Virtuosa maiden voyage

[Enjoyacruise]

6 hours ago, swoopy2110 said:

 

Me too. Do you keep getting daily emails with your e-docs on as well? 😀Every morning when I wake up I've got a new email with my e-docs / luggage tag on again.

No, nothing so far. Only booked Sunday with an agent so MSC probably don't know about me yet! I will look out for them. Thanks 

[Lindypops]

4 hours ago, Enjoyacruise said:

No, nothing so far. Only booked Sunday with an agent so MSC probably don't know about me yet! I will look out for them. Thanks 

I booked June 8 th 7 nights out of Liverpool yesterday wednesday with an agent and got all my documents this morning , thursday.

Interesting to see if I get more tomorrow.

does anyone know if they do anything aimed at solo travellers ?

[hamrag]

12 hours ago, kernow said:

Just had confirmation of a successful bid on YC interior for Saturday's cruise.😄 Very excited to try YC (although slightly nervous about being in an interior cabin for 7 nights).

Believe me, just being in the YC negates any inside cabin downside. It is a fantastic experience, enjoy!

You can ask the cabin steward to remove anything in the cabin which is getting in the way. When we sailed inside (12 days) we asked for the coffee machine, and associated tray to be removed which freed up more counter space. Bear in mind the served coffee in YC is superb, it is easy to dip out and get one, and I never felt the need to make my own.

 

We also asked for the chair, and table, to be removed which frees up more floor space. Whilst our following two YC cruises were in a Deluxe Suite, we would not hesitate to go inside again. If we end up booking one of the Virtuosa UK cruises, it will be inside as the Suites are exorbitantly priced.

[CaroleC]

Does anyone have any thoughts on pax capacity if the final stage of the lockdown roadmap goes ahead/doesn’t go ahead as planned on the 21st June?
 

I have the 3rd July sailing booked, however, am considering moving this to a departure prior to the 21st as we really enjoyed the spaciousness when we sailed on the 24th May.

 

My gut feeling is that the final stage will probably be delayed by a couple of weeks and if so, will MSC continue to restrict pax numbers to 1,000 until the final easing of lockdown restrictions? And if it does go ahead on the 21st, what will capacity be at by 3rd July?
 

Any thoughts on this would be much appreciated.

[ziggyuk]

41 minutes ago, CaroleC said:

My gut feeling is that the final stage will probably be delayed by a couple of weeks and if so, will MSC continue to restrict pax numbers to 1,000 until the final easing of lockdown restrictions? And if it does go ahead on the 21st, what will capacity be at by 3rd July?
 

Any thoughts on this would be much appreciated.

 

I agree with you, I suspect they will postpone 21st by a month, I say a month as that's what they say they need to reassess changes (is status quo a change? 🤔). If this happens they will need to keep the reduced capacity but I do wonder what they are actually managing to sell, a UK cruise is not everyone's bag. have any been sold out at 1000 pax? I cant answer that but maybe someone can.

That said, demand might rise if the green list keeps reducing, a lot of people have their hopes pinned on opening up for more overseas travel which is looking less and less likely.

I'm sure others said if the 21st June goes ahead they move to 80%, I can't back that up but it rings a bell. The question being will they get the 80% capacity? I seriously doubt they will get half of that at the current prices.

Edited June 3, 2021 by ziggyuk

[CaroleC]

10 minutes ago, ziggyuk said:

 

I agree with you, I suspect they will postpone 21st by a month, I say a month as that's what they say they need to reassess changes (is status quo a change? 🤔). If this happens they will need to keep the reduced capacity but I do wonder what they are actually managing to sell, a UK cruise is not everyone's bag. have any been sold out at 1000 pax? I cant answer that but maybe someone can.

That said, demand might rise if the green list keeps reducing, a lot of people have their hopes pinned on opening up for more overseas travel which is looking less and less likely.

I'm sure others said if the 21st June goes ahead they move to 80%, I can't back that up but it rings a bell. The question being will they get the 80% capacity? I seriously doubt they will get half of that at the current prices.

Thanks for your opinion Ziggy, appreciated. I did read on a roll call earlier this evening that the 24th May sailing had 850 pax on it although I’m not sure where the poster obtained that info. 80% after the 21st June rings a bell with me too. What do you think will happen if the roadmap is delayed and MSC have more than 1,000 pax booked on those sailings affected?

[ziggyuk]

26 minutes ago, CaroleC said:

Thanks for your opinion Ziggy, appreciated. I did read on a roll call earlier this evening that the 24th May sailing had 850 pax on it although I’m not sure where the poster obtained that info. 80% after the 21st June rings a bell with me too. What do you think will happen if the roadmap is delayed and MSC have more than 1,000 pax booked on those sailings affected?

 

I honestly don't think they would have more than 1000 bookings but I would hope they would reduce number on a first come basis.
I hope they do not reduce by ££ value as we only have the cheap seats (inside) 😱

 

Obviously it's all speculation so I can only offer my thoughts.

Edited June 4, 2021 by ziggyuk

[CaroleC]

11 minutes ago, ziggyuk said:

 

I honestly don't think they would have more than 1000 bookings but I would hope they would reduce number on a first come basis.
I hope they do not reduce by ££ value as we only have the cheap seats (inside) 😱

 

Obviously it's all speculation so I can only offer my thoughts.

Oh, how I wish I had a crystal ball 😁

[ziggyuk]

1 minute ago, CaroleC said:

Oh, how I wish I had a crystal ball 😁

 

If only..... this is the problem, we all feel left in the dark. I can't begin to tell you the twists and turns of my NCL Alaska this October, it just leaves us all powerless and trying to second guess what may or may not happen.

My friend was going to Portugal at the weekend and we all know what just happened.

 

It's quite funny actually, I keep telling people I'm going on a cruise in July and keep getting told "You wish!", I'm so glad I booked a UK break.

[CaroleC]

20 minutes ago, ziggyuk said:

 

If only..... this is the problem, we all feel left in the dark. I can't begin to tell you the twists and turns of my NCL Alaska this October, it just leaves us all powerless and trying to second guess what may or may not happen.

My friend was going to Portugal at the weekend and we all know what just happened.

 

It's quite funny actually, I keep telling people I'm going on a cruise in July and keep getting told "You wish!", I'm so glad I booked a UK break.

i know what you mean. When I tell my work colleagues I’ve just been on a cruise and going again in July they look at me as if I’m lying lol. I have to keep explaining how the cruises remain in UK waters and are therefore not affected by green, amber and red areas etc. It’s exhausting! 😂

[Lindypops]

A question for anyone who has done a seacation.

I have booked June 8th for 7 nights

do you get a mobile phone signal when in port ?

I dont intend getting off the ship and want to call home occasionally

 

Thanks

 

[little britain]

1 hour ago, Lindypops said:

A question for anyone who has done a seacation.

I have booked June 8th for 7 nights

do you get a mobile phone signal when in port ?

I dont intend getting off the ship and want to call home occasionally

 

Thanks

 

You’ll get a signal until a few miles offshore. Turn off data roaming as soon as you sail otherwise you’ll automatically connect yo ships Wi-fi which is very expensive ( one guy got charged £40 for data roaming as they crossed the channel last week) 

[hamrag]

9 hours ago, CaroleC said:

Does anyone have any thoughts on pax capacity if the final stage of the lockdown roadmap goes ahead/doesn’t go ahead as planned on the 21st June?
 

I have the 3rd July sailing booked, however, am considering moving this to a departure prior to the 21st as we really enjoyed the spaciousness when we sailed on the 24th May.

 

My gut feeling is that the final stage will probably be delayed by a couple of weeks and if so, will MSC continue to restrict pax numbers to 1,000 until the final easing of lockdown restrictions? And if it does go ahead on the 21st, what will capacity be at by 3rd July?
 

Any thoughts on this would be much appreciated.

I really don't think there will be any noticeable difference in spaciousness either way, but do believe the government will not go with 21st June changes....and your booked cruise is less than two weeks later. My crystal ball is no better than yours, but I'd say there's a 90% chance the 21st June will be delayed and not implemented before your cruise.

 

Let's suppose they get 1500 on board, and I don't think they will, there will still be acres of space. 

[ziggyuk]

1 hour ago, little britain said:

You’ll get a signal until a few miles offshore. Turn off data roaming as soon as you sail otherwise you’ll automatically connect yo ships Wi-fi which is very expensive ( one guy got charged £40 for data roaming as they crossed the channel last week) 

 

This happened to me on my very first cruise, I knew I had roaming in the EU so turned on Roaming after leaving the UK, went to bed thinking all was well.

I woke to find dozens of text messages that had not woken me as my phones goes into "Do not disturb" after 10pm every night. The text messages were warnings about the bill I was racking up, thank goodness for the £40 limit or god only knows what I could have been charged.

[LifeonMars]

John Bishop is the Comedian on the 5th June sailing. Notice MSC is advertising the UK Staycations on Virtuosa on TV .

 

Also notice that the prices do keep getting reduced by MSC so perhaps they are not filling their capacity anyway. If you go to the Voyages Club page on their website you can get at least 5% +5% and €/$ 50 obc for voyage club members

although just looking today it may be that the advertising has worked as only a few sailings shown at the discounted price compared to yesterday also not many  sailings showing on the normal page.

Edited June 4, 2021 by LifeonMars

[tring]

I see that Virtuosos is due to dock in Greenock on 9th June, but I thought the Scottish Government had not yet given approval for cruises to dock in Scotland.  Am I wrong or is it looking likely that port call will not happen, unless there is a last minute change of policy there?

[little britain]

56 minutes ago, tring said:

I see that Virtuosos is due to dock in Greenock on 9th June, but I thought the Scottish Government had not yet given approval for cruises to dock in Scotland.  Am I wrong or is it looking likely that port call will not happen, unless there is a last minute change of policy there?

I am actually hoping we don’t dock in Greenock given the cases there...but that would impact those who are boarding there. 

[Cruisecrazymum]

19 minutes ago, little britain said:

I am actually hoping we don’t dock in Greenock given the cases there...but that would impact those who are boarding there. 

Inverclyde were Greenock is . Is in level 1 from tomorrow . No issues what so ever. 

[Cruisecrazymum]

1 hour ago, tring said:

I see that Virtuosos is due to dock in Greenock on 9th June, but I thought the Scottish Government had not yet given approval for cruises to dock in Scotland.  Am I wrong or is it looking likely that port call will not happen, unless there is a last minute change of policy there?

The Scottish government has no say over its borders it's not a devolved matter sadly . If they had . Scotland would have shut down a long time ago like the government wanted and prob be pretty much out of this mess by now 

[tring]

26 minutes ago, little britain said:

I am actually hoping we don’t dock in Greenock given the cases there...but that would impact those who are boarding there. 

 

I understand your concern and agree that the port could be culled for that reason, though Greenock is to the west of Glasgow, so a clear distance away from the city and is in a different covid tier to Glasgow, so not affected by the same restrictions.  I do see people who are embarking/disembarking may well need to travel through Glasgow though, which could be a big problem and others may well live in that area.  I would suspect any shore tours could go to the more remote, scenic areas, with tours to Glasgow being cancelled, if the call is not an embarkation one.

 

In fact, I was wondering if anyone was due to embark in Greenock , as I see that is the case for the subsequent cruises, including 16th June.  I can currently see a number of MSC cruises advertised, but none starting on the 9th in Greenock.  MSC have got an extrememly good offer on the Liverpool departure on the 8th, though, so I am wondering if they are trying to compensate for lost passengers who may have been due to depart from Greenock.

Edited June 4, 2021 by tring

[tring]

 

6 minutes ago, Cruisecrazymum said:

Inverclyde were Greenock is . Is in level 1 from tomorrow . No issues what so ever. 

 

5 minutes ago, Cruisecrazymum said:

The Scottish government has no say over its borders it's not a devolved matter sadly . If they had . Scotland would have shut down a long time ago like the government wanted and prob be pretty much out of this mess by now 

 

Thank you for the reply, I do indeed agree that the Scottish Government seem to have been more sensible about the pandemic compared to Boris.  I was hoping that bit by bit things will open up now though, as the vaccinations seem to be progressing well throughout the UK.  I think the border issue is for the land border with England as international travel has had different rules in Scotland, though I do see it could be difficult stopping people use English airports.  I too would love to see a much better, but sensible, alignment between all nations. 

 

As you may know, a large number of ships will be sailing from England over the next few months, but at least until a few days ago, the Scottish Government had not agreed to cruise ship's docking in their ports (which would need the agreement of the port authorities).  The pax are only allowed off the ships if on organised shore excursions, so an interim port of call should not mean pax mixing with the local population, if those excursions are chosen and run responsibly.  As I mentioned to the previous poster, I do see potential problems with a ship doing disembarkations/embarkations at the port though if covid still an issue. 

 

We have some thoughts of booking an MSC cruise, but are also booked on  far smaller ship in July (less than 300 passengers on a normal sailing and will be less than that at present).  That cruise sails from Greenock to Liverpool from 21st July, and we hope to spend some time in Scotland before our cruise (the ship's first call is planned to dock in Leith on the 6th July).  The main interest I have is if there is much chance of that cruise going ahead as we want to finalise other travel arrangements.  It is very difficult to get clear news here about the Scottish Government and it's policies, so any information about them would be greatly appreciated, though I must admit, even here all we seem to get information about is the land holidays abroad with the cruise criteria not being mentioned in the news.  Whilst we have no wish to infect anyone in Scotland (we are fully vaccinated and will have to undergo a number of tests for the cruise as well), we would be bringing some income to the local tourist sector, so are hoping we can come.

 

 

[hamrag]

2 hours ago, tring said:

I see that Virtuosos is due to dock in Greenock on 9th June, but I thought the Scottish Government had not yet given approval for cruises to dock in Scotland.  Am I wrong or is it looking likely that port call will not happen, unless there is a last minute change of policy there?

Greenock is in level 1 category, so cannot see why they wouldn't dock there! Presumably your concern is Glasgow, which is some 25 miles from Greenock. Any tours, I'd guess, would concentrate on Loch Lomond and the lower highland areas which are non-problematic in COVID-19 terms.

[NightWoman]

1 hour ago, tring said:

 

I understand your concern and agree that the port could be culled for that reason, though Greenock is to the west of Glasgow, so a clear distance away from the city and is in a different covid tier to Glasgow, so not affected by the same restrictions.  I do see people who are embarking/disembarking may well need to travel through Glasgow though, which could be a big problem and others may well live in that area.  I would suspect any shore tours could go to the more remote, scenic areas, with tours to Glasgow being cancelled, if the call is not an embarkation one.

 

In fact, I was wondering if anyone was due to embark in Greenock , as I see that is the case for the subsequent cruises, including 16th June.  I can currently see a number of MSC cruises advertised, but none starting on the 9th in Greenock.  MSC have got an extrememly good offer on the Liverpool departure on the 8th, though, so I am wondering if they are trying to compensate for lost passengers who may have been due to depart from Greenock.

 

We embark from Greenock on the 23rd June so hopefully there's no issues 🚢 🥂

Edited June 4, 2021 by NightWoman

[sidari]

35 minutes ago, hamrag said:

Greenock is in level 1 category, so cannot see why they wouldn't dock there! Presumably your concern is Glasgow, which is some 25 miles from Greenock. Any tours, I'd guess, would concentrate on Loch Lomond and the lower highland areas which are non-problematic in COVID-19 terms.

G ... What about the Falkirk Wheel and the Kelpies ? Not too far away from Greenock by Coach.

[hatcheth]

It’s a bit awkward when MSC advertise the duplex suite you are cruising in as an experience day..  

 

On the other hand a nice complimentary ship on our last full day!