Pictured left to right outside the new store are: Paul Hardwick, Fred. Olsen Travel Agents Director of Retail; Emma Bailey, Fred. Olsen Travel Agents; Tutti Taylor, Fred. Olsen Travel Agents; Councillor Candy Vaughan, Mayor of Eastbourne; Trevor Ridler, Fred. Olsen Travel Agents Business Development Manager; and Shirley Waters, Fred. Olsen Travel Agents..
This cruise was also our Honeymoon, it was the most perfect 2 weeks, and we absolutely loved it! Our 14-night cruise was a roundtrip from Bridgetown, Barbados, visiting:
Kingstown, St Vincent & The Grenadines
Saint George, Grenada
Fort de France, Martinique
Pointe-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe
Road Town (Tortola), British Virgin Islands
Philipsburg, St. Maarten
Basseterre, St Kitts & Nevis
St. John's, Antigua and Barbuda
Castries, Saint Lucia
Flying from Heathrow to Barbados on a Virgin charter flight, we had a 30 min coach transfer to the ship. It was all very efficient at both the airport and the ship – after checking our luggage in at Heathrow the next time we saw it was outside our cabin – check in for the cruise before leaving so all you have to do is pass through security and embark.
MSC Virtuosa hosts 6334 guests, and is a large, fun-filled ship. First impressions are amazing, with lovely public spaces and a great range of entertainment and onboard facilities. Highlights include the four pools and a waterpark; the Galleria Virtuosa, with restaurants and shops under an LED domed walkway; the sci-fi themed Starship Club with a robot bartender; excellent kids clubs and activities, and the Carousel Lounge featuring breathtaking productions. The Aurea Spa was great - my husband used the sauna / jacuzzi / steam rooms several times and we had prebooked an 80-minute couples massage, which was the best massage I have ever had – we both felt extremely relaxed afterwards. I joined in with dance classes around the pool, used the gym and weights area quite a few times and we also took part in some quizzes.
We booked an Aurea Premium Suite with Terrace and Whirlpool, which had a large balcony with a private whirlpool. Positioned at the front of the ship on deck 11, this was a really peaceful place to be. The Aurea package gives additional benefits, including access to the Exclusive Solarium on deck 19, which was a relaxing place to spend some time away from the hustle and bustle of the main pool areas.
The dress code is casual on board, with themed nights such as white night, 70/80s and formal nights, but attending these is optional. There was a great DJ in the Horizon Bar from 17.30 to 19.00, and we spent most of the early evenings there as this was a great place to watch the sunsets, with fantastic Pina Coladas. We would then head to the Champagne Bar for some fancy Prosecco, then to the Virtuosa Bar as they had some fantastic live music and singers there.
There are 11 dining venues. We were allocated the Minuetto restaurant and Aurea gives you anytime dining, which is what we wanted. We also ate at some of the speciality restaurants: Butchers Cut steakhouse, Kaito Teppanyaki and Hola all-you-can-eat Mexican Cantina. The food was great - by the end of the second week, I wish I had packed bigger clothes!
The ports of call we had were all so beautiful. There were loads of shore excursions to choose from: swimming with dolphins in St Kitts; joining stingrays in the sea in Antigua; checking out the caves and amazing beach at Virgin Gorda: zip wiring through the forest in St Lucia; jeep safari adventures in Grenada, to name just a few. Also, if you decide to stay on the ship whilst it’s in a port (on our itinerary we called at a couple twice) it can be a great opportunity to enjoy the facilities without so many other people around.
My recommendations for this trip would be to book cruise excursions in advance with the cruise line and to add a drinks package - the premium one is great value. Gratuities were included as standard so we didn’t have to worry about that, and do download their App, even if you do not pay for Wi Fi, you can use the App whilst on board to find out what’s on.
For the right person, MSC is great value for money and a fantastic cruise line to sail with. Virtuosa is a large, family friendly ship with lots going on and a busy, vibrant atmosphere. We felt that all that we enjoyed, for the price that we paid, represented great value for money. In fact, we enjoyed it so much that we booked another cruise for 2026 whilst onboard!
You can find Donna at Tonbridge. If you are inspired to book a Caribbean cruise please contact your local shop
