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MSC CRUISES’ MSC MAGNIFICA SETS SAIL WITH 10-NIGHT CRUISE HOLIDAYS IN WEST AND EAST MEDITERRANEAN

20/10/2020

• Stunning itinerary on one of MSC Cruises’ most charming ships visiting destinations at six historic and beautiful European gems in Italy, Malta and Greece

• MSC Cruises’ second ship restarts operations with implementation of rigorous health and safety protocol following safe and effective restart of MSC Grandiosa in August

Geneva, Switzerland, 20 October 2020 – MSC Magnifica departed Genoa, Italy yesterday and became the second MSC Cruises ship to welcome guests back on board since Europe’s leading cruise line restarted operations in August.

The ship has commenced a stunning 10-night voyage of relaxation and discovery in the West and East Mediterranean Sea with planned calls at the port of Livorno for visits to Florence and Pisa, Messina in Sicily, Piraeus for Athens, Katakolon for Olympia, Valletta in Malta, and Civitavecchia for Rome, before returning to Genoa. MSC Magnifica will operate six enriched, long Mediterranean cruises before the end of the year, including a special 8-night Christmas voyage that will depart Genoa on 18 December.

This is the second ship to implement MSC Cruises’ comprehensive health and safety protocol, that has been endorsed by external medical experts and formally approved by the relevant national and regional authorities. The comprehensive safety-first measures designed to protect the wellbeing of guests, crew and communities visited were first implemented in August when MSC Grandiosa became the world’s first major cruise vessel to return to service and the Company’s flagship has now completed nine 7-night voyages and positively demonstrated the protocol’s effectiveness. The measures include protected “social bubble” ashore visits for guests to allow them to also enjoy destinations at each port of call.

The MSC Cruises health and safety protocol includes universal health screening of everyone – guests and crew – which includes tests for COVID-19 before they can board a ship; elevated sanitation and cleaning measures throughout the vessel; managed social distancing; wearing of face masks in public areas and technology to aid track and trace on board. In this initial phase, the ship’s capacity has also been reduced to 70 per cent to ensure social distancing can be guaranteed on board.

Discover the East and West Mediterranean this Autumn
Guests on board MSC Magnifica’s Mediterranean cruises can safely visit a range of fascinating destinations with MSC Cruises’ rich shore excursions programme. Some of the attractions include the Leaning Tower of Pisa, a city tour of the historic Sicilian city of Messina, an open top bus trip around Malta, a visit to the 8th Century BC original venue of the Olympic Games in Greece, a tour of ancient Athens and the world-famous Acropolis, a walking tour in the Eternal City of Rome and a coach outing of the northern Italian city of Genoa. The shore excursions will see the same standards of health and safety practiced ashore as on board to not only protect the guests and crew but also the communities in the ports of call.

With convenient embarkation in the four Italian ports during the 10-night cruise – Genoa, Livorno, Messina and Civitavecchia, this itinerary is easily accessible for guests residing in the Schengen countries who are currently able to book the cruise in this initial phase of operations.

MSC Magnifica is one of MSC Cruises’ popular mid-size ships and offers masterful design, relaxed refinement, a high ratio of balcony cabins, large dining areas with four restaurants and 11 bars, a swimming pool with a sliding roof magrodome, a spectacular theatre, full-scale casino, panoramic nightclub and a 4D cinema.

MSC Grandiosa’s currently offers 7-night cruises with embarkation in the Italian ports of Genoa, Civitavecchia, Naples and Palermo together with calls at Valletta.

For more information about MSC Magnifica, MSC Grandiosa and MSC Cruises’ new health and safety measures, visit here.