Cruising on the MSC Virtuosa
Following our recent UK break on the MSC Virtuosa, we have put together this guide to help you have a smooth embarkation and an enjoyable holiday at sea. This is based on our experience in June 2021 and was last update in July 2024.
The Galleria
Getting Ready to Set Sail:
Organisation is key! After completing your online check in (on the desktop or the MSC for Me App), make sure you have all your documents.
These are the documents you need to bring with you for each passenger for the UK itineraries:
- Passports (with at least 6 months remaining) or proof of residence if you don’t have a passport
- Your e-tickets from MSC (if you booked with us, we will email these to you)
- Luggage tags from MSC to attach to your baggage
- Car parking documents if relevant
When your e-tickets are issued (about 3 weeks before departure), you will be notified of your check in time.
At the Terminal:
You will have your documents checked and your luggage taken away to be delivered to your cabin. Make sure your bags have the paper luggage tags attached.
TIP: if you plan to hit the pool as soon as you board, pack your swimwear in your hand luggage as your bags may not be delivered until the evening!
A pack containing a cruise card will be issued. The card is your key to the ship, it can be used to open the door to your room, and for buying drinks and other chargeable items (no need to carry cash or a credit/debit card around the ship as you can’t use these on board).
You will be given a boarding group number and when it is called, all is well and you can embark after a baggage security check.
Muster Station:
Everyone on board is assigned a muster station – this is where you meet in the event of an emergency. Attending the muster drill is an essential part of maritime regulations. Traditionally, passengers will congregate at the meeting point to be advised on the procedure and practise wearing life jackets. This rather tedious process has been replaced with a far more pleasant experience.
During an assigned time, you will go to your stateroom and watch a video. At the end, you will be given a number to call which confirms you have completed the drill. Then you go to your muster station (the location is on your cruise card and also on the back of the door) and get scanned in. If you miss your drill, for example because of late boarding), you will be reminded to do it the next day.
Your Stateroom:
These are very nicely appointed! Virtuosa is a new ship. Here are some useful observations and tips:
- Do not flush anything apart from toilet roll, this can cause blockages and a visit from an angry engineer
- Bring your own toiletries as only MSC-fragranced (very nice nonetheless) shower gel and shampoo are provided
- The shower has a washing line which can be used to dry swimwear
- If you really need another shower (sharing with others can be tedious), there are a couple you can use in the gym changing room
- The Zoe interactive device in the room is next to useless but makes a good Bluetooth speaker for chill out tunes whilst getting ready for dinner
- Every night you will receive a sheet showing the next day’s ports and activities and also any special offers. It is useful for checking opening times of venues. You can also look on the MSC app.
- Your room will be made up during the day and maybe once more in the evening depending on the room type
- Aurea staterooms have bath robes and slippers – useful for padding down to the spa!
- The stateroom attendant is really helpful so make sure you tell them if something is not quite right; our air con wasn’t working properly at first but soon fixed.
- Finally, if you’re sharing with family members, things can get messy with stuff! We highly recommend getting an over the door organiser with pockets to keep all the bit and pieces you need in one place. In each cabin onboard the MSC Virtuosa there are two European plug sockets and one USB charging point. USB by the beds. Remember to bring adapters!
Entertainment and Relaxation:
You will have pool towels (the beige ones) in your room – these are yours to keep in the cabin, they can be exchanged for fresh ones at the poolside towel attendant cabin.
Pools are filled with salt water! Worth warning the kids unless you are feeling particularly unkind.
There are several pools – study the deck plans to find them all!
There are likewise multiple hot tubs, some quite hidden! These are heated to a perfect 38 degrees!
All pools and hot tubs are closed at night. The hours are published by the poolside.
Table tennis and table football can be played; there are allotted times where the equipment is provided from a member of the entertainment team. If you want to play at other times, we highly recommend you do what we do and bring your own bats and balls!
The high ropes course is open at specific times which can be weather dependent – check the opening hours and be ready for queues. It is usually easier to get a go on port days depending on the weather.
The water park is open for longer hours but is closed periodically for cleaning. Again, check the opening details. You will need to sign a consent form to get a wristband for both adults and children.
Aurea passengers have access to a private sun deck with a hot tub and bar service – this is not adult only and open to families in Aurea grade cabins but MSC does not advertise the fact that kids are allowed to maintain a peaceful environment for all guests. Well behaved children are welcome!
There is a large arcade with games, Virtual Reality games, 4D cinema and bowling – it’s not cheap so if you plan to use these, the Fun Pass you can buy at least 3 days before boarding is good value. Buying the pass on board is much more expensive.
There are shows in the theatre most nights – you can book on the MSC app. We really loved the shows, they are impressive and not too long, so you can enjoy hitting the bars afterwards.
Bowling – no need to hire shoes if you have non-marking soles! There are limited slots so book yours as soon as you can after embarkation.
WiFi:
All cruise passengers can connect to Virtuosa’s wifi but only to use the MSC app to manage their account, make bookings etc. If you want internet access via the wifi, unfortunately you will have to pay for it!
Internet access is provided via satellite and can be spotty and is not incredibly stable but it worked well enough when we were on board. It is much cheaper (by 20%) to buy a wifi package before departure. You can choose packages for multiple devices. When on board, you can still buy it but it is more expensive. Also, it’s worth noting that your internet access will be locked to the first device you choose to connect with, you can’t take turns with different devices.
You can connect to shoreside 4G/5G if you’re close enough to port but this cannot be relied upon and it’s harder to pick up connection in the middle of the ship.
Important Tip: remember to switch data roaming off when you are at sea – you DO NOT want to be charged for maritime roaming. It works out at around £1.50 per minute minimum to make or receive calls, 50p to send a text (free to receive texts) and data is very expensive.
On Board Spending:
You will need to attach a payment card to your account and this can be done on one of the machines that look like a cash point found it the public areas near the main concourse. Your card can be used by any cabin member of your choosing – be careful about allowing your kids access to charging!
You can see what you have spent on the MSC app which even tells you all the drinks you’ve bought although they come through as £0 if you have the drinks package. If you see any errors, you can ask reception to take a look and sort it out.
If you have on board credit, you can monitor the usage on the app.
Exercise:
Over 14s are welcome in the gym but an adult will need to sign a waiver. Classes can be booked for a fee. There is an outdoor running track as well as regular dance classes on deck.
Food:
Depending on when you board, the Marketplace buffet may be open on embarkation day for lunch. The buffet is open for 20 hours a day approx. - here you can grab snacks and tea/coffee outside of meal times.
You will be assigned a main dining room – your seating will have been allocated to you (early 6.30pm or late 8.30pm). If you have an Aurea cabin, you can choose to eat at any time.
The main dining room offers international food in a formal set up – it also serves breakfast and lunch. Opening times are on the printed sheet and app.
Portions are small compared to other cruiselines. But they are always filling. There is no problem asking for an extra starter or main. Menus are shown on the app so you can plan in advance what you want to eat.
The gelato/waffles/crepe station plus the chocolate café is also chargeable but worth the splurge.
You will find pizza in the buffet and on the pool deck. There is soft serve ice cream by the pool deck bar (Atmosphere) – it is free of charge for children with the “minors” package (but not for adults!).
Room service is available. For Fantastica and Aurea grades, continental breakfast is free. Room service delivery for these cabin grades is also free outside of this time but there is a small charge for the food (£3.50 for a club sandwich).
Speciality dining is chargeable – you can buy packages if you plan to use them for a few meals or you can pay for a la carte.
The chargeable restaurants are ‘Indochine’ – a French-Vietnamese restaurant. 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.
Drinks:
As MSC is a continental ship, water at dinner is normally chargeable but it is a free for UK sailors. Bottled water can be ordered as part of the drinks package. With a drinks package, all drinks up to the value stated on your documents are free – this includes speciality coffees and hot chocolate from the bars, fresh orange juice and lots of cocktails. If you’re not sure, just ask before ordering. None of the drinks in the Robot Bar are included even if you have a drinks package. Rob the Robot bar tender is fun but very, very expensive and the drinks a bit meh. DIY drinks start from £14 for no booze but you do get a souvenir glass and the fun experience of creating weird combinations.
Our favourite bar by far is the Sky Lounge which is adult only and which has a lovely view of the pool deck and surrounding seas. This is open until late and has relaxing live music.
We also love the champagne bar – only the prosecco and prosecco cocktails are included in the more expensive drinks packages, but they are really nice.
You can order milk free of charge from room service. Kettles are provided as are tea bags for those who need their home comforts.
The minibar is filled and expensive so make sure the kids do not raid it when there are plenty of free drinks options on the ship!
Kids Club:
There are different clubs by age. You will need to register younger kids and it is recommended you do this soon after boarding to get the kids settled in. It is possible to leave the ship as long as the children are checked in at kids club. They offer lots of organised activities and older kids have access to their own special area with more freedom.
For younger kids, 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.
Excursions:
Passengers can choose to do a ship excursion or explore by themselves once in port. Ship excursions tend to be relatively expensive compared with finding local providers, but they can be popular and do guarantee that you will get back to the ship before it sails away.
Disembarkation:
It’s always sad to leave but knowing the procedure makes it much less painful. Before your last day, you will be assigned a disembarkation time and provided with luggage tags – if you need more tags or need to request an alternative time, you can ask at reception. We recommend you have any accounts enquiries settled before the last evening which is when it gets very busy.
Your bags must be packed, labelled and left outside of the stateroom by 1am on the day of departure. You will see them again in the port terminal.
Hint: Make sure you have enough space in your remaining luggage for your nightwear and toiletries!
In the morning, you will need to leave your room by 8am and then head for breakfast in the buffet or one of the restaurants for a final meal. You can then wait in a assigned area to disembark at the time given to you. You will need to hand back your wristband and be scanned to show you have left the ship. You can then collect your luggage in the terminal and make your way home.
If you are in a hurry, you can opt to carry off your own luggage first thing with self-embarkation but we always prefer to have a more relaxed morning.
Photography:
There are countless opportunity to have your photo professionally taken - there is no obligation to buy and if you want a lot of souvenir pics, the digital packages can be great value.
You can view your photos at the kiosk by the photo gallery.
Formal evenings:
The dress code is very relaxed - on gala/formal nights, you can dress up if you wish or stay casual. It really doesn’t matter.
We hope this guide had been useful!