MSC Cruises Suspension Update: January 12, 2021

Today MSC Cruises announced a further extension of the temporary pause of our US-based sailings through to and including March 31, 2021. 

MSC Cruises

This includes cancellation of the following cruises:

• All MSC Meraviglia and MSC Armonia sailings from Miami
• All MSC Divina and MSC Seaside sailings from Orlando (Port Canaveral), including MSC Seaside’s repositioning cruise to Europe, embarking on March 28, 2021

MSC Cruises Suspension Update: December 4, 2020

We have made the difficult decision to extend our temporary halt of operations for all cruises to the Caribbean and The Bahamas, including sailings on MSC Meraviglia and MSC Armonia from Miami and MSC Seaside from Orlando (Port Canaveral) through to and including February 28, 2021.

MSC Cruises

MSC Cruises Suspension Offer:

• For impacted cancellations, no action is necessary.
• For guests that have already paid for their cruise in full, MSC Cruises USA will automatically provide a 125% Future Cruise Credit of the original cruise fare paid to be used on a sailing on or before April 30, 2022 for cruises booked by December 31, 2021.
• For any clients who have not yet made final payment on their cruise and are outside the final payment window, MSC will automatically provide a Future Cruise Credit for the value of their deposit PLUS 25% of the original cruise fare, excluding government fees and taxes, to be used toward a sailing on or before April 30, 2022 and booked by December 31, 2021.
• The Future Cruise Credits will be sent by January 31, 2021
• Please note, any applicable prepaid items and government taxes and fees will be refunded to your client’s original form of payment.
• If guests wish to receive a refund instead, the request must be made by February 28, 2021. Refunds can only be processed once Future Cruise Credit is received.
• For guests outside of final payment, requesting a refund of their deposit, normal cancellation policies apply

MSC Cruises Suspension Update: November 3, 2020

MSC Cruises announced today a further extension of the temporary pause of its US-based sailings through and including December 31, 2020. The decision will affect the schedules of three ships based in Florida: MSC Seaside in Port Canaveral, and MSC Meraviglia and MSC Armonia both in PortMiami.

MSC Cruises

Guests affected by this cancelation will be offered a 125% future cruise credit (FCC) of the original cruise fare. FCC may be used on a future cruise – on any ship and any itinerary — through April 30, 2022.

MSC Cruises Suspension Update: October 7, 2020

• Sailings from the U.S. to the Caribbean and The Bahamas – We have made the difficult decision to extend our temporary halt of operations for all Caribbean and Bahamas cruises, including sailings on MSC Meraviglia, MSC Seaside and MSC Armonia, through to and including November 30, 2020.
• Sailings from the Mediterranean and Far East – For all cruises departing from the Mediterranean and Far East, MSC Cruises is also canceling sailings through to and including November 30, 2020, with the exception of MSC Grandiosa and MSC Magnifica, sailing in the Mediterranean with guests from Schengen countries only.
• MSC Grandiosa and MSC Magnifica – Sailings are cancelled for U.S. guests. MSC Grandiosa is now on her seventh consecutive 7-night cruise in the Western Mediterranean and MSC Magnifica is set to restart on October 19. While we have resumed these sailings, with booking conditions and travel restrictions varying by region, for this initial phase of the restart of operations we continue to only welcome guests who are residents in Schengen countries. Therefore, for booked U.S. guests, we are also cancelling bookings on the following cruises:
  • MSC Magnifica sailings through December 18, 2020
  • MSC Grandiosa sailings through December 20, 2020

For guests effected by the current MSC Cruises suspension, guests will automatically receive 125% future cruise credit to be used on or before December 31, 2021. Guests may also request a refund by calling MSC directly between November 16 and December 15, 2020.

Policies within the cruise industry are changing daily. If you have a question about the status of your currently booked cruise, how to re-book using a future cruise credit (or just booking your next cruise), and/or requesting a refund and want unbiased assistance, use the contact form and I will personally assist you.

MSC Cruises Suspension Update: August 24, 2020

MSC Cruises announced today that regretfully the Company must postpone the restart of MSC Magnifica until September 26, 2020. MSC Magnifica’s sales are open to residents of the Schengen area, at the same time in this early phase of restart the majority of guests are expected to be Italian nationals and residents. The first cruise will depart from Bari, Italy with an unchanged itinerary on September 26.

Read the complete press release

Separately, MSC released their Fall 2020 / Winter 2021 schedules which means there are over 90 itineraries around the world to be on, assuming the CDC allows sailing to begin during that time frame. There is no guarantee of a start date, but I continue to encourage my clients to book now to take advantage of great offers, promotions, and policies.

MSC Cruises Suspension Update: August 10, 2020

As we continue to monitor the global health pandemic, we have taken the decision to extend our temporary halt of operations in the Mediterranean from August 16 through to and including October 31, 2020 — with the exception of MSC Grandiosa and MSC Magnifica for guests residing in Schengen countries only — and in the Caribbean from October 1 through to and including October 31, 2020. Similar to our previous procedures, for guests impacted by the above mentioned cancellations, no action is necessary.

MSC Cruises USA will provide a 125% Future Cruise Credit of the original cruise fare paid to be used on a sailing on or before December 31, 2021.

If guests wish to receive a refund instead, requests can be made beginning Monday, August 31. Refunds will be issued within 60 days from the date requested.

MSC Cruises Suspension Update 7/8/20

MSC Cruises has made the decision to extend its temporary halt of operations in Northern Europe through to the end of the current season, affecting cruises scheduled to depart between August 1 and October 18.

Specifically, this impacts the following ships and sailings in Northern Europe:

• MSC Meraviglia sailings departing from Kiel August 1 to August 29
  • Note, MSC Cruises previously canceled the MSC Meraviglia repositioning cruise from Kiel to NY on September 5, as well as all MSC Meraviglia cruises departing from NY from September 22 through October 22
• MSC Poesia sailings departing from Copenhagen and Warnemunde August 1 to September 13
• MSC Preziosa sailings departing from Hamburg August 4 to October 18
• MSC Splendida sailings departing from Kiel August 2 to September 17 and Copenhagen September 18

Potential Restart of Operations in the Mediterranean

While we know U.S. guests are currently unable to travel to Europe, as background, we wanted to also inform you that we are currently considering a possible restart of our operations in August with a reduced number of ships in both the Eastern and Western Mediterranean, subject to the approval of a new health and safety operating protocol designed on guidelines set forth at the regional level by the EU Healthy Gateways, the European Union-funded Joint Action, and the European Maritime Safety Agency, EMSA. These guidelines are then subject to approval by the single member states of the European Union and will form the basis of MSC Cruises™ new health and safety protocol that would support the return to operations this summer on a selected number of the Company’s ships in the Mediterranean. Once the new programs in the Mediterranean are announced, we will immediately contact each affected client already booked on an MSC Cruises sailing in the Mediterranean scheduled to depart between August 1 and September 15 and provide them with options related to their vacation with MSC Cruises.

As of June 4, 2020 all MSC cruises are canceled through July 31, 2020. Guests who have paid in full will automatically receive a 125% future cruise credit (FCC). Guests who would prefer a refund must request it.

Non-Covid MSC Cruises Cancellations MSC Armonia and MSC Divina Cancellations.

MSC Cruises has canceled some previously scheduled itineraries from
March – October 2021. These cancellations include:

MSC Armonia – all cruises from Tampa, Florida from May 2 – October 31, 2021
MSC Divina – all cruises from Miami, Florida from March 28 – August 22, 2021 
MSC Divina – all cruises from New York from September 3 – October 23, 2021

Non-Covid Cancellations of MSC Meraviglia For Fall 2020

Sept. 5, 2020 Repositioning cruise from Kiel, Germany to New York
Sept. 22, 2020 Canada from New York
Oct. 2, 2020 Canada and New England from New York
Oct. 12, 2020 Canada from New York
Oct. 22, 2020 Repositioning from New York to Miami