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Home / Cruise Lines / MSC Cruises / MSC Virtuosa / Northern Europe City Escape Cruise

Northern Europe City Escape Cruise

  • Departure DateSat 23rd Sep 2023
  • MSC Cruises MSC Virtuosa
  • 3 Night Cruise From Southampton
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Itinerary

  • Southampton
  • Rotterdam
  • Southampton

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Day 1 - Southampton

Arrive: Sat 23 September 2023 / Depart: Sat 23 September 2023 at 18:00

Despite its pummelling by the Luftwaffe and some disastrous postwar urban sprawl, the thousand-year-old city of Southampton has retained some of its medieval charm in parts and reinvented itself as a twenty-first century shopping centre in others, with the giant glass-and-steel West Quay as its focus. Core of the modern town is the Civic Centre, a short walk east of the train station and home to the excellent Southampton City Art Gallery that’s particularly strong on contemporary British artists. The Western Esplanade runs alongside the best remaining bits of the old city walls. Rebuilt after a French attack in 1338, they incorporate God’s House Tower, at the southern end of the old town in Winkle Street, which currently houses the Museum of Archaeology. Best preserved of the city’s seven gates is Bargate, at the opposite end of the old town, at the head of the High Street; it’s an elaborate structure, cluttered with lions, classical figures and defensive apertures. A shore excursion on your MSC Northern Europe cruise from Southampton can be the opportunity to discover the capital of England, London. For the visitor, London is a thrilling place. Monuments from the capital’s glorious past are everywhere, from medieval banqueting halls and the great churches of Christopher Wren to the eclectic Victorian architecture of the triumphalist British Empire. You can relax in the city’s quiet Georgian squares, explore the narrow alleyways of the City of London, wander along the riverside walks, and uncover the quirks of what is still identifiably a collection of villages. The capital’s great historical landmarks – Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, St Paul’s Cathedral, the Tower of London and so on – draw in millions of tourists every year.

Day 2 - Rotterdam

Arrive: Sun 24 September 2023 at 11:00

Your MSC cruise will lay anchor in the largest port in the world, Rotterdam, is a no-nonsense working-class city lying at the heart of a maze of rivers and artificial waterways that together form the outlet of the rivers Rijn (Rhine) and Maas (Meuse). After devastating damage during World War II, Rotterdam has grown into a vibrant, forceful city dotted with first division cultural attractions. Your MSC cruise of Northern Europe will give you the opportunity to see that the immense land reclamation work hasn’t obliterated its earthy character though: its tough grittiness is part of its appeal, as are its boisterous bars and clubs. Amongst the most interesting attractions to enjoy during your vacation in Holland, is Rotterdam’s Kunsthal, the museum of contemporary art, and the Boijmans van Beuningen Museum, which has an outstanding art collection including representative works from almost all the most important Dutch painters: both are in the city’s designated culture zone, the Museumpark. Other interesting sites to visit on an MSC excursion are the Oude Haven, the city’s oldest harbour, ravaged during World War II but sympathetically redeveloped, and Delfs haven, an antique harbour that managed to survive the bombs pretty much intact. Rotterdam also boasts a string of first-rate festivals, including the much-lauded North Sea Jazz Festival and the colourful Summer Carnival. The postwar period saw the rapid reconstruction of the docks and, when huge container ships and oil tankers made the existing port facilities obsolete, Rotterdammers promptly built an entirely new deep-sea port, the Europoort, jutting out into the North Sea some 25 km to the west of the old town. Completed in 1968, the Europoort is able to welcome the largest ships in the world, amongst which also the MSC cruise ships.

Day 3 - Rotterdam

Depart: Mon 25 September 2023 at 14:00

Your MSC cruise will lay anchor in the largest port in the world, Rotterdam, is a no-nonsense working-class city lying at the heart of a maze of rivers and artificial waterways that together form the outlet of the rivers Rijn (Rhine) and Maas (Meuse). After devastating damage during World War II, Rotterdam has grown into a vibrant, forceful city dotted with first division cultural attractions. Your MSC cruise of Northern Europe will give you the opportunity to see that the immense land reclamation work hasn’t obliterated its earthy character though: its tough grittiness is part of its appeal, as are its boisterous bars and clubs. Amongst the most interesting attractions to enjoy during your vacation in Holland, is Rotterdam’s Kunsthal, the museum of contemporary art, and the Boijmans van Beuningen Museum, which has an outstanding art collection including representative works from almost all the most important Dutch painters: both are in the city’s designated culture zone, the Museumpark. Other interesting sites to visit on an MSC excursion are the Oude Haven, the city’s oldest harbour, ravaged during World War II but sympathetically redeveloped, and Delfs haven, an antique harbour that managed to survive the bombs pretty much intact. Rotterdam also boasts a string of first-rate festivals, including the much-lauded North Sea Jazz Festival and the colourful Summer Carnival. The postwar period saw the rapid reconstruction of the docks and, when huge container ships and oil tankers made the existing port facilities obsolete, Rotterdammers promptly built an entirely new deep-sea port, the Europoort, jutting out into the North Sea some 25 km to the west of the old town. Completed in 1968, the Europoort is able to welcome the largest ships in the world, amongst which also the MSC cruise ships.

Day 4 - Southampton

Arrive: Tue 26 September 2023 at 07:00 / Depart: Tue 26 September 2023

Despite its pummelling by the Luftwaffe and some disastrous postwar urban sprawl, the thousand-year-old city of Southampton has retained some of its medieval charm in parts and reinvented itself as a twenty-first century shopping centre in others, with the giant glass-and-steel West Quay as its focus. Core of the modern town is the Civic Centre, a short walk east of the train station and home to the excellent Southampton City Art Gallery that’s particularly strong on contemporary British artists. The Western Esplanade runs alongside the best remaining bits of the old city walls. Rebuilt after a French attack in 1338, they incorporate God’s House Tower, at the southern end of the old town in Winkle Street, which currently houses the Museum of Archaeology. Best preserved of the city’s seven gates is Bargate, at the opposite end of the old town, at the head of the High Street; it’s an elaborate structure, cluttered with lions, classical figures and defensive apertures. A shore excursion on your MSC Northern Europe cruise from Southampton can be the opportunity to discover the capital of England, London. For the visitor, London is a thrilling place. Monuments from the capital’s glorious past are everywhere, from medieval banqueting halls and the great churches of Christopher Wren to the eclectic Victorian architecture of the triumphalist British Empire. You can relax in the city’s quiet Georgian squares, explore the narrow alleyways of the City of London, wander along the riverside walks, and uncover the quirks of what is still identifiably a collection of villages. The capital’s great historical landmarks – Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, St Paul’s Cathedral, the Tower of London and so on – draw in millions of tourists every year.

MSC Virtuosa From MSC Cruises

MSC Virtuosa’s namesake comes from the word virtuoso, meaning someone highly skilled in any field of activity, and so MSC Virtuosa was named to pay homage to the skill and expertise of the MSC Cruises architects and shipyard partners at Les Chantiers de l’Atlantique who designed and built this innovative class of ships. This new cruise ship is one of the two largest in MSC Cruises’ fleet, along with her sister ship MSC Grandiosa, boasting an impressive array of guest features all coming together in perfect harmony to deliver the ultimate cruise holiday experience.

Ship Cabins

Interior Bella

Bathroom with shower, vanity area and hairdryer TV, telephone, safe and minibar Wi-Fi access available

Studio Interior FANTASTICA

Relaxing armchair Bathroom with shower, vanity area and hairdryer Interactive TV, telephone, safe and minibar Wi-Fi access available

Deluxe Ocean View FANTASTICA

Window with sea view Relaxing armchair Bathroom with shower, vanity area and hairdryer Interactive TV, telephone, safe and minibar Wi-Fi access available

Junior Ocean View with obstructed view FANTASTICA

Window with sea view Relaxing armchair Bathroom with shower, vanity area and hairdryer Interactive TV, telephone, safe and minibar Wi-Fi access available

Ocean View Bella

Ocean View Bella

Balcony Aurea

Balcony Sitting area with sofa Bathroom with shower or bathtub, vanity area and hairdryer Interactive TV, telephone, safe and minibar Wi-Fi access available

Balcony Bella

Balcony Bella

Deluxe Balcony With Partial View FANTASTICA

Surface 17 sqm, balcony 6 sqm, deck 8-14. Sitting area with sofa. Bathroom with shower or bathtub, vanity area with hairdryer. Comfortable double or single beds (on request). Interactive TV, telephone, Wifi connection available (for a fee), safe and minibar. ZOE - in-cabin Bluetooth speaker.

Studio Balcony FANTASTICA

Balcony Sitting area with sofa Bathroom with shower or bathtub, vanity area and hairdryer Interactive TV, telephone, safe and minibar Wi-Fi access available

Grand Suite Aurea with Terrace and Whirlpool

Large balcony with a private whirlpool bath Walk-in closet Sitting area with double sofa bed Bathroom with shower, vanity area and hairdryer Interactive TV, telephone, safe and minibar Wi-Fi access available

MSC Yacht Club Deluxe Suite

Balcony Sitting area with sofa Comfortable double or single beds (on request) Spacious wardrobe Bathroom with shower or bathtub , vanity area with hairdryer Interactive TV, telephone, Wifi connection included, safe and minibar Surface approx. 28 sq.m.

MSC Yacht Club Duplex Suite with Jacuzzi

Balcony Sitting area with sofa Spacious closet Bathroom with shower or bathtub, vanity area and hairdryer Interactive TV, telephone, safe and minibar Complimentary Wi-Fi

Premium Suite Aurea

Balcony Spacious closet Bathroom with bathtub, vanity area and hairdryer Interactive TV, telephone, safe and minibar Wi-Fi access available Accommodates up to 6 guests

Premium Suite Aurea with Terrace and Whirlpool

Large balcony with a private whirlpool bath Walk-in closet Sitting area with double sofa bed Bathroom with shower, vanity area and hairdryer Interactive TV, telephone, safe and minibar Wi-Fi access available
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