Since MSC Grandiosa reopened to passengers in mid-August, MSC Cruises has welcomed over 30,000 passengers on board, including several travel agents from across Europe. The company has released a testimonial video in which some of these agents share their firsthand experiences.
The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with agents describing the experience as "impressive" and saying they felt "very safe" thanks to the protocol—implemented by a professional and friendly crew. Most importantly, the cruise experience remains intact, and passengers can enjoy life on board, whether watching a theatrical production, dining in one of the many restaurants, relaxing in the spa, or simply strolling through the Galleria while browsing the shops and boutiques.
MSC Cruises offers its passengers a safe and stress-free vacation by creating a safe bubble on board its ships through the implementation of an industry-leading health and hygiene protocol.
Health and hygiene measures cover every aspect of the passenger experience. These include pre-boarding and mid-cruise COVID-19 testing, protected shore excursions, enhanced ship sanitization, and recommendations for good personal hygiene practices. Social distancing is maintained through reduced capacity and passenger flow management, masks are required in public areas, and the ship is ventilated with 100% clean air. All of this is supported by a highly trained crew dedicated to implementing these measures.
All these measures and many more allow MSC Cruises to create a safe bubble for its passengers, with the health of the passengers, crew, and the communities they visit as their top priority. This gives MSC Cruises passengers the confidence they need to relax and enjoy an unforgettable vacation.
After a temporary halt in operations during the holiday period due to the restrictive measures implemented in Italy, MSC Grandiosa will resume sailing on January 24 from Genoa, with 7-night cruises in the Mediterranean.
HEALTH AND HYGIENE MEASURES
The feedback is that the agents felt very safe on board and were impressed by the high level of health and hygiene measures, as well as their impeccable implementation. “We can finally travel safely again,” was one agent's reaction.
One agent commented that he was “really impressed” when talking about the health measures on board, specifically regarding the number of health measures, such as sanitizing stations, regular hand washing, temperature checks, and the use of masks by both crew and passengers.
These measures are in addition to others that passengers experience from the beginning of their booking, such as: universal testing of all passengers before boarding, ventilation of the ship with an HVAC system, social distancing and tracing of close contacts.
LAND EXCURSIONS
No cruise would be the same without shore excursions to discover the wide variety of destinations the ships visit. As an added layer of protection and safety, all excursions are organized as MSC Cruises Protected Excursions to maintain a "social bubble" and ensure the same high standards of health and hygiene both on land and on board. In practice, this means that MSC Cruises excursions include properly sanitized transfers with ample space to ensure social distancing, guides and drivers who have undergone health checks before meeting passengers and wear PPE, and all attractions and sites visited by passengers have been thoroughly inspected to provide a safe and clean environment.
A POSITIVE ONBOARD EXPERIENCE
The MSC Cruises vacation experience has always been characterized by a rich passenger experience supported by top-quality service. “I’m happy to be sailing on a cruise ship again. Even though there are many safety measures on board, you feel a bit of normalcy again,” commented one agent.
The atmosphere on board makes it easy to forget about the pandemic on land. One of the agents describes the feeling on board as “a bubble of happiness. I don’t want to leave and I can’t wait to come back soon.”.
MSC Cruises was the first major cruise line to resume operations in Europe, supported by the implementation of a rigorous health and hygiene protocol developed in collaboration with external medical experts and approved by the authorities in Italy, Malta, and Greece. Furthermore, over the months, the company has strengthened its protocol in response to the evolving pandemic situation on land. These measures include:
- A new additional test for all passengers halfway through the cruise (in addition to the existing pre-boarding test for all passengers)
- Crew testing during their time on board has been increased from twice a month to weekly (crew also undergo testing and other medical checks before boarding)
- Increased cleaning on board, especially in public areas and high-touch areas
- The concept of close contact has been redefined for tracing purposes, reducing passenger exposure time from 15 to 10 minutes
MSC Grandiosa will continue offering its 7-night Mediterranean itinerary until the end of March 2021, visiting many of Italy's most famous destinations and calling at the ports of Genoa, Civitavecchia, and Palermo, as well as Valletta (Malta). In addition, from February 14, MSC Magnifica will offer 10-night cruises calling at Genoa, Livorno (to visit Florence), and Messina; the Greek ports of Piraeus (Athens) and Katakolon (Olympia); Valletta (Malta); and Civitavecchia (to visit Rome).
