As during a cruise, you may be exposed to specific COVID-19 risks that may not be usually covered by existing insurance policies, to ensure your peace of mind is mandatory for all guests to have in place an insurance policy that specifically covers them against COVID-19 related risks, such as cancellation, interruption, repatriation expenses, quarantine, medical assistance and related expenses, as well as hospitalization. This should be in place to cover you from the confirmation of your booking until the end of the cruise.

 

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic that the world is still facing, MSC offers a COVID-19 Protection Plan- an insurance policy specifically for these COVID-19 risks and this can be added to the cruise whilst making the booking. The Covid Protection Plan will be extended to the whole Summer 22 season. Guests will be required to provide evidence of their insurance policy and this should include the details of the insurer, the insured amounts and full details of the COVID-19 coverage such as cancellation, interruption, repatriation expenses, quarantine, medical assistance and expenses, and hospitalization.

 

INTERNATIONAL DEPARTURES: Effective immediately, before finalizing the reservation, it will be possible to add to the cruise the MSC COVID-19 Protection plan at the price of 25 euros per person for short haul destination (Mediterranean and Northern Europe cruises), and €29 for Long Haul destination (Caribbean & Antille, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Qatar, Saudi Arabia & Red Sea, South America and Positioning cruises).

 

Alternatively, you may purchase another insurance coverage of your choice provided that the above risks are covered.

 

The proof of the insurance policy (e.g. certificate, schedule, policy summary) which must be in English, Italian, German, French or Spanish - clearly showing the COVID-19 coverage - must be presented at embarkation. Passengers failing to provide this documentation will be denied boarding.

 

For any additional information please click Here or refer to our Contact Center or consult your Travel Agent.

 

Before boarding, all guests must complete a health questionnaire and report any symptoms of illness or potential exposure to a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19 in the 14 days prior to embarkation.

Please note that all guests (ages 6 years and above) embarking on MSC Orchestra South African departures, will need to take an RT-PCR swab test within 72 hours prior to the ship’s departure. The test results certificate must be printed in two copies and presented at the terminal in order to embark on the ship.

*Includes anyone who has travelled to, from, or through the Schengen countries, Romania, Bulgaria and Croatia in the past 14 days prior to the ship's departure.

If a guest presents symptoms of illness such as temperature higher than 37.5°C / 99.5°F or there are concerns with their health questionnaire, they will undertake a secondary screening, including in-depth interview, a second temperature measurement, a medical examination and, if necessary, a laboratory examination.

If a guest is then not considered fit to travel, they will be assisted in their next steps of a return home or will be potentially being treated in a local medical facility to ensure maximum support and care.

We are extending our enhanced health and hygiene measures to all MSC transfers, including:

- Cleaning and sanitisation of all vehicles before any new group of guests

- Availability of hand sanitisation stations and disinfectant mats for footwear

- Appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) for all drivers

- Reduced number of guests with selected seats empty to ensure social distancing

According to our enhanced cleaning and sanitation protocols, every guest cabin will be thoroughly cleaned on a daily basis, with special attention to 40 frequently-touched areas, such as door handles, power switches, control panels, remote controls, desks and bathroom surfaces.

Every cabin will be deep cleaned at the end of each cruise before the next guests arrive for their holiday.

All public areas and public restrooms will be deep cleaned and sprayed with disinfectant each night, as well as regularly sanitised throughout the day.  For example, public toilets will be cleaned every 20 minutes, and all cleaning staff will wear appropriate PPE.

For MSC Orchestra South African sailings in the upcoming months, please note that all guests, ages 3 and above will undergo a COVID-19 antigen test before disembarking.

Before the cruise, the collection of contact details for each guest is mandatory in case of important updates. Proceeding to the web check-in allow guests to receive cruise tickets, travel documentation and mandatory health questionnaires. On the embarkation day, guests should arrive at the time indicated on the cruise ticket to facilitate responsible social distancing, with travel documentation and health questionnaires. All guests (as of 2 years old) will undertake a COVID-19 health screening and a swab test. For South African departures guests aged 3 and above will undertake this screening and swab test.  A newly designed processes for embarkation has been implemented to manage the guest flow, to limit lines and contacts. Before the cruise, MSC Cruises invites all guests sailing on our smart ships to download for free the MSC for Me app to start booking additional services, to secure space and to ensure a seamless onboard experience. 

Yes. As part of our comprehensive and enhanced health and safety protocol, we have a contingency response plan in place with all the relevant authorities in the ports where the ships will call. 

We have COVID-19 testing equipment on board for Real Time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and antigen swab testing.

All MSC Cruises’ ships are equipped with state-of-the-art medical services and an increased number of qualified medical staff onboard, supported by dedicated 24/7 ashore Medical Team. We continuously monitor the health of our guests and crew with contactless temperature checks during the cruise; in case of flu-like symptoms, guests should immediately notify the Medical Centre and free treatment will be provided.

Face masks will be available throughout the cruise. We also advise all guests to wear a face mask when travelling to and from the port and in the terminal, in compliance with local regulations.

 

Face masks do not need to be worn by our guests when seated in the restaurants, but only when entering the venue.

At the buffet the food will be plated and served by our crew.

Our bars will be open and ready to serve our guests with their favourite cocktail or aperitif. To ensure we comply with the current social distancing recommendations, our staff will deliver drinks at the table and we will limit the capacity of each venue. Face masks do not need to be worn by our guests when seated in bars and lounges, but only when entering the venue.

You can save time by personalising your cruise even before getting onboard. Through the Manage Your Booking area you can easily add drink packages or dining experiences to your cruise and take advantage of our pre-boarding rates. 

For a contactless experience, guests will access restaurant and bar menus from their personal mobile device by scanning a QR code whilst on board. Before the cruise, MSC Cruises invites all guests to download for free the MSC for Me app to browse all the onboard restaurants, bars and lounges and to ensure a seamless onboard experience like making restaurant reservations.

Guests will be required to wear a face mask when in the theatre. Guests will enjoy our onboard award-winning entertainment but with a few changes:

- We are reducing the capacity of the theatre to allow for empty seats between guests
- The entertainment programme will be extended so that all guests can enjoy our award-winning shows
- Shows and activities will be pre-booked to manage the number of participants
- Guests will be required to wear a face mask when in the theatre

Depending on ship-class, the following experiences will be closed until further notice:  Saunas, Steam Rooms, Heat Baths Whirlpools, Ice & Snow Experiences. Relax rooms, experience showers, loungers will remain open to our guests.

The casino remains fully functional under the new protocol with added sanitation and social distancing measures in place, including frequent sanitising of chips, replacing playing cards on a regular basis and a reduced number of seats at gaming tables. 

Discover protected excursions: If you wish to go ashore during your cruise, you can only do so by participating in MSC Excursions or, for MSC Orchestra South African departures, by visiting one of our MSC Cruises exclusive destinations (the Pomene and Portuguese Islands). This will ensure that the same high standards of cleanliness and sanitation on board are continued ashore.