Sunday 03rd March 2019 I was very lucky to have been offered the chance to experience the launch of the Brand New ship from MSC Cruise Line – Bellissima. I embarked the ship in Southampton, and we were supposed to sail out to Jersey and back again but unfortunately the weather that weekend was quite bad and so we just stayed in the dock at Southampton.
First impressions onboard the ship, I was amazed at how modern and high-tech everything was but at the same time it still maintained a cosy and relaxed atmosphere. I stayed in a Balcony Stateroom on deck 14 which had a massive double bed, huge balcony space and I had my very own virtual assistant – her name was Zoe. Zoe was there for me to ask ship related questions to instead of myself having to walk to guest services and speak with someone there. She was very useful, and I know for sure other guests would benefit greatly with having someone at hand like this for simply questions such as what the weather forecast is for the day, excursions available, reserve a table at restaurants etc. Zoe speaks seven different languages and only listens to guests’ questions/conversations when activated by her wake-up phrase “Ok Zoe”.
The dining options onboard would suit a great range of tastes and appetites. There are twelve restaurants onboard – seven are included in your full board cruise fare and five are speciality which are available for an extra supplement. The restaurant that I was booked in for dinner was Il Ciliegio & Le Cerisier on deck six. The Market Place buffet was another great dining option – it had an endless selection of food options to choose from – perfect for families with young children.
In my opinion, I believe this ship would be particularly best suited for first time cruisers and families. Just simply because it is such a modern ship and I believe many of its innovated technology will encourage other cruise lines to take a second look at their own and see how they can overtake MSC.
This summer (2019) the MSC Bellissima is set to cruise the Mediterranean from Barcelona, then for the Winter schedule (2019) she will have itineraries based around Dubai (starting 30th November) and then from March 2020 she has a Grand Voyage which sails from Dubai to Japan for 29 nights. She is set to be a very busy lady!
Fun Fact: The MSC Bellissima is the 6th Largest cruise ship in the World!
If you want to know more or have any questions about the ship that I have not covered in this post, please do feel free to drop me a line on my email. [email protected] or Tel. 028 66321156
