set, sail
Harry Kemble reports on the restart of UK cruising from on board MSC Virtuosa
DESTINATIONS UK RESTART | CRUISE
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travelweekly.co.uk
ugging their face masks down under their chins, a group of bemused British passengers stand
speechless on MSC Virtuosa’s vast promenade, before remembering the welcome drink they’ve just been handed. The Union Jack being beamed across the LED sky dome overhead is enough to dazzle them, as if they have just been ushered onto an intergalactic spaceship rather than MSC Cruises’ flagship, the first to sail in British waters for 14 months. I chat with some of the
passengers holding their flute glasses. They each say that after months locked down, the chance to cruise along the south coast was too good to pass up. Almost 550 passengers on
Virtuosa’s maiden voyage have never cruised before, including Cardiff couple Kayla Murphy and Daniel Thomas, both 27, who tell me they were encouraged to
book by the all-inclusive fare on Virtuosa’s UK sailings. “I was talking to people at work, and they said it was all- inclusive,” says NHS midwife Kayla. “That is pretty much the reason we did this.” Daniel, a software designer,
adds: “We looked at other things to do and other holidays but [a cruise] seemed to be safe in the way that it was run.” The pair took advantage of
the line’s discount offer for NHS workers on bookings made before June 30, getting 25% off their fare through Swansea- based agency Cruise Nation. ²
17 JUNE 2021
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