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

03/06/2021

• International guests now able to better connect to cruise also by plane from leading international airport in Barcelona

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

• Announcement by the line follows those of its resumption of service in the UK, Germany, France and the Baltics in addition to the Mediterranean

Geneva, Switzerland, 03 June 2021 - MSC Cruises today announced it will restart its sailing operations in Spain with the deployment of MSC Grandiosa to Barcelona from 26 June for a Saturday embarkation. Valencia will then be added as an additional port of call as of 30 July.

This follows recent announcements by the line that its ships are restarting operations in Germany, France and the Baltics in addition to its current and other Summer 2021 confirmed itineraries in the West and East Mediterranean as well as UK. Barcelona is also a major international travel hub with a leading airport that international guests can now fly to and join their cruises directly.

Gianni Onorato, CEO, MSC Cruises, said: “When we first announced our confirmed programmes 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 ashore 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, Palermo, Valetta in Malta and now Barcelona in Spain on Saturdays with embarkation in the Italian ports as well as Barcelona. From 30 July, MSC Grandiosa will add Valencia to the itinerary with embarkation on Fridays and the ship will then offer from 31 July, seven-night itineraries calling Barcelona, Genoa, La Spezia for Florence and Pisa and Civitavecchia/Rome and Valencia.

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

MSC Grandiosa’s current itinerary is available for bookings and sales for the sailings from 26 July will open on Saturday 5 June.

About MSC Grandiosa

One of the Company’s newest ships, MSC Grandiosa launched in November 2019 and will offer a richness of guest experiences. Designed with an iconic Mediterranean-style promenade and impressive 93 metre LED sky screen that animates throughout the day and night, MSC Grandiosa features state-of-the-art facilities and is literally 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 theatre 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.