Guests must comply with the MSC travel requirements and their country’s official travel requirements before departure. MSC Cruises has worked with the authorities in all of the regions and countries in which the ships operate to ensure its protocol meets and exceeds the required health and safety measures.  Requirements are subject to destination regulations.  

VACCINE REQUIREMENTS:

All guests are strongly encouraged but not required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.  Guests are considered “fully vaccinated” when:

• They have completed the primary vaccination program at least fourteen days prior to the date of departure.  Accepted vaccines are those approved by Anvisa, the World Health Organization or the country's local authorities where the traveler was immunized. The vaccination certificate must contain the name of the traveler, the name of the vaccine (or of the manufacturer), amount & dates of the doses applied.

COVID-19 TEST REQUIREMENTS:

For Cruises less than 6 nights:

- For fully vaccinated guests a COVID-19 antigen or RT-PCR test is strongly encouraged but not required.

- For non-vaccinated guests (ages 3 years old or older) a COVID-19 antigen or RT-PCR test is required 24 hours before embarkation.

For Cruises longer than 6 nights:

- All guests (ages 3 years old or older) are required to provide a COVID-19 antigen or PCR-RT test 24 hours before embarkation.

 

• A rapid antigen self-test is not valid for travel purposes.
• The original test results certificate or vaccination certificate must be presented at the terminal (paper or electronic format) and must be in one of the following languages: English, Italian, German, French or Spanish.  The COVID-19 test certificate must contain the guest’s data (verifiable with the other travel documents), date of the test, identification/contact details of the center that performed the analysis, technique used, and negative test result.

• All crew members are required to be fully vaccinated and are regularly tested according to MSC Cruises' health and safety protocols.

TRAVEL INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS:

For cruises to South America guests are required to purchase travel insurance with COVID-19 protection either through MSC Cruises or another provider. Guests can purchase travel insurance within 24 hours of making their final payment.

During your cruise, you may be exposed to specific COVID-19 risks that may not be covered by existing insurance policies without COVID-19 protection such as cancellation, interruption, repatriation expenses, quarantine, medical assistance, and related expenses, as well as hospitalization.  If you have no insurance in place, you may be exposed to additional costs that may not be covered by the company.

The insurance should be purchased to cover you and your traveling party from the confirmation date of your booking through the end of your cruise, or your cruise and flight.

OTHER TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS:

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there might be international travel restrictions depending on your cruise destination and your country of residence.  

To verify all the required documents, passports, and visas for your cruise, please click here.  

Please click here  to check the requirements for MSC Grand Voyages cruises.

The wearing of masks is highly recommended.  In certain circumstances, this recommendation might be due to a mandatory requirement by applicable health authorities’ regulations of a country or port of call visited.  When ashore, guests must also follow any local regulations regarding mask usage. These protocols are subject to change.

Guests can go ashore independently according to local requirements which are continually monitored and subject to change. Guests who are traveling with unvaccinated children are also able to go ashore independently. For the best ashore experience, we recommend all guests explore destinations with the comfort, convenience, and safety of an MSC Cruises Shore Excursion, which is bookable pre-cruise and on board.

In addition, a PASSENGER LOCATOR FORM (PLF) may still be necessary for national or international mobility requirements: it’s every guest’s responsibility to verify this requirement before departure. For more information, it is recommended to check your country’s official requirements.

Additional Requirements for Uruguay
As requested by local authorities, unvaccinated guests (ages 6 years old or older) are required to provide a COVID-19 antigen or PCR-RT test within 72 hours of port arrival in Uruguay.  Antigen tests can be conducted on board for $25 per person and will be charged to the guest’s account.