MSC Bellissima – A brand new cruise for all ages…
Let’s talk statistics – 19 decks which accommodate up to 5686 passengers in 2217 cabins. 70% of the cabins have balconies and every cabin has the new innovative Zoe – your personal cruise assistant (she’s MSC’s version of Alexa). You are looked after day and night by 1564 crew members.
The ship
The wow factor hits you from the moment you embark with its magnificent crystal staircase. Each step actually cost $10,000! Bellissima had a warm and welcoming feel onboard and boasts the longest LED screen at sea. Each day there was a different theme ranging from natural wonders and beautiful monuments to time travel and wizardry. MSC have a constant sales approach whether it be for photographs, drinks packages (which most people had pre-purchased) or excursions. I expected this on the first day but didn’t expect it to continue throughout the cruise.
Cabins
I stayed in a balcony cabin which had a great layout with modern furnishings. The bed and pillows were really comfortable, and we had Zoe our in-cabin assistant who came in really useful when trying to locate the hairdryer! You don't get towel shaped animals as you do on other cruises but hey it’s not a deal breaker. The shower comes with a shampoo and body wash dispenser which is useful.
Dining
The Marketplace is the main area for breakfast, it’s buffet style and well stocked from yoghurts and fruit through to a full English breakfast. I'd recommend the caramelized bananas. They use ceramic mugs for your coffee and tea rather than plastic ones. Fruit juices are also available. Breakfast is also served 'a la carte style' at the Posidonia restaurant between 8am and 9.30am.
The Marketplace is the main area for lunch, and I believe this beats most cruise ships hands down. The food was varied and fresh and the pizza is to die for. They had pasta stations, grill and rotisserie options and ethnic specialities including Thai, Indian and Chinese dishes. There’s also a bar in the Marketplace.
In the dining room for dinner there are two sittings, one at 6.30pm and the next at 9pm. The 9pm sitting worked fine for us as we enjoyed a drink or 2 in one of the bars before dinner. The menu selection was good with around 5 - 6 starters and main courses to choose from. Out of our 5 nights, 3 – 4 of them we had amazing food. A couple of things that let the food down was serving mashed potato from an ice cream scoop and serving Risotto on a plate not in a bowl. It did taste really good, but presentation is important. The Lasagne was disappointing as it was 95% pasta and 5% filling. The waiter offered me an alternative and I opted for the prime rib which was great. Overall the food was good in the dining room – If I were to travel again on MSC I would opt for the speciality dining package and would also try the Marketplace buffet for an evening meal to mix it up.
There are 5 speciality restaurants onboard – Teppanyaki, Sushi, Spanish Tapas, Steakhouse and a French Bistro. I was lucky enough to try samples from all of them and it is definitely worth the 29 – 39 Euro supplement or to purchase a package. The Teppanyaki was my favourite but they were all a high standard.
Bars
There are 20 bars onboard and as you would expect several them are situated on the promenade. These include a champagne bar and they all serve great cocktails, beers, wines and spirits. We purchased a premium drinks package which was great value and you could have any drink up to the value of €10. Drinks were reasonably priced for example a glass of Pinot Grigio was only €5 which is good compared to other cruise lines. Our favourite bar was the sky bar. It was located on the 18th deck and overlooked the pool and huge TV screen. A nice touch was how they brought a bowl of nibbles with your drinks and all the servers we encountered were nice and friendly. The bars and lounges on the promenade decks could have done with more seats and this was evident on a cruise that was not at full capacity.
Children’s facilities
Whilst I wasn’t travelling with children, I did take the time to look at the facilities offered, and this is where MSC exceeds expectation. Most of deck 18 is dedicated to children’s clubs and play facilities with the aqua park situated on deck 19. They have 5 children’s clubs in age bandings ranging from Baby Club Chicco for under 3 years through to Teen club which is 15-17 years.
In addition to the children’s clubs the Bellissima has an arcade with a mini 2 lane bowling alley, a full-size sports court, a virtual reality maze and F1 simulators. Some of these activities are at a cost (mainly the virtual reality maze and F1 simulators).
Entertainment
Entertainment was plentiful with a singer, pianist or group playing throughout the day and night around the ship. We only got to see the evening show, Pink, a music through the ages kind of show and shown in the aptly named London theatre. One of the key features of the Bellissima was their headline act performed by Cirque Du Soleil – it got booked up within hours of sailing away and we missed out which was disappointing but good to know to book earlier. There is a cost for Cirque Du Soleil which was €15 per person including a cocktail.
Communication was my biggest disappointment on the Bellissima. Every evening we had our cruise news which was great as I always enjoy reading this. There didn’t appear to be a cruise director on the ship and the ship’s announcement system was used no more than twice a day. Unfortunately, we experienced bad weather on this cruise and passengers would have appreciated communication as to how long it was set to last. MSC need to improve this in order to reach the high standards of other cruise lines.
Overall
All in all, we had a great time on board Bellissima and would recommend it based on it’s reasonable prices, fabulous itineraries and family facilities. It compares well with other cruise lines on food, facilities and entertainment but be prepared to pay for extra’s and be sure to book your shows early.