MSC Virtuosa Cruise Ship to Offer Year-Round Sailings From the U.K.

(3 p.m. BST) -- MSC Cruises has confirmed MSC Virtuosa will be based in Southampton year-round and into summer 2023.

The 4,475-passenger ship, the first to restart cruising in the UK last May, will be the first time the line has continuously operated one of its vessels from the UK year-round.

MSC Virtuosa will replace MSC Preziosa's itineraries this winter, offering cruises to Northern Europe ranging from three-night breaks to three-week trips.

"Since MSC Virtuosa first came to the UK, the feedback from our guests has been incredible and the ships has been a huge hit," said Antonio Paradiso, Managing Director UK and Ireland.

"The increased appetite for stress-free no-fly cruises out of the UK combined with the benefits of the new state-of-the-art Horizon Terminal has resulted in huge demand."

Paradiso cited the continued deployment of one of MSC's newest and most innovative ships out of the UK as "further proof of the continued importance of the UK market."

Last year, MSC Virtuosa won Cruise Critic UK's Ship of the Year 2021.

Itineraries this winter will include:

• "Northern Pearls" from Southampton to Hamburg for Berlin in Germany

• Zeebrugge for Bruges and Brussels in Belgium

• Rotterdam in the Netherlands and Le Havre for Paris in France. 

In summer 2023, MSC Virtuosa will replace MSC Grandiosa offering a range of itineraries from mini cruises, 7-night sailings through to longer cruises.