Msc-Magnifica

On Dec 22, 2025, the 'MSC Magnifica' requested the medical evacuation of a 77-year-old French passenger and a doctor, via helicopter, 38 nautiical miles off the coast of Barcelona. The CCS Barcelona of Salvamento Marítimo mobilised the SAR helicopter Helimer 222, which hoisted the two and transported them to Reus Airport, where an ambulance was waiting for further transfer to a hospital.

The 'MSC Magnifica' will begin sailings on Oct 19 with longer and richer itinerary offerings. She will kick start cruises with a series of seven cruises including an eight-night Christmas cruise departing on Dec 18 from Genoa, Italy. The vessel’s new program covers both the West and East Mediterranean and will see the ship homeport in Genoa with calls at Livorno for Florence and Pisa, Messina in Sicily, Valletta in Malta, Piraeus for Athens and Katakolon for Olympia in Greece and Civitavecchia for Rome, before returning to Genoa.The MSC cruise ship was previously scheduled to start cruises from Aug 29, 2020 but due to the complex situation in Europe this was delayed. You can read more details about the delay right here. This does mean that the ship’s four proposed seven-night cruises from Bari, Italy between Sep 26 to Oct 24, 2020 have been cancelled.

From Aug 22, 2020, the 'MSC Magnifica' will perform 7-night itineraries from Bari and Trieste, calling at Corfu, Katakolon, Piraeus. Over the past months since temporarily halting its cruise operation in connection with the development of the global health pandemic ashore, MSC Cruises has been hard at work to develop a new health and safety operating protocol to support its return to service once the time is right. New operating procedures are designed to meet and exceed guidelines provided by national and international health authorities like the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and will be put into place both before and after boarding the ship. Among the measures: Health screening for all guests, including a mandatory health questionnaire (sent in the cruise ticket), a contactless temperature check and COVID-19 screening. New sanitation methods including electrostatic sprayers to kill bacteria and viruses and use of hospital-grade disinfectant products. Daily contactless temperature check for all guests during the cruise. Newly designed activities with smaller group sizes will be introduced with themed events, fun games, kids and family activities, talent shows, fitness, dance and more.Service will be adapted to respect social distancing: all meals and drinks will be served to guests at their table. At the buffet restaurant, self-service will be temporarily unavailable and the food will be plated and served to guests.Based on the current regulations, all guests will be required to get MSC excursions to get ashore.MSC will contact the existing bookins from August 1 to September 30 to offer the new itineraries. The reprotection will be available only for Schengen countries resident.

Disembarkation of the 'MSC Magnifica' at berth 163 of the cruise terminal of the Léon Gourret JEtty in Marseille continued on April 21. The disembarkation of its 1,769 passengers, including 692 French was requiring controls of enhanced safety, even if the ship and its occupants were a priori free from any contamination with coronavirus. Once all passengers were from board, the ship was to remain stationary in the port.