A family on MSC Cruises’ first voyage back on the water in the Mediterranean was not allowed back on board after they separated from their group during an officially planned excursion.
© MIGUEL MEDINA / Getty
The family broke away from the group during an excursion organized by the cruise line to Naples.
Sailing on the MSC Grandiosa, the first cruise to hit the Mediterranean since Italy lifted its lockdown, the family broke away from the group during an excursion organized by the cruise line to Naples, an MSC spokeswoman confirmed to Travel + Leisure on Thursday. But they left the group during the excursion, broke the ‘social bubble’ that the cruise line needed for port excursions and were denied the chance to board again.
“By leaving the organized excursion to the coast, this family broke out of the ‘social bubble’ that was created for them and all the other guests, and therefore could not be allowed to board the ship again,” he said. Paige Rosenthal, a spokeswoman for MSC Cruises, T + L. “With these organized coastal excursions, MSC Cruises can maintain the same high standard of health and safety as on board, for example to ensure that transits are well-sanitized and that there is ample room for social distance, and tour guides and drivers also undergo health screening and wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE). “
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FOLLOWING
Ahead of their trip MSC Cruises, which is set to launch a second ship in the eastern Mediterranean later this month, said that as part of its new protocol, pending the coronavirus, guests can only ship leave as they were on an excursion planned by the ship.
It was also not immediately clear how long the family left the group during the excursion, where they went, or what their accommodations on land are.
In addition to the family who broke away from their trip, Rosenthal said three people tested positive for COVID-19 with an antigen swab test because they were on board Naples for the first time. They were then isolated and retested with an RT-PCR test, which returned negative.
The passengers will participate this coming weekend in the next sail that will begin.
The cruises, which are limited to 70 percent capacity, are only open to residents of the Schengen area in Europe and passengers are subject to temperature controls and COVID-19 swabs when boarding.
While on board, they are also given wristbands, which work for contactless payment and access to room space as a contact person, and they are required to wear face masks in elevators and other public areas.
Alison Fox is a contributing writer for Travel + Leisure. When she’s not in New York City, she spends her time at the beach or explores new destinations and hopes to visit every country in the world. Follow her adventures on Instagram @alisonwrites.
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