Western Mediterranean Cruise with MSC Virtuosa

Welcome aboard MSC Cruises! The cruise line was founded in 1970 and is the cruise division of the container shipping company Mediterranean Shipping Company. MSC Cruises is the world's largest privately family-owned cruise line (Aponte family) and has many years of expertise on the seven seas. The Aponte family has also established an independent charitable organisation, the MSC Foundation, which is also present on board and supports many humanitarian and environmental projects.

MSC Cruises offers its guests a Mediterranean and modern lifestyle at a good price-performance ratio. Guests of all ages feel at home on the sometimes colourful, sometimes understated ships. The ships are also well received on the German market and the number of German guests is growing steadily. A knowledge of English is recommended, although some services are also offered in German.

With the MSC Yacht Club, the ‘ship-within-a-ship concept’, MSC Cruises offers an exclusive area on selected ships with luxurious suites, its own restaurant with five-star service and other amenities.

• Built in: 2019
• First cruise: March 2021
• Home Port: Valetta
• Length: 331 m
• Tonnage: 181,541 BRZ
• Speed: 22.8 Knots
• Decks: 19
• Passengers: 6,334 (at 2 bed occupancy)
• Crew: 1,704
• Languages on board: German, Italian, English, French, Spanish
• Currency: € or US-$ (depending on the destination)
• Internet: Starlink from SpaceX, internet café and Wi-Fi (fee required)

MSC Virtuosa offers you a variety of different staterooms and suites, including amongst others family staterooms, maisonette suites with own whirlpool, ocenaview staterooms, single staterooms and many more. The size differs depending on the stateroom category from 12 to 22 sqm. Special family staterooms mostly consist of two or three staterooms which are combined with connecting doors. The smallest suites offer up to 39 sqm and the large maisonette suites up to 59 sqm on two decks. All staerooms and suites are modern and pleasant furnished and give you a comfortable home on board. Guests can also book a stateroom in the exclusive MSC Yacht Club with 103 Suited and extended VIP-option onboard. This is a separated area which can only be used by these guests and offers a variety of amenities, e. g. butler-service or a private restaurant. This MSC Yacht Club offers approximately 1.225 sqm outside area with an exlusive pool and sun deck as well as shadowed cabanas and whirlpools

The atmosphere aboard the ships of MSC Cruises is relaxed and casual, with many opportunities for activities. A wide range of sports, culinary highlights and first-class entertainment provide variety.

Many families will be on board during the summer months and typical Italian cheerfulness accompanies you on your journey. Those seeking for peace and rest will also get their money's worth on board and can relax in the spa area or retire in many relaxation areas.

There are many different main, buffet and speciality restaurants on board the MSC Virtuosa. The cuisine is Mediterranean-influenced and offers a culinary variety and exquisite dishes. Drinks are available for an extra charge or you can take advantage of a drinks package.

The following restaurants are included in the price:

• Marketplace Buffet (buffet restaurant): A variety of dishes from the hot and cold buffet as well as Mediterranean delicacies await you here.
• The Opera/ The Simphony (main restaurant): Sample freshly prepared dishes in an elegant ambience.
• Minuetto (main restaurant): Enjoy fine dining in the à la carte restaurant.
• Blue Danube (main restaurant): Look forward to culinary highlights and exquisite dishes in the blue and grey designed restaurant.

Il Campo is exclusively for Aurea guests and offers daily changing menus. Guests of the MSC Yacht Club also have access to an exclusive restaurant with gourmet creations and five-star service.

You pay a surcharge in the following speciality restaurants:

• Hola! Tacos & Cantina: Try Latin American and Mexican dishes such as tacos, nachos or empanadas.
• Kaito Sushi Bar: Sample Japanese specialities such as exquisite sushi or soup.
• Kaito Teppanyaki: You can watch the Japanese delicacies being prepared at the cooking stations.
• Butcher's Cut: Enjoy, for example, grilled dry-aged Black Angus beef and other grilled specialities.
• Indochine Restaurant: The elegant restaurant offers modern Vietnamese cuisine.
• Sea Pavilion by Jereme Leung (on cruises in China): Look forward to contemporary Asian fusion cuisine.

In addition to the restaurants, there are also numerous bars and lounges (not included). Enjoy an afternoon cappuccino in the Jean-Philippe Maury Chocolat & Café or have an aperitif before dinner in the Carousel Lounge. New on the ship is the futuristic MSC Starship Club with Rob, the very first humanoid robot bartender at sea.

On board, there are many ways to enjoy your holidays:

Relax in the popular Aurea Spa, a luxurious Balinese spa where body, mind and soul come together. A beauty and a nail salon also invite you to pamper yourself. For more active guests, the gym by Technogym® offers state-of-the-art equipment for cardio and strength training as well as innovative courses and training programs.

Five swimming pools (as well as a 1,000 sqm Aqua Park) make the best out of your stay.

Or are you looking for more action? Not a problem - the entertainment area with a F1 simulator, bowling and XD cinema will amaze you for sure. Shopping enthusiasts can live their passion in a 1,168 sqm huge shopping area with 11 fashion boutiques and 250 brands.

For further entertainment, there are themed parties, events for families such as dance competitions at the DOREMIX Family Disco, and in the evenings, live productions and shows await you in the 945-seat theater. Please feel free to visit one of the various lounges or bars as well for a wonderful experience aboard.

There is plenty to discover on board for children of all ages: Thrill seekers can master a high rope course 80 metres above the sea. In the Savannah aqua park, pool areas and several slides, a funnel slide and two fast-paced tube slides, await for plenty of fun. In the LEGO® play area, children have the opportunity to build great things every day.

In various family game shows, children can challenge their parents or win prizes together as a family.

Childcare is also provided: babies and toddlers aged between six months and two years are looked after by certified staff in the Baby Club, which was created in collaboration with the leading children's brand Chicco®. Toddlers aged three to six play in the MSC Mini Club and the Junior Club looks after children aged seven to eleven. MSC's experienced entertainers look after the children with various games and many sporting activities. During the day, 12 to 14-year-olds in the Young Club and 15 to 17-year-olds in the Teens Club can enjoy clubs equipped with the latest consoles, games and VR technology, a teen disco and a dinner organised exclusively for teenagers.

The new MSC Virtuosa combines the shipping company's popular Mediterranean charm with the most modern amenities of a large cruise ship. Sports enthusiasts will get their money's worth as well as those seeking for peace or families with children. The price-performance ratio aboard the ships of MSC Cruises is good.