MSC Cruises chairman Pierfrancesco Vago holds great optimism for his embattled sector, which has had one setback after another over the past two years.

First, a pandemic threw the entire industry into a two-year deep freeze that cost it billions of dollars in losses.

But just as Covid-19 seemed to loosen its death grip on cruising, Russia’s late-February attack on Ukraine sent trembles through the hearts of seafarers and cruise passengers alike.