MSC Cruises, you don't get on board if you're not vaccinated
MSC Cruises has announced that winter season guests on all ships in the fleet must be vaccinated against [...]
MSC Cruises has announced that winter season guests on all ships in the fleet must be vaccinated against Covid-19 and swabbed before their scheduled embarkation date. The measures have already gone into effect for all of the company's winter voyages in other regions and are now being extended to Mediterranean cruises, with the new requirements affecting guests on MSC Grandiosa and MSC Fantasia ships.
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Guests on any of MSC Cruises' winter cruises, on its two ships that operate in the Mediterranean and travel from Dec. 4, will also need to be fully vaccinated. Guests are considered vaccinated if they have completed their Covid vaccination course at least 14 days prior to their departure. All guests will also have to undergo a Covid-19 test within 72 hours of the ship's departure.
The new rule applies to all guests 12 years of age and older and is in addition to the existing health and safety measures introduced by MSC Cruises in summer 2020, which now form the basis of a protocol that has become a model worldwide. Included among the various measures, in addition to those already mentioned, is an additional Covid-19 test prior to embarkation, which is in addition to the existing rules in place while at sea, designed to offer all guests and crew the highest level of protection.
Gianni Onorato, CEO of MSC Cruises, said, "Our health and safety protocol has led the way in the industry not only because we were the first major cruise line to resume international operations, but also because of its flexibility in adapting to the evolving pandemic ashore. This approach has reassured our guests, our crew, and the populations of the locations we visit with our ships. We were able to verify already last winter during our Mediterranean voyages that, even in the midst of a new pandemic spike ashore, we are able to adapt our health and safety measures on board appropriately while continuing to offer the highest level of protection to our guests and crew. Even in these weeks-when some countries in Europe are seeing a significant increase in infection rates-our approach is unchanged, demonstrating once again that health and safety is our priority to ensure the well-being of passengers on board our ships and at the communities we visit."
The new measures will now also apply to Mediterranean voyages aboard MSC Grandiosa and MSC Fantasia, as well as the line's other ships operating in Northern Europe, North America, South America, South Africa and the Middle East. Any guest who will not be fully vaccinated in time for their departure date may choose to postpone their vacation at a later date or request a refund. Guests under the age of 12, as ineligible for vaccination, will continue to be welcome on board under current measures.
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