5.1  Passengers must hold fully valid passports for the whole duration of the Holiday Package and the expiry date must be at least 6 months after the return date. Certain countries insist on machine-readable and digital photo passports, especially Russia and USA.  

5.2 The Company is not responsible for obtaining visas for any Passenger, this is the responsibility of the individual Passenger.

It is the duty of the Passenger to verify that his/her passport, visas, or other documents for travel are accepted in the countries where the  Holiday Package is deployed. Passengers are strongly advised to check for all legal requirements for travelling abroad and at the various ports to include the requirement of visas, immigration, custom and health.

In particular, the Company is not responsible in case that Passengers are denied embarkation for lack or incompliance of immigration requirements resulting from the new EES (Entry Exit System) managed by Frontex and EU-LISA (“ European Union Agency for the Operational Management of Large-Scale IT Systems in the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice”) automatic passport control system set to  enter in force by 10th November 2024.

5.3  Passengers under 18 years of age (or 21 years of age for Passengers embarking from a US port) must travel accompanied by their parents or a legal guardian. If one of the traveling minor’s parents is not cruising, a signed authorization letter – made in accordance with the laws of the country where the minor resides – from the absent parent authorizing the minor to travel has to be provided at the moment of booking.   

5.4  If the minor is travelling with Passengers that are not his parents or legal guardians, the Company shall require, at the moment of booking, a document signed by the parents or legal guardian authorizing the minor to travel with a chaperone or a designated individual, in accordance with Company’s policies and the laws of the minor’s country of residence.

5.5 As a general rule, MSC Cruises SA (“MSC” or “the Company”) does not allow minors to stay alone in a cabin MSC without the presence of at least one adult. “Minor” means any person under the age of 21 (on voyages that include a port in the USA) or 18 (on cruises that do not include a port in the USA).

However, minors aged under 18 years old can stay in a cabin by themselves if the following conditions are met:

  1. minor guests are travelling with only one parent or legal guardian;
  2. the parent or legal guardian expressly requests, when making the booking, that the minors are assigned a cabin without the presence of an adult and signs a waiver of liability;
  3. the number of minors travelling with the parent or legal guardian is between 2 and 4;
  4. the cabin is occupied by either 1 minor aged no less than 12 years old or 2 minors where the oldest is at least 12 years old and the youngest is at least 8 years old;
  5. the presence of more than 2 minors alone in the cabin is not allowed.

For the vessels MSC Lirica, MSC Armonia, MSC Sinfonia, MSC Opera, MSC Musica, MSC  Orchestra, MSC Poesia, MSC Magnifica, MSC Fantasia, MSC Splendida, MSC Preziosa and MSC Divina, the parent or legal guardian and the minors shall only be accommodated in connecting cabins, and the minor cabin’s balcony shall be locked.

For all the other vessels, the following additional requirements apply:

  • the parent or legal guardian and the minor(s) shall be accommodated in connecting cabins with the minor cabin’s balcony being locked or in interior adjacent cabins; and
  • the parent or legal guardian shall be required to purchase a bracelet to have access to the cabin occupied by the minor(s) at any time during the cruise.

For the purpose of this clause, “adjacent cabins” is defined as two cabins, at least one without a balcony, which have no more than 3 cabins between them, and that pertain to the same assembly station and corridor. “Connecting cabins” is defined as to cabins that are connected by an internal door.

For itineraries that include a U.S. port, guests aged between 18 and 20 years old whose booking includes a passenger of 21 years or older are allowed to stay in their cabin alone without the requirements indicated above.