MSC Cruises has extended MSC Virtuosa’s UK season by a month, with the addition of four itineraries visiting the Mediterranean.

MSC Virtuosa is now set to perform 23 cruises between April and November 2022, offering a selection of itineraries from 2 to 14 nights.

The ship will arrive in the UK on April 29th and sail a selection of itineraries, from 2-night mini cruises taking in the St Peter Port, to 12-night voyages to the Baltics or 14-night cruises to the Western Mediterranean.

MSC Cruises was the first cruise line to resume cruises in the UK in 2021 following the COVID-19 pandemic.

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The additional four cruises that have been added to the season will visit the Mediterranean, calling in Palma de Mallorca, Portugal and Spain. There is also 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,” said Antonio Paradiso, Managing Director MSC Cruises UK & Ireland. “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,” he added.

The extension of MSC Virtuosa’s UK season comes after the cruise line confirmed that it will be extending its Arabian Gulf cruise season out of Dubai.

While MSC Virtuosa is currently cruising roundtrip from Dubai for the winter cruise season, she will be replaced by MSC Bellissima in March, with Bellissima then continuing to sail the same 7-night itineraries until June.

MSC Bellissima will call in Abu Dhabi and Sir Bani Yas in the United Arab Emirates and Doha in Qatar, from April 2nd through to June 25th, marking the longest cruise season any cruise line has ever sailed out of Dubai.

MSC Bellissima will finish her planned Red Sea itineraries homeporting in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on March 26th and then move to the Arabian Gulf taking over from MSC Virtuosa.

MSC Cruises plans to have all 19 of its ships back in operation 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.