Are there any travel restrictions under the new protocol, such as past medical history, current health status or age?
All guests must be healthy and physically fit for travel. Health of our Guests is our number one priority.
Please note we will deny boarding in case of symptoms such as fever (>37,5 C C / 99.5 F), cough, shortness of breath, chills, muscle/body aches, fatigue, headache, sore throat and loss of taste/smell in the 14 days prior to embarkation or potential exposure to a suspected or confirmed case of COVID 19 in the 14 days prior to embarkation.
In addition, guests travelling from* countries that are deemed ‘high risk’ by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) will need to take an RT-PCR swab test within 72 hours prior to the ship’s departure. Please check the travel requirements for the high-risk countries here.
The current advice from the World Health Organization, EU Healthy Gateways and other authorities is that COVID-19 is often more severe in people who are older or who have health conditions like lung or heart disease, diabetes or conditions that affect their immune system. Older guests or those with such conditions are advised to consult with a doctor or their local health authorities for guidance before travelling to assess whether they should be travelling at this time. According to the EU Healthy Gateways advisory, anyone over 65 years of age is considered part of a higher risk group.
Are there any travel restrictions for certain nationalities or countries of residence that may prevent guests from being allowed on board?
For MSC Grandiosa and MSC Magnifica sailings in the upcoming months, we will initially only welcome guests who are residents in the 26 European ‘Schengen’ countries (Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland).
In addition, please note that Guests travelling from* countries that are deemed ‘high risk’ by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) 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. The list of high-risk countries based on the guidelines given by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control is available here below.
*Includes anyone who has travelled to, from, or through these high-risk countries in the past 14 days prior to the ship's departure. These protocols also apply to guests whose residence is currently in a high-risk country.
Here below the high-risk countries list:
For departures from 10 January to 16 January included: Austria, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Hungary, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland (Updated December 28th).
For departures from 17 January to 23 January included: Austria, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland (Updated January 4th).
Our guests are kindly invited to regularly check the list for the latest updates. Important to note that the test is not required for passengers under 6 years old.
What is the MSC Covid-19 Protection Plan?
MSC Cruises requires all guests to have an insurance policy that covers any COVID-19 related risks, including cancellation, repatriation and medical expenses. For your convenience, you can choose our new MSC COVID-19 Protection Plan that will provide coverage before, during and after your cruise. In collaboration with Europe Assistance, the plan covers cancellation charges as well as medical and related transport expenses. Infants between 0-1 years will be covered by the insurance at no additional costs. Otherwise, you can liaise with any insurance company of your choice.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic that the world is still facing , MSC will extend the MSC Covid-19 Protection plan to the whole Winter 20-21 season of MSC Grandiosa and Magnifica. Considering that this unprecedented situation is continuously evolving, MSC will constantly monitor it and will evaluate, if necessary, the possibility to purchase the Covid Protection plan also for the other Winter destinations and for the Summer season 2021. As for Summer cruises, in that case the Covid protection plan will be made available as from 60 days before departure. (First available departure date – 27 March 2021)