MSC Cruises announced today that its second ship to welcome passengers, MSC Magnifica, will have an enriched and longer itinerary when it returns to sea on October 19 for a series of seven cruises, including the eight-night Christmas cruise departing from Genoa, Italy, on December 18.
At the same time, the company will also extend the current MSC Grandiosa itinerary through the end of the year, which will include the Christmas cruise departing from Genoa, Italy, on December 20. The MSC Grandiosa offers seven-night cruises embarking in Genoa, Civitavecchia, Naples, and Palermo, with a stop in Valletta, Malta.
The new MSC Magnifica program sails in both the Eastern and Western Mediterranean with a home port in Genoa and stops in Livorno, to visit Florence and Pisa, Messina in Sicily, Valletta in Malta, Piraeus to visit Athens and Katakolo to explore Olympia, both ports in Greece; to finish before returning to Genoa visiting Rome with a port in Civitavecchia.
The 10-night itinerary is designed for passengers who prefer longer trips with more destinations to visit and more sailing time – thanks to the great success of the protected excursions that the cruise line launched last month as part of its new health and hygiene protocol.
These longer cruises are designed to attract passengers from Schengen countries due to the great connections between Rome and Genoa – which, along with Messina, are two of the three embarkation ports – as well as the “local cruisers” who have proven popular with MSC Cruises passengers living in both Italy and nearby countries.
Longer itineraries are also particularly attractive to passengers who normally sail in autumn and winter, with more time available and who are looking for alternatives to the 7-night cruises already available on MSC Grandiosa.
When MSC Magnifica – one of MSC Cruises' most popular ships – finishes this series of itineraries, it will embark on its third consecutive world cruise in 2021.
MSC Magnifica will follow in the footsteps of MSC Grandiosa, which is currently on its fourth 7-night cruise in the Western Mediterranean. MSC Cruises' flagship resumed operations in August after the company's new health and hygiene protocol was approved by national and local authorities in Italy, Malta, and Greece. This protocol is designed to protect passengers, crew, and the communities where the ship calls.
MSC Cruises' new protocol, which will be implemented for the benefit of passengers and crew on MSC Magnifica, includes universal testing for all individuals before boarding, enhanced sanitation and cleaning measures, social distancing, mandatory mask use in public areas, and contact tracing technology. This robust and rigorous health and hygiene protocol is similarly applied to all shore excursions, where passengers remain in a "social bubble" to protect their well-being and that of the communities they visit.
Feedback from the thousands of passengers who have sailed so far aboard MSC Grandiosa has been overwhelmingly positive, with many rating their experience as one of the safest holiday options available, and praising MSC Cruises' willingness to go beyond the guidelines set by national and regional authorities.
As a result of today's announcement, MSC Magnifica has cancelled the planned seven-night cruises from Bari, Italy, from September 26 to October 24.
Passengers affected by the cancellation of this cruise will be able to sail on another cruise – on the MSC Grandiosa, currently sailing in the Western Mediterranean – or receive a future cruise credit with which they will have the opportunity to transfer their entire cruise to a future cruise of their choice – on any ship and any itinerary – until the end of 2021.
You can find the MSC Grandiosa itinerary here: https://www.msccruceros.es/es-es/Homepage.aspx
