MSC Meraviglia, MSC Cruises’ glamorous ship resuming cruises from Miami on August 2, returned to PortMiami today after its 3-night simulated cruise, visiting Nassau and Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, MSC Cruises’ private island destination, in The Bahamas. The successful completion of the simulated voyage marks not only a key milestone toward the Company’s resumption of cruises from the U.S. but also a significant step in its global plan for more than half of MSC Cruises’ fleet back at sea by the end of this summer.

“We are getting closer to bringing our guests back to the sea from the U.S., and come August 2, they will finally have the opportunity to again enjoy everything they know and love about our rich experience, with gourmet dining, world-class entertainment, and immersive experiences on board.

And, with Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve still new to many of our guests, they can also now step onto our natural paradise when cruising The Bahamas, spending the day and evening enjoying activities like paddleboarding, kayaking, snorkeling, and more,” said Rubén Rodríguez, President of MSC Cruises USA. “We are grateful to our volunteer guests who helped us complete this significant milestone, demonstrating the strength of our protocol to protect our guests, crew, and the communities we visit, as well as the memorable cruise vacation we offer.”

MSC Cruises USA. “We are grateful to our volunteer guests who helped us complete this significant milestone, demonstrating the strength of our protocol to protect our guests, crew, and the communities we visit, as well as the memorable cruise vacation we offer.”

Guests participating in the simulated cruise experienced life on board MSC Meraviglia, all under the protection of MSC Cruises’ health and safety protocol, including mask-wearing indoors, social distancing, enhanced sanitization, and more. Cruisers dined in the main dining room and specialty restaurants participated in activities and entertainment throughout the ship and visited ashore in Nassau and Ocean Cay with a number of immersive protected shore excursions — all part of MSC Cruises’ safe and enjoyable cruise experience.

MSC Cruises’ Upcoming U.S. Resumption this Summer 

With MSC Cruises’ simulated sailing successfully completed, MSC Meraviglia will officially resume cruising from the U.S. on August 2, 2021, beginning with 3- and 4-night cruises to The Bahamas, featuring Ocean Cay. The ship will then add 7-night cruises on September 18 to The Bahamas & Caribbean. MSC Divina will is MSC Cruises’ second ship to return to cruising from the U.S. with 3-, 4- and 7-night itineraries beginning September 16 from Orlando (Port Canaveral), a brand-new home port for MSC Cruises.

All cruises will feature Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, named Best New Cruise Destination, where guests can enjoy the island’s natural beauty, discover local marine life, and soak up the spirit of The Bahamas. With ships docking at the island from early morning into the evening — and in some instances overnight — guests can spend a full day enjoying two miles of pristine, white-sand beaches and activities including stand-up paddleboarding, kayaking, thrilling wave runner rides, and more.

Health & Safety Measures

MSC Cruises’ top priority is protecting the health and safety of its guests, crew, and the communities the Company’s ships visit. All MSC Cruises’ ships cruising from the U.S. will sail under the protection of the Company’s comprehensive health and safety protocol which includes universal COVID-19 testing at embarkation for all guests, weekly testing of the crew, physical distancing, mask-wearing, protected shore excursions for guests who are not fully vaccinated, enhanced sanitation measures and personal hygiene recommendations, such as increased hand-washing and sanitizing stations, and specific additional requirements and restrictions for not fully vaccinated guests. For additional details on MSC Cruises’ health and safety measures and additional requirements for not fully vaccinated guests,

About MSC Cruises

MSC Cruises is the world’s third-largest cruise brand as well as the leader in Europe, South America, the Gulf region, and Southern Africa with more market share in addition to deployed capacity than any other player. It is also the fastest-growing global cruise brand with a strong presence in the Caribbean, North America, and Far East markets.

Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, MSC Cruises is one of the two brands that sit within the Cruises Division of MSC Group, the leading privately held Swiss-based shipping and logistics conglomerate with over 300 years of maritime heritage. MSC Cruises — the contemporary brand — has a modern fleet of 18 vessels combined with a sizeable future global investment portfolio of new vessels. The fleet is projected to grow to 23 cruise ships by 2025 with options for six vessel orders in place through 2030.

MSC Cruises offers its guests an enriching, immersive, and safe cruise experience inspired by the Company’s European heritage, where they can enjoy international dining, world-class entertainment, award-winning family programs, and the very latest user-friendly technology on board. 

The Company’s number one priority has always been the health and safety of its guests and crew, as well as the communities at the destinations its ships serve.  In August 2020, MSC Cruises implemented a new comprehensive and robust health and safety protocol to become the first major line to return to the sea.

MSC Cruises has long been committed to environmental stewardship with a long-term goal to achieve zero emissions for its operations. The Company is also a significant investor in next-generation environmental marine technologies, with the objective to support their accelerated development and availability industry-wide.   

Finally, to learn more about the MSC Foundation, MSC Group’s own vehicle to lead, focus and advance its conservation, humanitarian and cultural