Cruises from Southampton (2026)
Welcome to our guide for all the MSC Cruises departing from Southampton in 2026
MSC Virtuosa will return for her fifth UK Summer season in 2026. With a massive choice of 25 individual sailings between April and October, there is something for everyone!
Where is January – March?
MSC Cruises has not yet released its Winter 2025/26 UK programme. As soon as they do, we will add it to this post (bookmark it for later!).
April 2026
Let’s start with April – a Spring cruise to the Canary Islands kicks off her first voyage of the season, calling at popular ports on the way such as Lisbon (Portugal) and the islands of Madeira (Portugal). A great first cruise to finally get some sun after the long winter!
May 2026
May is a busy month for the ship – with seven voyages available for you to choose from, including four Mini Cruises, two Norwegian Fjords and a France & Spain! There is a great mix depending on how long a break you fancy (or perhaps if it is friends or family you are travelling with!)
The Mini Cruises will call at popular ports which include (depending on itinerary) Cherbourg (France), an overnight in Rotterdam (ideal for Amsterdam) and Zeebrugge (Bruges) to get some lovely chocolates!
May is also a great time to visit Norway with the ship sailing two 7-night voyages there. The season starts early May and you may be lucky to see some late winter snow high up on the hillsides, whilst also being able to witness incredible waterfalls as MSC Virtuosa sails through the magnificent fjords.
New for this season are calls at Edinburgh (South Queensferry) en route and Stavanger (go visit the Pulpit Rock – the views are incredible!).
Fancy something a little warmer? MSC Virtuosa sees May out with a seven-night voyage to France & Spain, visiting gems such as La Rochelle (France) and new for this season, Gijón (Spain).
June 2026
Three cruises are available in June. A welcome return for MSC Virtuosa, which will embark on its first 14-night Iceland & Norway voyage since 2023. Ports include a call at Cork (Ireland) en route and then three ports in Iceland (with an overnight in Reykjavik) before heading to Norway to view the incredible Norwegian Fjords and the famous city of Stavanger.
Fancy something a little shorter? (and warmer!) then you can choose one of two 7-night voyages to France & Spain which leave later in the month!
July 2026
As the summer holiday season gets started, MSC Virtuosa has three cruises to match your requirements. First, a lovely 7-night France & Spain cruise takes in the sights of Bilbao (Spain) and La Coruna (Spain) with two French ports too.
If you fancy something a little longer and your kids can’t wait to use the MSC Kids Clubs, then perhaps one of the two 14-night Mediterraean cruises may take your fancy?
Both cruises have identical itineraries and include favourites such as Cadiz (Spain), Barcelona (Spain) and a lovely visit to Lisbon (Portugal) on the way back home!
August 2026
Three cruises are on offer in August, and they are quite a varied selection depending on length of cruise you fancy and region!
First up, we have a 12-night cruise to the Canary Islands, calling at familiar ports such as Madiera (Portugal), Tenerife (Spain) and Cadiz (Spain).
Followed by a new 9-night itinerary for MSC Virtuosa. The Portugal & Spain itinerary is sure to be popular with two sea days either side of four port calls – including all time favourite of ours Cadiz (Spain) and Lisbon (Portugal).
Finally, August wraps up with one last ‘school’ summer cruise – a seven-night cruise to the Norwegian Fjords with a visit to Olden (ideal for a visit to the Briksdal Glacier) and Alesund too.
September 2026
For those who like the ship a little quieter (not too quiet, you do know that no-one parties like MSC right?) – then you are sure to enjoy the first couple of cruises in September.
We start with a 7-night France & Spain cruise (same itinerary as earlier in the year, but warmer!) and then an absolutely delightful super-relaxing 14-night cruise to the Mediterranean calling at Malaga, Barcelona, Valencia (Spain) and more!
Finally, we have two Mini Cruises to end September – a three-night cruise calling at Zeebrugge (Bruges) – the little boat trips are lovely at that time of year.. a lovely Autumn getaway!
Alternatively, the four-night Mini Cruise includes a visit to Cork (Ireland) with an overnight stop and a nice relaxing day at sea!
October 2026
Finally, we see two more cruises for MSC Virtuosa before she finishes her Summer 2026 season!
First up, we have a five-night Mini Cruise to Rotterdam (Netherlands) and France, followed by a 7-night cruise to France & Spain including Bilbao, La Coruna (Spain) and Le Havre (France).
Where will MSC Virtuosa head off after her last summer cruise? We aren’t sure just yet – but as soon as we have her MSC Grand Voyage we will add it to this page!
Looking for something a little sooner?
Why not check out our Southampton Cruises 2024 or Southampton Cruises 2025 guides?
