MSC Cruises has announced it’s postponing the restart of MSC Magnifica until 26 September.

The suspension was prompted by a recent introduction of testing measures for residents of Italy having travelled to Greece, in which MSC Cruises saw a rise in cancellations and drop in demand.

This prompted the Italy-based cruise line to delay the restart of the ship by four weeks.

MSC Magnifica was due to restart sailings this month, sailing around the Mediterranean and Greek Islands.

The sailings were open to residents of the Schengen area (European Union) only, and are not on sale to British or Irish passengers.

At the cruise line bounces back into action, the majority of guests are expected to be Italian nationals and residents. This directly affected bookings due to the new Italian testing measures.

As a result of the delay, MSC Magnifica cruise departures from 20 August to 19 September 2020 have been cancelled.

The first cruise will depart from Bari, Italy, with an unchanged itinerary for the 26 September sailing.

Guests affected by the delay are able to book onto another cruise or receive future cruise credit, with MSC pushing for guests to re-book onto MSC Grandiosa.

The cruise line’s new flagship is currently sailing in the western Mediterranean, offering seven-night cruises to Schengen residents only.

Stops on the sailing include Genoa, Civitavecchia (Rome), Naples and Palermo, also calling at Valetta, Malta.

Looking ahead to the future, MSC Cruises last month confirmed details of its winter 2020/2021 sailings.

The cruise line will offer 90 different itineraries across the Caribbean, Mediterranean, the Gulf, South Africa, South America and Asia – all of the regions where MSC Cruises traditionally operates.

Offering something for every passenger, cruises will range from two up to 24-night cruises, with a third MSC World Cruise departing in January 2021.

MSC is also running an extensive Grand Voyages programme in 2021.