TRIED
& TESTED msc virtuosa
Virtuosa will hold a special place in the hearts of UK cruise fans by virtue of being the first vessel to resume operations, but MSC’s flagship has plenty of slick features that catch the eye too. Rob, the world’s first humanoid bartender, can be found at the MSC Starship Club, near the 112-metre promenade and LED Sky Dome that runs through the heart of the ship. There are five speciality
restaurants. My £97 ‘trilogy’ dining package allowed me to eat at three places outside the main dining restaurants. I plumped for Vietnamese- French venue Indochine, where the Dining Experience menu (£54), offered crispy squid, pork belly and che bao mau, a milkshake dessert with a twist – red kidney beans. All the dishes were eclectic and huge. Hola Tacos debuts on the 6,300-passenger vessel and will soon replace Hola Tapas on its three sister ships. Elsewhere, kids’ club
Doremiland is open to children aged up to 17. Activities include Lego, Nintendo, PS4/5 and, for over-sevens, drones. Masks must be worn by children over six and MSC wristbands – worn by all passengers – help crew keep tabs on numbers in Doremiland. Book it: A seven-night round- trip sailing on MSC Virtuosa departing from Southampton on July 31, calling at Portland, Belfast, Liverpool and Greenock, leads in from £949.
msccruises.co.uk
SMOOTH SAILING The most noticeable changes to the cruise experience come before arriving at the port and during embarkation. All guests must have travel insurance with Covid-19 cover. The word ‘Covid’ must be clearly stated in the policy or, as I personally discovered, you will be escorted to a small office next to the City Cruise Terminal and asked to buy a new policy from Europ Assistance for £22. Many passengers’ embarkation takes slightly longer because of this, but it doesn’t mar the experience. MSC staff and port officials had spent two months intensely preparing for what was always going to be an unusual embarkation, and their hard work paid off. After returning to the cruise terminal, we file into a
second area and are met by officials in what look like hazmat suits, ready to test us. The nasal swab test is something we’ve all experienced before, and MSC’s pre-boarding instructions include the need to take a PCR or antigen lateral flow test within 72 hours of embarkation, but clearly this is a marked change from what’s normally seen in a cruise terminal. Once on board, life is much like it was before the pandemic. Sure, masks must be worn while moving around; you must remain in your bubble; and temperature checks before meals in the buffet or one of the five main dining restaurants are the norm. We wear wristbands throughout the cruise. These not
30 17 JUNE 2021
33Life on board is much like before the pandemic, though masks must be worn while moving around and you must stay in your bubble
only let us enter our cabins and order drinks, but can also be used to trace in the event of a Covid outbreak, though it’s important to note that no cases were reported at the cruise terminal or on the ship during the voyage. Even the MSC Aurea Spa is open to passengers, although the thermal area – where a sauna room, a steam room and whirlpool bath are normally available – is temporarily closed.
PORTLAND CALLS Our sailing includes two sea days and one port of call – Portland, Dorset – where three shore excursions are available. Group numbers on shore excursions have been cut. Instead of the usual 45 people per group, there are 30 of us to ensure social distancing can be maintained. Our trip to the Cerne Abbas Giant and to Minterne House, the home of the Churchill and Digby families
travelweekly.co.uk
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