22 August 2022 – MSC Cruises today announced MSC Virtuosa will truly become its flagship for the UK, by offering sailings out of Southampton in the UK for winter 2022/23 and summer 2023.
This will be the first time that the line has continuously operated one of its vessels from the UK year-round. MSC Virtuosa launched in 2021 and became the first ship to restart UK cruises in May of that year. The ship returned to the UK in April this year and will now continue to operate out of Southampton through to the end of the summer 2023 season.
Antonio Paradiso, Managing Director – UK and Ireland, MSC Cruises, said,
Since MSC Virtuosa first came to the UK, the feedback from our guests has been incredible and the ships has been a huge hit. The increased appetite for stress-free no-fly cruises out of the UK combined with the benefits of the new state-of-the-art Horizon Terminal has resulted in huge demand. The continued deployment of one of our newest and most innovative ships out of the UK is just further proof of the continued importance of the UK market, which began with our first full ex-UK season back in 2018. Since then, we have gone from strength to strength and we are committed to offering the best possible experience for our guests from the UK and Ireland.
MSC Virtuosa will now replace MSC Preziosa’s itineraries this winter offering the newly introduced ‘Northern Pearls’ itinerary from Southampton to Hamburg for Berlin in Germany; Zeebrugge for Bruges and Brussels in Belgium; Rotterdam in the Netherlands and Le Havre for Paris in France. Itineraries will offer a variety of choice to customers with cruises ranging from three-night breaks to three-week trips for those looking for a longer holiday at sea.
MSC Virtuosa’s deployment for winter will see us increase our capacity for the season and will provide an even more attractive offering for our guests looking for a winter break without having to take a flight.
added Anthony Paradiso.
In summer 2023, MSC Virtuosa will replace MSC Grandiosa offering an appealing range of itineraries from mini cruises, 7-night sailings through to longer cruises. Further details of the full programme will be released soon.
MSC Cruises have 3 more ships entering service in under 12 months, including the launch of their newest, most innovative and largest ship ever launched, MSC World Europa later this year.
