There was much excitement on Thursday 13 January 2022 as the first cruise since the start of the pandemic arrived at Cape Town’s cruise terminal.
The MSC Orchestra, which departed the port of Cape Town on Thursday morning, made its way to Gqeberha and will return to Cape Town on January 18.
The same ship recently returned to Durban for a 4-night cruise in December, but the surge in Covid-19 infections suspended voyages until the new year.
According to a statement from MSC, the cruise is only ‘accepting fully Covid-19 vaccinated guests.’
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.
‘As your cruise is longer than five days, you will be required to additionally take an antigen test at embarkation, at MSC Cruise’s cost.’
The MSC Orchestra is expected to arrive at the port of Mossel Bay on January 15 on its way to Gqeberha.
Meanwhile, V&A waterfront CEO, David Green, said that ‘MSC’s return gives confidence and good news for the tourism sector that we may still have a cruising season left of our summer. The cruise industry is one of the last sectors to resume operations and we’re excited and ready to safely welcome back local and international guests and crews to Cape Town.’
Picture: Wesgro
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