cruisingpluto

I have the same question and also wondering where the ship is. It's strange how it just disappears. I'm guessing it is probably doing an all Asia/China itinerary and only residents of those countries can book it? Perhaps through local travel agencies/tours etc. I was on the Bellissima this past April and wanted to do a back to back, but couldn't find another itinerary in May.

@Kelownabccan @peder I might be able to help. I am from NY and just did the 10 night Japan + Korea itinerary on the Bellissima this past April. I have also sailed on the Meraviglia out of Brooklyn. The Bellissma and Meraviglia are sister ships so the ships were basically the same. The only difference were the ports, the fabulous Japanese chef that made delicious Japanese food and additional Asian guests. There were a lot of non-Asian guests too. Cruising out of NY, the sailings here are also diverse so it felt like a sailing that could have been out of NY. Some quick answers: The entertainment wasn't any different and did not cater to Asian people. The service (restaurants, buffet, room attendants, reception, sales etc.) were all the same. It's just like what we're used to in the US. I've been on many cruises out of the US. This was my first Asian itinerary. All of the staff are international just like what we're used to/have seen here in the US so everyone speaks English. Announcements were made in English and Japanese. Western food was very poor on the Bellissima in the dining room/buffet. This has nothing to do with the itinerary being in Asia. It was more the people in charge of the food that either didn't care or didn't know. The fries and burgers were great in the buffet though. The fresh mozz was also nice and readily available/fresh on the Bellissima. Pizza was pretty good. They hired a Japanese chef and the Japanese food was very very good. I love Japanese food so this was a huge plus. Western food on the Mera was very good and exceeded my expectations and on par with my go to cruise line - Royal Caribbean/Celebrity. Fries were weak and no readily available fresh mozz. Pizza was great and just like a traditional NY slice. Hardly any people gambling in the casinos on the Bellissima. There weren't many people gambling on the casino on the Mera either, but definitely more than the Bellissima. Passengers on the Bellissima were very nice, complete opposite of the crowds we are used to on the typical Caribbean/Bahamas/Mexico/Bermuda sailings. Let me know if you have any specific questions since I am unsure what to tell you to help you decide if you want to book one of their Asian itineraries. So while the Western food sucked in the dining room/buffet on the Bellissima, I loved the ease of being able to sail around Japan, visiting new places, and visit beautiful Jeju and the nice passengers. I am doing another Japan + Korea itinerary next year on the same ship. It looks like MSC changed up some of the ports so the ship will be visiting some new places! It will also sail out of Tokyo instead of Yokohama. The Bellissima one I did sailed out of Yokohama.