- Extensive restrictions across Italy effectively make it impossible for local and international guests to travel to and from any Italy-based embarkation ports
- Three MSC Grandiosa sailings cancelled with restart set for 10 January 2021
- Three MSC Magnifica voyages cancelled with restart now on 15 January 2021
Geneva, Switzerland, 4 December 2020 - MSC Cruises announced today that it will temporarily pause the operation of MSC Grandiosa later this month and move to January the planned restart of MSC Magnifica in connection with the new measures just introduced by the Italian government for the Christmas and New Year period.
The new measures include extensive restrictions to people’s mobility across the entire country, which would severely impact the ability of future guests - Italian residents as well as international - to reach any of the ships’ embarkation ports in Italy.
The government in Italy has announced that it will nearly completely restrict the movement of residents no longer only between regions, but now also between cities and towns in its efforts to combat the pandemic ashore. These measures will apply to residents of Italy between 21 December, 2020 and 6 January, 2021. They will effectively also restrict the ability of residents of other countries to travel to and through Italy.
The new decree has thus caused the cancellation of three future planned voyages of MSC Grandiosa and three sailings of MSC Magnifica.
MSC Grandiosa will temporarily pause her current programme of 7-night voyage sailings on 20 December in Genoa, Italy. The ship will then resume her Western Mediterranean cruises on 10 January, 2021 also from Genoa.
MSC Magnifica, which was due to re-start 10-night voyages in the West and East Mediterranean on 18 December from Genoa, will now commence its sailing programme on 15 January, 2021 following the cancellation of three previous sailings.
In January MSC Cruises will welcome back guests on board MSC Grandiosa and MSC Magnifica under the protection of its comprehensive health and safety protocol which even during the past several weeks – while the pandemic ashore was at its most recent peak – proved to be working effectively for the protection of guests, crew as well as the communities its ships visit.
Since August, MSC Cruises’ industry-leading protocol has allowed to safely and responsibly host more than 30,000 guests.
All pre-paid packages – such as beverages or excursions ashore – will be automatically refunded.