A cruise in Italy denied a family re-embarkation after they broke the ‘social bubble’

When the MSC Grandiosa set sail from Genoa, Italy, on Sunday — with only citizens of Europe’s Schengen-area countries and below its 70 percent capacity limit — it became the first ship in MSC’s fleet to return to cruising since spring coronavirus lockdowns halted cruising in Europe. But it wasn’t long before the cruise line’s stringent covid-19 guidelines were breached by a family on a shore excursion in Naples, which MSC says led to them denying those passengers reentry to the liner.

“In line with our health and safety protocol, developed to ensure health and well-being of our guests, crew and the communities we visit, we had to deny re-embarkation to a family who broke from their shore excursion [Tuesday] while visiting Naples,” an MSC Cruises spokesperson said in an email. “By departing from the organized shore excursion, this family broke from the ‘social bubble’ created for them and all other guests, and therefore could not be permitted to re-board the ship.”

MSC says the health and safety standards for shore excursions are the same as those on board: frequent sanitizing, social distancing, health screenings and use of personal protective equipment (PPE) such as face masks. To board an MSC Cruises liner, passengers must complete “a temperature check, medical review of a health questionnaire and an antigen covid-19 swab test,” the cruise line said in a statement.

[Cruising is still canceled, but here’s what travelers can expect when it returns]

After receiving a negative rapid-test result in the cruise terminal, guests can board the ship with their newly sanitized luggage. Onboard health measures include frequent cleanings with “hospital-grade” disinfectant, an enhanced medical center with testing equipment and isolation cabins, and ongoing health screenings that include daily temperature checks.

By The Way reported earlier this month on MSC’s plans to tightly control its shore excursions, with designated tour groups led by health-screened guides, face-mask requirements, and “strictly forbidden” independent sightseeing. Despite the strict screenings and rules, as well as the loss of communal dining on ships, cruise loyalists are returning to the high seas.

Other shore excursions on the trip included port of calls in Palermo, Italy, and Valetta, Malta, after a stop in Rome, according to an earlier MSC Cruises news release about the Grandiosa’s return to sailing. “Some of the guests will visit Rome — taking in all the attractions of the Eternal City — while traveling on sanitized transfers with social distancing in place, accompanied by tour guides and drivers who are also adhering to strict health and safety measures.”

Another MSC ship, the Magnifica, is scheduled to return to cruising on Aug. 29. MSC is only allowing residents of Europe’s Schengen area — the 26 European countries that allow border-free movement within them — on board for the rest of the summer 2020 season. It says it will only return to cruising in the United States “when the time is right, following approval by the [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] and other relevant authorities across the region.”

Read more:

Travelers miss flying so much that they’re taking ‘flights’ to nowhere

What it’s like to be a flight attendant during the pandemic

The State Dept. lifted its blanket international travel advisory. What does that mean for Americans?