MSC Cruises: The need-to-know before you cruise

Get ready to set sail on the MSC Orchestra. Photo: Braun Turismo / flickr

All aboard, South Africa: now that MSC Cruises have resumed sailings, here’s all you need to know before you cruise.

The docked MSC Orchestra. Photo: Yvon Maurice / flickr

Last week Thursday, 13 January, saw Cape Town welcome its first cruise liner since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. The MSC Orchestra docked at the Port of Cape Town thus signaled the start of the local cruise season. The cruise line currently only admits vaccinated passengers on board, and those passengers will have to adhere to guidelines too.

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Here are some of the requirements/guidelines to know before you embark:

A PRINTED copy of your cruise ticket(s), one per person travelling
A PRINTED COPY of your Health Questionnaire completed a minimum of 6 hours before embarkation
All Guests (2 years old and over) need to provide a certificate of a negative RT-PCR test taken within 48 hours of the day of embarkation
All Guests (12 years old and over) have to be fully vaccinated with an approved Covid-19 vaccine with the final dose administered at least 14 days before the cruise departure date. Guests aged 12 – 17, having received a single shot a minimum of 14 days before the date of embarkation, will be accepted as fully vaccinated
Unvaccinated guests (2 years to 11) will additionally have to undergo an antigen lateral flow test at the embarkation port at a cost of R300 per person.
All vaccinated guests to present original COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card or Digital Government Issued Vaccination Certificate, which must contain: Personal identifiers (at a minimum: full name and date of birth) that match the personal identifiers on the passport, name of official source issuing the record, vaccine manufacturer and date(s) of vaccination
Guests over 18 years old that recovered from Covid-19 and received only one shot of the vaccine are not considered as fully vaccinated
Proof of your Covid-19 insurance policy. This is only necessary if you purchased separate insurance to MSC Cruises South Africa insurance

You can also view some of MSC Cruises Health and Safety protocols here.

Sundeeka Mungroo

Sundeeka Mungroo is a content writer, foodie and all-round adventure-seeker. She's a graduate of the University of South Africa with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature, and has worked as a copywriter and editor in the digital marketing industry. Sundeeka currently writes for I Love South Africa and The South African. She lives in the beautiful Mother City and loves exploring all that South Africa has to offer.