Tag Archives: MSC Crociere

MSC’s Strict Screening Processes Are Already Working

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MSC Grandiosa
MSC Grandiosa

MSC Cruises’ host of new health and safety protocols are already working, as the cruise line has denied boarding to a group of guests following COVID-19 testing, according to a statement.

The Grandiosa was back in Genoa for her turnaround call on Sunday, and while MSC disinfected the ship, guests in the terminal underwent testing.

MSC said that during embarkation, a young man tested positive for both an antigen test and a second molecular level test.

As a result, MSC denied boarding to both the young man and his family; 15 people in total who had traveled to Genoa for the cruise by van.

In addition, last Saturday while the ship was on her way back to Genoa from Valletta, all guests who went ashore in Malta took the mandatory testing required by the Italian authorities prior to re-entering Italy. All tested negative.

“Other than that, life on board during the first and the early phases of the next cruise ran smoothly, with guests enjoying every bit of the specialty restaurants, cafés and shops that our flagship has to offer. Similarly, many of the shore excursions on offer – we call them protected ashore visits, were sold out,” MSC said, in a statement.

MSC Cruises Bans Family For Breaking Crucial Coronavirus Safety Rule

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MSC Grandiosa Departs Genoa For First Cruise With New Protocols ...
MSC Grandiosa (closest) and the MSC Magnifica just sticking out.

MSC Cruises has shown just how serious it is about health and safety, removing a family from its ship who broke its coronavirus rules.

The cruise line is operating a select sailing in the Mediterranean aboard its new ship MSC Grandiosa, which was open to residents of Schengen countries only.

The action was taken after a family broke the cruise line’s strict health and safety rules, which included not wandering off on land excursions.

To ensure the safety of passengers, limit contact and manage the spread of the virus, MSC is only allowing guided land excursions. This means passengers stay in a ‘ship bubble’ and don’t come into contact with anyone else not on board the ship.

However, the unnamed passengers decided to break the rules when in Naples, Italy, wandering off from the rest of the group to explore the city on their own.

The passengers were then not allowed to re-embark the ship, for fear of endangering other passengers and crew, the line has confirmed.

World of Cruising Magazine - Grand Designs: On Board MSC Cruises ...
The grand shopping and food courts with the Giant LCD screen ceiling

MSC Grandiosa is the first major ocean ship to sail in the Mediterranean in almost five months, following the coronavirus pandemic.

After approval from the needed ports, MSC Grandiosa set sail on a western Mediterranean cruise on Sunday (16 August), at 70 per cent capacity with 2,500 passengers on board.

The ship left from the Italian port of Genoa on a seven-night sailing calling at Civitavecchia (Rome), Naples, Palermo and Malta.

Sadly, the sailing was not available for British or Irish passengers, instead only open to residents of EU countries.

“In line with our health and safety protocol, developed to ensure the health and wellbeing of our guests, crew and the communities we visit, we had to deny re-embarkation to a family who broke from their shore excursion while visiting Naples, Italy,” said a spokesperson for MSC Cruises.

“By departing from the organised shore excursion, this family broke from the ‘social bubble’ created for them and all other guests, and therefore could not be permitted to re-board the ship.”

The cruise line stated that other health and safety measures include transfers being properly sanitised, social distancing, tour guides and drivers undergoing health screenings and the wearing of PPE.

MSC Grandiosa Departs Genoa For First Cruise With New Protocols

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MSC Grandiosa

The MSC Grandiosa departed Genoa on Sunday night for the start of MSC’s first cruise since it paused operations in March due to COVID-19.

Sailing with trimmed occupancy and 10 per cent of staterooms set aside for isolation, MSC’s flagship will visit Civitavecchia/Rome, Naples, Palermo and Valletta.

Gianni Onorato, MSC Cruises’ CEO commented: “It is a real pleasure for me to be here and sail onboard the first of our ships to return to service and to be able to welcome back our guests. Our main goal during these last months has been to put in place the right measures that will protect the health and safety of our guests, crew and the communities we visit. But at the same time, we have worked to ensure that we are able to provide our guests with a cruise holiday that they can enjoy and still experience all of the elements that they know and love from entertainment and activities onboard through to protected ashore visits.”

MSC becomes the third big-ship line to restart operations, following TUI Cruises, which restarted from Germany in July, and Dream Cruises, sailing in Taiwan.

In addition, MSC clarified it will only restart operations in the U.S. when the time is right, following approval by the CDC and other relevant authorities across the region in observance of their requirements and guidelines

A second MSC ship, the MSC Magnifica, will debut into operation later this month sailing cruises to the Eastern Mediterranean.

Among health, protocols are universal health screening of guests prior to embarkation that comprises three comprehensive steps: a temperature check, a health questionnaire and a COVID-19 swab test. Depending on the screening results and according to the guest’s medical or travel history, a secondary health screening or testing will take place. Any guest who tests positive displays symptoms or a temperature will be denied boarding.

The ship will also see elevated sanitation and cleaning measures supported by the introduction of new cleaning methods, the use of hospital-grade disinfectant products and the sanitation of the air on board with UV-C light technology that kills 99.97% of microbes.

Ongoing health monitoring will also be conducted throughout the cruise. Guests and crew will have their temperature checked daily either when they return from ashore or at dedicated stations around the ship to monitor the health status of every guest and crew member.

Guests and crew will only go ashore as part of an organized MSC excursion.