MSC CRUISES BECOMES FIRST CRUISE LINE TO RESUME INTERNATIONAL SAILINGS FROM BARCELONA

MSC Grandiosa’s weekend call at Barcelona represented Spain’s first international cruise since March 2020

Addition of Barcelona enriches MSC Grandiosa’s itinerary to offer new embarkation port and new destination for guests to visit

Geneva, Switzerland (June 28, 2021) – The port of Barcelona reopened at the weekend for international cruises when MSC Grandiosa became the first ship to embark Spanish guests and vacationers from other Schengen countries.

The 7-night cruise calls at the Italian ports of Genoa, Civitavecchia for Rome, Naples and Palermo, plus Valetta, Malta.

Gianni Onorato, CEO, MSC Cruises, said, “Barcelona is an integral part of our year-round itineraries in the Mediterranean and to see it reopen for our guests from Spain and other countries in Europe is extremely gratifying.  This was a very welcome addition to the ever-increasing number of ports that are opening for business after such a long pause in operations. As the first cruise line to offer international cruises from Spain we are sure that our Spanish guests will enjoy the convenience of embarkation in Barcelona on Saturdays and enjoy the popular itinerary that MSC Grandiosa offers in the Mediterranean.” 

The port of Barcelona is of strategic importance to MSC Cruises’ position as the market leader in Europe and earlier this month the Company received the official approval to operate and manage an exclusive 11,670 m2 (≈125,615 sq. ft.) cruise terminal, which is due for completion in 2024.

MSC Cruises’ restart at the weekend in Barcelona follows approvals by the relevant Spanish authorities for the Company’s industry-leading health and safety protocol, which was designed and introduced in August 2020 to protect the wellbeing of guests, crew and communities visited by its fleet of ships. 

MSC Grandiosa’s itinerary from the end of July will see the addition of another important Spanish port, Valencia with embarkation on Fridays. The ship will then call Barcelona, and onto the Italian ports of Genoa, La Spezia for Florence and Pisa, and Civitavecchia for Rome. 

MSC Grandiosa is one of the most environmentally-advanced ships in the MSC Cruises fleet and features state-of-the-art selective catalytic reduction and advanced wastewater treatment systems. MSC Grandiosa last year received the ‘biosafe ship’ class certification from classification society, RINA.

More ports will reopen in the coming weeks across Europe and MSC Cruises’ phased restart of operations is continuing as planned with the Company offering a choice of six different ships and itineraries this summer across the Mediterranean and Northern Europe. 

MSC Seaview will start Baltic Sea cruises beginning July 3 from her homeport of Kiel in Germany with 7-night sailings to Sweden and Estonia and MSC Seaside on July 4 will mark the official reopening of Marseille, France to cruising.

MSC Magnifica resumed sailings last week in the East Mediterranean to join MSC Splendida and MSC Orchestra in the region.   MSC Virtuosa since May 20 has operated cruises around the UK for British guests only.

MSC Meraviglia from August 2 will resume cruises in The Bahamas from Miami, featuring MSC Cruises’ private island destination, Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve. She will be joined by MSC Divina for 3, 4 and 7-night cruises to The Bahamas and Caribbean from Orlando (Port Canaveral) starting September 18.

MSC Seashore will come into service in August with voyages in the West Mediterranean before the Company’s newest flagship journeys to her new homeport in Miami for cruises to The Bahamas and Caribbean. 

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Coming to CruiseReport.com in July 2021

MSC CRUISES RESUMES OPERATIONS IN SPAIN AS MSC GRANDIOSA ADDS BARCELONA TO ITS CURRENT ITINERARY STARTING JUNE 26

• Valencia to be added as an additional port of call as of July 30

• Announcement follows MSC Cruises’ resumption of service in the UK, Germany, France and the Baltics in addition to the Mediterranean

Geneva, Switzerland (June 3, 2021) - MSC Cruises today announced it will restart its cruise operations in Spain with the deployment of MSC Grandiosa to Barcelona from June 26 with Saturday embarkation. Valencia will then be added as an additional port of call as of July 30. 

This follows recent announcements of MSC Cruises’ ships restarting operations in Germany, France and the Baltics in addition to its current and future Summer 2021 confirmed itineraries in the West and East Mediterranean as well as UK. 

Gianni Onorato, CEO, MSC Cruises, said: “When we first announced our confirmed programs for summer 2021, we indicated that we would enrich them with any new ports and destinations as they became available. This is the case today with Spain and Barcelona, thus allowing our guests to visit this magnificent destination that has been unavailable since March of last year thanks to the secure bubble shore excursions we provide under our health and safety operating protocol. This will also make an international cruise holiday on an MSC Cruises ship more easily available to more of our guests living in Spain and for the first time on one of our most modern and innovative ships, MSC Grandiosa.

As measures are progressively relaxing across Europe and beyond and tourism resumes, we have every confidence that our progressive resumption of service will continue to move forward and that we will be able to add more ports and destinations from more countries to our itineraries very soon. This will allow us to either enrich existing itineraries or add new ones.”

This resumption of service is fully in line with local regulations in Spain and will be supported by MSC Cruises’ industry-leading health & safety protocol, which has protected tens of thousands of guests, as well as crew members and local communities since the line first introduced it in August 2020 on MSC Grandiosa. 

MSC Grandiosa offers seven-night cruises in the Western Mediterranean calling Genoa, Civitavecchia/Rome, Naples, and Palermo, Italy; Valetta, Malta; and now Barcelona, Spain on Saturdays with embarkation in the Italian ports as well as Barcelona. From July 30, MSC Grandiosa will add Valencia to the itinerary with embarkation on Fridays. Then from July 31, ship will then offer seven-night itineraries calling Barcelona, Spain; Genoa, Italy; La Spezia, Italy for Florence and Pisa; and Civitavecchia/Rome, Italy and Valencia, Spain.

MSC Seaside is also sailing in the Mediterranean, and since May 20 the newly-launched MSC Virtuosa has operated cruises around the British Isles for UK residents. While MSC Seaview will restart voyages in the Baltics from Germany on July 3.

To learn more about MSC Grandiosa’s current itinerary and to book, guests can contact their preferred travel advisor or visit here. Sales for future cruises beginning July 26 will open on Saturday June 5. 

About MSC Grandiosa

One of the Company’s newest ships, MSC Grandiosa launched in November 2019 and offers a richness of guest experiences. Designed with an iconic Mediterranean-style promenade and impressive 305-ft. LED sky screen that animates throughout the day and night, MSC Grandiosa features state-of-the-art facilities and is a destination in itself. 

With an unparalleled choice of options for dining, leisure activities and entertainment, guests will be able to relax by one of the five pools with a choice of outdoor and indoor, spend the afternoon browsing the shops in the Galleria Grandiosa, get a massage in the spa, enjoy a cocktail in one of the many bars, eat in a different restaurant every night and round the evening off with a grand-scale theater production or live music in the Carousel Lounge.

As a family-owned company, MSC Cruises knows how to deliver memorable experiences for the whole family and is renowned for the award-winning family offering. For those guests looking for something more premium and exclusive, the MSC Yacht Club on MSC Grandiosa is currently one the largest of any in the MSC Cruises’ fleet. With its all-inclusive features, the MSC Yacht Club offers all of the facilities of the private club while also enjoying access to the countless recreation and entertainment possibilities the rest of the ship affords.  MSC Grandiosa promises a memorable summer holiday for all. 

MSC Grandiosa is one of the most environmentally advanced ships in the MSC Cruises fleet featuring a state-of-the-art Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) and next-generation Advanced Wastewater Treatment (AWT) systems. MSC Grandiosa also received the Biosafe Ship additional class notation assigned by the classification society RINA, a goal-based and voluntary notation that certifies that the ship is equipped with systems, components and has a layout and operational procedures that reduce infection risk.

MSC GRANDIOSA RESUMED SERVICE YESTERDAY AS PLANNED DEPARTING FROM GENOA FOR 7-NIGHT ITINERARIES IN THE WESTERN MEDITERRANEAN.

MSC Cruises' rigorous health and safety protocol makes these voyages one of the safest vacation options thanks to the safe environment on board for guests and crew

Geneva, Switzerland (January 25, 2021) — MSC Grandiosa, MSC Cruises’ flagship, departed last night from the port of Genoa in Italy to resume as planned regular 7-night cruises in the Mediterranean after a short pause of operations during the holiday period. The ship had temporarily suspended sailings as a result of the Italian decree that restricted movement within the country.

MSC Grandiosa first welcomed guests back on board in August 2020 and feedback from the more than 30,000 guests who have sailed so far on board has been extremely positive, so much so that some guests have been choosing to extend their stay on board by one or more weeks. The Company’s health and safety protocol helped to set the standard for the industry, making embarking on a cruise aboard an MSC Cruises ship one of the safest ways to vacation.

The protocol, which is unique in the hospitality industry and has been approved by national authorities in Italy, Greece and Malta, is being used as the basis to inform and support plans to restart cruising in other parts of the world. Prior to embarkation, all guests pass through a series of health checks, including COVID-19 testing for all guests and crew, as part of MSC Cruises comprehensive health and safety protocol, devised by the Company with the support of international experts and approved by the relevant authorities in the countries visited by MSC Cruises ships currently or due to be at sea. The health and safety measures also include a dedicated response plan that can be activated in collaboration with the authorities.

MSC Cruises' health and safety protocol has been designed to respond to the situation ashore even while it evolves and since November last year, some of the measures were enhanced including the introduction of mid-cruise testing for guests and weekly testing for crew as well as further enhanced hygiene and sanitation measures and the. Everyone on board observes social distancing as well as wearing masks in public areas, and the guest technology has been leveraged to facilitate onboard contact tracing. To preserve a safe environment on board the ship, guests only go ashore as part of protected shore excursions so that guests can be protected even while ashore by measures similar to those on board.

The Company's flagship, MSC Grandiosa, launched in November 2019 and offers a wide range of experiences for guests. The iconic Mediterranean-style interior promenade is the social hub of the ship, topped by an LED sky screen that changes scenery at every hour of the day and night. Guests can enjoy a wide range of international dining, including five specialty restaurants and for those looking for a more exclusive experience, the MSC Yacht Club — MSC Cruises’ ship within a ship concept — offers a range of private facilities including a private pool, lounge and restaurant as well as 24-hour a day butler and concierge service.  During their cruise, guests can relax with total peace of mind and safely enjoy a range of different activities, all adapted to meet the current health and safety measures, while still allowing to guests to have a memorable and rich experience.

To find out more about MSC Grandiosa visit here

To find out more about the health and safety measures on board visit here