Maiden cruise of MSC Bellissima

[Captain-John]

1 hour ago, heatherb1958 said:

 

I walked through the Sports bar a couple of times to get to the aft . I would not describe it as a bar compared to MSC’s other ships, more like a cafeteria , just saying. We spent a lot of time on the other ships, Seaview and Magnifica , in their sports bar, comfy seating and free nacho chips with salsa and quacamole. We were not tempted once to sit in Bellissima’s equivalent, same on Meraviglia. The pub has overtaken the venue to be classed as a sports bar. 

 

Yay! I was thinking of asking my YC butler for this in our cabin (as opposed to canapes or whatever). Glad to know they're on the ships as it will be easier to describe as I can direct them to that offering to explain what I want.

 

Regarding the pub - I'm thinking a similar idea to O'Sheehans on NCL - is there free snack type food?

[heatherb1958]

43 minutes ago, Magnelasagne said:

Ok, that’s a bummer. Do they have screens for sports in the pub? 

 

 

Yes they do but they are behind the bar so unless you are a bar fly or have excellent eyesight maybe difficult for you to watch any match comfortably , you will be dodging passers by who walk pass as your team score 😆. 

On the Meraviglia in the casino their tv screens were on the outside of  the bar above the seats , people pulled the bar stools back away from the bar so they could see the screen. After feedback the screens in the casino on Bellissima are now still at the bar but now on the inside so you have to sit directly at the bar to see them.

 

 

Edited March 15, 2019 by heatherb1958

[heatherb1958]

15 minutes ago, Captain-John said:

 

Yay! I was thinking of asking my YC butler for this in our cabin (as opposed to canapes or whatever). Glad to know they're on the ships as it will be easier to describe as I can direct them to that offering to explain what I want.

 

Regarding the pub - I'm thinking a similar idea to O'Sheehans on NCL - is there free snack type food?

 

Sorry Lesley for jumping in on your review.

 

captainJohn-  To clarify , the nacho chips and salsa were on Seaview , not Bellissima. You can get free bowls of nuts,potato chips and what I call teeth breakers on Bellissima.Never saw , see photo, of what we had on Seaview . 

 

[Captain-John]

OK thanks Heather - I'll keep my fingers crossed these are on Meraviglia, somewhere.

 

 

[cparker01]

On 3/14/2019 at 9:05 AM, Weby72 said:

I'm on the Bellissima in May, so this thread is fantastic.

 

If any of you onboard are in the photo'ing mood, a view of the bar tariff for Master of the Seas would be great!

Weby72 - When are you sailing in May? We  embark out of Genoa May 26th

[steamboats]

13 hours ago, Magnelasagne said:

Ok, that’s a bummer. Do they have screens for sports in the pub? 

 

 

Yes, there are screens in the pub. Nothing in the sports bar and the only food I saw was hot dogs. It´s more squeezed into a corner of the whole Sportsplex area just to serve the needs of those up there. You can see my photos here.

 

steamboats

[capertillar]

Hi All,

Thanks for all the information. We are on Bellissima later this year....its a long trek from Australia, so we are also doing Seaview and Costa Smeralda before Bellissima.

 

Does anyone have a pic of the room service menu please? 

 

Thanks in advance.

[little britain]

13 hours ago, Magnelasagne said:

Ok, that’s a bummer. Do they have screens for sports in the pub? 

 

Yes, they were showing live football ⚽️ 

[stoneman56]

14 hours ago, heatherb1958 said:

 

Sorry Lesley for jumping in on your review.

 

captainJohn-  To clarify , the nacho chips and salsa were on Seaview , not Bellissima. You can get free bowls of nuts,potato chips and what I call teeth breakers on Bellissima.Never saw , see photo, of what we had on Seaview . 

 

Never saw anything like that on Seaside in December

[Magnelasagne]

2 hours ago, steamboats said:

 

Yes, there are screens in the pub. Nothing in the sports bar and the only food I saw was hot dogs. It´s more squeezed into a corner of the whole Sportsplex area just to serve the needs of those up there. You can see my photos here.

 

steamboats

Thanks👌 

I have to say I’m both confused and dissapointed. When I hear «sportsbar» this is not what I think of! 

[adelaidefc]

I'm on from May 3rd, loving all this info thanks so much. On one hand I should probably leave myself at least some surprises, but this is my very first cruise ever so I'm keen to be as prepared as possible.

I second the request for a room service menu, and even a mini bar and snacks shot if possible. I have the premium plus drinks package so want to see what's worth getting from the room!

Thanks again!

[Beamafar]

Hope you have a very enjoyable cruise, AdelaideFC ... I always envy people who are doing their first cruise.

 

I can post photos of the room service menu (prices on Bellissima will be in Euros) plus the mini-bar - brands may differ, but you'll get an idea of what's included. I've also included the prices (US$ - again, they'll be in Euros on Bellissima) for mini-bar items so you can see a list of the contents.  The prices for the sandwiches and 'sweet temptations' used to be €3 for one item or €5 for 2 - I don't know if the prices have increased recently.  They've been that price for a very long time, now:











Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk
 

Edited March 16, 2019 by Beamafar

[Divingduck]

We've just got home from the maiden cruise after spending an extra night in Genoa.I should qualify my thoughts by saying we are not hugely experienced cruisers and have not sailed previously with MSC.

 

Boarding at Southampton was super quick and easy, even though we arrived three hours earlier than our allotted boarding  time. Our cabin 14146  (Fantastica balcony) was ready and the cases arrived a short time later. We were warmly greeted by our cabin steward who did a good job through out the cruise. Some fellow passengers complained about the size of the cabins but overall we were satisfied with ours. The bed was very comfortable, the bathroom and wardrobes were small but adequate for our needs. I liked the MSC for me app both on the cabin TV and mobiles with many useful functions i.e. booking speciality dining, viewing account, itinerary and daily activities, chat feature and much more. Totally agree that Zoe was a waste of space and was tempted more than once to send her for a swim before discovering how to switch her off.

 

The ship itself is stunning with quality fittings and furniture everywhere. It is very 'blingy'  with many mirrored surfaces and the trademark staircases but we loved it.

 

Having read mixed reviews regarding MSCs food we pre-booked the 2 +1 dining experience (Bistrot , Butchers Cut and Cirque du Soleil meal & show). I also took a punt at the 'Dining Experience 2' which was under the 'Other Services' tab on the MSC website and claimed to offer a meal at Eataly and Galaxy sushi for the princely sum of £8. 

 

We ate breakfast and lunch a few times in the buffet and enjoyed it each time although there wasn't an awful lot of variation. Can't comment on the later menu there having always used speciality or MDR for dinner. The food & service in the MDR was good overall apart from the first night when things seemed a tad chaotic, but to be expected I suppose. Alan our waiter on table 379 was very pleasant and nothing was too much trouble. The portions weren't huge but we often ordered extra starters or desserts and sometimes shared an extra veggie main as a side.

 

As expected, guest services got in contact regarding my dining experience 2 package and regretfully informed that neither restaurant was on board. To compensate they offered a meal at either Hola Tapas or Kaito Sushi plus €20 onboard credit. I graciously accepted and chose Hola.

 

The meal there was very good with a variety of interesting flavours but not sure why we had to choose a gourmet burger as part of it? Not very Spanish imo.

 

The lobster salad and lamb shank at CDC were fine but somehow felt a bit underwhelmed by the show. Perhaps my expectations were too high or maybe my dislike of anything resembling French mime kicked in (sorry France).

 

At the Bistrot we both chose the onion soup (hot as molten lava but very tasty) and steaks with choice of one side and solitary lettuce leaf included. Wished I'd picked the mussels though when I saw them at the adjacent table.

 

Butchers Cut shaded the others with an excellent shrimp cocktail,  rack of lamb and chocolate lava cake.

 

The premium drinks package was excellent but encouraged us to try just about every cocktail on the menu - not always on the same night though 😁

 

We thought the shows were a mixed bag. The singers and dancers were very good but shoot me before I agree to watch a ventriloquist perform in 5 languages  again.

 

Nightlife was varied with something to suit everyone - pub, karaoke, party in galleria (my Ozzie Osborne outfit was a hit) or quieter spaces eg Sky Lounge where our favourite waitress Natalia from the Ukraine could be found - ever smiling and always made time for a friendly chat.

 

Overall our experience was very positive with many happy memories to take home. We will no doubt sail again with MSC perhaps on Grandiosa or Virtuosa.

 

 

 

 

[Beamafar]

Butcher's Cut always seems to come out on top!  We've loved it each time we've been (on Meraviglia and Splendida) and looking forward to enjoying it on Seaview and, again, on Meraviglia later this year.

[steamboats]

2 hours ago, adelaidefc said:

I'm on from May 3rd, loving all this info thanks so much. On one hand I should probably leave myself at least some surprises, but this is my very first cruise ever so I'm keen to be as prepared as possible.

I second the request for a room service menu, and even a mini bar and snacks shot if possible. I have the premium plus drinks package so want to see what's worth getting from the room!

Thanks again!

 

Room service menus can be found here from the MSC Bellissima.

 

steamboats

[steamboats]

3 hours ago, Magnelasagne said:

Thanks👌 

I have to say I’m both confused and dissapointed. When I hear «sportsbar» this is not what I think of! 

 

I second that feeling - knowing the Sports Bar on the Fantasia, Seaside/Seaview this was definitely not what I´ve expected.

 

steamboats

[capertillar]

Thank you very much for the room service menus beamafar,.

 

And Steamboats, I had seen yours, amid all the many wonderful photos, but my high school German just didnt cut it.....

[phissy]

On 3/15/2019 at 7:13 PM, Captain-John said:

 

Yay! I was thinking of asking my YC butler for this in our cabin (as opposed to canapes or whatever). Glad to know they're on the ships as it will be easier to describe as I can direct them to that offering to explain what I want.

 

Regarding the pub - I'm thinking a similar idea to O'Sheehans on NCL - is there free snack type food?

I noticed you were thinking of other snack items your Butler could bring besides canapés, you might be thinking YC is the same as Haven on NCL. On MSC, there are no afternoon snack deliveries by butler.

We went to Yacht club  lounge for snacks which are arranged by the bar or 

up to top sail if in port. We are at sea now and weather and wind will not permit buffet or bar to be in use today. 

We also were looking for a,place like O’Sheehans onboard Meravgilia.  No such venue onboard.  Pub seemed likely but,  they would charge us for drinks and food, even if you are in YC.

we ended up going to Marketplace buffet and had really good pizza . Public spaces on ship seem to be in high traffic areas.

Edited March 20, 2019 by phissy

[Captain-John]

10 hours ago, phissy said:

I noticed you were thinking of other snack items your Butler could bring besides canapés, you might be thinking YC is the same as Haven on NCL. On MSC, there are no afternoon snack deliveries by butler.

We went to Yacht club  lounge for snacks which are arranged by the bar or 

up to top sail if in port. We are at sea now and weather and wind will not permit buffet or bar to be in use today. 

We also were looking for a,place like O’Sheehans onboard Meravgilia.  No such venue onboard.  Pub seemed likely but,  they would charge us for drinks and food, even if you are in YC.

we ended up going to Marketplace buffet and had really good pizza . Public spaces on ship seem to be in high traffic areas.

 

Ah OK, thanks for clarifying. I'll maybe try and get my request in via room service but it's not a dealbreaker obviously.

 

That's a shame that there is a charge for food and drink in the pub, even for those with packages and in the YC. Quite disappointing actually.

 

Have a great time. :)

[hamrag]

On 3/16/2019 at 11:46 AM, Beamafar said:

Butcher's Cut always seems to come out on top!  We've loved it each time we've been (on Meraviglia and Splendida) and looking forward to enjoying it on Seaview and, again, on Meraviglia later this year.

 

I agree, we thoroughly enjoyed that experience on Meraviglia.....and the champagne bar is next door, so the BC waiters' are more than happy to get your drink from there if you choose champagne over wine!

[Beamafar]

28 minutes ago, hamrag said:

 

I agree, we thoroughly enjoyed that experience on Meraviglia.....and the champagne bar is next door, so the BC waiters' are more than happy to get your drink from there if you choose champagne over wine!

 

Now that is handy to know!    Thanks, G!  👍

[Beamafar]

2 hours ago, Captain-John said:

 

That's a shame that there is a charge for food and drink in the pub, even for those with packages and in the YC. Quite disappointing actually.

 

 

There was a time when nothing outside of YC was included, Cap'n, and drinks packages weren't accepted in Speciality Restaurants.  Then prices went up to take the inclusions into account.

[Beamafar]

15 hours ago, capertillar said:

Thank you very much for the room service menus beamafar,.

 

 

You're very welcome!  Love your username!  

[letstrythisplace]

On 3/15/2019 at 5:56 AM, steamboats said:

 

Gee, I´m sorry, I´ve mixed it up with the MSC Seaview. There one of the show cabins was a quad inside. Here are photos of the show cabins of the MSC Bellissima but unfortunately it´s no quad inside (double only).

 

steamboats

 

Thank-you :). Hopefully it's the same on the Bellissima. Has anyone else booked a quad interior on Bellissima?