MSC Virtuosa UK Staycation
I set foot on a cruise ship at Southampton and departed for a 3 night sailing around to Liverpool on the brand new MSC Virtuosa. I was very excited to get back to doing something i love at long last!
In this new world of travel, I wanted to experience what was required to make my cruise happen. It was very easy and straightforward getting onboard and I had been emailed regularly about what would be required on arrival in Southampton.
We arrived at the terminal and showed our travel insurance policy and my vaccine status on the NHS APP as soon as we entered the terminal We then proceeded through security, showing our passports and tickets as usual. We then were greeted by a friendly member of staff who took us behind a curtain and we had a nose swab, to test for COVID before we proceeded to check-in. We checked in at the desk and got our cruise cards the same as every other time I have cruises and then sat waiting to board for around 15 minutes In that time the nose swab results came back negative and we were given the all clear to board. It took 45 minutes from start to finish!
Once onboard, we spent 3 fabulous days exploring all that the ship had to offer. It was great to have fabulous food served to us in the restaurants, all the buffets are open as usual, with staff serving whatever you want to you plate, rather than you handling various utensils.
Drinks were served to me in all bars and restaurants and I could scan a QR code if I wanted to view a menu in any venue.
We spent the day relaxing on deck and swimming in the pools (we were lucky with the sunshine) and it felt very safe on deck. These ships have a maximum of 1000 people on, instead of the usual 3000+ so its easy to remain socially distanced.
Last weekend I did something I hadn’t done for the last 18 months.
I set foot on a cruise ship at Southampton and departed for a 3 night sailing around to Liverpool on the brand new MSC Virtuosa. I was very excited to get back to doing something i love at long last!
In this new world of travel, I wanted to experience what was required to make my cruise happen. It was very easy and straightforward getting onboard and I had been emailed regularly about what would be required on arrival in Southampton.
We arrived at the terminal and showed our travel insurance policy and my vaccine status on the NHS APP as soon as we entered the terminal We then proceeded through security, showing our passports and tickets as usual. We then were greeted by a friendly member of staff who took us behind a curtain and we had a nose swab, to test for COVID before we proceeded to check-in. We checked in at the desk and got our cruise cards the same as every other time I have cruises and then sat waiting to board for around 15 minutes In that time the nose swab results came back negative and we were given the all clear to board. It took 45 minutes from start to finish!
Once onboard, we spent 3 fabulous days exploring all that the ship had to offer. It was great to have fabulous food served to us in the restaurants, all the buffets are open as usual, with staff serving whatever you want to you plate, rather than you handling various utensils.
Drinks were served to me in all bars and restaurants and I could scan a QR code if I wanted to view a menu in any venue.
We spent the day relaxing on deck and swimming in the pools (we were lucky with the sunshine) and it felt very safe on deck. These ships have a maximum of 1000 people on, instead of the usual 3000+ so its easy to remain socially distanced.
I didn’t really feel that COVID impacted on my trip at all. Entertainment was all provided as usual and the cruise line delivered everything I expected to get on a cruise, all done in a safe and secure way If I didn’t have to remember to put my mask on every time I moved around, I wouldn’t have really noticed any changes.
It’s definitely something I would do again (I am already booked for later in July) and I would recommend it as excellent value alternative to the limited staycation land based options that are quickly filling up this summer
I didn’t really feel that COVID impacted on my trip at all. Entertainment was all provided as usual and the cruise line delivered everything I expected to get on a cruise, all done in a safe and secure way If I didn’t have to remember to put my mask on every time I moved around, I wouldn’t have really noticed any changes.
It’s definitely something I would do again (I am already booked for later in July) and I would recommend it as excellent value alternative to the limited staycation land based options that are quickly filling up this summer