We bagged luxury cruise for just £20 – it was cheaper than getting the train

A DEAL-bagging traveller avoided paying astronomical train fares to Scotland by bagging a bargain on a luxury cruise ship for only TWENTY quid.

Robbie Watson, from Bedfordshire, hitched a ride on the MSC Virtuosa to Greenock as an alternative to using the railway network – and found himself enjoying a two-day all-inclusive voyage in the process.

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The 29-year-old and his partner enjoyed a fun-filled 48 hours of on-board entertainment, swimming pools, roasting hot weather and amazing food.

The building consultant and part time bargain hunter said: “I always check for weekly deals for travelling, saw the deal and snapped it up as soon as I saw it.

“I thought it was an error so didn’t book any flights back or anything but once they confirmed it, I thought I’ve come through with something quite good here.

“I booked the £20 per person fare with my partner.

And despite purchasing the deal on a stand-by website, the pair were upgraded to a deluxe balcony room to enjoy the full experience of sailing up the Irish Sea.

Robbie added: “It was Southampton to Greenock, nothing tropical but two nights and a day at sea in between.

“I was really surprised because on the second night had one of the best sunsets off the coast of Belfast in the Irish Sea.

“You would have thought I was in the Caribbean.”

The ship they had travelled on holds 6,500 but Robbie said there was only around 1,000 people on board.

And the ship had a whole range of activities from arts and crafts, to quizzes and bingos.

But there was also sports challenges, prize draws and even evening shows, discos and big parties at night.

After leaving the ship in Greenock, Robbie flew home from Glasgow Airport to Luton on a £17 flight.

He got the train to Paisley and walked the remaining 40 minutes to the airport.

His partner, meanwhile, picked up a train £30 ticket to Darlington to see his relatives for a fraction of the £171 fare price he was quoted originally.

Robbie, who runs an Instagram for all his travels, said he usually spends time looking for trips that are value for money and this cruise was the best he has found.

He said: “I wanted to find value for my money, this cruise is the best find so far, but equally it has to be something interesting I can experience and get good value for.

“I think young people think cruises are for older people.

“But there was a lot of young people [on the cruise] and I want to show people what it’s really like.

“They [cruises] make it so easy to see different places and are really good value and you see so much.”

And Robbie said the top tips for finding the best deals is: “You need to know where to look for all the best things.

“Use Google flights, find the good offers and figure out the best time of year it’s typically January or November.

“Look everyday and golden moments like this cruise are likely to pop up.”

We told on Monday how the MSC Virtuosa – which is one of the world’s largest cruise ships – docked in Greenock.

Scotland’s biggest port town on the West Coast was proud to welcome the whopping boat, which held a record number of 4,218 passengers on board – the largest group that has ever arrived on one cruise in Greenock’s history.

The megaship boasts 19 decks with indoor restaurants and shops, five swimming pools, theatres, and a huge water park.

It also is home to 21 different bars, and even has a novelty robotic bartender called Rob who serves cocktails.

The humanoid is the first bot bartender in the world, and he is programmed to speak eight different languages to guests and even crack jokes while he pours their drinks.

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