Published on Tuesday, April 24, 2018.

Photo by Roderick Eime, used under CC BY 2.0

MSC is hoping to cash in on the expected booming cruise market of Asia by basing the new MSC Bellissima in the area during its inaugural season.    The MSC Bellissima is hoping to cash in on the expected booming cruise market of Asia by basing the new MSC Bellissima in the area during its inaugural season. The MSC Bellissima mega ship will be the largest cruise ship in the region, sailing from China and Japan in 2020. mega ship will be the largest cruise ship in the region, sailing from China and Japan in 2020.

The MSC Bellissima construction started on November 15, 2017 in Chantiers de l’Atlantique in France by ship builder STX Europe.   Based on current construction schedules, the MSC Bellissima should be floated out mid-summer 2018, and scheduled for delivery on February 28, 2019.  The maiden voyage will be on March 24, 2019 from Genoa, Italy on a 7-night Mediterranean cruise with ports of call in Italy, Malta, Spain, and France.  The vessel is expected to weight approximately 171,598 gross tons and accommodate 4,500 passengers.

The MSC Bellissima will being sailings from Shanghai, China and ports in Japan.  Although the ship will cater to Chinese and Japanese passengers, there will be something for all international cruises.

Announcement

Vacation Hacker

MSC has been known for years as an European cruise line, but has been working hard to be one of the major mass market cruise lines in the United States with MSC Divina and MSC Seaside ships.   MSC has European style cruising, which differs from their major competitors like Carnival, NCL, and Royal Caribbean.   For example, you won’t find a craps table in the casino as they are not popular games in Europe, or MSC explained to me.

Although we like MSC, we don’t recommend MSC Cruises for the first time cruiser.   The experience will differ from the other mass market cruise lines, but still a lot of fun!