MSC Virtuosa

MSC Virtuosa is a "Meraviglia-"Plus class cruise ship owned and operated by MSC Cruises. Built by Chantiers de l'Atlantique in Saint-Nazaire, France, she is the second ship in the "Meraviglia-"Plus class and sister ship to "MSC Grandiosa". Originally scheduled to debut on 8 November 2020, her delivery and entry into service was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She was delivered to MSC Cruises on 1 February 2021 and is currently stated to enter service in May 2021.
History.
Construction.
On 1 February 2016, MSC Cruises announced that they had converted their options for two new ships into firm orders, with the new vessels being a part of a sub-class that evolves from the cruise line's original "Meraviglia"-class platform, dubbed ""Meraviglia" Plus". Each new vessel was designed to be larger than their older "Meraviglia"-class sisters, at 181,000 GT, with a maximum passenger capacity of 6,334 guests.
On 14 June 2018, MSC Cruises celebrated the steel-cutting for the second "Meraviglia" Plus-class vessel and also announced her name as "MSC Virtuosa" at the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard. Her coin ceremony was performed on 27 February 2019. She was floated out on 29 November 2019 and moved to a wet dock to complete construction.
Debut.
"MSC Virtuosa" was originally scheduled to be delivered in October 2020 and sail her maiden voyage on 8 November 2020 from Genoa. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, construction delays arose at the shipyard and slowed the ship's construction progress. The delivery took place on 1 February 2021 with a traditional flag ceremony at the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard. She is currently expected to enter service on 20 May 2021 sailing from Southampton.
Operational career.
"MSC Virtuosa" was scheduled to begin sailing weekly itineraries in the Western Mediterranean in autumn 2020. However, due to the construction delays, "MSC Grandiosa" replaced all of the ship's scheduled itineraries through the winter 2020–2021 season. She will enter service on 20 May 2021 with a series of three and four-night cruises from Southampton, before beginning seven-night cruises around the British Isles on 12 June with three embarkation ports in England and Scotland. These cruises will sail to ports such as Portland, Liverpool, Greenock and Belfast and are exclusively for UK residents. She was originally scheduled to cruise in Northern Europe and the Baltic region for the spring 2021 season, however these cruises will be operated by "MSC Seaview" instead. She will re-position to Dubai in autumn 2021, where she will be based throughout the winter, sailing 7-day itineraries in the Persian Gulf to the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman.
Design and engineering.
Like "MSC Grandiosa", "MSC Virtuosa" will be equipped with a selective catalytic reduction system that helps to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by 80 percent, along with a closed-loop exhaust gas cleaning system that reduces ship sulfur emissions by 97 percent. She will also be capable of running on shorepower when docked at ports.