MSC cruises ..are masks required on board

[DCGuy64]

FYI I called MSC this afternoon and the representative said that as of July 15 there is no more ban on American passengers for European sailings.  

[Debde]

Sad that I have now turned my search to NCL Haven. Please reconsider MSC as I do prefer the Yacht club  also.

[back-at-it]

I have until Sept 10th to see if they change the mask policy.. 

[mimi217]

3 hours ago, GOLDENBONNY said:

I really hope MSC will read this board and see how many people will move to Celebrity , include our party of 6 . I hate to do this , I prefer to stay with MSC but we are not wearing masks on vacation. 

Exactly..our group has 8 people...we're all vaccinated  and don't want to wear a mask!!

[emmas gran]

We have cancelled Seashore Transatlantic in October, I was worried about 18 days if Covid came on board especially with lots of sea days and non vaccinated guests. However now an illness has made cancelling a little easier.

[CruiseMH]

21 hours ago, BoundForSea said:

 The vaccine in Europe is not something as prevalent as it is here in the US

In Europe fewer people in percentage terms are (fully)vaccinated but in absolute numbers there are over 171 Mio. people vaccinated in the EU...slightly more than in the US. So there are already 171 mio. potential customers for MSC: 😉

And i am sure that a lot people who are currently not wanting to cruise would make a cruise as soon as all the restrictions are gone.

So i don`t think that requiring all guests to be vaccinated would cost MSC a lot of guests.Maybe some would not be able to cruise with them then but therefore some others would make a cruise(who didn`t think about it so far due to all the restrictions on board)

 

At the end every cruise line has to make a decision which fits them best or which they think is the best for them.

And we as guests then have the free choice.

 

 

[paulh84]

Add us to the list of people who will switch to another line at final payment this fall. MSC has been using their preboarding test + mask policy for a long time in Europe. For US cruises I unfortunately don't see them straying from what has worked for them for so many months. Considering the large number of non-US citizens on their Miami departures I have a feeling they stick to their mandatory mask policy for quite some time. 

[titangas]

I only booked a cruise for December on Seashore within the last 2 weeks. The mask policy did not state required indoors when I booked, and I do see where it states it now.

 

I will be cancelling before final payment, if it stays. We are vaccinated and will not pay to wear masks on vacation.

[cruisecouple7]

On 7/10/2021 at 12:23 PM, mimi217 said:

I was under the impression if you're vaccinated you didn't have to wear a mask. That is so disappointing!

As or today,

This is what the MSCcruises.com says "If you are fully vaccinated You will be required to wear a mask throughout the cruise while indoors and in public areas. Mask use is not required outdoors. Where social distancing is not possible outdoors, mask use is recommended for all guests" The rest of the guidelines are here: https://www.msccruisesusa.com/health-and-safety-measures/caribbean-cruises

Edited July 12, 2021 by cruisecouple7

[jules815]

On 7/11/2021 at 11:56 AM, deliver42 said:

MSC goes out of Florida, and they can't ask if passengers are vaccinated there. It will probably be 95% vaccinated and 5% unvaccinated, in which case vaccinated will have to wear a mas some places inside, and non vaccinated will be restricted where they can go, just lie Royal Caribbean and Carnival. This cold change by the day. 

I thought they were going to have vaccinated cruisers upload a copy of their vaccination record, and then showing it again at the port. Isn't that the same as asking?

[jules815]

12 minutes ago, cruisecouple7 said:

As or today,

This is what the MSCcruises.com says "If you are fully vaccinated You will be required to wear a mask throughout the cruise while indoors and in public areas. Mask use is not required outdoors. Where social distancing is not possible outdoors, mask use is recommended for all guests" The rest of the guidelines are here: https://www.msccruisesusa.com/health-and-safety-measures/caribbean-cruises

 

- Will there be any changes to the bars and lounges?

Our bars will be open and ready to serve our guests with their favorite cocktail or aperitif. To ensure we comply with the current social distancing recommendations, our staff will deliver drinks at the table and we will limit the capacity of each venue. Face masks do not need to be worn by our guests when seated in bars and lounges for vaccinated guests. Not fully vaccinated guests must wear face masks.

[DCGuy64]

Just having read the Italian MSC site, I can say they make it clear that while masks must be worn when entering restaurants, bars and lounges, they can be removed once seated. And they aren’t required outdoors unless in places where social distancing can’t be maintained. 

[KennyFla]

10 hours ago, DCGuy64 said:

Just having read the Italian MSC site, I can say they make it clear that while masks must be worn when entering restaurants, bars and lounges, they can be removed once seated. And they aren’t required outdoors unless in places where social distancing can’t be maintained. 

If they use this policy for the caribbean, I can live with it.  We have been watching the latest youtube videos from MSC passengers, and the safety measures do not look too bad.

The only thing I am really worried about is getting a false positive when we go to board the ship.

Edited July 13, 2021 by KennyFla

[phillibl]

12 hours ago, jules815 said:

I thought they were going to have vaccinated cruisers upload a copy of their vaccination record, and then showing it again at the port. Isn't that the same as asking?

 

Not the same, essentially if you want to sail as a vaccinated passenger you must prove you are vaccinated.  If you don't want to volunteer that info then you will be considered an unvaccinated passenger.

[alyssamma]

13 hours ago, jules815 said:

- Will there be any changes to the bars and lounges?

Our bars will be open and ready to serve our guests with their favorite cocktail or aperitif. To ensure we comply with the current social distancing recommendations, our staff will deliver drinks at the table and we will limit the capacity of each venue. Face masks do not need to be worn by our guests when seated in bars and lounges for vaccinated guests. Not fully vaccinated guests must wear face masks.

I wonder if Top Sail in the YC counts as a bar/lounge.

 

And what about the atrium? People often sit there and drink.

[MStarzky]

yeah they said you need to provide proof of vacination, in ontario canada where im from they email us a copy of the official vax document showing i got both doses of moderna.

[jules815]

On 7/13/2021 at 5:38 AM, KennyFla said:

If they use this policy for the caribbean, I can live with it.  We have been watching the latest youtube videos from MSC passengers, and the safety measures do not look too bad.

The only thing I am really worried about is getting a false positive when we go to board the ship.

 

This is exactly how we feel. We're both fully vaccinated and sailing on Meraviglia mid-October. The false positive, or being asymptomatic with the Delta variant, is worrisome. I'll be so relieved once we're able to board.

[kilkoyne]

On 7/10/2021 at 1:41 PM, MotownVoice said:

 

Unfortunately the cruiselines are having difficulty garnering any support for a system for verifying that a person has been vaxed.   So there’s no way except taking a person’s word for it.  So blame the anti vaxxers/anti vax passport people. 

 

I would say blame yourself if you booked without knowing the current protocols. It's not the anti vaxxers to blame, MSC made a choice to cruise this way.

[kilkoyne]

On 7/12/2021 at 7:22 PM, jules815 said:

I thought they were going to have vaccinated cruisers upload a copy of their vaccination record, and then showing it again at the port. Isn't that the same as asking?

 

Florida law says you can't be denied service if you are not vaccinated. They can ask and if you want to volunteer the info that's ok. If they deny you then it's not ok.....at least that's the way I read into it.

[paulh84]

We are not booked until February from Miami but received an email this morning asking to start the online check-in process to confirm vaccination status and accept the cruise contract. The links don't work so this may have been sent in error but it does look like they are trying to get their ducks in a row for winter cruises. 

 

 

[robc1972]

I cruise in November so hopefully masks will be optional for fully vaccinated.
Keep an eye on Norwegians lawsuit against Florida's law, hopefully the courts will make an exemption for cruises or that the state will exempt cruises.

[phissy]

Also following NCL vs State of Florida.  Cruise lines cannot afford another shut down so, they need to protect themselves and their business.

[jules815]

2 hours ago, paulh84 said:

We are not booked until February from Miami but received an email this morning asking to start the online check-in process to confirm vaccination status and accept the cruise contract. The links don't work so this may have been sent in error but it does look like they are trying to get their ducks in a row for winter cruises. 

 

 

Received the same email today.  We're sailing mid-October.

 

[paulh84]

57 minutes ago, phissy said:

Also following NCL vs State of Florida.  Cruise lines cannot afford another shut down so, they need to protect themselves and their business.

 

The unique thing about MSC is that they have been relying on a pre-cruise test and masks as their protocol for months and months now. Given the number of kids, Europeans and South Americans onboard, I think they are more likely to stick with what has worked for them so far rather than adopt a stringent vaccination protocol like Royal, Celebrity and Carnival. That's unfortunate for us because it would give us reason to cancel, but it would not be a surprise if masks were required all of the winter 21/22 season. 

[MStarzky]

do we need a another negative covid test before we are allowed to board?