Discover in protected excursions: To go ashore during your cruise, we highly recommend you to participate in one of our MSC Shore Excursions to ensure the same high standards of health and safety ashore as on board. Not all destinations allow independent disembarkation and it may depend on the traveller’s vaccination status.

Some excursions will require the EU digital COVID certificate (Green pass) or, from extra Schengen countries travelers, the equivalent Covid certificate.

More information on the FAQ section.

 

Travel requirements might be different according to your cruise destination.

Please select your destination below:

• Mediterranean
• Dubai, Abu Dhabi & Qatar
• Red Sea & Saudi Arabia
• Caribbean
• Northern Europe
• MSC Grand Voyages & MSC World Cruise

 

For all sailings in the upcoming months, to ensure the highest standards of health and safety and allow a safe return home to our Guests in compliance with national regulations, MSC Cruises has organized the possibility for its guests to purchase and perform a molecular test (i.e RT-PCR) or an antigen test during their cruise.

The molecular test will be charged 80 euros. The tests will be organized to comply with the 48h or 72h test validity to return to your country according to your national regulations. The antigenic test is always available for 25 euros. These tests do not substitute the complimentary covid tests performed on board to comply with our comprehensive health and safety protocol.

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.

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. 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 to download for free the MSC for Me app to start booking additional services, to secure space and to ensure a seamless onboard experience. 

The preventative health and safety steps in the protocol are designed to mitigate the risk of COVID-19 transmission on board. In the event that someone should fall sick, we have a fully equipped onboard 24/7 Medical Centre with highly qualified medical staff who are fully trained for COVID-19 treatment and who are supported by a 24/7 ashore medical team. 

In case of flu-like symptoms, guests should notify immediately the Medical Centre and free treatment will be provided. If the onboard medical team determines a suspected COVID-19 case, a comprehensive isolation procedure and response plan will be activated in close cooperation with the health authorities.

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.

 

For all sailings in the upcoming months, guests may need to undergo an additional swab test during the cruise whilst on board, on top of the existing pre-boarding COVID-19 testing. When required, the test is mandatory.

 

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 your Personal 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

All MSC Aurea Spa and Fitness facilities and services will be available* with enhanced health and sanitation measures, extended opening hours and reduced capacity in public spaces. Onboard services are subject to changes based on local regulations or other restrictions, in the context of the COVID-19 situation. For their health and comfort, guests will pre-book spa treatments, fitness sessions and thermal area visits by phone.

Fitness machines and equipment, spa areas and treatment rooms will be thoroughly sanitised after each use as well as deep-cleaned and disinfected every night.

All Spa staff have been trained on rigorous health and sanitation measures and will wear appropriate protective equipment. 

Book now your Spa Packages! 

 

*Depending on ship-class, the following experiences will be closed until further notice: Saunas, Steam Rooms, Heat Baths Whirlpools, Ice & Snow Experiences. Salt Relax Room, Harmonic Relax Rooms, Experience Showers, Heated 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. 

Guests who are fully vaccinated will be able to go ashore independently and will need to follow the requirements of going ashore according to the countries they will visit.  To go ashore during the cruise, MSC Cruises highly recommends to participate in one of or MSC Shore Excursions to ensure the same high standards of health and safety ashore as on board. Not all destinations allow independent disembarkation and it may depend on the traveller’s vaccination status. Guests that are not fully vaccinated will not be allowed to go ashore unless they purchase an MSC Excursion. Those Guests who are not fully vaccinated or who have children in their travelling party, will need to go ashore with an MSC Excursion. For example: A family of four, two adults and two children under 11 years old: All guests will be required to participate in an MSC Excursion for not fully vaccinated guests.

For cruises in the Mediterranean it will be possible to go ashore only by participating in one of the MSC Shore Excursions to ensure the same high standards of health and safety ashore as on board.

MSC Cruises offers a large variety of shore excursions. Some excursions are available only to Guests holding the EU Digital Covid Certificate/Green pass or, from extra Schengen countries Travelers, the equivalent COVID certificate, while other excursions are open to those not in its possession, guaranteeing in both cases the highest health and safety standards. More information about the tours are available here. Please note that Guests holding the EU Digital COVID Certificate/Green pass or the equivalent COVID certificate (such as the NHS certificate*), travelling with children over 12 years who do not hold an EU Digital COVID Certificate/Green card or the equivalent COVID certificate (for extra Schengen countries Travelers), will be considered as Guests not holding the EU Digital COVID Certificate/Green pass or the equivalent COVID certificate (for extra Schengen countries Travelers), for excursions purposes: children will be requested to do the free covid test on board to participate to the excursion (or the booked excursion will need to be changed for another tour not requiring the green pass).

*Please note that the vaccination appointment card would not be considered sufficient proof.