Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (June 17, 2021) — MSC Cruises – the world’s third largest and fastest-growing cruise brand — has officially opened its U.S. summer 2021 cruises for sale aboard the ultramodern MSC Meraviglia and the glamorous MSC Divina, with 3-, 4- and 7-night itineraries available from Miami and Orlando (Port Canaveral), starting this summer. Both ships will sail under the protection of MSC Cruises’ industry-leading health and safety protocol that has enabled the Company to offer safe and enjoyable cruises since August 2020 for tens of thousands of guests.
“It’s time to cruise again, and we are incredibly excited to open our U.S. summer 2021 cruises for booking and take a step closer toward bringing our guests back on board our ships in the U.S. this summer,” said Rubén Rodriguez, president of MSC Cruises USA. “Looking ahead, our guests have so much to look forward to, with a choice of quick getaways or week-long vacations from Miami or our brand-new home port in Port Canaveral, all visiting our new private island, Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve. And, later this year, guests will love our newest ship to hit U.S. waters, MSC Seashore, when she makes her Miami debut this November. Given our experience cruising in Europe since last summer, we are eager to bring our safe and enjoyable cruises back to the U.S. and remind our guests of the enriching and memorable experience MSC Cruises offers.”
MSC Cruises’ Restart Itineraries
MSC Meraviglia, MSC Cruises’ award-winning, ultramodern cruise ship, will resume cruising on August 2, 2021, offering three- and four-night cruises visiting The Bahamas and Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve. Starting September 18, 2021, the ship will alternate between seven-night eastern and western Caribbean itineraries. Itinerary highlights include:
As the second ship to restart in the U.S., the glamorous MSC Divina will resume cruising a range of 3-, 4- and 7-night itineraries to The Bahamas and Caribbean, embarking from MSC Cruises’ newest U.S. home port, Orlando (Port Canaveral). Itinerary highlights include:
As a highlight of MSC Cruises’ itineraries in The Bahamas & Caribbean, all cruises departing from the U.S. will visit MSC Cruises’ private island destination, Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, named Best New Cruise Destination. Surrounded by 64 square miles of marine reserve, Ocean Cay offers guests a unique opportunity to enjoy the island’s natural beauty, discover local marine life and soak up the spirit of The Bahamas. With MSC Cruises’ ships often docking at the island from early morning into the evening — and in some instances overnight — MSC Cruises’ guests can spend a full day enjoying two miles of pristine, white sand beaches and a variety of ocean discovery activities including stand up paddle boarding, kayaking, thrilling wave runner rides and more.
Protecting Health & Safety
MSC Cruises’ top priority is protecting the health and safety of its guests, crew and the communities the Company’s ships visit. Prior to its restart in August 2020, MSC Cruises’ worked closely with international health experts — including MSC Cruises’ ‘COVID-19 Blue-Ribbon Expert Group’ — and relevant authorities to develop an industry-leading health and safety protocol that enabled MSC Cruises to be the first major cruise line to resume full-service operations last summer. Since then, MSC Cruises has provided safe and enjoyable cruises for tens of thousands of guests, continuously adapting to the changing environment.
MSC Meraviglia and MSC Divina will welcome guests who are both vaccinated and not fully vaccinated, with a multilayered approach in place for all guests. Guests who are not fully vaccinated will be required to purchase MSC Cruises’ Travel Insurance & COVID-19 Protection Services and will be subject to more stringent protocols on board. At the present, these include but are not limited to the required purchase of a MSC Cruises sponsored shore excursions in order to go ashore and required testing upon embarkation and while on board. Additional health and safety measures include universal COVID-19 testing at embarkation for all guests, weekly testing of crew, physical distancing, mask-wearing, protected shore excursions for guests who are not fully vaccinated, and enhanced sanitation measures and personal hygiene recommendations, such as increased hand-washing and sanitizing stations.
Fully vaccinated guests will receive MSC Cruises COVID-19 Reassurance protection at no charge, whereas guests who are not fully vaccinated will be required to purchase MSC Cruises Travel Insurance & COVID Protection Services insurance prior to the cruise. Guests are highly encouraged to be fully vaccinated prior to cruises with MSC Cruises; not fully vaccinated guests will need to undergo several additional requirements. For additional details on MSC Cruises’ health and safety measures and additional requirements for not fully vaccinated guests, please visit https://www.msccruisesusa.com/health-and-safety-measures.
“As we gear up to welcome guests back on board, we want to continue to thank our dedicated travel partners for their support and trust throughout this challenging period,” said Ken Muskat, EVP and Chief Operating Officer of MSC Cruises USA. “We know our partners are just as eager to get their clients back on board as we are, and we are thrilled to be taking this significant step forward so travel advisors can officially book their clients on cruises from the U.S., all with added value through promotions and offers as well as the increased flexibility we know is important to travelers planning vacations today.”[RP1]
Greater Flexibility and More Ways to Save
Guests booking MSC Cruises’ restart sailings on board MSC Meraviglia and MSC Divina can take advantage of excellent value and added flexibility with current promotions and programs. Cruisers can be among the first to sail with MSC Cruises again from the U.S. and Go All In with free drinks and Wi-Fi, totaling up to $1,100 in value. Plus, vacationers can take advantage of added flexibility through MSC Cruises’ popular Total CruiseFlex program, offering guests the flexibility to change their cruise up to 48 hours prior to departure.
For more information on MSC Cruises’ first cruises from the U.S. and to book, guests should contact their preferred travel advisor, or visit here.
To learn more about MSC Cruises’ comprehensive health and safety protocol, visit here.
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About MSC Cruises
MSC Cruises is the world’s third largest cruise brand as well as the leader in Europe, South America, the Gulf region and Southern Africa with more market share in addition to deployed capacity than any other player. It is also the fastest growing global cruise brand with a strong presence in the Caribbean, North America and the Far East markets.
Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, MSC Cruises one of the two brands that sit within the Cruises Division of MSC Group, the leading privately held Swiss-based shipping and logistics conglomerate with over 300 years of maritime heritage. MSC Cruises — the contemporary brand — has a modern fleet of 18 vessels combined with a sizeable future global investment portfolio of new vessels. The fleet is projected to grow to 23 cruise ships by 2025 with options for six vessel orders in place through 2030.
MSC Cruises offers its guests an enriching, immersive and safe cruise experience inspired by the Company’s European heritage, where they can enjoy international dining, world-class entertainment, award-winning family programs and the very latest user-friendly technology on board. To learn more about MSC Cruises’ itineraries and experience on board its ships please see here.
The Company’s number one priority has always been the health and safety of its guests and crew, as well as the communities at the destinations its ships serve. In August 2020, MSC Cruises implemented a new comprehensive and robust health and safety protocol to become the first major line to return to sea. To learn more about MSC Cruises’ health & safety protocol please see here.
MSC Cruises has long been committed to environmental stewardship with a long-term goal to achieve zero emissions for its operations. The Company is also a significant investor in next-generation environmental marine technologies, with the objective to support their accelerated development and availability industry wide. To learn more about the Company’s environmental commitment please see here.
Finally, to learn more about the MSC Foundation, MSC Group’s own vehicle to lead, focus and advance its conservation, humanitarian and cultural commitments please see here.