Key Aspects:
- MSC Virtuosa will remain overnight in Southampton to wait out Storm Austen and will not depart until 7 p.m. Sunday, October 25.
- The visit to La Rochelle is also cancelled due to poor weather, and the visit to Le Havre is cancelled because of strike activity.
- A visit to Vigo has been added to the 7-night itinerary for Thursday, October 29 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
MSC Cruises’ MSC Virtuosa is spending extra time in Southampton, UK, as Storm Austen brings rough weather to the English Channel. Instead of departing at 8 p.m. on Saturday, October 24, 2026 as planned, the ship will not leave until 7 p.m. on Sunday, October 25.
Guests were alerted to the change for the 7-night itinerary after boarding the ship on Saturday, as well as additional changes due not only to the storm, but also to strike activity in France.
“We would like to inform you of an important itinerary adjustment to our itinerary that we have made for your safety and comfort following a careful assessment of Storm Austen, which is expected to bring challenging weather conditions across the English Channel and Bay of Biscay, as well as strike action affecting parts of France,” the letter delivered to guests’ staterooms explained.
MSC Virtuosa will not be able to visit La Rochelle as planned on Monday, October 26, due to sea conditions that are expected to make entering the port unsafe. Instead, the 4,842-guest ship will spend Monday at sea.
The visits to Bilbao on Tuesday and A Coruna on Wednesday will proceed as scheduled. Rather than a day at sea on Thursday, October 29, MSC Virtuosa will now visit Vigo from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Because of planned strikes in France that are expected to close the port, the planned visit to Le Havre on Friday, October 30 is no longer possible. Instead the ship will spend that day at sea, making her way back to Southampton for debarkation on Saturday, October 31 as scheduled.
If guests had pre-paid for shore excursions through MSC Cruises for La Rochelle or Le Havre, those excursions will automatically be cancelled and refunded to guests’ onboard accounts. In the meantime, tours for the port visit to Vigo will be available for booking through the MSC for Me app.
English Channel Weather Conditions
Conditions in the English Channel were blustery on Saturday evening. MSC Virtuosa was expected to depart at 8 p.m., but Windy.com reported wind speeds at roughly 40 miles per hour just past the Isle of Wight at that time.
By 7 p.m. on Sunday, when MSC Virtuosa is now expected to depart Southampton, high winds will still be present in the eastern part of the Channel, but speeds should have lessened along the southwestern route the ship will take as she heads for Bilbao.
Nevertheless, guests are asked to be cautious in the potentially rough weather.
“While MSC Virtuosa is designed to operate safely in these conditions, some movement of the ship may still be experienced,” the notification letter said. “For your safety, please avoid outer decks and balconies, use handrails when moving around the ship, and note that outdoor activities and pools may be temporarily unavailable.”
Storm Austen has impacted multiple cruise ships over the past several days, and this is not the first impact felt by MSC Virtuosa.
On the previous sailing, the ship arrived in Southampton at 7:37 p.m. on Thursday evening, October 22 (as reported by the Associated British Ports schedule) instead of in the early hours of Saturday morning as originally planned. By arriving early, the ship was able to stay ahead of the worsening weather to seek shelter more comfortably.
MSC Preziosa, P&O Cruises’ Arvia and Iona, and Ambassador Cruise Line’s Ambition have all confirmed various itinerary changes due to Storm Austen.
