MSC Cruises has extended its suspension on U.S. operations through March 31, 2021. This now means that cruises won’t resume until April at the very earliest. The announcement impacts sailings for four cruise ships out of two homeports in Florida.
MSC Cruises Delays Return to Service in the U.S.
MSC Cruises has become another major cruise line that’s decided to extend its suspension on U.S. operations. The cruise line is now aiming to resume cruise from April 2021.
The further setback impacts four MSC cruise ships that were set to sail out of two popular Florida homeports. MSC Seaside and MSC Divina sailings out of Port Canaveral are now canceled, along with cruises for MSC Meraviglia and MSC Armonia out of PortMiami.
Also Read: 10 Must-Know Things About the MSC Seaside Cruise Ship
MSC Guests Impacted
There will now be many guests disappointed by the further cancellations, but it doesn’t come as a surprise during these difficult times. Those who have already paid their booking in full will be offered a 125 percent future cruise credit (FCC). Guests can choose to transfer their booking to any future sailing through April 30, 2022.
Guests who no longer want to take a cruise with MSC in the future can also request a full refund.
The Extended MSC Suspension Was Expected
Recently, Carnival cruise brands had already announced a new round of suspensions, including Carnival Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, and Holland America Line. Carnival Cruise Line was set to resume cruises in March 2021 but needed to delay returning to April, which is now the same case for MSC.
Resuming cruises safely while the virus continues to sweep across many countries worldwide, including the United States, is proving to be difficult. Cruise lines must follow the framework on the CDC’s Conditional Sailing Order, and a lot of details need to be ironed too.
In December, Cruise Hive reported that MSC Cruises was aiming to resume cruises in the U.S. in March 2021. The cruise line recently announced that cruises out of Italy would start from January 24 with the MSC Grandiosa.
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