Find out what I got up to as I attended the MSC Bellissima naming celebration

So recently I was invited onboard to attend the brand new ship MSC Bellissima naming celebration. I spent two days onboard doing a MSC Bellissima review on behalf of Cruising With Kids on a press trip and explored the ship from top to bottom. In this MSC Bellissima review we will tour the ship from top to bottom and see what she is so beautiful!

As you may know Darren and I are avid cruisers and cruise regularly. I was excited to find out more about MSC and particularly the Bellissima ship. I had previously been on the MSC Preziosa for the day and I was impressed by the grandeur of the ship. Even though I have been on other inaugural cruises I had also never attended a naming ceremony before so it was a pretty exciting visit. 

MSC are glamorous ships with Swarovski staircases, mirrors and champagne everywhere you look.

MSC are well renowned for their glamorous ships, Swarovski staircases, mirrors and champagne everywhere you look. 

As soon as I stepped onboard I was in awe of how pretty she was. You arrive on the ship at the reception area in the infinity atrium at the bottom of the crystal stairs. The huge atrium takes you up through the floors of the main hub of the ship. You will find the reception at the base, the elevators and the well renowned crystal Swarovskis staircase. As you go up through the floors you are dazzled by crystals, champagne bars and glamorous shops.

Each Step in the infinity atrium costs around €8,000! they really are stunning and filled with crystals. Of course you have to have the obligatory stair photo while onboard. This delightful route also takes you up to the central promenade and the main areas and lounges of the ship.

Take a look at the differences between MSC and Royal Caribbean here

Time to explore this beautiful ship, what are the cabins like on MSC Bellissima?

After wandering up these delightful steps with my carry on bag I figured my next stop should be my cabin on deck 14 to drop off my bags. Now check in was pretty effortless you walk through check documents receive key card and then go through security. Easy!

I took handheld luggage so I whisked myself off to put my clothes away and check out where I would be sleeping for two nights. 

The cabins were lovely with plenty of room for a standard balcony. Featuring many plug sockets in European and continental form as well as usb sockets on the bedside cabinets. Everything about the cabin was very contemporary and the shower was a fairer size than what I have seen before on a cruise ship.

This room also had a sofa bed for families with a mini bar and a fair amount of storage.

Meet Zoe MSC for Me

All rooms onboard the MSC Bellissima now feature the new interactive ZOE. Zoe is part of the MSC for Me experience and she is the first virtual cruise assistant at sea. She is very similar to that of an Amazon Alexa and will answer your questions. Zoe is programmed with several languages over 800 questions and is also a bluetooth speaker. While she is still learning she did answer some of my questions and I am sure she will be a useful addition to this technical ship.

Doing my job and exploring the kids clubs on MSC Bellissima

As I am part of the Cruising with kids team my priority was to look in to the children entertainment and  and facilities. I was pretty amazed by the amount of things for children to do on Bellissima. With 5 kids clubs for all ages and state of the art tech entertainment it really is impressive.  There are also lots of interactive play and sports included as well as a water park and out door play area. You can see my full review of the kids facilities here in my MSC Bellissima Kids club guide.

The Promenade is the central stage for all of the ship

The MSC Bellisiima’s promenade has the longest LED screen at sea and is simply spectacular. The screen changes throughout the day and even displays light and sound shows in the evening. This is where you will find the Speciality restaurants, the cafes, the shops and some evening entertainment.

Food and drink onboard MSC Bellissima

There are several bars and lounges onboard MSC Bellisima including a pub! I spend a fair amount of time in the pub with my husband on our cruises so I was pleased to find this welcome bar. The Master of the Sea pub has live singers in the evening and plenty of inside and outside space. This would be somewhere we would definitely frequent.

The edge bar sits above the Crystal atrium and is the perfect place for an afternoon or morning coffee or alternatively you could stroll down the prom and go in to Jean Phillipe Chocolate Cafe for a mocha. They even have an open chocliatiers where you can watch the chocolate made and prepared.

The champagne bar also proved a popular place for people to enjoy a glass of bubbles before going to dinner.

They have several speciality dining restaurants too including L’Atelier Bistrot where I sampled some cheese and wine whilst onboard.

The other restaurants include The Butchers Cut for your all American steaks, Hola the tapas bar and Kaito teppanyaki and sushi bar.

You can also Hop across the promenade to Jean Philippe Maury’s Crepes and Gelato for a sweet treat.

For those who do not want to dine in the dining room you can choose to eat in the Marketplace buffet with a wide array of choices.

The main Dining area on MSC Bellissima

I was also pleased to find that the main dining room was open for breakfast and Lunch. This is something I love whilst onboard a cruise. Choosing to sit quietly and have your food served rather than rush around the buffet has alway been our preference. I even sat here for lunch on my own whilst on Bellissima. It felt very special having several waiters and waitresses attending to me I felt like royalty! It amazes me why people choose to go to the buffet every time.

MSC Bellissima Yacht club

I was excited to see MSC Bellissima Yacht Club area which is a dedicated area for guests who wish to upgrade thier service. You can get a suite with lots of benefits to go with it. If you upgrade to a suite in the Yacht club you also get access to your own lounge. The yacht club has a separate restaurant and sun lounge in the Yacht Club area of the ship with its own elevators.

I had a few tipples in here and took trip around one of MSC Bellissimas yacht club suites to see what they were like. They are not the largest of suites maybe more like a junior suite size if traveling in a Royal Caribbean suite ( that was the only thing I could compare it too) But a nice upgrade to a regular balcony with all of the added benefits.

The naming celebration event on the MSC Bellissima

Probably the most exciting part was the evening of the naming ceremony on the 2nd of March 2019. My colleague Lisa had attending the float out of the Bellissima previously last year and have a wonderfull insight in to what she was going to be like, you can check out how she got on here.

It felt truly special to be invited to the MSC Bellissima Naming celebration along with other Bloggers and media. It had a feeling of glitz and a buzz all day as we were waiting to see how it would all unfold. There was a buzz on the ship when people had realised that Holly Willoughby was onboard and other guests started to arrive.

A star studded line up of entertainment.

The evening started with a cocktail gala event in almost every bar onboard before taking our seats in an outside heated marquee. The Marquee overlooked the MSC Bellissima in the Southampton port.

We heard the story of the family of MSC and the fleet and also about their commitment to protecting the ocean and their aim to eliminate all single use plastics this year.

We were treated to guest speakers and the amazing host Holly Willoughby. Alongside we had a star studded line up of entertainment.

Andrea Bocelli and Matteo Bocelli sung for us and Cirque Du Soleil at Sea performed a one off performance. Showcasing us their new onboard entertainment.

Sadly the weather was not on our side and just before the end we had to leave the Marquee. All was not lost we had to return to the ship for fear of the wind causing a safety issue.

Nothing could put a stop to the fun and the naming Celebration took place back on the ship. Huge LED screens showcased Sophia Loren counting down the celebratory smashing of the champagne.

You can take look at my MSC Bellissima review stories from my weekend here on Cruising with kids Instagram feed.

Thank you for reading my MSC Bellissima review, you can find out more about MSC Bellissima for families over at Cruising with kids

I had the most amazing time on bellissima. I was invited by MSC and all views and opinion are my own.\

D x