faq - Health & medical

The medical facilities and equipment on board may not be technically adequate to deal with a birth or pregnancy complications. Therefore, for safety reasons, we cannot admit women on board who will have reached or exceeded their twenty-fourth week of pregnancy by the end of the cruise. Regardless of the stage of pregnancy, a doctor should be consulted before setting off on a cruise to evaluate whether the guest is fit to travel.

Yes, MSC Cruises and its staff are constantly striving to provide the best service possible for all guests, including those of reduced mobility or disabilities.

Yes. If possible, they should be carried in hand luggage. We also advise our guests to carry the list of medicines they intend to take on board with them, to allow on-board medical staff to provide assistance in the event of a medical emergency.

MSC Cruises should be informed of all special needs via the Special Needs Form, which is available online and at all accredited travel agencies. In addition to the Form, a medical certificate confirming that the guest is fit to go on a cruise may be requested.

All MSC cruise ships have a well-equipped Medical Centre, supervised by a ship’s doctor and other medical personnel. The Medical Centre is open at the times advertised in the ship’s Daily Programme. Emergency services are available round the clock by calling the Medical Emergency number. Excluding emergencies, medical services carry a fee and prices are available on board. Guests who incur medical expenses during their cruise can ask their insurance company for reimbursement once ashore.

MSC Cruises offers a gluten-friendly selection gluten-free menus (breakfast, lunch and dinner) in the main restaurants on most of its ships. On MSC Armonia, MSC Sinfonia, MSC Opera and MSC Lirica guests can find only a limited selection of pre-packaged gluten-free snacks such as biscuits, croissants, sponge cakes and muffins. Guests with food intolerances and/or allergies must inform MSC Cruises of their needs via the Special Needs Form and, once on board, confirm their requirements at Reception-Guest Service and/or with the Maître d’hôtel.
Kosher meals (pre-packaged breakfast, lunch and dinner) may be available on board for an additional charge of €25/$30 pp/day. Kosher meals can be consumed in the main restaurants and must be booked at least 30 days before ship’s departure.
Halal products (beef, lamb and poultry) may be available on board following former request of the guest at least two months before departure.
Vegetarian and Vegan-friendly dishes are incorporated into our main restaurant menus and buffet restaurant culinary offer.
We can accommodate most special dietary requirements in our main restaurants where there is a greater degree of control over the production and service of special meals. We cannot guarantee no cross-contamination at the buffet.

All on board staff receive special in-house training that sensitizes them to the needs of passengers with disabilities or reduced mobility, and which prepares them to provide any necessary assistance.

Peritoneal dialysis may be performed on board, if the guest brings all necessary medicines and equipment. The equipment and machines used for haemodialysis treatment are carried on a limited number of cruises.

The majority of excursions are fully accessible, however we would recommend that all our guests to read-through the programme of available tours at the Excursion Office on board.

Guests should inform MSC Cruises of special needs at the time of booking, or at the latest two working days before departure. After this deadline, we may be unable to provide the level of assistance required.

Properly trained and certified guide dogs are allowed on board, provided they are in good health and have all documents required for entering the countries visited during the cruise. Guests are personally responsible for the custody, feeding and general care of the animal.

All MSC cruise ships are fitted with Braille signage in public areas, in lifts and at the entrance to cabins. There is also a voice system in lifts on Fantasia and Musica class ships that announces the floor in English.

All requests are sent directly to MSC Cruises and reviewed internally. Some requests may require closer examination from a practical or medical point of view, which will be carried out by a specialized internal committee. In all cases, passenger details will be handled with absolute discretion, in accordance with our privacy policy.

If requests are received during working day, responses are sent out immediately. In some cases, however, closer examination may be necessary and replies may take several days.

Refusal of a booking or denial of entry would only happen in the interests of ensuring the safety of guests and the crew, which is of paramount importance.

Yes, provided that they are fully independent.

All decks and public areas of our ships are accessible to guests with reduced mobility.

Yes, all ships in the fleet contain a number of specially fitted cabins with extra floor space and more room for movement. These cabins should be requested at the time of booking.

Yes, you can. Scooters must be stored and batteries recharged in your cabin which is fitted with 110V sockets (US type sockets) and 220V sockets (German type sockets) avoiding to connect when using the hairdryer. Keep in mind that the scooter minimizes the available space within your cabin.

 

Due to safety considerations, wheelchairs and scooters cannot be stored in the corridors. Your personal scooter should be able to fit in a standard cabin with a limited entry doorway (58 cm on MSC Divina and MSC Armonia, 68 cm on MSC Lirica, MSC Sinfonia and MSC Opera, 62 cm on the others). If your scooter is larger than the dimension reported for your chosen ship, you should book an H cabin or rent a smaller scooter. Segways and other similar vehicles cannot be operated on board. They shall be confiscated and can be taken off the ship to be used while in port. Also please note that the aluminium gangways used if the ramp cannot be operated are less than 80 cm wide

Guests are advised to consult their National Health Service prior to the cruise for information regarding recommended vaccinations. MSC Cruises declines all responsibility for guests who do not adhere to the recommendations on the prevention of infectious diseases or do not have the appropriate vaccinations to enter a particular port during the cruise.

The Centres for Disease Control and Protection (CDC) has issued guidance advising against travel in zones affected by the Zika virus for women who are pregnant and their partners as well as for women who are trying to become pregnant. 

In connection with this, MSC Cruises offers pregnant guests and the people travelling with her in the same cabin the opportunity to cancel free of charge their cruise to countries affected by Zika or rebook using cruise credit to another destination of their liking among the worldwide destinations that MSC Cruises offers to be utilized within a 24 month period. Guests should provide a copy of a medical certificate confirming their existing pregnancy.

Guests who wish to find out additional information about the Zika virus should either contact their health care provider physician or visit the CDC Website: 

http://www.cdc.gov/zika/hc-providers/pregnant-woman.html
http://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2016/p0801-zika-travel-guidance.html