MSC Bellissima

Last updated

MSC BELLISSIMA.jpg
MSC Bellissima in Saint-Nazaire (France) shipyard on 19 February 2019
History
NameMSC Bellissima
OwnerMSC Cruises
Operator MSC Cruises
Port of registry Valletta, Civil Ensign of Malta.svg  Malta
Ordered20 March 2014
Builder Chantiers de l'Atlantique
Laid down15 November 2017
Launched14 June 2018
Christened2 March 2019
Acquired27 February 2019
Maiden voyage4 March 2019
In service4 March 2019
Identification
StatusIn service
General characteristics
Class and type Meraviglia-class cruise ship
Tonnage171,598  GT [1]
Length315.83 m (1,036 ft 2 in) [1]
Draught8.75 m (28 ft 8 in) [1]
Decks18 [1]
Installed power38,400  kW (51,500  hp)
Propulsion2 ×  ABB Azipods [1]
Speed21.8 knots (40.4 km/h; 25.1 mph) [1]
Capacity4,500

MSC Bellissima is a cruise ship operated by MSC Cruises. She was constructed at the Chantiers de l'Atlantique in Saint-Nazaire, France. [2]

Contents

The ship joined MSC Meraviglia in the company's Meraviglia 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 the COVID-19 pandemic. [4]

History

MSC Cruises and STX France cut the first steel of MSC Bellissima on 28 November 2016, [5] [6] with £750M investment. [7] Her keel 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 was floated out. [11] Her sea trials took place in December 2018. [12] Andrea Bocelli, alongside his son, performed during the christening of the ship. [13] The ship joined MSC Meraviglia in the company's Meraviglia class of cruise ships which it has a tonnage of 171,598 GT and a capacity of 4,500 passengers. [14] [3]

MSC Bellissima in Saint-Nazaire the day before its departure on 26 February 2019 MSC Bellissima 20190226 190521.jpg
MSC Bellissima in Saint-Nazaire the day before its departure on 26 February 2019

Her delivery ceremony took place on 27 February 2019. MSC Bellissima was officially named on 2 March 2019, at Southampton, by the actress Sophia 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 with Harman International to bring "ZOE," the first virtual assistant to be featured on any cruise ship, to MSC Bellissima and future MSC Cruises ships. [17] In September 2019, as a part of MSC Cruises' longstanding relationship with Swarovski, MSC Bellissima featured a suite fully embellished with 700,000 crystals. [18]

On 13 February 2020, MSC Bellissima was featured on Ultimate Mega Cruise Ship on Channel 5 in the United Kingdom. [19]

Route

MSC Bellissima departed for her maiden voyage on 4 March 2019, [20] and made an inaugural call in Spain on 12 March 2019. [21] She will spend her maiden season in the Mediterranean, before re-positioning to the Persian Gulf in November 2019, cruising from Dubai for the winter season, [22] [15] and made a maiden call at Doha, 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 in Asia, [24] such as China. [25]

Incidents

Coronavirus pandemic

On 21 March 2020, officials from the Indian state of Telangana reported that a 33-year-old crew member of MSC Bellissima had tested positive for SARS-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 three Azoreans who were former passengers of MSC 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 of MSC Bellissima, who had quarantined himself at home in Trappeto, Sicily after returning from Dubai, announced that he had tested positive that day. [28] On 10 April 2020, a dancer from Klagenfurt, Austria, who performed in Cirque du Soleil shows aboard MSC 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 aboard MSC Bellissima for 50 days. [29]

Notes

  1. ↑ Two cases were from São Miguel Island, a 31-year-old man and a 22-year-old woman, while one case from São Jorge Island had been diagnosed previously, but had been in contact with a newly-diagnosed case from Terceira Island. [27]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Caribbean International</span> Norwegian–American cruise line

Royal Caribbean International (RCI), formerly Royal Caribbean Cruise Line (RCCL), is a cruise line founded in 1968 in Norway and organized as a wholly owned subsidiary of Royal Caribbean Group since 1997.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MSC Cruises</span> Cruise line registered in Switzerland

MSC Cruises is a Swiss-Italian global cruise line based in Geneva, with operations offices in Naples, Genoa and Venice. It was founded in 1988 in Naples, Italy, as part of the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC). In addition to being the world's largest privately held cruise company, employing about 23,500 people worldwide and with offices in 45 countries as of 2017, MSC Cruises is the third-largest cruise company in the world, after Carnival Corporation & plc and Royal Caribbean Group, with a 10.2% share of all passengers carried in 2021.

MS <i>Island Princess</i> (2002) Cruise ship

Island Princess is a Coral-class cruise ship for the Princess Cruises line. She is the sister ship to Coral Princess and together they are the only Panamax ships in Princess's fleet. She was constructed at Chantiers de l'Atlantique, France.

<i>MSC Fantasia</i> Cruise ship operating for MSC Cruises

MSC Fantasia is a Fantasia-class cruise ship owned and operated by MSC Cruises and serves as the lead vessel for the Fantasia class of ships. She entered service in December 2008 and ushered in a new generation of larger ships for MSC Cruises, becoming the largest ship to operate for MSC at the time of delivery. She was also the first vessel to feature the MSC Yacht Club, MSC Cruises ship within ship concept.

<i>Regal Princess</i> (2013) Royal-class cruise ship operated by Princess Cruises

Regal Princess is a Royal-class cruise ship operated by Princess Cruises, a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation & plc, and is the second ship to sail for the cruise line under this name. Regal Princess, as well as her sister ship Royal Princess, were ordered on 17 February 2010 from Fincantieri and were constructed at the Fincantieri shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy, and debuted in 2014.

<i>Costa Diadema</i> Cruise ship

Costa Diadema is a Dream-class cruise ship owned by Carnival Corporation and operated by Costa Crociere. The ship was ordered in October 2012 and was delivered to Costa on 25 October 2014. At her time of delivery, Costa Diadema was the largest vessel to fly an Italian flag and was Costa's largest vessel at the time; she is formerly Costa Crociere's flagship being replaced by the Costa Toscana.

<i>MSC Meraviglia</i> Cruise ship operated by MSC Cruises

MSC Meraviglia is a cruise ship owned and operated by MSC Cruises, built at the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard in St. Nazaire, France, by STX France. MSC Meraviglia is the lead ship of MSC's new "Vista Project" vessels, the Meraviglia class, with MSC Bellissima following in 2019. Each vessel has a passenger capacity of 4,500. When it entered service in June 2017, it was the sixth largest cruise ship in the world, behind Royal Caribbean's Oasis-class cruise ships and AIDAnova.

<i>Symphony of the Seas</i> Oasis-class cruise ship

Symphony of the Seas is an Oasis-class cruise ship owned and operated by Royal Caribbean International. She was built in 2018 in the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France, the fourth in Royal Caribbean's Oasis class of cruise ships.

<i>Edge</i>-class cruise ship Class of cruise ship

The Edge class is a class of cruise ships operated by Celebrity Cruises, a subsidiary of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. The class is constructed by Chantiers de l'Atlantique of France. At present, there are four active Edge-class ships: the lead vessel of the class Celebrity Edge, Celebrity Apex, Celebrity Beyond, and Celebrity Ascent. Celebrity Apex was scheduled to begin operations in April 2020, but entry into service was delayed until June 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Celebrity Ascent is the newest ship to debut and welcomed its first guests in November 2023. A fifth ship, Celebrity Xcel is currently under construction.

<i>MSC Seaview</i> Seaside-class cruise ship

MSC Seaview is a Seaside-class cruise ship owned and operated by MSC Cruises. Built by Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri in Monfalcone and delivered in June 2018, she is the sister ship to her class' lead vessel, MSC Seaside.

<i>Spectrum of the Seas</i> Quantum Ultra-class cruise ship

Spectrum of the Seas is a Quantum-Ultra-class cruise ship currently operated by Royal Caribbean International and the first ship of the Quantum Ultra class, a modification from the company's Quantum class of ships. The ship was constructed at Meyer Werft in Papenburg, Germany and was delivered in April 2019. At 169,379 GT, she became the fifth largest ship in the fleet by gross tonnage upon delivery. She currently operates primarily in East Asia.

<i>MSC Grandiosa</i> Cruise ship operated by MSC Cruises

MSC Grandiosa is a Meraviglia Plus-class cruise ship owned and operated by MSC Cruises. Built by Chantiers de l'Atlantique in Saint-Nazaire, France, she is the first of three Meraviglia Plus-class ships set to operate for the cruise line. She commenced operations on 10 November 2019.

<i>Costa Smeralda</i> (ship) Excellence-class cruise ship operated by Costa Cruises

Costa Smeralda is an Excellence-class cruise ship currently operated by Costa Cruises, a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation & plc. At 185,010 gross tonnage (GT), she is the largest ship commissioned for and to ever operate for Costa, and is the eighth-largest cruise ship in the world, as of 2024. Costa Smeralda is also the second cruise ship in the world to be fully powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG), making Costa the second cruise line to operate a ship running on LNG, after sister brand, AIDA Cruises, became the first in 2018. Costa Smeralda has a sister ship, Costa Toscana, that was delivered in 2021. Costa Smeralda's inaugural cruise sailed on 21 December 2019.

<i>Celebrity Apex</i> Cruise ship operated by Celebrity Cruises

Celebrity Apex is an Edge-class cruise ship operated by Celebrity Cruises, a subsidiary of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Constructed at Chantiers de l'Atlantique in Saint-Nazaire, France, she is the second vessel in the company's Edge class of ships, following the delivery of her sister ship, Celebrity Edge, in 2018. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, her debut sailing was from Athens on June 19, 2021 to the Greek Islands.

<i>Spirit of Discovery</i> (2019) Cruise ship operated by Saga Cruises

Spirit of Discovery is a 58,250 GT cruise ship operating for Saga Cruises. Built by Meyer Werft, the ship was delivered on 24 June 2019 and began operations on 10 July 2019. Upon delivery, she became Saga's first ever new-build ship. She is Saga's largest ship to ever operate in its history, a title she will share with her sister ship, Spirit of Adventure, after she was delivered in September 2020.

<i>Wonder of the Seas</i> Oasis-class cruise ship

Wonder of the Seas is a cruise ship operated by Royal Caribbean International. She was completed in 2022 in the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire France, the fifth in Royal Caribbean's Oasis class of cruise ships. At 235,600 GT, she was the largest cruise ship by gross tonnage, until she was surpassed in 2024 by the Icon-class cruise ship, Icon of the Seas, also owned by Royal Caribbean International.

<i>MSC Virtuosa</i> Cruise ship

MSC Virtuosa is a Meraviglia-Plus-class cruise ship owned and operated by MSC Cruises. Built by Chantiers de l'Atlantique in Saint-Nazaire, France, she is the second ship in the Meraviglia-Plus class and sister ship to MSC Grandiosa. Originally scheduled to debut on 8 November 2020, her delivery and entry into service was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She was delivered to MSC Cruises on 1 February 2021 and entered service in May 2021.

World-class cruise ship Class of cruise ships under construction for MSC Cruises

The World class is a class of cruise ships being built by Chantiers de l'Atlantique of France for MSC Cruises. There are four vessels planned, with the lead vessel, MSC World Europa, delivered in 2022.

<i>MSC World Europa</i> Cruise ship to operate for MSC Cruises beginning in 2022

MSC World Europa is a World-class cruise ship of MSC Cruises. LNG-powered, she was built by the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France, and as of June 2024 is the world's eighth largest passenger ship and the largest cruise ship in the world that is not owned by Royal Caribbean International currently. MSC World Europa began public operations from 20 December 2022 in a 9-day roundtrip from Qatar after serving as a hotel ship in Doha during the 2022 FIFA World Cup. She became MSC's first World-class ship and will be joined by three sister ships in 2025, 2026, and 2027, respectively.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "MSC BELLISSIMA (9760524)". BV Fleet. Bureau Veritas . Retrieved 25 March 2019.
  2. ↑ "MSC Bellissima Cruise Ship: Review & Photos on Cruise Critic". www.cruisecritic.com. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
  3. 1 2 "MSC Bellissima Ship Stats & Information- MSC Cruises MSC Bellissima Cruises: Travel Weekly". www.travelweekly.com. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
  4. ↑ "MSC Cruises is latest to suspend operations through summer". Fox News . 30 April 2020.
  5. ↑ "Cruise ship launch timeline | MSC Bellissima| MSC Cruises". MSC Cruises Australia Website. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
  6. ↑ "MSC Cruises Finalizes Contract for Two New Meraviglia-Plus Ships". TravelPulse. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
  7. ↑ "Why you should join your grandparents for a cruise holiday". 21 September 2019.
  8. ↑ "MSC Cruises Cuts Steel for First Meraviglia Plus-class Ship, MSC Grandiosa; Coin Ceremony Held for MSC Bellissima". www.cruisecritic.com. Retrieved 13 September 2019.
  9. ↑ "MSC Cruises' Zoe: meet Bellissima's new AI companion". Ship Technology. 23 May 2019.
  10. ↑ Holland, Kaye (28 February 2019). "Introducing the world's newest cruise ship – does MSC Bellissima live up to its name?". The Telegraph.
  11. 1 2 "MSC Bellissima Casts Off for Sea Trials | World Maritime News". worldmaritimenews.com. 20 December 2018. Retrieved 12 September 2019.
  12. ↑ Mathisen, Monty (21 December 2018). "MSC Bellissima Departs from Chantiers de l'Atlantique For Sea Trials". www.cruiseindustrynews.com. Archived from the original on 6 August 2021. Retrieved 12 September 2019.
  13. ↑ "World of Cruising Magazine - MSC Bellissima Adds Andrea Bocelli to Star-Studded Naming Ceremony". World of Cruising Magazine. 25 February 2019. Archived from the original on 24 September 2020. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  14. ↑ Sloan, Gene. "New cruise ships for 2019: MSC Cruises' MSC Bellissima". USA TODAY.
  15. 1 2 3 "MSC Bellissima Christened". The Maritime Executive. Retrieved 12 September 2019.
  16. ↑ Ross, Andrew (2 March 2019). "Star-studded naming of MSC Bellissima halted by bad weather". Daily Echo. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  17. ↑ "This New Cruise Ship Will Have Virtual Assistants to Give You Everything You Could Possibly Need". Travel + Leisure. Retrieved 12 September 2019.
  18. ↑ "MSC Bellissima to debut Swarovski suite, Grandiosa will have fine art experience". Seatrade Cruise News. 9 September 2019. Retrieved 12 September 2019.
  19. ↑ "MSC Bellissima becomes star of Channel 5 documentary". Cruise Trade News. 13 February 2020.
  20. ↑ Staff, C. I. N. (27 February 2019). "Chantiers de l'Atlantique Delivers MSC Bellissima". www.cruiseindustrynews.com. Retrieved 12 September 2019.
  21. ↑ "MSC Bellissima Makes Inaugural Call in Spain". 12 March 2019.
  22. ↑ "MSC Cruises' newest mega cruise ship MSC Bellissima will cruise roundtrip from Dubai in 2020 -". 12 February 2018. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
  23. ↑ Staff, C. I. N. (2 December 2019). "MSC Bellissima Makes Maiden Visit to Doha". www.cruiseindustrynews.com.
  24. ↑ "MSC Bellissima is heading to Asia in spring 2020". seatrade-cruise.com. 24 April 2018.
  25. ↑ Mathisen, Monty (24 April 2018). "MSC Bellissima to China in 2020". www.cruiseindustrynews.com.
  26. 1 2 "Two more persons test positive for COVID-19 in Telangana". Telangana Today.
  27. 1 2 "Açorianos que participaram no cruzeiro devem contactar a Linha Saúde Açores". Açoriano Oriental.
  28. ↑ "Trappeto, positivo un ragazzo di 22 anni che lavorava sulle navi MSC". 2 April 2020. Archived from the original on 7 June 2020. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  29. 1 2 red, kaernten ORF at (4 May 2020). "Kärntnerin sitzt seit 50 Tagen auf Schiff fest". kaernten.ORF.at.
  30. 1 2 "MSC Kreuzfahrten: Crew nach Hause geschickt - Cirque Du Soleil Artistin in Isolation mit positivem Befund". 5 May 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.