MSC CRUISES POSTPONES RESTART OF MSC MAGNIFICA
Geneva, Switzerland (August 24, 2020) — MSC Cruises announced today that regretfully the Company must postpone the restart of MSC Magnifica until September 26, 2020.
In connection with the recent introduction of additional testing measures for residents of Italy having travelled to Greece, we are seeing cancellations and a softening in demand since the ship’s itinerary includes as many as three ports in that country. This has led to the decision to delay the restart of the ship by four weeks.
MSC Cruises believes that reservations will start to pick up again in the coming weeks due to the appeal of the itinerary. MSC Magnifica’s sales are open to residents of the Schengen area, at the same time in this early phase of restart the majority of guests are expected to be Italian nationals and residents.
As a result, MSC Magnifica cruise departures from August 29 to September 19 have been cancelled. The first cruise will depart from Bari, Italy with an unchanged itinerary on September 26.
MSC Grandiosa is currently offering 7-night cruises with embarkation in the Italian ports of Genoa, Civitavecchia, Naples and Palermo and also calling at Valletta, Malta.
MSC Cruises also confirmed last month details of its fall and winter 2020/2021 season[1], offering over 90 different itineraries across the Caribbean, Mediterranean, the Gulf, South Africa, South America and Asia — all of the regions where MSC Cruises traditionally operates. Itineraries range in length from two to 24 nights, along with the third MSC World Cruise departing in January 2021 and an extensive Grand Voyages program. In the U.S., MSC Cruises will only restart operations when the time is right, following approval by the CDC and other relevant authorities across the region in observance of their requirements and guidelines.
About MSC Cruises
MSC Cruises is the fastest growing cruise brand in the world. Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, MSC Cruises is part of the Cruises Division of MSC Group, the privately-held Swiss-based leading shipping and logistics conglomerate.
MSC Cruises’ fleet of 17 modern and innovative ships is one of the most environmentally-advanced in the industry. The Company is committed to environmental stewardship and works to minimize and continuously reduce the environmental impact of its fleet both while at sea and ashore, as well as invest in the accelerated development of next-generation marine and environmental technologies. With a long-term goal to achieve zero emissions, MSC Cruises in 2020 became the first major global cruise line to offset 100 percent of its ships’ carbon emissions that cannot be abated through existing environmental technology (learn more about MSC Cruises’ environmental stewardship practices at https://www.msccruises.com/sustainability.)
MSC Cruises offers an enriching and immersive cruise experience inspired by the Company’s European heritage. Guests can expect to find international dining, world-class entertainment, award-winning family programs and the very latest guest-friendly technology on board.
One of the Company’s main priorities has always been the health, safety and well-being of its guests and crew, as well as the communities at the destinations its ships serve. MSC Cruises introduced a new comprehensive and enhanced health and safety protocol to add to its existing stringent health and safety measures.
The MSC Cruises Division is investing an industry-unprecedented €20.2 billion EUR (≈$22 billion USD) and will bring up to 27 newly built ships into service between 2017 and 2030 to operate under the MSC Cruises brand and the new soon-to-be-announced luxury brand.
