Live on Board MSC Virtuosa European Cruise 27th July 2024

[MyriamS]

Thanks a lot for the detailed review. One tip for going into water is to buy reef/water shoes. My partner likes to buy cheap stuff online so I was sceptical about their usefulness at first, but it was a really great investment: you can use them to walk on the hot sand then into the water and rocks/shells won't hurt your feet. Better than flip flops which are tripping hazards and must be removed before going into water. 

[po go]

2 good days apart from nearly losing your waffle and son with the seagull and wave , -- did you pay for your butchers cut meal or was it part of your cruise package? Is that 24 thrown off your cruise or in the season 

 

[marktwothousand]

@DamianGthanks a lot for the info. Awww shucks tho, I’m kinda miffed about the light bleed from deck 8 but given the privacy of the bulkhead being on one side, I’ll probably just keep my cabin. I think you’re booked in the more forward version of my cabin as mine has the bulkhead on the right, so maybe the lighting will be different on my end. 
 

thanks again for this. 

Edited August 6 by marktwothousand

[showingdiva]

6 hours ago, DamianG said:

 

If there is any rowdiness then again we’ve not seen it, and if we did then we’d just avoid it. If we were not comfortable with other’s behaviour in a specific venue then we’d just move on somewhere else. According to social media 24 passengers have been off boarded, but obviously we don’t know how accurate that is and where the information comes from.

 

 

 

It's completely inaccurate.   Not one passenger has been off-loaded on this current cruise.    One couple have left the ship, but by choice for personal reasons.

[DamianG]

13 hours ago, marktwothousand said:

@DamianGthanks a lot for the info. Awww shucks tho, I’m kinda miffed about the light bleed from deck 8 but given the privacy of the bulkhead being on one side, I’ll probably just keep my cabin. I think you’re booked in the more forward version of my cabin as mine has the bulkhead on the right, so maybe the lighting will be different on my end. 
 

thanks again for this. 

By the way, there is an outside light for the balcony. It’s a subtle design & I never noticed the switch in the cabin either.

 

If your cabin is further aft you may not have a lifeboat immediately below. 

[Cruiser98761234]

On board MSC Virtuosa now, it's best described as Butlins.

 

We have found the cruise to be terrible, waiting up 25-30 minutes to get served at bars, awful buffet food, no sun beds, a real rough crowd on board.

 

We wouldn't dream of cruising with MSC ever again, it's bargain basement, terrible. 
 

The ship has 6500 guests on board, it's probably suited to 3500, it's totally overcrowded. At this level it is so crowded that it is just not enjoyable. There's no seats in bars, often no sun beds, even the entertainment is fully booked up. The restaurants are all fully booked at night, can't even escape the crowds and shoddy food.

 

Most the cruise stops have the ship parked miles from the port, MSC have been charging then £9 a person for a coach to the terminal entrance, such a joke watching decent cruise ships docking in the nearby places. People complaining paying £36 to get to shore then finding cheaper options were in fact available but hidden by MSC.

 

This ship is all about cramming in as many people as possible, and providing rubbish service. 
 

With so many better options out there MSC are ensuring guests simply will not return. Loads of new cruisers are saying never again!

 

[marktwothousand]

21 minutes ago, Cruiser98761234 said:

 

On board MSC Virtuosa now, it's best described as Butlins.

 

What does Butlins mean? This is awful! I’m so worried that my cruise later this year will be like this. Thanks so much for the report. It’s too late the cancel now, at this point all I can do is cross my fingers 😞 thanks again 

[Essiesmom]

11 minutes ago, marktwothousand said:

What does Butlins mean? This is awful! I’m so worried that my cruise later this year will be like this. Thanks so much for the report. It’s too late the cancel now, at this point all I can do is cross my fingers 😞 thanks again 

It’s a UK term, I think a chain of holiday resorts for the working class?  Try Mr Google.  EM

Edited August 7 by Essiesmom

[RBrowny]

56 minutes ago, Cruiser98761234 said:

 

On board MSC Virtuosa now, it's best described as Butlins.

 

We have found the cruise to be terrible, waiting up 25-30 minutes to get served at bars, awful buffet food, no sun beds, a real rough crowd on board.

 

We wouldn't dream of cruising with MSC ever again, it's bargain basement, terrible. 
 

The ship has 6500 guests on board, it's probably suited to 3500, it's totally overcrowded. At this level it is so crowded that it is just not enjoyable. There's no seats in bars, often no sun beds, even the entertainment is fully booked up. The restaurants are all fully booked at night, can't even escape the crowds and shoddy food.

 

Most the cruise stops have the ship parked miles from the port, MSC have been charging then £9 a person for a coach to the terminal entrance, such a joke watching decent cruise ships docking in the nearby places. People complaining paying £36 to get to shore then finding cheaper options were in fact available but hidden by MSC.

 

This ship is all about cramming in as many people as possible, and providing rubbish service. 
 

With so many better options out there MSC are ensuring guests simply will not return. Loads of new cruisers are saying never again!

 

We get on in just over 2 weeks, so a little apprehensive over this. We've been with MSC before on full ships and have always found there to be somewhere to go, but starting to get a little worried, especially as we're heading to the Fjords.

[RBrowny]

@DamianG I am intrigued, I got sent a menu earlier but not sure if it's the same as on board. Apparently you can get Aspall cider onboard, but no more Miami Vice? 

Full Bar List.pdf

[marktwothousand]

51 minutes ago, RBrowny said:

We get on in just over 2 weeks, so a little apprehensive over this. We've been with MSC before on full ships and have always found there to be somewhere to go, but starting to get a little worried, especially as we're heading to the Fjords.

Also worried here too for my upcoming. Following closely 

[DamianG]

Tuesday 6th August 2024

 

I woke up at 1:50am having been disturbed by creaking noises in our cabin. We seemed to be going quite fast, and there was a regular creaking noise, with a consistent beat almost like a tap dripping, but noisier. I laid in bed a while trying to work out where it was coming from, and eventually decided that it was the ceiling. I got out out bed, reached up and pushed the ceiling, and the noise eased a little but not completely. I tried pushing up in two more places, then got lucky and found the sweet spot which stopped the creaking altogether. I went to the toilet then got back in bed, after which there was an occasional creak but not enough to keep me awake. Michelle was awake before 7am and said that the creaking had woken her up, and I was awake not long after. We went to breakfast early, and being a sea day, the Market Place buffet was a lot quieter.

 

We visited the Sportsplex on deck 16 to try book 10 pin bowling. We were told that it was fully booked for today, so asked if we could book for another day instead. The staff member said this was not possible, and we would have to try again in the morning. Kyle did not want to use his fun pass on any of the amusements, so we were soon back in the cabin.

 

At 10:30am we went to the Carousel Lounge deck 7 aft to attend a Voyagers Club event for Diamond members. We were served complimentary drinks and canapés, and unusually some “Bugles” crisps, which we took back to the cabin for Kyle. There was a very talented gentleman playing guitar and singing on stage, followed by the cruise director who introduced a circus style act performed by three entertainers with skipping ropes. Next up was the future cruises sales manager who presented a video showing MSC’s private island visited by cruises sailing out of USA. The cruise director then introduced senior crew and managers, except for the captain who could not be present. The event finished with another brief set from the solo musician. It wasn’t the most exciting reception we’ve been to but was pleasant enough and I enjoyed the live music.

 

Michelle and I had both been coughing all morning, and she recalled that our dinner table waiter had been doing the same since we boarded, so maybe that is where it came from. I decided to try the onboard shops for some cough medicine but couldn’t find anything anywhere. Eventually I asked a staff member who advised that medicines were in the perfume section, so no wonder I’d not seen them. The cough medicine on offer was an Italian brand with no English on the packaging and came in two sizes. I chose the smaller bottle and asked sales assistant to confirm that it was definitely cough medicine. I went through with the purchase but was mortified at the cost (£17). I expected to pay an over-the-top price but not that much. At least it doesn’t taste too bad as cough medicines go.

 

We passed the rest of the late morning and early afternoon in the cabin and on the balcony. Michelle and I went for a late lunch in the buffet, and I had vegetable curry which was really good. We timed it fairly well as it became very quiet around 2:15pm. We were passing through the Straits of Gibraltar at the time, so had some good views of the landscapes at both sides of the Mediterranean. We did press the table buzzer twice to try get waiter service for drinks, but no one ever attended. It wasn’t a big deal though, and after getting food for Kyle we went out and about around the ship, ending up in the Starship Bar for late afternoon drinks. It was nice to finally get a seat in there and be served rather than queueing at the bar. When we were ready to leave, we decided to take some drinks back to the cabin. The bar wasn’t busy, so we just went there to order and were soon joined a young lady circa 8 years old. When the bar man said, “Yes miss, what would you like?” she simply replied “Mojito!” It was so funny how she said it with such confidence and assurance.

 

Kyle wanted some more food, so we went back up to the buffet at 4:30pm and it was absolutely heaving. We quickly moved on to the Grab n’Go and had a bit of a wait for fresh pizza marinara, but it was worth it as the slices were still steaming hot when we got them back to the cabin.

 

We went to dinner at the Blue Danube and entered right on time at 7:15pm. Rumkumala was quickly on hand to greet us and handed a paper menu to the in-laws. We noted another new set of passengers seated in our area, but two of the regular tables were unoccupied so it was quieter than usual. The difference in service was really noticeable, with a much better dining experience that was well paced throughout, not too slow and not too fast either.

 

I had creamy leek and cauliflower soup to start, and it was very good, only slightly spoiled by pumpkin seeds which were unnecessary in my opinion. Michelle chose petals of tomato and mozzarella fiordilatte and enjoyed it. For mains she had braised beef short ribs in red wine. She said that the mashed potato was lumpy, and the beef was “alright, I suppose.” I had herbed rack of lamb which was superb and is now my favourite main so far (overtaking the curry). Michelle had warm apple tart for dessert, but it was more like an apple cake on a slightly greasy pastry base. There was barely any almond cream and vanilla sauce on the plate, so Michelle’s dad left most of his. I just had vanilla ice cream, and it was great. Our dinner service finished at 8:40pm and was by far the best yet. During our dinner service, two different restaurant managers came over to ask how everything was. Funny how they ask on a day when everything has run smoothly, and were nowhere to be seen on the previous two evenings, isn’t it?

 

After dinner we tried to get in the TV Studio for a quiz, but it was rammed so we went down to deck 6 instead and got extremely lucky to grab a table and chairs on the starboard side of the Starship Bar. We were soon served by a lovely chap called Kelvin who brought a special “off menu” vodka amaretto cocktail for Michelle’s mum and recommended the “Ultimate” Mai Tai for me. He also brought some peanuts and Bugles crisps which I took back to the cabin for Kyle. Kelvin checked in on us regularly and said that Michelle’s mum reminded him of his mum. We stayed for three rounds of drinks which was probably one too many with hindsight, but with the friendly service and nice atmosphere it was hard to refuse that final offer of “one more round?”

 

 

[DamianG]

1 hour ago, RBrowny said:

@DamianG I am intrigued, I got sent a menu earlier but not sure if it's the same as on board. Apparently you can get Aspall cider onboard, but no more Miami Vice? 

Full Bar List.pdf 803.92 kB · 1 download

 

I’ve not noticed Miami Vice on any of the menus so far. Talking of menus I’m fed up of constantly having to use my phone to scan a barcode so that I can read them rather than just having a paper version. Aspall cider was on the Masters of the Sea pub menu but when I asked for it I was told that it was out of stock.

[DamianG]

2 hours ago, marktwothousand said:

What does Butlins mean? This is awful! I’m so worried that my cruise later this year will be like this. Thanks so much for the report. It’s too late the cancel now, at this point all I can do is cross my fingers 😞 thanks again 

 

Are you travelling during school holidays or term time? It makes a huge difference in the number of children onboard (and therefore the total passenger count).

[RBrowny]

7 minutes ago, DamianG said:

 

I’ve not noticed Miami Vice on any of the menus so far. Talking of menus I’m fed up of constantly having to use my phone to scan a barcode so that I can read them rather than just having a paper version. Aspall cider was on the Masters of the Sea pub menu but when I asked for it I was told that it was out of stock.

Yeah, the menu sort of thing is really annoying. Especially when places do different things. There should be more paper menus that can be used, it's quite annoying. 

 

Thank you for confirming both, gutted about Miami Vice but happy with Aspall. If when we do go on, and see that there isn't any, I will be even more gutted about the Miami Vice haha!

[marktwothousand]

8 minutes ago, DamianG said:

 

Are you travelling during school holidays or term time? It makes a huge difference in the number of children onboard (and therefore the total passenger count).

It’s a two week cruise with the first week being half term autumn break, and the second week not.

 

i would like to believe parents would be more responsible and choose one of the one week cruises to bring their kids on holiday as opposed to a two weeker and miss a week of school, but who knows

 

It will also be at the end of October and has many sea days at the top end which will be very cold outside, I don’t imagine the kids area or water slides will even be open on those days. 

[notley-cruise]

2 hours ago, DamianG said:

Tuesday 6th August 2024

 

I woke up at 1:50am having been disturbed by creaking noises in our cabin. We seemed to be going quite fast, and there was a regular creaking noise, with a consistent beat almost like a tap dripping, but noisier. I laid in bed a while trying to work out where it was coming from, and eventually decided that it was the ceiling. I got out out bed, reached up and pushed the ceiling, and the noise eased a little but not completely. I tried pushing up in two more places, then got lucky and found the sweet spot which stopped the creaking altogether. I went to the toilet then got back in bed, after which there was an occasional creak but not enough to keep me awake. Michelle was awake before 7am and said that the creaking had woken her up, and I was awake not long after. We went to breakfast early, and being a sea day, the Market Place buffet was a lot quieter.

 

 

Yes, the creaking ceiling panels on MSC Virtuosa are really annoying!  Happens in any sort of choppy weather.  We had it crossing the Bay of Biscay and it was constant in the cabin and corridors.  Soft ear plugs somewhat dampened the noise, but it's a serious flaw in the design of the ship interior.

[lgdesign]

5 hours ago, Cruiser98761234 said:

 

On board MSC Virtuosa now, it's best described as Butlins.

 

We have found the cruise to be terrible, waiting up 25-30 minutes to get served at bars, awful buffet food, no sun beds, a real rough crowd on board.

 

We wouldn't dream of cruising with MSC ever again, it's bargain basement, terrible. 
 

The ship has 6500 guests on board, it's probably suited to 3500, it's totally overcrowded. At this level it is so crowded that it is just not enjoyable. There's no seats in bars, often no sun beds, even the entertainment is fully booked up. The restaurants are all fully booked at night, can't even escape the crowds and shoddy food.

 

Most the cruise stops have the ship parked miles from the port, MSC have been charging then £9 a person for a coach to the terminal entrance, such a joke watching decent cruise ships docking in the nearby places. People complaining paying £36 to get to shore then finding cheaper options were in fact available but hidden by MSC.

 

This ship is all about cramming in as many people as possible, and providing rubbish service. 
 

With so many better options out there MSC are ensuring guests simply will not return. Loads of new cruisers are saying never again!

 

 

 

Something doesn't make sense here... these are the specs for the Virtuosa.

 

Capacity: 4,842 (double occupancy); 6,334 (maximum capacity)

 

Crew is roughly 1700 out of the max capacity, so there are likely not 6,500 GUESTS onboard.... thought it may feel like it.  🙂

Edited August 7 by lgdesign

[showingdiva]

55 minutes ago, lgdesign said:

 

Something doesn't make sense here... 

 

 

Phrase of the day award ....  👏

 

Perhaps those who have joined CC to label Virtuosa the worst experiences of their entire lives (and I'm not saying she's perfect), may wish to email MSC UK directly with their concerns, and the names of the staff members they surely reached out to whilst on board to help alleviate these problems.

 

I am sure ... actually I know .. that MSC UK would appreciate the opportunity to address some of the issues written on this thread.

  

[amurray88]

2 hours ago, lgdesign said:

 

 

Something doesn't make sense here... these are the specs for the Virtuosa.

 

Capacity: 4,842 (double occupancy); 6,334 (maximum capacity)

 

Crew is roughly 1700 out of the max capacity, so there are likely not 6,500 GUESTS onboard.... thought it may feel like it.  🙂

I think 6,500 is a reasonable rounding of 6,334. 

 

My take on it is this -

Symphony of the Seas holds roughly-ish the same number of passengers. It has a significant number of public spaces. MSC can claim the chocolate cafe and the bar are different places - they're really not. Likewise, the french restaurant and the bar at that part. There are 2 places to go on Virtuosa - pool deck or galleria. There is one place for entertainment (could perhaps argue 2 with the carousel lounge).

 

Symphony has Central Park, Promenade, Boardwalk, Pool Deck. All are unique spaces where people hang out. In terms of entertainment there is Ice rink, theatre, aqua theatre and what is essentially a comedy club. Add to this some niche events like art auctions/art gallery and you can see that for the same number of passengers there is a HUGE amount more unique venues and passenger areas. This is helped with it having no "Yacht club" type area so the whole ship is available.

 

Now, let me add a caveat - I paid ~£1,000 for my 7night Virtuosa cruise....you couldn't get that during summer holidays on Symphony and so I think it all has to be balanced against cost. But to say Virtuosa is built for the number of passengers it holds I think is stretching the truth.

 

If you want another example - Norwegian Epic venues are Cavern Club, Comedy Club, Ice Bar, Duelling Pianos as well as others.

 

Jings - let's take explorer of the seas - 2,000 guests less max and arguably the same, if not more, to separate/accommodate passengers.

 

My main issue with Virtuosa was the food was horrific....that may be a one off so let's put that aside. The ship tries to fit far too many people in and then if the weather is poor you are squeezed into 1 small area.

[lgdesign]

12 minutes ago, amurray88 said:

I think 6,500 is a reasonable rounding of 6,334. 

 

 

 

My point is that there couldn't be 6,500 (or 6,334 for that matter) GUESTS once you take crew into the equation.  The crew is subtracted form the max capacity.

 

Now, if there were 6,500 GUESTS and NO CREW, that could account for the very poor service.  😳😉😂

 

 

Edited August 7 by lgdesign

[amurray88]

3 minutes ago, lgdesign said:

 

My point is that there couldn't be 6,500 (or 6,334 for that matter) GUESTS once you take crew into the equation.  The crew is subtracted form the max capacity.

 

Now, if there were 6,500 GUESTS and NO CREW, that could account for the very poor service.  😳😉😂

 

 

Thats not true sorry 👎... That doesn't include crew.

[amurray88]

Just now, amurray88 said:

Thats not true sorry 👎... That doesn't include crew.

There are 2,421 cabins. It carries 1700 crew. If crew were in the 6300 then you'd be saying the max passengers is less than 2 per cabin.

[lgdesign]

19 minutes ago, amurray88 said:

There are 2,421 cabins. It carries 1700 crew. If crew were in the 6300 then you'd be saying the max passengers is less than 2 per cabin.

My bad... you are correct!  🥴

[amurray88]

2 hours ago, lgdesign said:

My bad... you are correct!  🥴

No problem.... What is more the issue is that you admitted a mistake on a forum 😲 you should be banned!!!