MSC Virtuosa stays overnight in Southampton. La Rochelle and Le Havre are off.
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MSC Virtuosa did not sail away on Saturday night. Cruise Hive, Melissa Mayntz, 25 Oct 2026, and Cruise Mummy, 25 Oct, both print a letter that kept the ship in Southampton overnight and cut both French ports. Vigo is the added call. The cruise is still 7 nights.
No MSC newsroom post for the letter turned up in this check.
The photo on this page is the lead photo on the Cruise Hive story, MSC Virtuosa in Southampton, credited to P.Cartwright. It is not the departure photo on the Thursday arrival post. The caption does not date it to this cruise.
What the letter says
Both articles say guests boarded on Saturday 24 Oct and got the letter in the stateroom. The planned departure was 8:00 p.m. Saturday. The new departure is 7:00 p.m. Sunday 25 Oct.
Cruise Hive quotes the decision. The line says it adjusted the itinerary for your safety and comfort after assessing Storm Austen, which was expected to bring challenging weather across the English Channel and the Bay of Biscay, and strike action affecting parts of France. Cruise Mummy reports the same two reasons and does not print that full sentence.
The cruise stays 7 nights because you already boarded on Saturday and the return day stays Saturday 31 Oct. You lose two port days. You do not lose a night off the booking in the way Ventura’s cruise does.
The days
| Day | What both articles say |
|---|---|
| Sat 24 Oct | Boarded. Ship stayed. |
| Sun 25 Oct | Leave at 7:00 p.m., in the letter. |
| Mon 26 Oct | La Rochelle cancelled. Sea day. Weather. |
| Tue 27 Oct | Bilbao, as scheduled. No hours printed. |
| Wed 28 Oct | A Coruña, as scheduled. No hours printed. |
| Thu 29 Oct | Vigo, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. This had been a sea day. |
| Fri 30 Oct | Le Havre cancelled. Sea day. Strikes. |
| Sat 31 Oct | Southampton. No clock in either article. |
Cruise Hive prints A Coruna without the accent. Cruise Mummy prints A Coruña. This post uses the accent and notes the other spelling.
Cruise Hive says the strikes are expected to close the port. Cruise Mummy says planned strike action is expected to prevent the port from operating normally. Neither quote names a union or a cargo. Do not add a reason that is not in the letter.
Cruise Hive calls the ship a 4,842-guest ship. Cruise Mummy does not print that count. It is not in the port feed.
Tours, and the deck warning
Both articles say a shore excursion bought through MSC for La Rochelle or Le Havre is cancelled and refunded to the onboard account. Vigo tours are in the MSC for Me app. A tour you booked yourself is not in that sentence. Call that operator.
The letter quotes do not print a fare refund or a flat onboard credit for the two lost ports.
Cruise Hive quotes a second part of the letter. The ship is designed to operate safely in these conditions, and some movement may still be experienced. For your safety, avoid outer decks and balconies, use handrails, and note that outdoor activities and pools may be temporarily unavailable. Cruise Mummy quotes the movement sentence and paraphrases the rest. Use the Cruise Hive wording for the balcony line.
What the port lists now
The Sunday departure is not on the feed read 26 Oct 2026. The row that is there is the return, and it has no clock.
| Field | What the feed lists |
|---|---|
| Ship | MSC Virtuosa, visit 14683417 |
| Arrival | Sat 31 Oct, TBA |
| Departure | Sat 31 Oct, TBA |
| Berth | 102, Horizon Cruise Terminal |
| Agent | Denholm Port Services Ltd |
| Stamp on both fields | 21/10/2025 14:29 |
Those timestamps are more than a year old. This row is not a new instruction from Sunday’s letter. The schedule page says the list is provisional. Confirm the terminal with MSC before you leave for the port.
The earlier post on this site recorded the cruise that ended Thursday. Arvia, Virtuosa, and Preziosa reach Southampton on Thursday night says the feed read 22 Oct listed this ship leaving at 8:00 p.m. Saturday from Horizon, and that no itinerary change was confirmed yet for the next cruise. The letter in today’s reports is that change. This note does not rewrite the Thursday arrival clocks.
What this means if you are on MSC Virtuosa
Monday is a sea day if the letter was followed. Do not plan on La Rochelle. Friday is a sea day. Do not plan on Le Havre. Thursday is Vigo, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Bilbao and A Coruña are still on the letter, without new hours.
Look for the French tours on the onboard account. Book Vigo in the app if you want a tour through MSC. The letter does not print a fare refund.
If the ship is moving, the Cruise Hive quote says to stay off outer decks and balconies and to expect a pool to close. That is the letter, not a forecast pasted in here.
If you are meeting the ship on Saturday, the port still says TBA at Horizon. Use MSC’s message for the time.
More MSC reporting is on the MSC Cruises news hub. The line page is MSC Cruises.
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Cruise news for October 26, 2026
Questions
- Did MSC Virtuosa leave Southampton on Saturday night?
- No, in the letter Cruise Hive and Cruise Mummy print. Guests boarded on Saturday 24 Oct 2026. The ship stayed overnight. The planned departure was 8:00 p.m. Saturday. The revised departure is 7:00 p.m. Sunday 25 Oct. The Associated British Ports feed read 26 Oct does not still list that Sunday departure. It lists the Saturday 31 Oct return as TBA.
- Which ports are cancelled, and what replaces them?
- La Rochelle on Monday 26 Oct is cancelled. Monday is a sea day. The letter cites sea conditions. Le Havre on Friday 30 Oct is cancelled. Friday is a sea day. The letter cites strike action. Vigo is added on Thursday 29 Oct, from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., in place of a sea day. Bilbao on Tuesday and A Coruña on Wednesday stay. Cruise Hive prints A Coruna without the accent.
- What happens to a tour you already bought?
- Both articles say a shore excursion bought through MSC for La Rochelle or Le Havre is cancelled and refunded to the onboard account. Vigo tours can be booked in the MSC for Me app. The letter quotes do not print a fare refund or a flat onboard credit for the lost ports. A tour you bought outside MSC is not covered by that sentence.
- Is the cruise still 7 nights?
- Yes, in both articles. You boarded Saturday and the ship is still due back in Southampton on Saturday 31 Oct. The lost French days are sea days. Associated British Ports, read 26 Oct, lists MSC Virtuosa on 31 Oct as TBA, on berth 102, the Horizon terminal. Both timestamps on that row are 21/10/2025. The schedule page says the list is provisional.
Sources
Tier 1 = the cruise line’s own published material · Tier 2 = an established cruise-news outlet- TIER 2Cruise Hive, Melissa Mayntz, 25 Oct 2026: MSC Virtuosa remains overnight in Southampton for Storm Austen and will not depart until 7:00 p.m. Sunday 25 Oct, instead of 8:00 p.m. Saturday 24 Oct. Guests were told after boarding, by a letter in the stateroom. The letter says the line made an itinerary adjustment for safety and comfort after assessing Storm Austen, expected to bring challenging weather across the English Channel and the Bay of Biscay, and strike action affecting parts of France. La Rochelle on Monday 26 Oct is cancelled because sea conditions are expected to make entering the port unsafe. Monday is a sea day. The article calls the ship a 4,842-guest ship. Bilbao on Tuesday and A Coruna on Wednesday proceed as scheduled. Thursday 29 Oct, which had been a sea day, is now Vigo from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Le Havre on Friday 30 Oct is cancelled because planned strikes are expected to close the port. Friday is a sea day. Debarkation in Southampton stays Saturday 31 Oct. Prepaid MSC shore excursions for La Rochelle or Le Havre are cancelled and refunded to onboard accounts. Vigo tours are available in the MSC for Me app. A later quote says that while the ship is designed to operate safely in these conditions, some movement may still be experienced, and that guests should avoid outer decks and balconies, use handrails, and note that outdoor activities and pools may be temporarily unavailable. The article says the previous sailing arrived at 7:37 p.m. Thursday 22 Oct on the ABP schedule. The lead photo credit is P.Cartwright, MSC Virtuosa in Southampton. The article does not print a fare refund, a flat onboard credit, shore hours for Bilbao or A Coruna, or an MSC newsroom link.
Cruise Hive, checked 25 Oct 2026 · Read 26 Oct 2026. Load-bearing source for the letter, the Sunday departure, the Vigo hours, the guest count, and the deck warning. The hero is the lead photo. It is a different frame from the Thursday arrival photo already used on this site. The caption does not date it to this cruise. - TIER 2Cruise Mummy, 25 Oct 2026: MSC Virtuosa embarked guests on Saturday 24 Oct and remained alongside overnight. The original departure was 8:00 p.m. Saturday. The revised time is 7:00 p.m. Sunday 25 Oct. A letter in the cabins cited conditions in the English Channel and the Bay of Biscay and industrial action in France. La Rochelle on Monday 26 Oct is cancelled because forecasts indicated sea conditions could make entering the port unsafe. Monday is a sea day. Bilbao on Tuesday 27 Oct and A Coruña on Wednesday 28 Oct remain. Thursday 29 Oct, previously a sea day, is Vigo from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Le Havre on Friday 30 Oct is cancelled because planned strike action is expected to prevent the port from operating normally. Friday is a sea day. The return stays Saturday 31 Oct. The cruise remains 7 nights. MSC excursions for the cancelled French ports refund to onboard accounts. Vigo excursions are in the MSC for Me app. The article quotes the sentence that the ship is designed to operate safely in these conditions and some movement may still be experienced, and it paraphrases the advice to avoid exposed decks and balconies, use handrails, and expect outdoor facilities to close. It does not print the 4,842-guest count, a fare refund, or a newsroom link. No author name is on the page retrieved 26 Oct.
Cruise Mummy, checked 25 Oct 2026 · Read 26 Oct 2026. Agrees on the delay, the two cancelled French ports, Vigo, the refund, and the 7-night length. The full balcony sentence is Cruise Hive's quote. This article paraphrases that advice. - TIER 1Associated British Ports Southampton cruise XML, read 26 Oct 2026. MSC VIRTUOSA, visit 14683417, Lloyd's number 9803625, arrival 31-Oct-26 TBA, departure 31-Oct-26 TBA, berth 102, agent DENHOLM PORT SERVICES LTD, arrival field and departure field both stamped 21/10/2025 14:29, voyage state P. The same file has no MSC Virtuosa row for 24 Oct, 25 Oct, or 26 Oct. It does not print La Rochelle, Le Havre, Vigo, a weather reason, or a tour refund. The file does not label a time zone.
Associated British Ports, checked 26 Oct 2026 · The Saturday return is on the feed as TBA. The timestamps are 21 Oct 2025, so this row is not a new storm update. The 7:00 p.m. Sunday departure is not in this file. - TIER 1ABP cruise schedule page, read 26 Oct 2026, maps 102 berth to the Horizon Cruise Terminal. The page says the cruise ship schedule is strictly provisional and is subject to alteration without prior notice, and that more precise details are on Planned Movements within six days of the indicated arrival. It says you must check the terminal and the boarding time with the cruise line. The page does not print MSC Virtuosa's clocks.
Associated British Ports, checked 26 Oct 2026 · Terminal name for berth 102. The TBA return sits on that berth in the XML. The page does not turn TBA into a clock.
Prices and policies move. This page was last checked on Oct 26, 2026, 9:07 AM ET.