MSC Cruises has announced new and updated itineraries in the Mediterranean and across Europe for next summer, offering passengers a wide range of options for the upcoming season. The ships offering these confirmed itineraries will operate under the same industry-leading health and hygiene protocol that has safely protected the more than 60,000 MSC Cruises passengers who have sailed on the company's ships in the Mediterranean since August 2020.
Gianni Onorato, CEO of MSC Cruises, commented: “Today we have clarity on which European destinations and ports will initially be open this summer, and we have fully reflected this in a first set of new and updated itineraries for the upcoming season so that passengers can book their holidays with us with complete confidence. The entire MSC Cruises team looks forward to welcoming both new and returning passengers aboard one of our ships sailing this summer and providing them with a memorable, relaxing, and above all, safe holiday. Furthermore, I am confident that in the coming weeks we will be able to further enhance some of these itineraries, as well as add more ships to new itineraries, as more ports and tourist destinations, particularly in Spain and France, become available to welcome ships and visitors.”
MSC Grandiosa will extend its current 7-night itinerary, calling at the Italian ports of Genoa, Civitavecchia (Rome), Naples, Palermo, and Valletta, Malta. The Spanish ports of Valencia and Barcelona will be added to the ship's current itinerary as soon as these destinations confirm their reopening.
MSC Seaside will begin sailing on May 1st from Genoa, calling at the new ports of Syracuse in Sicily and Taranto in Puglia, as well as Civitavecchia (Rome) and Valletta. The ship's itinerary will be enhanced with calls at the French port of Marseille as soon as its availability is confirmed.
Regarding MSC Seaside, in addition to the range of protected excursions developed for this itinerary, MSC Cruises will offer a private beach experience in Taranto, exclusively for the ship's passengers. A day at the beach is an important part of a summer vacation, so now MSC Seaside passengers can relax on the sandy beach next to the crystal-clear waters of the Ionian Sea.
At the end of July, MSC Seashore will join the MSC Cruises fleet to become its new flagship and from August 1 to October 31 will offer 7-night cruises embarking in Barcelona, the Italian ports of Genoa, Naples and Messina, as well as Valletta in Malta, and Marseille in France.
In addition, this summer season, MSC Cruises will offer a range of different itineraries in the Eastern Mediterranean, with embarkation ports in Italy from Trieste, Venice and Bari, as well as Piraeus (Athens, Greece), and with stops at some of the most beautiful Greek islands, Kotor in Montenegro, as well as the vibrant ports of Dubrovnik and Split in Croatia.
From June 5, MSC Orchestra will offer passengers embarkation at the Italian ports of Venice and Bari and will also have stops at the Greek islands of Corfu, Mykonos and Dubrovnik in Croatia.
MSC Splendida will begin sailing on June 12 with embarkation in Trieste and Bari, with stops in Dubrovnik (Croatia), Corfu (Greece) and Kotor (Montenegro).
From June 20, MSC Magnifica will complete the Eastern Mediterranean offering with embarkation in the Italian ports of Venice and Bari, and also embarkation in Piraeus (Athens) with stops on the Greek island of Mykonos and in Split, Croatia.
From May 20, the company's flagship, MSC Virtuosa, will begin its inaugural UK season, offering mini-cruises from Southampton with a stop in Portland, Dorset, on the Jurassic Coast. From June 12, it will operate 7-night cruises from Southampton, embarking in Liverpool, Greenock, and Glasgow, with additional stops in Portland and Belfast (Northern Ireland). These cruises are designed for UK residents only. The voyages are open to both vaccinated and unvaccinated passengers, and all passengers will be tested before embarkation.
In Germany, MSC Cruises ships have had to postpone the start of their summer season from the country's ports until June 15. At the same time, MSC Cruises announced today that MSC Seaview will be based in Kiel, Germany, from June 19, replacing MSC Virtuosa. Additionally, MSC Preziosa is scheduled to depart from Hamburg, Germany, on June 21, and MSC Musica from Warnemünde, Germany, on June 20, provided German ports reopen.
The three ships are scheduled to offer seven-night or longer cruises with itineraries to the Norwegian fjords or the Baltic capitals, according to their current schedule.
Mr. Onorato added: “We are very proud to be able to offer our passengers and travel agents an increasing variety of cruise holidays to multiple different destinations in the Mediterranean and Europe this coming summer. We will be showcasing some of the most innovative and modern ships in our fleet. And to make it even easier and safer for our passengers to reach our ships, all our itineraries will feature additional embarkation ports closer to home. In the Mediterranean alone, MSC Cruises will offer its passengers up to 15 embarkation ports.”
“While these ships represent only a portion of our fleet, they include our two newest gems, MSC Virtuosa and MSC Seashore, which will enter service for the first time in 2021. Their presence at this stage of the return reflects our belief in the continued appeal of cruises as a vacation option. That is why we have confirmed our newbuild plans for the coming years and anticipate a gradual return of our full fleet in the coming months during the winter season.”.
Mr. Onorato concluded: “Passengers who hold vouchers for our cruises that were canceled due to the pandemic have been patiently waiting to learn which ships will sail and where. I am pleased to say that they can now confidently look forward to an amazing holiday on an MSC Cruises ship, whether this summer or during the upcoming winter season.”
MSC Cruises has also confirmed the cancellation of its Caribbean itineraries from US ports through June 30. Passengers affected by these changes will be contacted by their travel agent or MSC Cruises.
