Yesterday morning the crew of the cruise ship MSC Meraviglia received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in Port Miami. Captain Francesco Di Palma and around 90 crew members currently on board, were vaccinated with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. The general atmosphere on board is great as all crew were eager to get the vaccine. The vaccination cards are with the ship doctor who will update the crew when they will receive the second dose. 

“All smiles at PortMiami today as our first crew members in the U.S. receive their first COVID-19 vaccine shots. Captain Francesco Di Palma and Executive Chef Hector Ordonez of MSC Meraviglia rolled up their sleeves for their first shots along with the rest of the onboard staff” said MSC Cruises on its Facebook page.

MSC Cruises announced a fleet-wide COVID-19 vaccination program for all crew as the company plans to restart 10 cruise ships this summer in the Mediterranean, Northern Europe, and the Caribbean.

As part of the restarting plan, MSC Meraviglia is scheduled to restart cruises in  July, offering 7 Night Caribbean And Antilles voyages out of Miami, Florida. In the coming weeks, crew members will start boarding the vessel in preparation for the upcoming season. The first group of 90 crew members is expected to board MSC Meraviglia on May 14.