Before booking your cruise, please check HERE if you are allowed to embark according to your country of residence. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, there might be international travel restrictions depending on your cruise destination and your country of residence. 

The below requirements are valid for current and following sailings (health and safety measures are subject to change and will adapt according to the evolution of the pandemic).

Please note that all Guests will need to follow all of these requirements to be allowed on board:

• All Guests (including those ages 0-2) need to provide a certificate of a negative RT-PCR test taken within 72 hours before embarkation. Guests must bring the valid negative test certificate with them to the terminal. If you embark on your cruise at 15:00 on a Saturday, you should take your COVID-19 test on the Wednesday as of 15:00.

• All Guests (12 years old and over) have to be fully vaccinated OR have to be recovered from Covid-19 within the last 6 months. Guests are considered fully vaccinated if they received the full set of vaccine shots more than 14 days before the start of the cruise with an approved Covid-19 vaccine including Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, Novavax, Sinovac, Sinopharm, Sputnik V. 

All Guests embarking on a cruise regardless of their Nationality must present a vaccination certificate indicating that complete vaccination has taken place within the last 9 months. If guests have received a booster shot after nine months from the second dose of the vaccine, it is necessary to have had the booster at least 14 days before the departure date. If the booster was done before expiration of the second vaccine (therefore within nine months) it is not necessary to receive it 14 days before boarding. Guests who received a booster vaccine are exempted from the 9 months restriction.  

Vaccination certificates must be valid for the duration of the entire cruise.

Guests who have recovered from Covid-19 with only one shot of vaccine are considered fully vaccinated as long as they got their vaccine or have recovered from Covid-19 within the last 6 months. Guests must provide a QR code or an official validating documentation.

Important information for Guests embarking in Haifa (Israel) 

• All Guests coming from outside Israel need to provide a certificate of a negative RT-PCR test taken 72 hours before their flight to Israel. The same test can be used to embark as long it has been taken within 72 hours before the ship departure. In addition, Guests are also required to take a RT-PCR test upon arrival in Israel, according to the local health regulations which are subject to constant updates. It is the Guest responsibility to check and comply with travel requirements published on the official governmental website: https://www.gov.il/en/departments/ministry_of_health/govil-landing-page    

• An entry statement must be filled out by all Guests within 48 hours before ship’s departure. The declaration should be filled as an exit statement before departing https://corona.health.gov.il/en/flights/. Upon completition of the form, Guests will receive a link in which they may pay in advance for the additional RT-PCR test required upon arrival in Israel (in addition to the previous RT-PCR test taken 72 hours prior the ship’s departure). Guests should present the confirmation of the online payment for the RT-PCR test upon arrival (cost is around € 23). 

Important information for Guests embarking in Limassol (Cyprus)

• In order to comply with Israel entry requirements, for all Guests embarking in Limassol it will be required a further PCR test (on payment) to be taken within 72 hours before arriving in Israel (the test must be taken in Kusadasi). This test is in addition to the one required to enter in Israel (RT-PCR test to be taken within 24 hours before arriving in Israel). For Guests remaining on board during the call in Haifa, there is no need to take the tests.

The original test and vaccination certificate must be presented at the terminal (paper or electronic format) and must be in English. The COVID 19 test certificate must contain: guest’s personal data (verifiable with the other travel documents), date of the test, identification / contact details of the center that performed the analysis, technique used and negative test result.

Before booking your cruise, please check HERE if you are allowed to embark according to your country of residence. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, there might be international travel restrictions depending on your cruise destination and your country of residence. 

Additional Travel Requirements for Greece 

All guests ages 5 – 12 years old (if not fully vaccinated) who are debarking in Greece are required to provide a negative RT-PCR test taken 72 hours prior or a negative Antigen test taken 24 hours prior. 

Additional Travel Requirements for Israel 

All guests both embarking and those in transit must complete and entry statement form within 48 hours before arrival to Israel: https://corona.health.gov.il/en/flights/ 

All guests who are in transit including ages 0-2 must take a RT-PCR Test within 24 hours prior to the ships arrival in Israel. The test will be performed on board at a cost of approximately € 25,00.

All guests who are disembarking in Israel including ages 0-2 must take a RT-PCR Test upon arrival at the Cruise Terminal in Israel. The cost will be equivalent to € 25,00 in local currency (price is approximated).

Additional Travel Requirements for Cyprus 

For guests embarking in Cyprus in order to be in compliance with Israeli entry requirements all guests embarking in Limassol will be required to take an additional RT-PCR test to be paid on board. The test will take place on board in Kusadasi 72 hours before arriving to Israel. 

Guests embarking in Cyprus who are arriving by plane must complete the CyprusFlightPass: https://cyprusflightpass.gov.cy/ 

To ensure peace of mind, MSC Cruises requires all guests to have a specific and mandatory Covid-19 insurance policy to embark, covering against COVID-19 related risks, i.e cancellation, interruption, repatriation expenses, quarantine, medical assistance and related expenses, as well as hospitalization. A proof of the specific COVID-19 coverage insurance policy - which must be in one of the following languages English, Italian, German, French or Spanish - must be presented at embarkation or boarding will be denied.

As per our stringent MSC Health & Safety protocol, all guests both vaccinated and unvaccinated (under 12 years old), will need to undergo some Health and COVID 19 screenings, including a health questionnaire and a contactless temperature check, at the terminal before boarding.  

For a seamless embarkation process, please make sure to review our Health & safety measures in place in our terminals and to bring:

• A printed copy of your embarkation form (available in your cruise ticket)  
• A printed copy of your mandatory health questionnaire duly completed and signed within 6 hours prior to the embarkation (available in your cruise ticket)  
• The original COVID 19 test and vaccination certificate (paper or electronic format) must indicate that complete vaccination / booster has taken place within the last 9 months.       
• A proof of COVID-19 insurance clearly showing the COVID-19 risks coverage  
• A valid identity document 

We will deny boarding in case of:   

• Symptoms i.e 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  
• Potential exposure to a suspected or confirmed case of COVID 19 in the 14 days prior to embarkation 
•  Temporary travel restrictions based on local circumstances. For example, certain countries may deny visas or prohibit entry based on travel history or nationality. 
•  Failure to provide the proof of the mandatory COVID-19 insurance policy (which must be in one for the following languages: English, Italian, German, French or Spanish)

A COVID-19 test or Passenger locator form (PLF) may still be necessary for national or international mobility requirement: it’s every guest’s responsibility to verify this requirement before departure. For more information, it is recommended to check your country’s competent authorities official channels. 

Guests will be able to go ashore independently according to local requirements which are continually monitored and subject to change. Guests who are travelling with unvaccinated children are also able to go ashore independently. For the best ashore experience, we recommend all guests explore destinations with the comfort, convenience, and safety of an MSC Cruises Shore Excursion, bookable pre-cruise and on board. More information in the FAQ section. 

Additional Travel Requirements for Greece

All guests ages 5 – 12 years old (if not fully vaccinated) who are debarking in Greece are required to provide a negative PCR test taken 72 hours prior or a negative Antigen test taken 24 hours prior. 

Additional Travel Requirements for Israel 

All guests in transit must complete and entry statement form within 48 hours before departing Kusadasi: https://corona.health.gov.il/en/flights/ 

All guests who are in transit including ages 0-2 must take a RT-PCR Test within 24 hours prior to the ships arrival in Israel (the test is not required if Guests remain on board during the call in Haifa). The test will be performed on board at a cost of approximately € 25,00. 

All guests who are disembarking in Israel including ages 0-2 must take a RT-PCR Test upon arrival at the Cruise Terminal in Israel. The cost will be equivalent to € 25,00 in local currency (price is approximated).

It is the responsibility of each Guest to ensure they are in compliance with any local regulations related to COVID-19 testing when returning to their final post cruise destination.