MSC Bellissima

Aquapark days and Attic Club nights

MSC Bellissima keeps children busy by day and adults out late, and her biggest attraction for families is included in the fare. The Aquapark turns sea days into water fun, with winding slides, a splash zone, water sprays and tipping buckets, and the Arizona Bar right beside it serves ice cream afterwards, paid as you go. The Lego Experience is free to enter, with dedicated building areas and themed adventures; only the souvenir sets in the shop cost extra. The Arcade adds high-score games and virtual reality, charged separately.

Evenings build from a show to a dance floor. The Carousel Lounge pairs an immersive show with a signature cocktail; entry carries a charge, seats are limited and reservations are needed. Later, DJs play dance and club hits into the early hours at the Attic Club, free to walk into with drinks paid as you go, while the Champagne Bar pours sparkling wines from top producers, with oysters and caviar to match.

Teppanyaki, hot pot and dry-aged steak

MSC Bellissima’s speciality restaurants are where her dining stands out, and each is charged à la carte. At Teppanyaki, guests sit at one of four open cooking stations while chefs cook with flair and flame in front of them. Sea Pavilion Hot Pot serves communal Asian hot pot with appetisers for sharing, and it opens only on China and Japan itineraries, which is exactly where she sails.

For something richer, Butcher’s Cut Steakhouse prepares prime cuts from dry-aged Tomahawk to T-bone at an open counter, alongside surf-and-turf combinations, in a room that evokes America’s golden age. It charges a cover as well as menu prices.

Shanghai round-trips and Japan from Tokyo

The heart of her programme is round-trips from Shanghai, running from January into March and again in August and September. These sailings run for 4, 5, 8, 9 or 10 nights and cross to South Korea and southern Japan. Departures differ, but Busan, Jeju and Fukuoka are typical stops, and some reach Kagoshima or Naha on Okinawa. Our cruises to China search opens on these Shanghai sailings.

In April and May she is based in Tokyo for longer Japan voyages: round-trips of 9 or 10 nights in April, and of 13 or 14 nights through April and May. Ports change between departures, but Kobe, Hiroshima and Kagoshima are among them, with Jeju on some. At other times of year she runs 3- and 4-night one-ways from Tokyo to Keelung (Taipei), Incheon or Shanghai, and from Keelung to Tokyo, with stops such as Ishigaki or Miyako-jima.

Departures from Shanghai, Tokyo, Keelung (Taipei), Naha (Okinawa) and Incheon all need a flight from Australia, and we book the flights, a night or two in port either side and the transfers with the cruise as one holiday, so even her shorter passages become part of a longer trip. On a one-way, the international flight home leaves from the port where she finishes, such as Keelung or Incheon. MSC Bellissima shares her hull with her sister ship, MSC Meraviglia.

MSC Bellissima cabins and deck plans

The suites to know about on MSC Bellissima belong to the MSC Yacht Club, a ship-within-a-ship enclave with 24-hour butler assistance. Its guests have the Top Sail Lounge with panoramic sea views and complimentary premium drinks, plus their own restaurant and a private sundeck with a pool and hot tubs. You can compare every category, and see where each one sits, on the MSC Bellissima cabins and deck plans page.

We are CruiseAway, and our cruise experts know the MSC Cruises ships and their fares. When you are ready to pick a date, our cruises to Japan search lists MSC Bellissima’s Japan sailings among others, and Asia cruises in 2027 shows what is sailing the region that year.