 MSC Bellissima in Saint-Nazaire (France) shipyard on 19 February 2019 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | MSC Bellissima |
| Owner | MSC Cruises |
| Operator | MSC Cruises |
| Port of registry | Valletta, Malta |
| Ordered | 20 March 2014 |
| Builder | Chantiers de l'Atlantique |
| Laid down | 15 November 2017 |
| Launched | 14 June 2018 |
| Christened | 2 March 2019 |
| Acquired | 27 February 2019 |
| Maiden voyage | 4 March 2019 |
| In service | 4 March 2019 |
| Identification |
|
| Status | In service |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Meraviglia-classcruise ship |
| Tonnage | 171,598 GT[1] |
| Length | 315.83 m (1,036 ft 2 in)[1] |
| Draught | 8.75 m (28 ft 8 in)[1] |
| Decks | 18[1] |
| Installed power | 38,400 kW (51,500 hp) |
| Propulsion | 2 × ABBAzipods[1] |
| Speed | 21.8knots (40.4 km/h; 25.1 mph)[1] |
| Capacity | 4,500 |
MSC Bellissima is a cruise ship operated byMSC Cruises. She was constructed at theChantiers de l'Atlantique inSaint-Nazaire,France.[2]
The ship joinedMSC Meraviglia in the company'sMeraviglia class of cruise ships. She has a tonnage of 171,598 gross tonnage (GT) and a capacity of 4,500 passengers.[1][3] The ship debuted in March 2019.
MSC Cruises announced the suspension of all North American itineraries until 30 June 2020 due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[4]
MSC Cruises andSTX France cut the first steel ofMSC Bellissima on 28 November 2016,[5][6] with £750M investment.[7] Herkeel laying and coin ceremony happened on 15 November 2017.[8] It also features 2,217 cabins and 1,418 balconies that can accommodate 5,686 guests,[9] with the length of 315.8m and a width of 43m.[10] On 14 June 2018, the ship wasfloated out.[11] Hersea trials took place in December 2018.[12]Andrea Bocelli, alongside his son, performed during the christening of the ship.[13] The ship joinedMSC Meraviglia in the company'sMeraviglia class of cruise ships which it has a tonnage of 171,598GT and a capacity of 4,500 passengers.[14][3]
Her delivery ceremony took place on 27 February 2019.MSC Bellissima was officially named on 2 March 2019, atSouthampton, by the actressSophia Loren.[15] The original ceremony in a marquee on the quayside had to be abandoned due to high winds, so a substitute ceremony was quickly organised and Loren pressed a button on the ship's bridge to smash the bottle of champagne on the ship's bow.[16]
MSC Cruises collaborated withHarman International to bring "ZOE," the first virtual assistant to be featured on any cruise ship, toMSC Bellissima and future MSC Cruises ships.[17] In September 2019, as a part of MSC Cruises' longstanding relationship withSwarovski,MSC Bellissima featured a suite fully embellished with 700,000 crystals.[18]
On 13 February 2020,MSC Bellissima was featured onUltimate Mega Cruise Ship onChannel 5 in the United Kingdom.[19]
MSC Bellissima departed for her maiden voyage on 4 March 2019,[20] and made an inaugural call inSpain on 12 March 2019.[21] She will spend her maiden season in theMediterranean, before re-positioning to thePersian Gulf in November 2019, cruising fromDubai for the winter season,[22][15] and made a maiden call atDoha,Qatar in December 2019.[23] She will then be redeployed to Asia to serve MSC's China program in spring 2020.[11][15] In 2020, the ship will be heading inAsia,[24] such asChina.[25]
On 21 March 2020, officials from theIndian state ofTelangana reported that a 33-year-old crew member ofMSC Bellissima had tested positive forSARS-CoV-2.[26] The crew member was also reported to have been to Dubai, and was stable at the time of the report.[26]
On 24 March 2020, it was reported that threeAzoreans who were former passengers ofMSC Bellissima during its cruise to Dubai from 7 March 2020 to 14 March 2020 had tested positive.[a][27]
On 2 April 2020, a 22-year-old crew member ofMSC Bellissima, who had quarantined himself at home inTrappeto,Sicily after returning from Dubai, announced that he had tested positive that day.[28] On 10 April 2020, a dancer fromKlagenfurt,Austria, who performed inCirque du Soleil shows aboardMSC Bellissima, tested positive for the virus while she was still on board the ship.[29][30] The crew member was tested a day before she was scheduled to leave for home, and the result came as a surprise as she had been asymptomatic.[30] As of 4 May 2020, she has been stuck aboardMSC Bellissima for 50 days.[29]
