A Total of three cruise ships impacted as MSC Cruises has extended its suspension of operations out of the United States.
MSC Cruises Cancels More Sailings in the U.S.
As a result of the announcement last week by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), MSC Cruises has extended its halt on sailings in the United States through September 15, 2020. This impacts a total of three cruise ships and calls in the Caribbean.
MSC Seaside, MSC Armonia, and MSC Meraviglia were previously scheduled to sail from the U.S. during the extended suspension but now unfortunately this will no longer be the case.
- All Caribbean cruises from Aug. 1 – Sept. 15, 2020 have been canceled
- MSC Meraviglia cruises to/from New York from Sept. 5 – Oct. 22 have been canceled
- Winter 2020-2021 Caribbean cruises (MSC Meraviglia, MSC Armonia, MSC Divina, MSC Seaside) from Oct. 31, 2020 – April 27, 2021 have been canceled due to new cruise itineraries
- Spring/Summer/Fall 2021 Caribbean cruises (MSC Divina & MSC Armonia) from March – Oct. 2021 have been canceled due to new cruise itineraries
Those guests impacted by the extensions will receive a Future Cruise Credit (FCC) by July 13, 2020. Guests will be able to transfer the full amount paid for their original booking a future cruise of their choice. The credit can be applied on a cruise through the end of 2021.
It is important to know that MSC is still hoping to resume cruises in other parts of the world from August including the Meditteranean. It does however depend on ongoing travel restrictions and port closures.
Also Read: Carnival Cruise Line Cancels Sailings in North America Through September 30
The cruise line is still looking forward to cruising once again and also announced new Caribbean deployments for the fall and winter 2020/21 season. MSC Meraviglia will be offering 7-night cruises out of Miami sailing the eastern and western Caribbean. MSC Armonia will offer a mix of three-, four- and seven-night cruises also out of Miami and MSC Seaside will sail three-, four- and seven-night cruises from Port Canaveral to the Caribbean which we posted about right here.
MSC Cruises is developing new health measures for when cruises do resume. The protocols are in collaboration with relevant health authorities and a team of medical experts. The entire aspect of a cruise vacation is being looked at including during embarkation and even booking phase. The new protocols to make sure guests and crew remain safe will be announced in the next few days.
The cruise line previously announced a phased-in return to service with the entire fleet not fully back in service until Summer 2021. This also includes the two new cruise ships of MSC Virtuosa and MSC Seahorse which are both currently under construction, you can read more here.
Photo Via: MSC Cruises
