MSC Cruises To Restart MSC Seaside in the Mediterranean May 1

MSC Cruises plans to relaunch the MSC Seaside in Europe on May 1, joining the MSC Grandiosa, which has operated safely since August, carrying more than 40,000 guests. The line also updated return dates for other global cruises.

MSC Seaside will operate a new seven-night itinerary from Genoa, calling at Valetta, Malta; Civitavecchia, Italy, for Rome; Siracusa, Sicily; and Taranto in Puglia, Italy.

MSC Seaside and MSC Grandiosa itineraries are currently available to residents from Schengen countries and Bulgaria, Croatia and Romania.

MSC Seaside will implement the cruise line’s health and safety protocols that have been tried and tested since August 2020. Measures will include universal testing at embarkation as well as mid-cruise, weekly testing of crew, social distancing, mask-wearing in public areas, only protected shore excursions and enhanced deep sanitation and ongoing cleaning procedures.

MSC Grandiosa’s current successful itinerary will be extended through the end of May with the ship calling at the Italian ports of Genoa, Civitavecchia, Naples, Palermo as well as Valetta in Malta.

MSC Cruises today also updated the itineraries for the start of its summer season beginning in April because of delays in the closure of certain ports across Europe and is canceling all other itineraries in the West Mediterranean for April and May 2021, with cruises there resuming from June 2021 as planned.

Similarly, in the East Mediterranean, cruises are canceled for April 2021, with cruises resuming from May as planned. In Northern Europe, all itineraries are canceled in April.

Finally, all Caribbean itineraries are canceled through to and including May 31, 2021.