MSC Cruises added the seventh vessel into service this weekend. After sailing with several vessels in the Mediterranean and one cruise ship in the UK, the MSC Seaview resumes cruises out of Germany to the Baltic and Nothern Europe.
In the meantime, MSC Seaview’s sister ship MSC Seaside increased its number of ports of call to include the French port of Marseille. A sure sign that European cruising is making a comeback, while the return to service in the United States is not far off anymore.
MSC Seaview Sailing The Baltic Sea
MSC Seaview sailed this weekend from the port of Kiel in Northern Germany on a 7-night itinerary that will see the vessel call at three ports in the Baltic Sea. The vessel is the seventh vessel under the MSC flag to commence sailing post-pandemic. The cruise line plans to have a further three vessels at sea soon, which means that the cruise line will have half of its fleet at sea by the end of the summer.
With Kiel as its homeport, MSC Seaview will be sailing the Baltic until the beginning of October on cruises open to both German and International guests. The 7-night itinerary sails from Kiel to Visby on one of Sweden’s largest islands, Gotland, Nynäshamn, near the Swedish capital city of Stockholm and Estonia’s capital Tallinn.
Also Read: MSC Yacht Club: Is it Worth it?
Even if they are vaccinated, guests are not allowed to go ashore by themselves but instead need to participate in MSC’s protected shore excursions. It is a principle that MSC has been operating under since August of last year when the cruise line was one of the first to resume sailings.
MSC Aims for 10 Ships in Operation By End of Summer
Over the weekend, MSC also added Marseille in Southern France to the ports of call for MSC Seaside, the sister ship to MSC Seaview. The Western Mediterranean itinerary begins from Syracuse, Italy, with ports of call in Genoa, Taranto, Civitavecchia, Italy, and now Marseille, France, before returning to Syracuse.
Several other MSC ships are also sailing the Med, including MSC Grandiosa, MSC Seaside, MSC Orchestra, MSC Splendida, and MSC Magnifica. The company has one more ship sailing around the United Kingdom this summer, as Cruise Hive reported, and sailed on earlier this year.
The return of MSC ships to the United States is also not far off anymore. The cruise line will resume sailings from Miami from August 2, sailing the Caribbean with MSC Meraviglia. MSC Divina will join her from September 18, sailing from Port Canaveral.
The sister ship to MSC Seaview and MSC Seaside, MSC Seashore, will start sailing the Mediterranean in August of this year before the company’s newest flagship vessel will transfer to Miami in November for her Caribbean season.
Worth Reading: Must-Know Things About the MSC Seaside Cruise Ship
MSC Cruise is well underway to make serious inroads to a complete restart of its vessels worldwide, with several itineraries planned and even a world cruise onboard MSC Poesia. That cruise departs early next year, sailing around the world from Rome to Rome in 117 days.
