MSC Cruises
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MSC Virtuosa Yacht Club – A Huge Disappointment!
I spent two weeks on the MSC Virtuosa in the Yacht Club. While the destinations were beautiful and the Yacht Club staff were exceptionally kind, the overall experience was an absolute disaster. I strongly DO NOT recommend spending money on this cruise, and here’s why: THE GOOD • The Yacht Club staff were fantastic—attentive, professional, and kind. I wish I could list them all because they truly made an effort. • The food in the Yacht Club was excellent, and the drink selection was great. • The paid theatre show was absolutely worth it! The free entertainment was mediocre, but the premium show was incredible—though barely anyone attended. If you’re going, book in advance, as it’s cheaper. THE BAD 1. The Bed – A Joke! The mattress was beyond terrible—just a 40 cm thick piece of cheap foam with zero support. It was impossible to sleep on. When I asked for a replacement, they said there were no extra beds on the entire ship. So for two nights, I slept in a 90-degree position, unable to rest. Their “solution”? They put a dining table top of my mattress to stop it from sinking. Imagine trying to sleep on a dining table. After I refused to accept this for the price I paid, suddenly they found another bed. They placed extra mattress protectors on it for the rest of the trip. It was still not comfortable, but at least bearable. I wasn’t expecting a Hilton-quality bed, but I’ve never experienced such a horrendous sleeping arrangement—not even in a budget hotel like Hampton. Even those have better beds! 2. The Itinerary – A Complete Waste of Time • Every Sunday, the ship stopped at a French island where everything was closed—completely pointless. • Every Tuesday, we spent the day at sea, instead of stopping in a city where we could have explored, visited markets, or done something meaningful. This makes no sense for travelers. 3. Horrible Service Outside the Yacht Club • The bar staff were exhausted and unfriendly—a stark contrast to the Yacht Club. • Freshly squeezed juice? Forget it! Out of two weeks, I was able to buy fresh juice only twice. Every other time, they just said an ingredient was missing and refused to make even a simple apple-carrot juice. • The ice cream bar was a joke. After waiting in line for 30–40 minutes, I was told that I could only order one portion at a time. If I wanted another, I had to stand in line again. • We went to a yoga class, but it was in a tiny room, so guests were crammed inside while others tried to participate from the hallway. Many gave up and walked out. THE UGLY 4. The Flight – An Absolute Nightmare! I requested a dairy-free meal in advance. What did I get? • Cheesy pasta with side a block of cheese. • Later, a cheese sandwich. • Even the dry bread roll came with butter! So I had nothing to eat for 9 hours. I reported this issue on the ship. First, they told me to fill out another form. Later, they said they couldn’t do anything and that I should contact their headquarters. I did, and they apologized, promising that my return flight wouldn’t have the same issue. Guess what? It happened again! • My “dairy-free meal” was lasagna, cheese, and crackers. • They didn’t even have one dairy-free meal on board—not even a spare from business class. • This was a Virgin Atlantic charter flight, so calling or emailing them in advance was useless. 5. Passport Control – Suspiciously Nonexistent When we landed in Barbados, we were put straight onto a transfer bus and taken to the ship—without a single passport check. My passport has no stamp, no official record of me being in that country, and no border control. How is this even legal?! 6. Internet – A Total Scam! • The Wi-Fi was completely useless. • It was good enough for video calls but too slow to load a single webpage. • No YouTube, no Netflix, no Instagram videos. • Even hotel booking sites wouldn’t load! • DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY ON THIS WIFI. Get an eSIM instead and use it when docked at islands. 7. Billing System – A Disaster! • You can’t even see what they’re charging you for. • The system told me to download my bill before disembarking, as it would be unavailable later. But even the staff couldn’t access it! They had to print it out manually. FINAL VERDICT – NEVER AGAIN! The Yacht Club itself was amazing, but beyond that, this cruise was a complete disaster. The horrible beds, useless itinerary, terrible service outside the Yacht Club, flight nightmare, and scam-level internet made it one of the worst travel experiences of my life. I strongly recommend against spending your money on this cruise unless you are prepared for frustration, exhaustion, and disappointment. We might take another cruise someday, but after this experience, I’ve had enough.