Virtuosa - the good, the bad and the ugly - a quick summary

[amurray88]

Hi All,

Just a very quick summary below of our experience on Virtuosa this last week.

 

Value - we paid £1,100 for 7 nights for 3 of us, inside cabin. It was great value. Verdict - GREAT

 

Staff - staff were friendly and couldn't really complain. Our waitress wasn't great but we dealt with a huge number of staff so 1 bad one can only be expected. Verdict - GOOD

 

Food quality - this was truly awful this time. I'm not picky and I read someone saying beforehand that it is inedible. I thought there's no way this can be true.... unfortunately it was. One meal in particular felt worse than dog food. The meat quality was shocking. Verdict - AWFUL

 

Entertainment - a real mix. The "ABBA" night consisted of 2 females (surely has to be 2+2 for ABBA?). They used a violinist on 2 different nights - he wasn't our cup of tea. The carousel show was very very good value. Verdict - OK

 

Ship - ship was shiny but very few public areas for the size of the boat and very very few that you didn't have to spend money in. This was a big disappointment for me. Verdict - POOR

 

Queues - alot of people mentioned queues before we got on board. I've got to be honest, we didn't see many queues. The only thing that was a real pain was the lifts. Firstly - not enough lifts and secondly, so many people taking a lift 1 or 2 floors causing real delays. Verdict - ACCEPTABLE 

 

Overall it had the feeling of a party boat. I wasn't overly impressed HOWEVER - for the price I can't complain too much (apart from the food - it genuinely was horrific).

[KINGBOBOFTHENORTH]

1 hour ago, amurray88 said:

Hi All,

Just a very quick summary below of our experience on Virtuosa this last week.

Thanks for the report. I don't have the schedules memorized so from what port did you sail from and what itinerary?

[clevercruiser]

1 hour ago, KINGBOBOFTHENORTH said:

Thanks for the report. I don't have the schedules memorized so from what port did you sail from and what itinerary?

Not OP, but Virtuosa did a 7 nighter from Southampton to La Rochelle, Bilbao, La Coruna

and Le Harve last week.

 

 

 

 

[amurray88]

6 hours ago, KINGBOBOFTHENORTH said:

Thanks for the report. I don't have the schedules memorized so from what port did you sail from and what itinerary?

Yep it was 7 nights from Southampton to the ports mentioned above 👌

[FionaMG]

14 hours ago, amurray88 said:

Yep it was 7 nights from Southampton to the ports mentioned above 👌

 

How did you get on in the ports? I remember you posted some questions about them pre-cruise.

[amurray88]

20 minutes ago, FionaMG said:

 

How did you get on in the ports? I remember you posted some questions about them pre-cruise.

No problem at all (kind of).

 

La Rochelle - the cruise provided shuttle free of charge into city. No hassle with queues here. The port terminal was shocking on return. Normally on re-entry to a port you flash your cruise card. Here they had 2 staff members who checked your cruise card and then had a sheet with everyone's (5,000 odd) names that they manually checked you were on the boat. Most were alphabetical but our wait here was around 40mins.

 

Bilbao - we got the train in to Bilbao, no problem at all. A quick walk to the station and that was it.

 

La Coruna - the only real "why did we bother" port. I think we would go to Santiago de Compostela next time, there was just very very little to see.

 

Le Havre - we missed the 9am public bus to Honfleur so walked around Le Havre for a few hours before getting the 12:30pm bus to Honfleur. We got the 3:30/4pm bus back and Honfleur was lovely!

 

 

[amurray88]

I should say (it doesn't really fit in this thread in fairness) but our total spend (parking at Southampton, spending on board and spending in port, including public transport) was £89. We don't spend much on holiday... But we really regretted booking MSC for food quality and the price of the speciality dining meant we didn't bother with that.

 

And full cost of holiday (cruise, insurance, spending money, parking and petrol) was £1,374 for 2 adults, 1 baby, 7 nights. I'm happy with that 👌.

Edited July 15 by amurray88
Add total cost.

[showingdiva]

Unfortunately, the way all major cruise lines are going, they want the up-sell of drink packages, specialty dining etc.   Of course there will always be a MDR and buffet, but the chasm between them and specialty dining will continue to grow, irrespective of the size of the ship and who owns them.  

 

I can't get my head around how spending was kept at £89.   At the very least, I would have dehydrated (and possibly lamented the daily gelato).   Between getting to Southampton, a hotel / dinner / breakfast and drink package, I've spent around £450 before even seeing the ship.   Worth it though!

 

 

[marktwothousand]

 

On 7/14/2024 at 5:41 PM, amurray88 said:

Hi All,

Just a very quick summary below of our experience on Virtuosa this last week.

 

Value - we paid £1,100 for 7 nights for 3 of us, inside cabin. It was great value. Verdict - GREAT

 

Staff - staff were friendly and couldn't really complain. Our waitress wasn't great but we dealt with a huge number of staff so 1 bad one can only be expected. Verdict - GOOD

 

Food quality - this was truly awful this time. I'm not picky and I read someone saying beforehand that it is inedible. I thought there's no way this can be true.... unfortunately it was. One meal in particular felt worse than dog food. The meat quality was shocking. Verdict - AWFUL

 

Entertainment - a real mix. The "ABBA" night consisted of 2 females (surely has to be 2+2 for ABBA?). They used a violinist on 2 different nights - he wasn't our cup of tea. The carousel show was very very good value. Verdict - OK

 

Ship - ship was shiny but very few public areas for the size of the boat and very very few that you didn't have to spend money in. This was a big disappointment for me. Verdict - POOR

 

Queues - alot of people mentioned queues before we got on board. I've got to be honest, we didn't see many queues. The only thing that was a real pain was the lifts. Firstly - not enough lifts and secondly, so many people taking a lift 1 or 2 floors causing real delays. Verdict - ACCEPTABLE 

 

Overall it had the feeling of a party boat. I wasn't overly impressed HOWEVER - for the price I can't complain too much (apart from the food - it genuinely was horrific).

I really need to know your opinion on getting to LHR after my cruise. Do you happen to remember what time you were feet to curb off this ship? I am expecting a packed cruise in October and need to be off the boat with butts in cars by 10 AM.

 

also, what were the nationalities on board? I am flying from Canada and expecting NO one else from Canada LOL!

[amurray88]

6 hours ago, showingdiva said:

Unfortunately, the way all major cruise lines are going, they want the up-sell of drink packages, specialty dining etc.   Of course there will always be a MDR and buffet, but the chasm between them and specialty dining will continue to grow, irrespective of the size of the ship and who owns them.  

 

I can't get my head around how spending was kept at £89.   At the very least, I would have dehydrated (and possibly lamented the daily gelato).   Between getting to Southampton, a hotel / dinner / breakfast and drink package, I've spent around £450 before even seeing the ship.   Worth it though!

 

 

We never spent a penny on board 👌. £39 for parking and between Bilbao and Honfleur we spent £16 on public transport. 

 

We don't buy a huge amount in port - we stop off at a bakery/cafe for coffee and cake and that's about it. 

 

I agree about MDR but genuinely, I am not a fussy person and yet I wouldn't have fed a dog the food they served us. It was appalling....I didn't expect it to be as bad as it was and I have fairly low standards.

[amurray88]

3 hours ago, marktwothousand said:

 

I really need to know your opinion on getting to LHR after my cruise. Do you happen to remember what time you were feet to curb off this ship? I am expecting a packed cruise in October and need to be off the boat with butts in cars by 10 AM.

 

also, what were the nationalities on board? I am flying from Canada and expecting NO one else from Canada LOL!

You'll be well off the boat by then...we took our time and had MDR breakfast in the morning. We missed "self disembarkation" and our time slot was 9:35am. We strolled up at 8:30am and said are we ok to disembark now and the woman looked confused as to why we wouldn't be ok to disembark. We were very very quick.

[showingdiva]

1 hour ago, amurray88 said:

I agree about MDR but genuinely, I am not a fussy person and yet I wouldn't have fed a dog the food they served us. It was appalling....I didn't expect it to be as bad as it was and I have fairly low standards.

 

On board a few weeks previously, and I am both fussy and pescatarian (so can't comment on any type of meat, including chicken, being served).   I thought the food was good.   It's certainly not Michelin star, but doesn't claim to be.   But every fish or pasta dish I ate was lovely.   Pasta, in particular, can be tricky in any restaurant conditions, as it goes cold fairly rapidly.

 

Presumably, you mentioned it to the head waiter and asked for something else as a replacement.  

[beltsbear]

The virtuoso was a very nice ship, but I have been on 30 cruises and never seen a worse gym to pax ratio.  The only time I have ever been on a ship were not a single cardio machine nor weight bench was available. My time on the magnifica the gym was 3/4 empty.  The regular buffet was nicer looking on the virtuoso, but the food was better on the older magnifica. But on the plus , I was yacht club on the virtuoso so the included YC restaurant was terrific. 

[amurray88]

On 7/16/2024 at 8:24 AM, showingdiva said:

 

On board a few weeks previously, and I am both fussy and pescatarian (so can't comment on any type of meat, including chicken, being served).   I thought the food was good.   It's certainly not Michelin star, but doesn't claim to be.   But every fish or pasta dish I ate was lovely.   Pasta, in particular, can be tricky in any restaurant conditions, as it goes cold fairly rapidly.

 

Presumably, you mentioned it to the head waiter and asked for something else as a replacement.  

After night 1 I mentioned it to my waitress. She had a very indifferent approach (our assistant waiter and waiter at a neighbouring table were excellent, just a shame about our waitress). I went to head waiter on the way out and requested to move table. He said no. Maybe we should have mentioned the food but I was more concerned about our waitress at this point. 

 

If you're from the UK then I'd have said this ...

I didn't expect Michelin star. My expectation would be maybe Toby Carvery. Unfortunately this didn't even come close (at all) to Toby Carvery.

[amurray88]

6 hours ago, beltsbear said:

The virtuoso was a very nice ship, but I have been on 30 cruises and never seen a worse gym to pax ratio.  The only time I have ever been on a ship were not a single cardio machine nor weight bench was available. My time on the magnifica the gym was 3/4 empty.  The regular buffet was nicer looking on the virtuoso, but the food was better on the older magnifica. But on the plus , I was yacht club on the virtuoso so the included YC restaurant was terrific. 

We did Seaview a few years ago. My jaw dropped when I seen how the quality of food had dropped.

 

On just about every YT video it mentions queues for everything and the mental buffet...I have to be honest, we didn't see it like this. Yes the buffet was busy but I wouldn't have said it was any more chaotic than a normal buffet.

 

We got speaking with a couple who said they were so disappointed with the whole cruise however when asked they said they have only down Celebrity, Princess and Holland America before. Maybe they paid alot more than us for MSC but you can't compare The Ritz to a Travelodge. We'd struggle to get a caravan holiday for the same price we got this...so although the food was unbelievably poor, I accepted it for what it was.

[mcoler181]

On 7/17/2024 at 8:59 AM, amurray88 said:

We did Seaview a few years ago. My jaw dropped when I seen how the quality of food had dropped.

 

On just about every YT video it mentions queues for everything and the mental buffet...I have to be honest, we didn't see it like this. Yes the buffet was busy but I wouldn't have said it was any more chaotic than a normal buffet.

 

We got speaking with a couple who said they were so disappointed with the whole cruise however when asked they said they have only down Celebrity, Princess and Holland America before. Maybe they paid alot more than us for MSC but you can't compare The Ritz to a Travelodge. We'd struggle to get a caravan holiday for the same price we got this...so although the food was unbelievably poor, I accepted it for what it was.

Was Seaview out of the US or the UK? We did Seascape out of Miami in February and the MDR food was fantastic, but have seen YT videos of recent Virtuosa sailings and the food in the MDR looked crap and nothing like what we had experienced in February. 

[Basketball wife]

What currency is used for onboard charges out of Southampton on the Virtuosa? Is it the British pound or euros? Have found conflicting info online.We have a $400 USD OBC from our travel agent. Does the ship convert it to either the pound or euro and, if so, is the exchange reasonable? 

[Essiesmom]

29 minutes ago, Basketball wife said:

What currency is used for onboard charges out of Southampton on the Virtuosa? Is it the British pound or euros? Have found conflicting info online.We have a $400 USD OBC from our travel agent. Does the ship convert it to either the pound or euro and, if so, is the exchange reasonable? 

It seems that if the cruise also boards guests in other ports on the itinerary, it will be euros.  If it only boards in the UK it might be pounds.  EM

[showingdiva]

3 hours ago, Basketball wife said:

What currency is used for onboard charges out of Southampton on the Virtuosa? Is it the British pound or euros? Have found conflicting info online.We have a $400 USD OBC from our travel agent. Does the ship convert it to either the pound or euro and, if so, is the exchange reasonable? 

 

It will convert it to GB pounds.   Everything on Virtuosa while she is round trip cruising out of the UK (Southampton) in the summer months is UK currency.

[amurray88]

7 hours ago, mcoler181 said:

Was Seaview out of the US or the UK? We did Seascape out of Miami in February and the MDR food was fantastic, but have seen YT videos of recent Virtuosa sailings and the food in the MDR looked crap and nothing like what we had experienced in February. 

Seaview out of Miami. The Virtuosa...honestly, I wish I could accurately describe the food in the MDR. It was the worst food I think I've ever seen.

[amurray88]

5 hours ago, Basketball wife said:

What currency is used for onboard charges out of Southampton on the Virtuosa? Is it the British pound or euros? Have found conflicting info online.We have a $400 USD OBC from our travel agent. Does the ship convert it to either the pound or euro and, if so, is the exchange reasonable? 

Well....they do £ to $ as 1:1 when it suits them...so I'd hope it would be 1:1.

 

For example - beer on their US cruises is $7. They charge £7 on UK cruises ..

[CruiseAddict001]

On board Virtuosa now. Very mixed opinions, mostly not great. We've cruised many cruise lines, this is the first and worst with MSC Virtuosa.
 

Entertainment late at night is terrible. Late night after 23:00 it's dead. The Attic Club deck 18 is essentially the kids club.

 

The fun the first few days was had outside at the Horizon Bar outside on deck 18, with a great DJ and disko, ot was great, and the only late night entertainment especially for younger groups and adults that want a little dance and few drinks.

 

They've now killed it after 3 nights, no DJ, almost no music, everyone complaining. MSC killed the fun and don't appear to be interested.

 

Teens and adults are hanging around aimlessly bored now with nowhere to go. Now they can't dance the night away, they are hanging around, some drinking getting into trouble.

 

Clientele:

 

A bit rough at times. Numerous stories of entire families getting thrown off. Drunken antics last night, almost fighting witnessed, allegations of a drink getting spiked (likely false). Keep your kids safe, don't let them drink, you'll be thrown off.

 

 

Food:

 

Book before the cruise the extra speciality restaurants or you'll be disappointed. Dining times fixed early and late have caused lots of problems.

 

Staffing:

 

Not enough bar staff everywhere on ship.

 

Theatre:

 

Can't take drinks in, they don't want to have to clean.

 

Male singers good. Female singers terrible, pronunciation and non English language means their singing isn't great at all. Numerous people walking out of shows.

 

Violinist decent, cruise director is the Hypnotist, very good show, excellent in fact.

 

Premium drinks package:

 

Decent, lots of choice.

 

Atmosphere:

 

Generally lacklustre and wanting. Big on pushing jewellery sales on deck at 2pm, lack of music, bands, everything.

 

 

overall, lots of guests are bored, lack of entertainment and lots of return MSC guests saying it's now rubbish and they will not return.

 

We have another week of this to put up with.

 

If you are coming booking premium dining in my opinion is a must as well as drinks package.

 

MSC - you have made the ship boring. Our table last night overall had paid £25,000, you won't even play music let alone provide a DJ or entertainment. The ship is seriously lacking in entertainment and basic holiday feeling at night. You will pay with many guests unhappy refusing to ever return. Hundreds of guests are complaining and you are ignoring all the complaints.