Rotterdam Mini Cruise
Take the perfect short getaway with this great value Mini Cruise from Southampton enjoying an overnight stay in Rotterdam, on board the magnificent 4* MSC Virtuosa.
What's Included
- Flight from Dublin to Southampton
- 3 nights accommodation aboard 4 star MSC Virtuosa based on 2 sharing
- Fine dining on a full board basis
- All-Inclusive Premium Drinks Package
- Hot drinks including tea and coffee
- Varied day & evening entertainment onboard
- Onboard Gratuities Included
- Flight from Southampton to Dublin
- 10kg Check-in bag per person
Depart from Southampton and enjoy two days in the lovely Dutch city of Rotterdam, while a great city in its own right it is also the perfect starting point for excursions to Amsterdam. Your cruise comes to an end as you sail back into Southampton port. This is a fantastic cruise for a short break or as a taster to experience life on a cruise ship.
MSC Virtuosa
New Features. New Emotions.
MSC Virtuosa’s name 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. Two brand new Cirque du Soleil at Sea shows or the first humanoid robotic bartender at sea are just few of the innovations on board of MSC Virtuosa, one of the most environmentally advanced ships at sea.
Environmental Stewardship
MSC Virtuosa is one of the most environmentally-sound ships at sea and an energy-efficient role model for modern cruising:
- Exhaust Gas Cleaning Systems (EGCS)
- State-of-the-art Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR)
- Underwater Radiated Noise system reducing impact on large-size marine mammals
- State-of-the-art purification system for the cleanest waste water
- Reduced CO2-emissions thanks to the latest technologies
Galleria Virtuosa
The longest LED Dome at Sea.
The indoor promenade features both Main and Speciality Restaurants along with numerous shops.
The promenade is destined to become the ultimate destination for socializing and entertainment possibilities for guests.
Family & Children
MSC Cruises is known for its award-winning family offering and has a long-standing partnership with the LEGO Group to design the kids club areas as well as on board activities. On MSC Virtuosa, MSC Cruises and LEGO Group are working to take this to the next-level with six very special LEGO® themed cabins so that the holiday adventure literally starts in the cabin!
MSC Viruosa pools
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 to be found at sea.
MSC Yacht Club
Luxury of a private club, while enjoying access to the myriad recreation and entertainment possibilities that the rest of the ship offers
The best location of the cabins and a reserved area accessible only to YC Members, 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 Thermal Suite in the MSC Aurea Spa.
Exclusive partnership with Cirque du Soleil at Sea
Twice every night, six nights a week, guests on MSC Virtuosa have the unique opportunity to see two original shows by Cirque du Soleil, the world leader in live artistic entertainment, and savour a superb culinary experience in the same glamorous venue. The Carousel Lounge is a technology-packed, entertainment and dining venue designed especially to meet the needs of Cirque du Soleil. This custom-built lounge can accommodate up to 450 guests, including more than 100 enjoying the full show-and-dining experience.
Savannah Aquapark
One of the most intricate and exciting water parks at sea, with three twisting slides, a ‘Himalayan Bridge’ and a range of pools, features and activities for all ages.
Le Grand Théâtre
945 seats and 1.000 m2. Guests can enjoy live performances every evening with 3 sittings per night.
Red Gem Casino
The on-board casino offers wide variety of games for all different types of players: Slot machines offering progressive jackpots throughout the cruise, Blackjack, Roulette, 3 Card Poker, Extreme Poker, Dream 21.
Attic Club
Party with friends, enjoy a nightcap or simply dance into the small hours at the stylish onboard nightclub.
Sportplex
Basketball, tennis court, football, volleyball for teens. The large and spacious amusement park provides a large arena where young guests can play sports and games during the daytime… then socialise, party and dance the evenings away.
F1 Simulators
For the young and the young at heart, two Formula 1 virtual-reality racing cars compete head-to-head in a race that will get hearts racing.
Click here for more information about MSC Virtuosa including Deck Plans.
MSC
Agent
Booking Remarks
Inclusive of taxes and service charges as indicatedBooking deposit of €150 per person (full payment due at 14 weeks from departure)
Optional Insurance available (call for details)
Drinks onboard not included. All Inclusive drinks package can be pre-booked.
Prices are correct at time of going to press, flight & fuel supplements may apply depending on availability of negotiated airfares.
Itinerary
Southampton, UK
You board the 4* MSC Virtuosa in the historic city of Southampton.
Rotterdam, Netherlands
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 & cruises from UK 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.
Rotterdam, Netherlands
The largest port in Europe, Rotterdam is an intriguing mix of the old and the new. The city’s lineage is ancient – Count Willem III granted city rights to the sleepy fishing village on the Rotte in 1328, yet much of the city dates from the six decades following the end of World War II. An important industrial center and a major European port, Rotterdam was among the first targets of the Nazi blitzkrieg against the West. On May 14, 1940, the German Luftwaffe firebombed the city, Rotterdam was gutted. The post-war years saw a slow rebuilding but by the early 1960s the maze of port facilities extended all the way to the North Sea. Today, this city of over half a million is the economic powerhouse, not just of the Netherlands but of Northern Europe.
The Nazi bombardment of 1940 gutted most of the old city. As a result, Rotterdam’s architecture is an intriguing mix of old and new: modern glass skyscrapers often stand adjacent to 19th- and 18th-century buildings.
Southampton, UK
Your cruise comes to an end as you sail into Southampton port.
The south of England boasts a dramatic coastline that encloses some of the most beautiful countryside in Britain. The landscape of hills and heaths, downs and forests, valleys and dales, is without rival. Southampton serves as your gateway to the countryside – and to a wide variety of historic sites, national landmarks and charming.
The United Kingdom’s premier passenger ship port, Southampton was home for many years to the great transatlantic liners of yesteryear.