MSC CRUISES LAUNCHES SUMMER 2022 SEASON CAMPAIGN TO ‘CRUISE WITH CONFIDENCE’ FOR SAFE, FLEXIBLE AND ENJOYABLE VACATIONS AT SEA

• Cruise line’s health & safety measures, flexible booking policy and full experience ashore confirmed for all cruises through summer 2022
• The Company has safely welcomed over one million guests on board its ships during all phases of the pandemic, thanks to its pioneering protocol that led the restart of overall cruise industry
• Protocol designed and continuously updated with input from ‘Blue Ribbon’ panel of external experts now extended to include experienced virologist and former US CDC Director, Dr. Robert Redfield

Geneva, Switzerland, December 22, 2021 – MSC Cruises today launched its summer 2022 campaign under the ‘Cruise with Confidence’ program that confirms its industry-leading health & safety protocol, clear & flexible booking policy, robust yet simple vaccination & testing requirements and return to independent exploration ashore will apply to all sailings through summer 2022.

The ‘Cruise with Confidence’ promise will cover all new and existing bookings for sailings through the end of the next summer season. Procedures implemented under ‘Cruise with Confidence’ have already allowed the Company to offer a safe, flexible and enjoyable cruise vacation to over one million guests throughout all phases of the pandemic, past and present.

Gianni Onorato, CEO, MSC Cruises, said, “We were able to lead the restart of our industry in August last year thanks to a comprehensive and flexible health and safety protocol that was designed to adapt to the evolution of the pandemic ashore and has since set the standard across the travel and hospitality sector. With this, we were able to continue to offer the highest level of protection to our guests, crew and communities where our ships call to responsibly and safely welcome on board over one million guests for their getaway at sea.

With the pandemic continuing to evolve, we understand the importance of having clear information to reassure our guests that they can book a cruise with confidence and with flexibility to give them total peace of mind. We are thus extending our successful ‘Cruise with Confidence’ guarantee to all cruises through summer 2022 to continue to offer new and existing guests a safe, flexible and enjoyable vacation option. Reinforced with the required COVID-19 protection plan, this insurance gives guests extra security before and during the cruise. Finally, we also see the return of a full experience ashore with the reintroduction of independent shore excursions where local regulations allow - there really has been no better time to book a cruise vacation.”

Guests can continue to choose an MSC Cruises vacation at sea, knowing that their health, booking security and enjoyment are being taken care of. From winter sun in the Caribbean to stunning Mediterranean cruises with the whole family next summer, guests can book and cruise with confidence thanks to the following elements:

• All guests and crew vaccinated and tested

All guests aged 12* and above are required to be fully vaccinated. Further, all guests aged two and above are required to submit a negative test prior to boarding. All ship crew are also fully vaccinated, regularly tested and follow strict health & safety policies.

• Booking flexibility free of charge

All cruises can be rescheduled free of charge up to 48 hours** prior to sailing, for any reason.

• Peace of mind thanks to COVID protection plan

All guests and their bookings are fully protected by the required COVID-19 protection insurance, covering events such as testing positive before boarding or at any point during your vacation. And at the end of the cruise, it will be simple to meet any testing requirements for returning home thanks to antigen or RT-PCR testing available either onboard or in the terminal.

• A full experience to make the cruise safe & enjoyable

Guests are free to disembark and independently explore ports of call wherever local regulations allow. MSC Cruises has worked in partnership with authorities in all the regions and countries in which the ships operate to ensure the Company’s protocol meets, exceeds and adapts to the required regional and national health and safety measures. 

Additionally, the Company continues to monitor and adapt its industry-leading health and safety protocol that was developed last year by the Blue Ribbon COVID Expert Group. Together, the panel of highly qualified and internationally respected experts helped inform MSC Cruises’ operating protocol to protect the health and safety of guests and crew during every aspect of the guest’s journey, while maintaining the Company’s unique guest experience. Since its original inception, the panel has been reinforced with the addition of Dr. Robert R. Redfield, an American virologist and infectious disease clinician who most recently served as Director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) from 2018 to 2021. 

Further, the panel is comprised of:

• Dr. Ian Norton, Specialist Emergency Physician, currently managing director of Respond Global, formerly the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) Emergency Medical Team Initiative program
• Prof. Christakis Hadjichristodoulou, Professor of Hygiene and Epidemiology at the Faculty of Medicine as well as its Vice President, School of Health Sciences, University of Thessaly, Greece
• Prof. Stephan J. Harbarth, Hospital Epidemiologist, Infectious Diseases Specialist and Head of the Antimicrobial Stewardship Program at the Geneva University Hospitals (HUG) and Faculty of Medicine
• Prof. Camillo Ricordi, Professor of Biomedical Engineering, University of Miami School of Medicine
• Dr. Jesus Arroyo, Specialist Internal Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Private practice, Geneva, Medical Affairs consultant, Trafigura Energy

To find out more about MSC Cruises’ itineraries, please visit here.

For more information on MSC Cruises’ health & safety protocol and embarkation requirements, please visit here.

For flexible booking options, please visit here.

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*For Red Sea cruises, guests aged 8 years or older need to be fully vaccinated with a vaccine recognized by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. See website for more details.

**21 days for 'Fly&Cruise' bookings.