MSC Cruises has announced the cancellation of three “Grand Voyage” cruises originally set for April. These voyages were planned to sail from South Africa and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to Europe. According to the company’s press release, the decision was made in response to the ongoing risk to ships navigating the Red Sea. The affected cruises include a 24-night journey of the MSC Splendida from Durban, South Africa to Genoa, Italy; a 21-night sailing of the MSC Opera from Dubai, UAE to Genoa; and a 23-night voyage of the MSC Virtuosa from Dubai to Southampton, UK.
In its announcement, MSC Cruises emphasized that the safety and well-being of its passengers and crew members are of paramount importance. Citing the absence of feasible alternative routes, the cruise line expressed regret over the need to cancel these three sailings. As part of the company’s operational adjustments, the MSC Splendida, MSC Opera, and MSC Virtuosa will be repositioned directly to Europe for the summer 2024 season. These ships will undertake the journey without passengers, bypassing the Red Sea and instead navigating around the west coast of Africa.
This repositioning will be carried out without any scheduled ports of call. MSC Cruises has assured that all passengers who had bookings on these voyages are being contacted with options to address the change. Affected customers are being offered the opportunity to transfer their booking to a future Grand Voyage of similar duration at no additional cost. Alternatively, they can choose to rebook onto another cruise, with the option of either a partial refund or an additional charge, depending on the price difference. Passengers also have the option of receiving a full refund without any cancellation fees.
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