Two new ships, MSC Virtuosa and Viking Venus, arrived in the UK earlier this week to spearhead the start to a return to cruising as the threat of Covid recedes.
Virtuosa leads the way with her maiden voyage around the British Isles on 20 May, while Viking Venus will make her debut as she heads out of Portsmouth two days later.
Antonio Paradiso, UK Managing Director, said: “The arrival of our flagship MSC Virtuosa into Southampton is an exciting moment. We are proud to be the first cruise line to set sail from UK waters this summer. ”
The ship’s homeport for the summer will be ABP Southampton. She will initially set sail from City Cruise Terminal, before moving to embark guests from the newly-named Horizon terminal once it has opened.
Viking’s Chairman, Torstein Hagen, who is on board Viking Venus, said: “The UK government is leading the way with its sensible approach to the safe return of cruising and has helped us all put hope back on the horizon. We are looking forward to ushering in this new era.”
Viking Venus arrives in Portsmouth while MSC Virtuosa, top of page, makes her entrance in Southampton
Another new ship, P&O Cruises’ Iona, will make her seven-night maiden voyage around the coast of the island of Iona and the Scottish Isles from Southampton on 7 August.