MSC Divina becomes the second MSC cruise ship to set sail from a U.S. port on September 16 and the first in the fleet to ever offer cruises out of Port Canaveral.
The vessel received CDC approval last week following her test cruise, and she is the eleventh MSC cruise ship to be operational globally. The occasion marks another successful launch for one of the few cruise lines that have managed to keep at least one vessel operational throughout the majority of last year; in fact, the cruise line has been operational post-pandemic for thirteen months.
Sailing The Bahamas & Caribbean
MSC Divina offers guests the opportunity for a wide selection of itineraries to choose from. The ship sails today on a three-day cruise from Port Canaveral to the Bahamas. On September 17 she will make a stop in the popular cruise stop of Nassau and another call on the company’s private island resort of Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve the next day.
The ship completed its test cruise last week and received the conditional sailing certificate from the CDC shortly after. It means the vessel is fully compliant with all the health and safety regulations the agency has requested of the cruise line.
MSC Divina is the second MSC cruise ship to be operational in the United States after MSC Meraviglia started operations in August this year:
“After officially resuming cruises from the US with MSC Meraviglia in early August, we are thrilled to cross another significant milestone toward bringing our entire fleet back to sea around the world for safe, relaxing and enjoyable cruises,” said Rubén RodrÃguez, President of MSC Cruises USA. “In the US in particular, MSC Divina’s restart will bring us into an entirely new, easily accessible embarkation destination, providing our guests with more choice when cruising with us to popular destinations in The Bahamas and Caribbean, including our stunning new private island destination, Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve.”
Other cruise itineraries the 3502 passenger Fantasia-class cruise ship will be sailing include a 4-day cruise where the vessel will remain at Ocean Cay for two days and have a day in Nassau. The 139,072 gross tons MSC Divina will also operate a seven-day cruise that will call at Ocean Cay in the Bahamas and Cozumel and Costa Maya in Mexico.
Also Read: 9 Things to Do on the MSC Divina Cruise Ship
MSC Cruises’ Operational Restart
MSC Divina’s first cruise from Cape Canaveral means the Switzerland-based cruise line now has eleven ships operational worldwide. The cruise line currently has eight ships sailing in Europe, of which six ships are in the Mediterranean.
MSC Virtuosa is sailing in the United Kingdom and MSC Seaview is sailing in the Baltic from Kiel and Warnemunde. MSC Bellissima is currently sailing cruises out of Jeddah in Saudi Arabia.
MSC Seashore will soon join MSC Divina and MSC Meraviglia sailing from the United States. The company’s newest flagship will be sailing from Miami, Florida, starting November 2021. The ship is 169,400 gross tons with a guest capacity of 5,632 along with 1,648 international crew members.
