MSC Grandiosa set sail from the Stazioni Marittime Passenger Terminal on Sunday 24 January, following the Prime Ministerial Decree of 15 January authorising the revival of cruise activities in Italy. MSC Cruises’ flagship resumes service after a brief stoppage in operations, and offers weekly 7-night voyages in the West Med, calling at Civitavecchia, Naples, Palermo and Malta.
On 14 February, MSC Magnifica is also set to resume sailings from the Port of Genoa with scheduled 11-night cruises across Italy, Greece and Malta.
The shipping line’s health and safety protocol for the prevention of Covid-19 is applied rigorously on all vessels, a range of provisions which include antigen swab tests for all passengers and crew prior to boarding, mid-cruise testing for guests and weekly testing for crew, sanitisation of all hold and hand luggage, enhanced hygiene and sanitation measures onboard, social distancing onboard at all times, and in public areas compulsory use of masks provided daily by the cruise line. In addition, the MSC wristbands provided now serve a dual purpose: for contactless operations to complete payment transactions and open doors and, should the need arise, for contact tracing.
To preserve a safe bubble on board the ship, guests only go ashore as part of protected shore excursions, with similar safety measures applied to those in force onboard.
