MSC Cruises announced that its second liner to return to service - MSC Magnifica, will have a richer and longer itinerary as well as a new restart date (October 19) with a series of 7 roundtrips (including an 8-night Christmas trip departing on December 18) from homeport Genoa Italy.
Simultaneously, the company is also extending MSC Grandiosa’s current program through the end of the year, including the ship’s Christmas cruise (out of Genoa) on December 20. Grandiosa is offering 7-night roundtrips from homeports Civitavecchia-Rome, Naples, Palermo Sicily and Genoa, all calling at Valletta Malta.
The new programme of MSC Magnifica covers both the Eastern and Western Mediterranean and will see the cruise ship homeport in Genoa with visits to Livorno for Florence and Pisa, Messina Sicily, Piraeus for Athens, Valletta Malta, Civitavecchia for Rome, and Katakolon for Olympia in Greece prior to returning to Genoa.
The 10-night itinerary is designed for passengers who prefer longer cruises that offer more destinations to explore and more time at sea. The longer sailing is expected to appeal to travellers flying from Schengen countries due to strong pan-European air links to Genoa and Rome, which are, together with Messina, a couple of the ship’s 3 embarkation ports, as well as ‘proximity cruising’ that is proving to be popular with MSC Cruises’ passengers who live in Italy and in neighbouring countries.
Longer cruises are especially appealing to customers who typically sail during the Autumn and Winter, with more time available and looking for a longer alternative to the week-long sailings already available on Grandiosa.
Following the completion of her updated itinerary, Magnifica is due to perform MSC Cruises’ World Cruise in 2021, for the 2nd consecutive year.
MSC Magnifica follows the successful return to service of Grandiosa, now on her 4th consecutive 7-night voyage in the Western Mediterranean. The line's flagship resumed sailings in August 2020 following the approval of national and local authorities in Greece, Malta, and Italy of MSC Cruises' new health and safety protocol which is designed to protect passengers, crew and communities that the liner visits. As a result of the enriched schedule announced, the four proposed 7-night cruises of MSC Magnifica from Bari between September 26-October 24 have been cancelled.
Passengers affected by the cancelled sailings will either be re-protected onto another voyage, in particular on Grandiosa, which is currently in the Western Mediterranean or will receive an FCC (future cruise credit) where they have the chance to transfer the full amount paid for their cancelled trip to a future sailing of their choice on any vessel, for any itinerary through the end of 2021.