MSC Cruises launches new Privé Lounge in Durban

MSC Cruises offers new experience at Durban’s Nelson Mandela Cruise Terminal

The 2024/2025 South African cruise season will come with a new offering from MSC Cruises.

The cruise company will soon launch an exclusive MSC Privé Lounge at Durban’s Nelson Mandela Cruise Terminal for the upcoming 2024/2025 season, reports Travel News.

The new lounge will make transiting through the cruise terminal all the more easier, with a priority embarkation experience.

What’s included?

Guests can enjoy the following benefits:

• A dedicated baggage drop-off area
• Priority security screening lane
• A dedicated check-in counter
• Expedited Immigration procedures
• Access to the MSC Privé Lounge on the first floor of the terminal where passengers can enjoy light refreshments and non-alcoholic beverages.

How much will it cost?

According to MSC Cruises, the lounge is already open for bookings, which must be done telephonically by calling the MSC call centre.

The experience can be purchased for R350 per adult for cruises departing from Durban only.

Here are a few important terms and conditions to note:

• MSC Privé Lounge must be pre-booked, and is not for sale at the terminal.
• Guests under 18 who are travelling with an adult guest that has purchased the experience will not be charged separately.
• The Lounge applies to embarkation only and does not include disembarkation.
• Guests who have purchased the experience are required to adhere to their assigned embarkation timeslot, both when arriving at the terminal and embarking the ship.

MSC Cruises cancels South Africa Musica sailings for next year

In other recent news from MSC Cruises, the cruise company made a few changes to their South African MSC Musica cruise calendar for next year, with two cruises being cancelled.

The upcoming cruise from Durban, South Africa to Genoa, Italy for the 2024/2025 season was the first to go.

The reason for this, MSC Cruises told Travel News, was because of the current dangers of travel through the Red Sea.

“We cancelled the Grand Voyage sailing in April from South Africa to Italy because of the risk to shipping in the Red Sea. The ship will transfer directly to Europe without any passengers on board and avoid transiting through the Red Sea. Instead, she will sail around the west coast of Africa with no ports of call on the journey,” the cruise line said.

This also led them to cancel another sailing, this one from Cape Town to Durban.

“As a result of this change, we have also had to cancel one sailing from Cape Town to Durban. We have contacted guests affected by these unfortunate yet understandable cancellations with offers of alternative cruises or a refund,” MSC said.