MSC Cruises has announced an extension to the Virtuosa’s UK season. According to a press release, the ship is now set to perform 23 sailings between April and November 2022.
The Virtuosa will arrive in the UK on Apr. 29 and do a selection of itineraries from two-night mini cruises taking in the St Peter Port to 12 nights exploring the Baltics or 14 nights exploring the Western Mediterranean.
According to MSC, the additional four cruises that have been added to the schedule will visit the Mediterranean, including Palma de Mallorca, East Atlantic visiting Portugal and Spain, a Canaries cruise in October and a repositioning to Genoa to finish the season.
“Sailings from Southampton have been our best sold cruises in 2022 and we are delighted to be able to extend the season to cater to the demand. Feedback from agents and customers surrounding the wide-ranging itineraries has been great with people praising the variety of sailings offered as well as the timings. The two Mediterranean sailings that take place in July and August have been particularly popular with families, as the 14-night cruises allow holidaymakers the opportunity to escape for some guaranteed sunshine without the hassle of flying,” said Managing Director MSC Cruises UK & Ireland, Antonio Paradiso.
MSC said that it will be launching a TV ad campaign beginning in March in order to “maintain momentum and maximize current consumer interest.” The campaign – which will run for one month – will focus on “the experiences that a holiday with MSC Cruises can provide,” the cruise line said. It will be featured across major British TV networks, as well as on VOD (video on demand).
“It’s been a challenging few years for everyone but as an industry, we have done everything we can to keep sailing for our customers. Through bookings and inquiries, our customers are demonstrating that they want to set sail on cruise holidays so we owe it to them, and all our agent partners to show what cruises are available and generate excitement around holidays for 2022. A TV campaign on a large scale is the perfect way to do this,” Paradiso said.
The cruise line also said that it is extending its MSC Big Cruise Giveaway, where MSC gives away two cruises per day in January to agents who book any sailing included as part of the all-inclusive Wave promotion.
The extension to the incentive will see a further 30 cabins won between Feb. 1 and Feb. 15 – UK and Irish agents who book a qualifying cabin will automatically be entered into the prize draw, with a guaranteed winner every day, MSC said.
This announcement follows the news that the MSC Bellissima will offer additional seven-night cruises calling Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sir Bani Yas in the United Arab Emirates and Doha in Qatar, from Apr. 2 through to June 25. The Bellissima will finish her planned Red Sea itineraries homeporting in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on March 26 and then move to the Arabian Gulf taking over from the Virtuosa from Apr. 2.
The cruise line has announced that all 19 of its fleet will be at sea for summer 2022. This number will increase to 21 ships by the end of the year as the line adds the MSC Seascape, sailing the Caribbean and the MSC World Europa which will initially be deployed in the Middle East.
