The Complete MSC Virtuosa Cruise Ship Guide 🚢

When we booked our cruise on the MSC Virtuosa, we had a pretty good idea of what to expect. We’d already been on the MSC Grandiosa, another Meraviglia Plus class ship, and absolutely loved it. They’re pretty identical in a lot of ways so we felt right at home as soon as we stepped on board. It completely won us over all over again! Our first ever cruise was on MSC Divina so we do have a soft spot for MSC Cruises!

In this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about the MSC Virtuosa cruise ship. Whether it’s your first cruise or you’ve already done a few, you’ll find plenty of tips, hints and highlights to help you get the most out of your holiday experience. We made a video guide that you can check out too!

MSC Virtuosa is a Meraviglia Plus class ship that launched in 2021 and it has room for 6,334 passengers. Even though it’s quite a big ship, it never feels overly packed. It’s spacious and airy, probably because of the natural light, especially around the Atrium. It has lots of glamorous touches throughout like the sparkling Swarovski crystal staircases that set the tone when you step on board. It’s really gorgeous!

Cabins

Booking a room on MSC Virtuosa, like other MSC cruise ships, is a bit different to other cruise lines because of their Experience Packages. You don’t just pick your cabin type, you also choose an experience level and each one comes with its own perks.

• Bella: The entry-level package that’s perfect for a budget-friendly holiday. You get all the essentials like your cabin, standard dining and most ship activities.
• Fantastica: Gives you a bit more flexibility like choosing your dining time and getting free room service for breakfast. It’s great if you’re looking for extra comfort.
• Aurea: This includes all the Fantastica perks along with priority boarding, access to the private Top 19 sun deck and some spa discounts. It’s ideal if you want a more pampered trip.
• Yacht Club: The ultimate luxury cruise experience with a dedicated restaurant, private lounges, butler service and the best suites on the ship.

With 19 decks on the ship, there’s lots of cabins to suit every budget and type of traveller.

• Interior cabins: Great for your budget if you aren’t bothered about having a window.
• Ocean view cabins: These have a window or porthole so you can wake up to natural light and sea views.
• Balcony cabins: These have an outdoor space which is perfect for a morning coffee or watching the ship pull out of port.
• Suites: The most luxurious option with lots of space, larger balconies and access to special areas on the ship.

When you’re picking your cabin, it’s always worth checking the deck plans. You might want to avoid booking a room right underneath the pool or the buffet because you might hear scraping chairs early in the morning! You probably won’t want to be too near the Horizon Amphitheatre at night either.

You’ll find a safe for your valuables inside the rooms. The plug sockets are a mix of European two-pin and US flat-pin so make sure to pack an adapter if you’re bringing UK or Irish devices. There’s also USB ports by the bed on this ship.

With so many different options, you’ll easily find a room that works for you.

The Atrium & Galleria Virtuosa

When you first board the MSC Virtuosa, you’ll find yourself in the main atrium. It stretches across decks 5, 6 and 7 and acts as a natural anchor point for navigating your way around the ship. It wouldn’t be an MSC ship without the iconic Swarovski crystal staircases. Make sure you grab a picture on them at some stage during your trip. Everyone does.

It’s a lovely space that gets even better in the evening when they have live musicians playing at the grand piano. We loved standing on the balconies on the upper decks and looking down at the performances.

Just off the atrium is where you’ll find the Galleria Virtuosa. It’s an indoor street spread over two floors lined with loads of different shops, bars and places to eat. There’s a giant LED dome along the entire length. The display on the ceiling changes all day long with different images, skies and patterns. They even have immersive shows on at different times. You’ll find yourself looking up every time you walk down the street to see what’s on the screen!

The entertainment crew use the Galleria for all the biggest events on the cruise. Think of them as indoor street parties. You can expect to see things like the White Party and the Carnival Party taking over the Galleria with music and dancing. It’s good fun and you’ll find yourself watching from the balcony above or joining in with a few dance moves of your own!

Services

Most of the ship’s services are near the atrium, making them easy to find. Reception, or Guest Services, is on Deck 5 at the very bottom of the central atrium. This area can get quite busy. You’ll also find the main MSC Excursions desk here. If you want to avoid the queues, there’s actually a smaller excursion desk in the Galleria Virtuosa and plenty of self-service screens that you might find much quicker to use.

Future Cruise is on Deck 7 and it’s much bigger than we’ve seen on other ships. You’ll find the cruise card activation points dotted around this area too. You’ll need to use these to link your credit card to your ship card or to pay off your bill on the last night.

The Hub Photo & Digital and the Photo Gallery are on Deck 6 where you can view or buy professional photos taken throughout the cruise. The Emotions Immersive Gallery is nearby as well, although what exactly that is, we couldn’t tell you! There’s also the Iris Galerie where you can get a detailed picture taken of your eye, if that’s the type of thing you’re into.

One thing we have to mention is the elevators on MSC Virtuosa. They might not be what you’re used to but we really liked them. Instead of buttons inside the lift, you just press the floor you want on a touch screen outside and it tells you exactly which lift to wait at. It’s really efficient!

Complimentary Dining

There’s lots of great places to eat on MSC Virtuosa. The main sit-down restaurants are The Opera, The Simphony, Minuetto and Blue Danube. Which dining room you’re allocated to is dependent on what experience level you have booked. All of them have menus that change each day so there’s always something new to try. We really liked that some nights the food is themed towards the specific ports you’re visiting. It’s a great way to try local dishes. You can get sit-down breakfast in the Blue Danube every morning and they do lunch on some days too. The menus are uploaded to the MSC for Me app every day which is handy for checking what they have in advance.

For something a bit more casual, the Marketplace Buffet on Deck 15 is open from early in the morning until about 1am. You’ll find lots of choices changing throughout the day from fresh salads and international dishes to their famous pizza. There’s also the Marketplace Buffet Kids Section which has a simpler menu and smaller seating aimed at families.

We found the layout in the buffet to be very efficient even when the ship was busy. They’ve also got pizza and burgers outside by the pool deck so it’s really handy to grab something when you want a quick bite.

Speciality Dining

If you’re looking to treat yourself, MSC Virtuosa has some nice speciality restaurants. Most of them are based around the Galleria Virtuosa. These are the places where you pay extra but they’re worth it if you want a treat.

If you love Asian food, you have a couple of nice options. The Kaito Sushi Bar and Kaito Tepanyaki are right next to each other. The sushi bar has light bites while the teppanyaki is a full dining experience. You sit right around a hot grill and the chefs put on a show flipping food and cooking your meal right in front of you.

Right below that, Hola Tacos has amazing Mexican food. We ate here and it was some of the nicest Mexican food we’ve had outside Mexico!

If you’re a meat lover, Butcher’s Cut is an American-style steakhouse that serves premium cuts. It has a lovely classic atmosphere where you can even pick your exact cut of steak from the glass display. It always gets rave reviews from anyone we speak to about it.

For something a bit different, the Indochine Restaurant has Asian-French fusion dishes. There’s also the Il Campo Restaurant which is perfect for a much more upmarket and refined meal. Obviously, we didn’t eat there because we’re neither upmarket nor refined.

Speciality dining does come at an extra cost but it’s a good way to treat yourself during your cruise. If you think you’ll eat at a few of them, MSC also has dining packages so you can try a few restaurants without paying separately each time. It works out to be much better value.

Cafés

The main spot for coffee is the Jean Phillipe Chocolate Shop and Café in the Galleria Virtuosa. It’s a really nice café that serves not just great coffee but amazing chocolates too! They have a huge display of handmade chocolates and lots of lovely treats and cakes.

There’s also Jean Phillipe Crepes and Gelato, also in the Galleria Virtuosa if you fancy a crepe or some Italian ice cream. We’re BIG fans of the gelato on MSC cruises and there’s always a good variety of flavours.

If you’re up on deck, you’ll find the Atmosphere Ice Cream Bar by the main pool for when you need a quick cool down in the sun.

Bars & Lounges

There’s lots of bars onboard to suit everyone. The Infinity Bar is at the bottom of the Atrium on deck 5 and the Champagne Bar is a little higher up on deck 7. These are nice spots to sit if there’s something going on in Atrium like the musicians in the evening.

The Virtuosa Bar & Lounge is right in the Galleria Virtuosa and has games and live bands quite a bit. It’s a great place to grab a seat if there’s a big party or event going on in the promenade. They have things going on here during the day sometimes too.

The MSC Starship Club was our favourite spot to visit on the ship. It’s an immersive experience in the Atrium where a humanoid robotic bartender named Rob mixes your drinks! You place your order on a digital touch screen and then watch him shake, stir and pour your cocktail. He even speaks eight different languages and has an LED face that changes expressions while he works. The drinks come in custom cups that you can keep as a souvenir. It is so much fun to watch and much better than just the robot arms we’ve seen on other ships.

Masters of the Sea is a traditional British pub located in the Galleria on deck 7. It has a good beer selection and lots of screens showing different sports. There’s also the TV Studio & Bar nearby on deck 7 where they host karaoke and trivia most nights.

You can also relax with a quieter drink and some live jazz music at L’Atelier Bar & Art. It’s right on the Galleria so perfect for a bit of people watching.

If you want amazing views, the adult-only Sky Lounge on deck 18 is a lovely quiet place overlooking the Atmosphere Pool. This is actually a nice spot for a quiet drink during the day. It has a cigar lounge too.

Out on deck you’ll find the Horizon Bar on deck 18. This is a great spot in the evening and is always buzzing for sailaways when they have a DJ playing.

The Sports Bar is on deck 18 too but it’s not the same as sports bars on other ships you might be used it. It hasn’t got TVs for you to watch sports (there’s Masters of the Sea for that).

The Atmosphere Bar North is by the main pool on deck 15. You also have the Tropical Bar at the indoor pool, the Marketplace Bar in the buffet and the Savannah Bar out by the aquapark.

Nightclub

Officially, the Attic Club on deck 18 is the main nightclub on MSC Virtuosa. It’s a bit unusual because it actually doubles as the teen club during the day! But to be honest, the real late-night party happens just outside at the Horizon Amphitheatre.

The DJ box is set up out here and the whole tiered space around the Horizon Pool turns into an outdoor club. It’s a good vibe and it’s where you’ll actually find everyone dancing late into the night rather than being stuck indoors, although we’re not sure what happens when it’s raining.

Casino

The Red Gem Casino is on deck 7 and it seemed to us a bit more spacious than casinos we’ve seen on other ships. It’s really well laid out with lots of slot machines and traditional live games tables for roulette, blackjack and poker.

You don’t need to carry cash with you because you can just insert your cruise card directly into the slot machines or hand it over at the tables to play. You’ll also earn reward points while you play.

It has a very lively atmosphere and a really nice circular bar in the centre making it a great spot to grab a drink even if you just want to watch the action. Another thing to note is that the casino recently became a completely non-smoking venue which is something we always get people asking about.

Shopping

The shops on MSC Virtuosa are mostly within or near the Galleria Virtuosa. It actually has one of the largest shopping areas at sea. The MSC Shop is in the atrium where the promenade begins and it’s perfect for picking up souvenirs or branded gear. We always get some of the Med by MSC scented diffusers for our house. You’ll find Fashion Jewellery here too.

The MSC Foundation centre is where you can buy eco-friendly merchandise and gifts where the proceeds go directly towards their marine conservation charity. The Virtuosa Boutique does designer clothes, handbags and fashion accessories. The Shopping Gallery is your main spot for duty-free perfumes, cosmetics, electronics and alcohol. The Luxury Plaza has high-end boutiques with premium brands like Omega, Gucci and Armani. There’s also the Effy Shop for fine jewellery on deck 7.

Keep an eye out for the daily sales in the daily programme because they often set up discount stalls right in the middle of the promenade!

Entertainment

The evening shows take place in Le Grande Theatre on decks 5 and 6 with room for nearly a thousand people. They have things on during the day like bingo and then at night they put on Broadway-style shows featuring singers, dancers and acrobats. The shows run twice a night so you can work around your dining time. You just need to reserve your seat in advance using the MSC for Me app or the interactive touch screens around the ship.

There’s also the Carousel Lounge on deck 7 at the back of the ship. This venue has high-tech rigging for aerial acrobatics and has special paid performances from Carousel Productions at Sea. They feature comedians here some nights too.

As we mentioned earlier, the entertainment team uses the Galleria Virtuosa a lot for big events and parties too.

Activities

There’s so many things to do on MSC Virtuosa, especially up on deck 16 near the Sports Bar. The Virtual Games Arcade has lots of video games and claw machines. You can play Bowling on two full-size ten-pin lanes, race in the MSC Formula Racer which has two immersive F1 simulators or try the 4D interactive movie in the XD Cinema. You can also try the VR Hologate Arena which is a multiplayer virtual reality game.

It is worth noting that all of these arcade activities cost extra. If you plan on doing a lot of them, we recommended buying a Fun Pass before you sail because it gives you extra bonus credit to spend on the games.

Right next to this area is the Sportplex. This is a massive indoor court used for basketball, football and tennis during the day and they even use it as a roller disco some nights. This is the most impressive of these we’ve seen on any ship we’ve been on other than Anthem of the Seas.

Pool Areas

The main pool is the Atmosphere Pool on deck 15. It can get really busy on sea days.

There’s a lot of entertainment that goes on here throughout the day with games and trivia. There’s a sun deck a level up running along both sides of the ship and they have shaded seating areas below where a lot of people sit at night. It’s worth noting that one side is the smoking area.

The Tropical Pool is an indoor pool on deck 15. The roof is retractable so they tend to open it in the afternoon if its sunny. There’s two whirlpools in here that stay open later than the outdoor ones. We found it was usually quieter in here so it was a nice place to get out of the sun to read a book or just relax.

The Horizon Pool is the adult-only area at the back of deck 16 right by the Horizon Amphitheatre. We found this to be a lovely quiet area for lying in the sun. Another great spot is on deck 18, up the stairs behind the stage at the Atmosphere pool.

The Savannah Aquapark is on deck 19. It has some really great slides and the kids’ water area is quite big too. The highlight for us was the Himalayan Bridge high ropes course that goes all the way around the aquapark. We really enjoyed it!

Gym

The MSC Gym is on deck 16 to help you burn off the buffet. It has equipment from Technogym and great views out over the Atmosphere Pool. There’s lots of cardio machines, a free weight area and a spinning studio.

There’s also a Power Walking Track on deck 16 if you prefer the sea air.

Spa

The MSC Aurea Spa is on deck 7. It has private treatment rooms and a Thermal Area that you can buy a daily or weekly pass for. It has a thalassotherapy pool (we didn’t ask what this is), a Himalayan salt room, a snow room, saunas and steam rooms.

If you want to book specific treatments, they have a huge menu covering everything from Balinese massages to hot stone therapy and facials. It also has a hair salon, a nail bar and a barber shop.

The spa gets busy on sea days BUT on port days, it’s not only quieter but they do discounts too.

Kids

MSC Virtuosa is great for families with a really big kids area on deck 18. What makes it so handy is that it’s all grouped together in one secure spot. The children’s clubs are included in the cruise fare and they’re split into specific age groups so everyone gets to do activities tailored to them.

The Baby Club Chicco is for babies and toddlers under 3 years old. It has Chicco toys and a dedicated babysitting service.

Next up is the Mini Club Lego for kids aged 3 to 6 and the Junior Club Lego for 7 to 11 year olds. MSC has a partnership with Lego so these rooms are packed with bricks and play areas. They even run master builder competitions and tech challenges.

For the older kids, the Young Club caters to 12 to 14 year olds with dedicated consoles, table football and daily tournaments.

Then there’s the MSC Teens Lab and the Attic Club for the 15 to 17 year olds. As we mentioned earlier, the Attic Club acts as the Teens Club during the day giving older teenagers their own dedicated space to hang out, play video games and make friends without feeling like they’re in a traditional kids club.

A quick tip is to head up to deck 18 on your first day to get everyone registered. They’ll give the younger kids security wristbands which gives you peace of mind for the rest of the holiday.

MSC Yacht Club

If you want to go all out, you’ll find the exclusive MSC Yacht Club at the front of decks 16 to 19. This is the premium ship within a ship concept that gives you a much quieter experience away from the main crowds.

Booking a suite here gets you a lot more than just a larger room. You get priority boarding, a 24-hour butler service and a dedicated concierge to handle any of your dining or excursion reservations. The cruise fare also automatically includes the Premium Extra drink package, unlimited Wi-Fi and access to the thermal suite in the Aurea Spa.

The main draw is the private spaces that are only open to Yacht Club guests. You get access to the Top Sail Lounge which is a nice spot for a quiet evening drink (apparently). There’s a dedicated MSC Yacht Club Restaurant for meals and a private sun deck up on deck 19 with its own private pool, whirlpools and a bar.

Our Verdict on MSC Virtuosa

To wrap things up, our holiday on MSC Virtuosa was absolutely brilliant! We sailed from Pointe-a-Pitre in Guadeloupe for a 7 night sailing that took us to Castries in St Lucia, Bridgetown in Barbados, Kingstown in St Vincent and the Grenadines, St George in Grenada and Fort-de-France in Martinique.

We really liked the layout of the ship. Even though it’s so big, you never really feel lost because you can always use the central atrium or the indoor promenade to quickly figure out where you’re standing.

We loved the food too, although we always like the food on MSC cruises. Whether we were sitting down for a meal in the main dining room or just grabbing a few slices of pizza from the buffet, the quality was always spot on. The pizza!

The entertainment is well done too. Having the big events and street parties in the Galleria creates a great atmosphere that brings the whole ship together. We also spent plenty of evenings enjoying the outdoor areas and listening to the music up at the Horizon Amphitheatre.

As for the crew, the service was fantastic from start to finish. We really appreciate the European approach MSC takes. The staff are incredibly helpful and polite but they give you your own space to just relax rather than hovering over you all the time.

If you’re wondering whether we’d book another trip on the Virtuosa, the answer is a massive yes. It caters brilliantly to all ages and we came away with some lovely memories. If you fancy checking it out for yourself, you can find the latest prices and itineraries right here.