Watch European Travel Advisors Talk About the ‘New’ Cruise Experience on MSC Grandiosa

With the North American cruise industry still in a holding pattern due to COVID-19, this week MSC Cruises again resumed its European operations in the Mediterranean, one of just a few cruise lines able to safely restart some of its operations since the pandemic began in March 2020. 

MSC’s restart did suffer one stop after the Italian government issued an order to stop the sailings during the holiday season, but normal operations resumed this past Sunday when Grandiosa departed on a seven-night Mediterranean sailing out of Genoa.

The ship, which first started sailing its European itineraries in August, has already been able to safely sail more than 30,000 guests since its restart, a major milestone for the line and for the cruise industry.

Last week, MSC released a video of what travel advisors, who have been able to take part in these sailings, experienced while  onboard. The experience, which has been cited by a number of others in the cruise industry as a model for a safe return to sailing, includes new service in the ship’s buffet, hand washing stations everywhere on the ship, temperature checks, mask wearing, and more. 

Travel advisor webinars
This week, MSC will launch the first in a series of 11 webinars for travel advisors to engage them with the cruise line’s new online booking system, MSC Book. 

The webinars will cover everything that advisors need to know about MSC Book, including how to make and alter bookings, how to make group bookings, and how to best use the marketing materials included inside the system. 

The first webinar, which kicks off on Jan. 27, will cover an overview of MSC Book, and will be followed by a regular, weekly schedule, aside from some weeks off in February. 

Travel advisors can register for the webinars here.