MSC Cruises cancels MSC Musica repositioning from South Africa at end of 2024/25 season

MSC Cruises has cancelled its 24-night repositioning voyage aboard MSC Musica from Durban to Genoa, which was due to depart in April next year at the end of the upcoming 2024/25 South African cruise season.

The voyage up the coast of East Africa and through the Indian Ocean to the Red Sea with a transit of the Suez Canal has been cancelled on the back of ongoing security concerns in the region, where Houthi rebels in Yemen have been attacking international shipping.

The cancelled voyage would have included port calls in the Seychelles, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Jordan for the Lost City of Petra, a major draw for many passengers on Red Sea itineraries, but instead the ship will instead sail without passengers up the coast of West Africa.

“We regret to inform you that due to operational reasons affecting the deployment of the MSC Musica your upcoming cruise has been canceled,” the company said in a statement sent to booked guests.

“We understand that this may cause inconvenience, and we sincerely apologise for the disappointment this may cause,” MSC Cruises added. The statement informed guests that they will be able to choose from three options regarding compensation.

Guests can either select a full refund of the fare paid for the booking, or transfer their booking to any other Grand Voyage of a similar duration without any administration fee, or apply their current booking to any other cruise.

MSC Musica’s wider South African cruise season is unaffected, the ship will homeport in Durban as scheduled between November 2024 and March 2025, with several roundtrip Cape Town cruises to Walvis Bay, Namibia also on offer.

MSC Musica will sail a series of two- to 12-night cruises departing from Durban, visiting Pomene Bay and Portugese Island in Mozambique, as well as a special one-off voyage to the sub-Antarctic islands of Prince Edward and Marion in January.

MSC Cruises has also cancelled its repositioning voyages for MSC Euribia at the beginning and end of the 2024/25 Middle East cruise season, during which she will homeport in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the Arabian Gulf. MSC Euribia, like MSC Musica, will repositioning between Europe and the Middle East via Africa, but will do so without passengers due to the limited cruise infrastructure on the continent for a ship her size.