MSC Cruises extends successful season in Arabian Gulf

The cruise line’s Arabian Gulf season will be extended by three months

MSC Bellissima is set to finish her season in the Red Sea and replace MSC Virtuosa from 2 April 2022 with cruises in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha. 

Extending the current season in the Arabian Gulf by three months, MSC Bellissima will sail 12 additional seven-night cruises between 2 April and 25 June 2022 calling at Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sir Bani Yas Island in the United Arab Emirates and Doha in Qatar. 

The ship will finish her planned Red Sea itineraries on 26 March from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and then move to the Arabian Gulf to take over on 2 April from MSC Virtuosa.

MSC Virtuosa has been successfully sailing in the Gulf region since November 2021

On finishing the winter season MSC Virtuosa will undertake a Grand Voyage to Europe and homeport in Southampton, UK for summer 2022.

MSC Bellissima will transfer to the Far East to perform her itineraries from July in Japan and China. 

The Arabian Gulf has proven to be particularly attractive for MSC Cruises guests this winter thanks to the appeal of MSC Virtuosa’s itinerary with extended stays in port and two overnight stays in Dubai.

The effectiveness of the health and safety protocols put in place by the company on board the ship and also by the local authorities for entry and stay in the region have made guests feel safe.

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Gianni Onorato, CEO of MSC Cruises, said, “We have seen that the itineraries in the UAE and Qatar have been very popular with our guests and so to respond to this demand we have decided to extend our presence in the region.

“We would like to thank the authorities in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha for their close collaboration and effective ways of working to ensure the health and safety of our guests and crew.

“The decision to deploy MSC Bellissima for this extended part of the season was taken because this is a highly popular and well appreciated ship with a richness of features, entertainment and dining, as well as offering the MSC Yacht Club.

These cruises are also appealing as they’re very accessible thanks to the great flight connections into Dubai International Airport

“We are offering a comprehensive Fly&Cruise programme with award-winning airline Emirates, with flights from 21 international airports, making the whole experience for our guests seamless from end-to-end.”