• Cruise line’s health & safety measures, flexible booking policy and full experience ashore confirmed for all cruises through summer 2022
• The Company with its pioneering protocol that led the restart of overall cruise industry has safely welcomed over one million guests on board its ships during all phases of the pandemic
• Protocol designed and continuously updated with input from ‘Blue Ribbon’ panel of external experts now extended to include experienced virologist and former US CDC Director, Dr. Robert Redfield

 MSC Cruises  launched its summer 2022 campaign under the ‘Cruise with Confidence’ program that confirms its industry-leading health & safety protocol, clear & flexible booking policy, robust yet simple vaccination & testing requirements and return to independent ashore exploration will apply to all sailings through summer 2022.

All existing and new bookings for all sailings through to the end of the next summer season will be covered by the Cruise with Confidence promise, under which the Company has already offered a safe, flexible and enjoyable cruise holiday to over one million guests during all phases of the pandemic, past and present.

Gianni Onorato, CEO, MSC Cruises, said, “We were able to lead the restart of our industry in August last year thanks to a comprehensive and flexible health and safety protocol that was designed to adapt to the evolution of the pandemic ashore and has since set the standard across the travel and hospitality sector. With this we were able to continue to offer the highest level of protection to our guests, crew and communities where our ships call to responsibly and safely welcome on our ships over one million guests for their holiday at sea.

With the pandemic continuing to evolve, we understand the importance of having clear information to reassure our guests that they can book a cruise with confidence and with flexibility to give them total peace of mind. We are thus extending our successful ‘Cruise with Confidence’ guarantee to all cruises through summer 2022 to continue to offer booked and new guests a safe, flexible and enjoyable holiday option. Reinforced with the required COVID-19 protection plan, this insurance gives guests extra security before and during the cruise. Finally, we also see the return of a full experience ashore with the reintroduction of independent shore excursions where local regulations allow this – there really has been no better time to book a cruise vacation.”

Covering all ships and itineraries, guests can continue to choose an MSC Cruises holiday at sea safe in the knowledge that their health, booking security and enjoyment are being taken care of. From winter sun in the Caribbean to stunning Mediterranean cruises with the whole family next summer, guests can book and cruise with confidence thanks to the following elements:

• All guests and crew vaccinated and tested

All guests aged 12* and above are required to be fully vaccinated, on top of this, all guests aged two and above are required to submit a negative test prior to boarding. All ship crew are also fully vaccinated, regularly tested and follow strict health & safety policies.

• Booking flexibility free of charge

All cruises can be rescheduled free of charge up to 15** days prior sailing, for any reason.

• Peace of mind thanks to COVID protection plan

All guests and their bookings are fully protected by the required COVID-19 protection insurance, covering events such as testing positive before boarding or at any point during your holiday. And at the end of the cruise, it will be easy to meet any return testing obligations via easily arranged antigen or RT-PCR testing either onboard or in the terminal.

• A full experience to make the cruise safe & enjoyable

Guests are free to disembark and independently explore ports of call wherever local regulations allow it. MSC Cruises has worked in partnership with authorities in all the regions and countries in which the ships operate to ensure its protocol meets, exceeds and adapts to the required regional and national health and safety measures.

In addition to these, the Company continues to monitor and adapt its industry-leading health and safety protocol that was developed last year by the Blue Ribbon COVID Expert Group – made up of highly qualified and internationally respected experts who together helped inform MSC Cruises’ operating protocol to protect the health and safety of guests and crew during every aspect of the guest’s journey, while maintaining the Company’s unique guest experience. Since its original inception, the panel has been reinforced with the addition of Dr. Robert R. Redfield, an American virologist and infectious disease clinician who most recently served as Director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) from 2018 to 2021.

Further, the panel is comprised of:

• Ian Norton, Specialist Emergency Physician, currently managing director of Respond Global, formerly the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) Emergency Medical Team Initiative program
• Christakis Hadjichristodoulou, Professor of Hygiene and Epidemiology at the Faculty of Medicine as well as its Vice President, School of Health Sciences, University of Thessaly, Greece
• Stephan J. Harbarth, Hospital Epidemiologist, Infectious Diseases Specialist and Head of the Antimicrobial Stewardship Program at the Geneva University Hospitals (HUG) and Faculty of Medicine
• Camillo Ricordi, Professor of Biomedical Engineering, University of Miami School of Medicine
• Jesus Arroyo, Specialist Internal Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Private practice, Geneva, Medical Affairs consultant, Trafigura Energy