Yacht Club (on board MSC Divina, MSC Splendida and MSC Fantasia) will find an exclusive check-in desk and will be assisted with their luggage by the butler team at the terminal, who will escort them to the dedicated line for priority check-in.
On request, the butler will also unpack guests’ suitcases.

On embarkation, passengers should do as follows (in the order specified):
a) Deliver luggage to the designated staff, who will then have it sent directly to the passenger’s cabin. All bags should be labeled beforehand with the passenger’s name and surname, the name of the ship, the cabin number and the date and port of departure.
b) Go to the check-in desk with cruise ticket and passport.
c) After the document check, passengers will receive a Cruise Card. This is a magnetic card used for onboard payment of excursions, bar bills, laundry, in-cabin service, hairdresser, beauty centre, duty-free shops, photographer and service charge. To activate purchasing with the Cruise Card, passengers must either register their credit card or leave a cash sum. Personal cheques are not accepted. The following credit cards can be registered onboard: Visa, Visa Electron, Mastercard, Diners, JCB and American Express. This CASHLESS SYSTEM is valid on all ships. (with the exception of the casino). .Please note that on Caribbean, eastbound Transatlantic, South America and South Africa cruises onboard prices are in US dollar.  On all other sailings, onboard prices are in Euro.

As a safety precaution, security staff may search a passenger and/or his/her luggage and confiscate any articles that the Company considers could risk the safety of the passengers, crew or ship. On board, staff reserve the right to remove any beverages present in passenger baggage. These will be returned the evening before disembarkation.  Passengers are not permitted to bring unpackaged food on board.

For cruises including flight connections, passengers should check in at the airline check-in desk at least two hours before the flight. On arrival at the international destination airport, passengers will find cruise assistance and transfers to the port.

1. United States: International travelers who are seeking to travel to the United States are now subject to enhanced security requirements. All eligible travelers who wish to travel to the U.S.A. by air or sea under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) must obtain an electronic travel authorization prior to boarding a carrier. To check which countries participate in the VW P and for any further information, please visit the web site https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/

2. Egypt, Morocco and Gibraltar: For minors travelling to these countries, please consider that the "Birth Certificate with travel abroad authentication" and "the Identity Certificate for children" are no longer considered valid. Children under 15 years of age must therefore:
- possess their own passport, or
- be included in their parent or a guardian's passport, or
- possess another valid identity document for travelling abroad.

Caribbean Cruises

 For both security and immigration purposes, each guest is responsible for bringing all required travel documents for boarding the ship in the country in which they will embark including the cruise tickets, MSC Express check-in form (see information under FAQ below), and proper identification in the form of an original, VALID U.S. or Canadian passport and any visas and immunizations required for your cruise itinerary. Guests may opt to substitute a passport for proof of citizenship in the form of government issued photo identification or military identification and an original or certified copy of an original U.S. or Canadian birth certificate or an original U.S. Certificate of Naturalization or Citizenship.

Canada/New England Cruises

For both security and immigration purposes, each guest is responsible for bringing all necessary travel documents and identification required for their cruise itinerary. Only a valid passport (please note exception for closed loop sailings defined below) or other WHTI compliant document will be accepted for entry or re-entry into the U.S.

Closed- loop sailings: U.S. citizens sailing roundtrip New York or any cruise beginning and ending in the same U.S. port, may present a U.S. government issued photo identification along with proof of citizenship (an original birth certificate or certified copy of one with raised seal, a consular report of Birth Abroad or a Certificate of Naturalization) in lieu of a passport. U.S. citizens embarking or disembarking in Canada will be required to have a valid passport.

MSC Cruises also strongly encourages its guests to visit the Department of homeland Security website (www.dhs.gov) or the Foreign Affairs & International Trade Canada website (www.voyage.gc.ca) for the most up-to-date traveler information including passport and visa requirements as well as travel advisories and safety recommendations.

Please Note: MSC is not responsible for advising guests of required travel documents or of travel advisories. Guests who fail to have the required documents for vessel security and immigration will be denied boarding and such guests shall not be entitled to any refund nor shall MSC Cruises have any further liability to such guests.

Europe: EC Regulation 1889/2005 states that: “Any natural person entering or leaving the Community and carrying cash of a value of Euro 10,000 or more shall declare that sum to the competent authorities of the Member state through which he is entering or leaving the Community in accordance with this Regulation”.

Dubai and UAE: Cash exceeding AED 40,000 or its equivalent in foreign currency must be declared to airport customs control on arrival and departure.

The Passenger warrants that he is fit to travel by sea and that his conduct or condition will not impair the safety of the Cruise Ship or inconvenience the other Passengers. Any passenger with a condition that may affect his fitness to travel is strongly encouraged to check with their personal physician regarding their ability to travel and to obtain a written physician's certificate of Passenger's fitness for an international sea voyage. If it appears to the Company, the Master or the Cruise Ship's Doctor in their sole discretion that a Passenger is for any reason unfit to travel, likely to endanger health or safety, or likely to be refused permission to land at any port, or likely to render the Company liable for Passenger maintenance, support or repatriation, then the Company or the Master shall have the right to take any of the following courses and the Company shall have no further liability to Passenger: (i) Refuse to embark the Passenger at any port; (ii) Disembark the Passenger at any port; (iii) Transfer the Passenger to another berth or cabin; (iv) If the Cruise Ship doctor considers it advisable, to place and confine the Passenger in the Cruise Ship's Infirmary, to Passenger's cabin or any other cabin, or to transfer the Passenger to a health facility at any port, all at the Passenger's expense. Passenger acknowledges that travel by sea involves certain risks and hazards including motion of the vessel by sea conditions and the delay and/or impossibility of immediate evacuation from the vessel in the event of a medical emergency depending on the vessel's location and prevailing sea and weather conditions. The Company shall have no liability and shall owe no full or partial refund in the event the Passenger is refused passage, disembarked, confined to the infirmary or their cabin, or transferred to another berth or cabin pursuant to this section.

In all cases, it is recommended that passengers discuss their plans with their doctor or health care professional prior to departure to ensure they are fit to travel.  Inoculations are often recommended but in certain conditions they are required.  The World Health Organization (WHO) (http://www.who.int/vaccines-diseases) provides guidelines about which vaccinations are necessary for each country.

Guests cruising to Brazil may require an entry visa and/or vaccination against yellow fever. Please note that the following information is subject to change by the Brazilian Authorities without prior notice. Therefore we suggest passengers contact the Brazilian embassy or consulate in their own countries to check the latest information.

Guests enjoying transatlantic cruises to/from South Africa, must have a valid yellow fever vaccination certificate.  Yellow fever vaccination is also compulsory for passengers originating from the following countries: Angola, Benin, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Camarões, Dominican Republic, Congo, Gabão, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Ecuador, French New Guinea, Peru, Venezuela., Gambia, Colombia.

From September 2009 South African and Namibian Health Authorities require that all guests arriving from previous African ports are compelled to show proof of Yellow Fever vaccination. Therefore, guests vacationing onboard MSC Sinfonia October 24, 2009 sailing and all the other South African cruises, any failure to provide proof of vaccination will result in guests being denied boarding.

With reference to the vaccinations requirement, please note that pregnant women and any person with medical issues must have a doctor's note exempting them from the vaccine.

All of our ships have a well-equipped Medical Center, supervised by a doctor and medical personnel. The Medical Center is open at the times advertised in the ship’s Daily Program. Emergency services are available around the clock by calling the Medical Emergency number. Although, many injuries are capable of being treated on board, the shipboard medical infirmary has limited medical equipment and not all injuries or conditions can be adequately treated aboard the vessels. In some circumstances, the medical personnel may arrange for a visit to a shoreside medical facility at a port- of-call. Depending on the itinerary, available shoreside medical facilities may also have limited treatment capabilities. Due to the nature of sea travel urgent medical evacuation at sea is not always feasible due to reasons beyond MSC's control. Guests should confer with their family physician to ensure they are fit for travel by sea. Although the ship's doctor and medical personnel may wear uniforms or badges with an MSC insignia, the doctor and medical personnel are independent contractors. MSC does not control the medical treatment rendered to guests by the medical personnel aboard its vessels.While the range of medications held on board is comprehensive, they may not satisfy your precise personal needs, and for this reason, we always suggest that Guests carry a supply of their own prescribed medicines.  Charges will be made on board for medical services. These charges are displayed in the Medical Center and will be debited automatically to your Cruise Card.