The newly christened MSC Virtuosa will return to Southampton for its 2022 summer season.
Today’s news comes as MSC Cruises also revealed its entire fleet of 19 ships will be spending the summer at sea.
Offering two-night mini cruises taking in the popular St Peter Port to 12 nights exploring the Baltics or 14 nights exploring the best beaches in the Western Med, Virtuosa’s return follows this year’s successful inaugural season sailing round the British Isles.
Antonio Paradiso, managing director MSC Cruises for UK & Ireland, said: “We had such an amazing response to sailing MSC Virtuosa from Southampton this summer that we couldn’t turn down the opportunity to bring this popular ship back to UK shores.
“We have listened to the feedback from consumers and have delivered itineraries with more choice, new destinations and longer cruises to warmer climates .”
MSC Virtuosa, pictured sailing into Southampton this year, will offer 20 sailings from the new Horizon Cruise Terminal, replacing MSC Magnifica which was scheduled to sail from British shores. Passengers already booked will be automatically switched to the nearest like for like MSC Virtuosa sailing.
Existing booking trends for 2022 has also driven the decision to place a ship in Southampton year round in 2022 with the winter programme from Southampton to be announced shortly.
MSC’s 19 ships will be sailing during summer 2022 with almost 500 departures to destinations from the Mediterranean to the Caribbean.