MSC Virtuosa Family Adventure
Sitting in the back of the taxi driving up to the MSC Virtuosa, I couldn’t contain my excitement! To see a cruise ship boarding guests after the last 14 months gave me goosebumps and I couldn’t wait to get onboard. To add to my excitement, this would also be our daughters first cruise - she turned three in May and we have been so looking forward to her experiencing cruising, which is something we both love!
MSC Cruises are the only cruise line in the UK to allow vaccinated (full course of 2 vaccines) and unvaccinated guests onboard this summer, this includes children too. Unvaccinated guests and guests who have only had one vaccine are required to provide proof of a negative covid test which they must have taken 72 hours prior to boarding – PCR and lateral flow tests are accepted. When you arrive at the port, you can provide evidence of this by showing a text or email confirmation for each individual guest. All guests are also required to have travel insurance in place that includes cruise and covid cover and a copy of this must be presented at the port to MSC staff.
In line with new Covid procedures, you are now allocated a check-in time on your tickets and you must arrive at the port at that time and no earlier. This is to ensure that there is no overcrowding at the terminal and that the check-in process is as smooth as possible. Our check-in time was 11am, we arrived on time and were escorted to an area where MSC staff checked our Covid results and insurance documents. Once we were cleared, our suitcases were taken by the porters and we were directed through to security and check-in. When you enter check-in the first place you are directed to is the covid test area where you are given a nasal swab, the results are very quick and we had ours back within 5 minutes. We were worried about our three-year-old getting very upset as she had been when we did the test at home but the nurse on hand was fantastic and allowed me to administer the test with her watching over and directing me – as it was only the nasal swab it actually wasn’t too bad! From here we were sent over to the check-in desk where we received our cruise cards and both adults received the MSC Wristband which tracks your position onboard for track and trace purposes and allows for close contact purchases onboard and unlocking of your cabin door.
At check-in we were allocated a number and shown to the seating area matching that number where around 15 other people were sat socially distanced in their parties. This was so that people were spaced out and boarded the ship in smaller groups. Refreshments were provided whilst we waited and we were all given a special Maiden Voyage badge by the MSC Staff. We were only sat for around 10 minutes when our number was called for boarding! We were onboard by 11:45 - Considering the new covid procedures in place, this is the fastest I have gone from check-in to boarding and I put that down to how efficient and well informed the portside staff were!
We boarded the ship straight into the amazing ‘Galleria’ on deck 6, the Dome was flying the Union Jack flag and there was gentle music playing in the background, we were asked if we would like a photo of our first moments onboard and we were happy to capture the memory. After the photos were taken the photographer scanned my MSC wristband, this would ensure that when I wanted to check our photos at the photo shop, all I would need to do is scan my wristband on one of the photo-point screens and our photos would appear.
We were informed that our cabin would be ready at 1pm and that there was a hand luggage storage point next to guest services on deck 5 should we need it, we left our hand luggage with the very kind gentleman and headed straight up to the buffet restaurant. At the buffet entrance, we were shown to sinks to clean our hands and our temperatures were also taken. Inside the buffet, things had changed but definitely for the better, you were handed your tray and cutlery before heading to the food stations. At the food stations you could no longer take the food yourself as everything was now behind plastic screens, instead each station had a number of staff on hand to dish up the food you would like. I personally found this much better, everything was straight forward and everybody waited their turn to be served – there was no delay in getting your food as MSC has ensured that there are 3-4 staff at each station to serve customers. The food was fresh and tasty and there was lots of choice! Waiters came to the table to take drinks orders and if you wanted teas or coffees, you could get these from the refreshments section – again you tell a member of staff what you would like and they make it for you. There is also a food station out by the main pool which serves Pizzas, Burgers and fries etc and then at the other side is the soft scoop ice cream station.
Once we had eaten our cabin was ready, so after heading to get our hand luggage we went straight there. We had an inside cabin on this cruise, being that it was only 4 nights and we weren’t planning on spending a lot of time inside with a three-year-old who was excited to explore. The cabin was brilliant though, I was surprised by how large it was and the amount of storage space! We had two double wardrobes with drawers, a good-sized bathroom where shower gel and shampoo are provided in the Beautiful ‘Med by MSC’ scent, a bunk bed had been pulled down for our daughter and there was a TV which had a number of British channels including a children’s TV channel which I am sure that many parents would agree is very helpful to keep the little ones occupied whilst you are getting ready for your evening meal! For guest safety the TV remote had been sanitised and was in a sealed envelope on the desk ready for our use. MSC Cruises has really thought of its British guests on these sailings and made sure to add kettles in the cabins with Nescafe coffee and Yorkshire Tea. Plug sockets in the cabin are American and European and there are also USB plugs underneath each bedside light. I did panic that there was no hairdryer – but, don’t fret! This can be found in the desk drawer.
Whilst in the cabin there was an announcement that we would be taking part in a safety exercise, something all new guests must do when boarding a ship. However, this safety drill was very different to what we were used to. You must be in your cabin for the safety drill and watch a safety video on your TV screen, at the end of the video you are given a code which you are to enter on your cabin telephone – this records that you have watched the video. You are then required to go to your allocated safety point to have your cruise card scanned. Doing the safety drill in this way was much quicker and also meant guests weren’t all bunched together.
After the safety drill, we headed back out – this time to ‘Doremiland’ where you will find the kids clubs. This area is absolutely fantastic, MSC has partnered with Lego® and Chicco® offering kids the best toys available! The kids club caters to Babies, Children and Teenagers and with MSC Cruises being a family company they definitely understand the importance of the fun and safety of all their guests – especially their younger ones. We asked if we could have a tour of the kid’s club as it wasn’t yet open and the kind staff were more than happy to show us around. Before entering we had to sanitise our hands and our shoes were also sanitised by a member of staff. The first room we are shown is the ‘Chicco Baby Club’ – this room is for toddlers between 1 and 3 and you can either choose to use ‘MSC Babycare’ where you can leave your little ones during allocated times in the safe hands of qualified MSC Babycare staff or you can choose ‘MSC Babytime’ where parents can stay and play with their babies (at the moment this is limited to 1 parent per child due to covid restrictions). The room is full of educational toys chosen by the Osservatorio Chicco® Research Centre ensuring that your little ones have the best experience possible. In this room you will also find baby changing facilities and a food/milk warming station.
The next room was the ‘MSC Virtuosa Mini Club’, for children aged 3-6 years and filled with imaginative play and Duplo Lego! Throughout the day qualified MSC staff set activities for the children and they learn how to build with the Lego. The vibrant colours of this room are welcoming to little ones and provide them a safe haven to have fun and imaginative play.
We then headed into the ‘MSC Virtuosa Junior Club’, here 7–11-year-olds can enjoy a fun but high-quality learning experience. The room is filled with Lego® and plenty of space for children to explore and have fun! Qualified MSC Staff mix story telling and magic and encourage children to become their own Lego Magician!
Moving onto the Teens, we were informed that this area is split into two clubs – there is the ‘Young Club’ for 12–14-year-olds and the ‘Teens Club’ for 15–17-year-olds. The ‘Young Club’ was our first stop, here you will find a hip and trendy room filled with gaming pods and consoles such as Xbox, Nintendo and PlayStation. There are also board games, table tennis and lots of sports activities scheduled to keep them entertained – it is the perfect hang out zone! In the ‘Teens Club’ which is called the ‘Attic’, they have a large area which by day is used as a gaming room, cinema and hang out zone and by night serves as a disco – Any Teen would feel independent in this area.
New to the Virtuosa is the ‘Teens Lab’, this room is a tech-filled space for teenagers where the latest games consoles, virtual reality, music and dancing takes teens into another dimension. There are silent discos and a new detective game which will bring out the inquisitive minds of teens who will have to collect clues and solve the puzzles to find the answers.
We did not see the ‘Games Room’ as it was being cleaned in preparation for the next session, but I am told that this room is a “Magic Lego game room and laboratory” that is full of computers and interactive games designed to stimulate children’s minds.
Not only do the kids clubs offer these amazing areas to keep children entertained for hours, they also offer services to ensure that adults and children can make the most of their cruise. One of the services they offer is ‘Happy Dinner’ – After dinner little ones will be picked up from their parents at the restaurant table and escorted to the Mini or Junior club. This way your children can dine with you before heading off for some fun of their own (this service does need to be booked before 4pm on the day).
If you would like an evening to eat alone, then opt for the ‘Funtime Dinner Service’. Here your children will be fed in a dedicated area at the main buffet with the entertainment team.
Also offered by the kid’s club are some brilliant activities such as the ‘Magician’s apprentice’ which is a themed night that takes place once a week where children can learn lots of tricks and the ‘Cyclone’, a brand-new game that takes place in the ‘Sportsplex’ arena – Children are split into two teams and compete in fun sporting activities. To add to all that, each cruise also holds an all-day event dedicated to Lego® activities for the whole family to enjoy together. If travelling with children you will receive lots of information in your cabin onboard for all of the above and how to book any necessary slots.
Keeping in line with all the fun MSC Virtuosa has to offer, let’s talk about the Entertainment area – situated the deck below the kids club this area was definitely a favourite of ours! With an arcade, bowling, F1 Simulator and 4D Cinema to name just some of the brilliant offerings! Our three-year old was more than happy in the arcade and we enjoyed lots of family time here. My partner was in his element with the F1 simulator, being a big Formula 1 fan. However, it was the ‘Hologate Arena’ that had him buzzing! This virtual reality game immersed him to the point he actually thought he was there! He swooped and jumped and it was a sight to watch for us but he said it was one of the best thing’s he had ever done! Families will spend hours of fun here and never get bored. Whilst these activities come at a cost, there are a number of entertainment packages available to purchase which are fantastic value for money!
As well as all of the above, there are always activities taking place throughout the day for children and families, these will be shown on your daily programme and ensure that there is always plenty to keep all ages entertained.
Moving onto Dining onboard, you will not be short of choice! As well as the main restaurants and buffet featured onboard there are also a number of speciality options. The one that I heard being most talked about was ‘Indochine’ – a French-Vietnamese restaurant that will take you on a culinary experience like never before. There is also ‘Kaito Teppanyaki Restaurant & Sushi Bar’, offering delicious and authentic Asian cuisine that is cooked in front of your eyes. ‘Butcher’s Cut’ is a traditional American style steakhouse that offers a relaxed and sophisticated form of dining. And then there is ‘Hola! Tacos & Cantina’, this is new for the Virtuosa and is a fast-casual street food dining concept. We decided to have lunch here during our cruise and all I can say is WOW!! The food was well presented, flavoursome and so fresh! On our third evening we were invited to eat in the ‘Top Sail’ Yacht club restaurant, the Yacht Club area is a ship within a ship and is beautifully elegant. The food and service were absolutely top quality and the staff went out of their way to accommodate our Three-Year old, by the end of dinner she had the waiters around her making her napkin animals – something she thoroughly enjoyed!
During our 4 days onboard, we were lucky enough to have some Beautiful weather after a rainy sailing out of Southampton. We made the most of this weather splashing about in the pools onboard - of which there are 5 including the ‘Savannah Waterpark’! The pools are heated and are kept safe and clean by the brilliant staff onboard. The water park has 2 big water slides and a smaller baby slide so that everyone can enjoy! There is also a pool at the water park and lots of activities dotted around. At the water park, you will also find the ‘Himalayan Bridge’, where you are attached to a rope course and cross the ship, 80 metres above water!
We enjoyed many other highlights onboard such as ‘Rob, The Robotic Bartender’ – He is a humanoid robot that interacts with guests with voice and movement. Cocktails here are charged at £18 and Rob makes them right in front of you, the drink is served in a custom designed glass which you can keep and take home with you! We sat and watched the world go by on our second day at ‘Jean Philippe Maury Choclaterie’, here we enjoyed a cup of tea and beautiful Macaroons whilst our little one was spoilt for choice with the fresh chocolate being made right in front of our eyes! As with all sailings in the UK aboard the Virtuosa this summer, we had a premium drinks package included and our daughter had the children’s drinks package which included soft scoop ice-cream, however the Jean Philippe Maury Choclaterie was not included in this so we did pay for our teas here. On deck 6, which is the hub of the ship, we enjoyed browsing the many shops onboard and stopping and looking up when there was a ‘Dome Show’ – a wonderful mix of music and imagery shown at certain times of the day on the longest LED Dome at sea.
During our evenings we thoroughly enjoyed the theatre shows and particularly loved the ‘Soul Sisters Motown’ show which we actually watched two nights in a row! The fun and energy of this show got everybody in the mood to have a great night! Though we didn’t use the casino, we did walk through it on more than one occasion and it was filled with excitement and fun, I was told that there are over 150 slot machines and 12 tables here and there were lots of people trying their luck and having a little flutter! If you are wondering what to wear onboard and have heard stories of tuxedos and ball gowns being a must, then think again! MSC have three types of dress code – casual, white night and gala evening. Whilst there is a gala evening during every cruise, the dress code is very relaxed and whilst some choose to dress to the nines, you won’t be out of place if you decide not to and you certainly won’t be the only one.
During this cruise, we had one stop in Portland. We decided to stay onboard during the stop and make the most of the ship. However, if you do want to get off you must do this by taking part in an MSC excursion. This is to ensure safety of all guests due to Covid restrictions and will ensure that you do not leave the ship’s ‘bubble’. Though we did not disembark we did have a wonderful time watching dolphins swimming around the ship whilst we were docked!
Before you board the ship, I would recommend you downloading the MSC for Me app. Here you can check-in before you go and book any extras such as excursions before you go. Whilst onboard you can keep up to date with the daily activities (as well as receiving your daily program in the cabin), book speciality restaurants and shows, excursions and keep in touch with the rest of your party on board using the messaging service within the app. You do not need internet to use the app but if you want to purchase an internet package, this can also be done here.
I was really blown away by how MSC have brought back cruising whilst ensuring that Covid requirements are met – they have done it brilliantly and we felt completely safe at all times. You are required to wear your mask when moving around the ship and there are enhanced hand sanitation stations everywhere you go! Your temperature is taken every day and there is social distancing in place as well as one-way systems.
If you are looking for a family holiday in the UK this summer that offers luxury, fun and amazing food with a host of other goodies thrown in then look no further than the MSC Virtuosa! Sailings are available from Southampton, Liverpool and Greenock (Glasgow) and you can choose from 3, 5 and 7nt sailings PLUS all sailings include Premium All-Inclusive Drinks package and Gratuities. What are you waiting for, get onboard and make memories to last a lifetime!