Msc Virtuosa UAE Cruise

We arrived at MSC Virtuosa and it was so fast and easy. We stayed in 2 inside cabins Fantasia Grade on deck 14 and there’s plenty of space for us all with lots of wardrobe space. We always opt for an inside with the kids as we find we are up and out every day so don’t feel like we’d benefit from a balcony cabin. At first glance the ship is beautiful and has lots of space it doesn’t feel full at all Excited to see what the next week brings our first stop is Doha and we have a dune bashing experience in the desert and a relaxing day at the beach

Day 2-Doha, Qatar.

This place blew us away it was beautiful 😍 We booked an MSC excursion for Dune bashing and a day at the beach. The trip was well organised and was a fabulous day. Our tour guide set off at 8:30 to the desert and we had a good hour bashing through the dunes with some hair-raising hills and plenty of photo opportunity stops, I had to shut my eyes a few times 😂. We then headed to B12 Beach Club, this place is perfect for families as they have the largest inflatable assault course at sea, and plenty of activities going on including table football, table tennis, pool tables, and football nets the boys were in their element. 🐚🌊 We were offered a delicious 3-course meal so I opted for Thai beef salad, chicken burger and a brownie. 🍫 We then headed back to the ship for a snow party at the pool ❄️ and to test the water slides. The weather was warm but strong winds so we watched sail away from the inside solarium. We finished the night with bubbles at the champagne bar, 🥂 a meal at Kaito sushi restaurant 🍱 which was divine, watched the Moondance show at the theatre 🎭 and then a quick dabble in the casino 🎰 before the kids found us and we headed off to bed. A great day was had by all 🥰

Day 3 - Bahrain

Today‘s stop was Bahrain, MSC offered 3 excursions at this stop mainly city tours or a day at a beach so we opted to stay on board and make the most of the ship🛳️ The weather was glorious at 24 degrees, we spent the day at the pool as lots going on with dance classes and pool games The boys spent the day switching from the pool the kids club the formula1 race simulator, bowling, playing football and the 4D cinema. We always find once they’ve found some friends we don't see much of them. They grab food when hungry and the curfew on this ship is 1:30 am when they have to be back with parents. We met up at the British pub, masters of the Seas before heading to HOLA the Mexican speciality restaurant where we had so much food offered to us, we hadn’t included this in the speciality dining so it worked out €17.99 each for all you can eat, our fab waiter kept bringing food out it was great value for money and delicious. 🌮🌯 We stopped for a drink at the starship club and had the robot make us a cocktail and partied on the promenade at the white party 🤍

Next stop, a day at sea 🌊

Day 5 - Abu Dhabi

The first stop of the day was the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque 🕌 I’ve visited previously and the sheer beauty of this place is overwhelming you have to make sure it’s on your list of must-dos when visiting Abu Dhabi. 🤍 It’s free entry into the mosque you just have to apply for a visitor pass which we did online and jumped in a cab when we got off the ship it was very straightforward. We then headed to the W hotel so the boys could look at the F1 race track. The hotel is situated over the course and provides fantastic views from the rooftop pool. We then had a few hours at Yas Beach Club, this was 80 AEDS entry for men with a 40 AED credit back to spend and 99 AED for women, with unlimited drinks and food 🍹children entered for free. They had a DJ on at the pool, a little play park, a jetty in the sea, lots of available sunbeds, towels were provided and we had a lovely afternoon 🌊🐚

Next stop, Sir Bani Yas Island

Day 6 - Sir Bani Yas Island

Today was spent on the beach at Sir Bani Yas Island, an unpopulated island within the Emirates. Your drinks package is included here and MSC prepare a beach barbecue for all guests. Plenty was going on with souvenir shops, entertainment, football games beach volleyball and plenty of sunbeds 🏖️ Bryan and Darcy booked an excursion to a game reserve where they encountered plenty of wildlife including Giraffes 🦒. They said the trip was phenomenal, my boys were petrified so we opted against going and looked forward to hearing all about it, they also offer kayaking and paddle boarding as well as some other excursions. The boys finished the day on the Himalayan bridge, after getting over the nerves there was no getting them off it 😂 We finished the evening celebrating Darcy's birthday at the Butchers Cut steak restaurant, this was included in our trilogy dining package. I opted for the bone marrow to start, the fillet mignon for mains and a peanut butter and chocolate cookie with ice cream for dessert, it was probably one of the best meals we’ve had on this ship and glad we saved it till last 🔥

Next stop back to Dubai 🛳️

Days 7/8 Dubai

We arrived in Dubai at 9 am on day 7 and the ship stayed docked overnight, this is to cater for guests who have an early morning flight. ✈️ We took advantage of the ship being quiet and enjoyed a day at the back near the Himalayan bridge, sportsplex and waterslides so the boys could spend one last day with the friends they’d made 👦. We left the ship at 6:30 and spent the evening at Dubai Marina deciding on the cheesecake factory for dinner 🍰. The marina was busy and it did take us around 90 minutes in a cab to get there with it being a Friday night and traffic was so busy, so this is worth considering if you wish to leave the ship 🚕 We left our luggage outside our cabins ready for our 10 am disembarkation the following day🧳 Leaving the ship was super easy and took us less than 5 minutes to get off and collect our luggage.

We’ve had a fabulous week the Virtuosa was beautiful, speciality dining and the drinks package were worth the money and the carousel lounge shows were fantastic 🎭 The itinerary has been brilliant also and has offered lots of culture, sightseeing and relaxing experiences, we’d do it again

MSC VIRTUOSA: A few ship facts 🛳️

🔹MSC Virtuosa offers its guests 5 outstanding and unique pools, including one of the biggest and most intricate waterparks at sea. The pools are capable of accommodating over 1,000+ guests with comfort. The Atmosphere Pool, 1.700 m2 with about 10 m2 of public space per guest, is one of the most plentiful found at sea.

🔹 Carousel Production at Sea Enjoy an all-new entertainment concept blending breathtaking acrobatics, dance and live music to create exclusive original productions specially designed for MSC Meraviglia Class ships. It offers avant-garde artistic and immersive performances combined with innovative technology in a surprising mix of new expressions and experimentation that will make you feel part of the show. On board MSC Virtuosa, you‘ll have the unique opportunity to admire two spectacular productions: AJEDREZ, inspired by the game of chess, and ARKYMEA, the story of a scientist in search of a hidden world. The shows are twice a night, six nights a week, only at the Carousel Lounge, a glamorous, modern, technology-packed venue. Taste our Signature Cocktail while you enjoy a pre-show followed by this unique entertainment experience. (not included in the cruise fare, limited spaces, a signature cocktail package needs to be booked)

🔹 MSC Yacht Club The best location of the cabins and a reserved area accessible only to YC Members, a dedicated restaurant and lounges and a large private pool area with solarium and whirlpool baths. 24-hour butler service, dedicated massage rooms and full access to the Thermal Suite in the MSC Aurea Spa. This is the MSC Yacht Club, the ultimate luxury cruise experience.

🔹Restaurants and Bars With 21 different bars and a choice of 10 dining venues MSC Virtuosa offers a range of options for passing the hours, either eating a nice meal or with a drink in hand. We booked the trilogy dining package with Carousel Show which was £96 per adult and included the Indochine, Kaito Sushi and Butcher Cut restaurants

🔹The Savannah Aquapark The Savannah Aquapark has four waterslides in total, two of them you ride in either a single or double inflatable ring, one kamikaze style slide and a slide just for smaller guests. The Aquapark is a complimentary activity, and (on our voyage anyway) there was no need to book.

🔹The Himalayan Bridge: Another complimentary activity next to the Savannah Aquapark is the high ropes course, the Himalayan Bridge, which is suspended 80 metres above the water.

🔹F1 Simulator: Moving inside into the Sportplex, this is where fun can become a bit expensive if you don’t pre-plan. The ‘at the door’ prices for just turning up on a whim and playing are expensive, so suggest buying a Fun Pass before you board. The Fun Pass cost us £70 but we had £140 added to our cruise card to spend in the Sportplex which can be used by anyone in your booking group. If you buy the package on board you will earn extra credit but nowhere near as much, so getting it before you board makes everything half price, which is much better value, there’s also Bowling and a 4D cinema.

Capacity on the ship is 6334 guests