WHY IT RATES: The cruise line is slowly getting back to normal operations.—Donald Wood, Breaking News Senior Writer.

MSC Splendida at the weekend became the latest MSC Cruises ship to restart summer sailings with her 7-night itinerary to the enchanting landscapes of the Eastern Mediterranean from the northern Italian port of Trieste.

Calls are to Ancona, Italy; Dubrovnik, Croatia; Bari, Italy; the Greek island of Corfu and Kotor in Montenegro or Split in Croatia before the vessel returns to Trieste with embarkation available in each of the Italian ports.

Ancona was recently added to the itinerary to enrich the experience for guests with an opportunity to discover the capital of Italy’s picturesque Marche region.

The itinerary will appeal to guests from throughout the Schengen area of Europe, especially Germany, Austria and Switzerland given the relative ease of ground transport links to embark in Trieste.

MSC Splendida offers a wide choice of restaurants, bars and lounges, four swimming pools, a fully equipped gym and luxurious spa, award-winning family activities and facilities as well as the MSC Yacht Club with 71 spacious suites and personalized 24/7 butler service.

Four daily transfer shuttles for MSC Cruises guests will run from Venice’s Marco Polo airport and one from the city center to the cruise terminal in Trieste offering a convenient service for embarking guests who have flown to Italy from Europe. Prices per person are Euros €25 one way and Euros €50 return.

MSC Splendida represents the Company’s fifth ship to resume cruise holidays this summer. MSC Grandiosa and MSC Seaside are sailing in the West Mediterranean, MSC Orchestra is operating in the East Mediterranean and flagship MSC Virtuosa is cruising in the UK for British guests only.

The ship will be supported by MSC Cruises’ industry-leading health and safety protocol, which has protected tens of thousands of guests, as well as crew members and local communities visited by the Company’s ships, since it was first introduced in August 2020 on MSC Grandiosa.

MSC Magnifica will resume sailings on 20 June from Italy for voyages in the East Mediterranean, MSC Seaview will restart on 3 July from Kiel in Germany for sailings in the Baltic Sea to Sweden and Estonia followed by MSC Seashore making her maiden sailing from the end of July in the West Mediterranean.

SOURCE: MSC Cruises press release.