Is this the ultimate cruise ship for families with young children?
When MSC Bellissima launched in March, the activities for children read like my two sons had personally designed their perfect ship. The press release touted Lego clubs, water parks and a bowling alley, with tales of chocolate emporiums and circus shows.
On a mission to discover the top activities for the young (and young-at-heart), I set sail on the world’s seventh biggest cruise ship, with my official fun-testers, six-year-old George and two-year-old Harry.
The kids’ clubs
Kids’ clubs are a staple of family-orientated ships, and MSC Cruises drafted in toy behemoths Lego and Chicco to help design its offerings. The results were impressive, with seven playrooms divided by age, spread across 700 sq m. Babies had a technicolour wonderland, while tweens and teens had a tech kingdom, filled with consoles, games and screens.
George and Harry visited the Mini and Junior Clubs, which were bursting with Lego and Duplo bricks. They also got stuck into sports games, movie-making sessions and sampled the tech lab, complete with a 3D printer. But the fun wasn’t just for the kids, and my Lego fanatic husband Dan was thrilled when we joined the boys in family building sessions.
Designing a chocolate bar
When I asked the boys if they wanted to create their own chocolate bars, they sprinted to the Jean-Philippe Chocolat & Café. Bypassing the shelves of enticing macaroons, chocolates and truffles we headed to a station of tablets, and started flicking through the options. The boys had very set artistic visions: milk chocolate is delicious; white or dark is disgusting. Oreos, brownies and marshmallows are voted in, while anything resembling fruit or a nut is cast aside.
The bars were made for them in an open kitchen filled with huge chocolate sculptures. My suggestion to save some of the finished product for later went unheard – they were utterly scrumptious and devoured in minutes.
Arizona Waterpark
The boys actually screamed with joy when they set eyes on this top-deck aquatic wonderland. It was packed with water guns, slides and gigantic overhead tipping buckets. Slides were shaped like snakes and cactuses, which children hurled themselves over, before sliding across the deck, squealing with laughter.
George’s cackles reached a crescendo when he shot me in the face with laser precision with a water gun. This place brings out the big kid in everyone, and we loved the flumes, making several trips in inflatable rings down the Aqua Tube, which whizzes over the side of the ship.
Those with a head for heights can tackle the suspended walkway that snakes above the waterpark. For a more sedate dip choose from three other pools, nine whirlpools and a seemingly endless supply of sun loungers.
Galleria Bellissima LED dome ceiling
Staring at a ceiling isn’t an obvious choice of entertainment for kids, but then this is no ordinary ceiling. The two-deck Mediterranean-style inside promenade in the centre of the ship features an 80-metre-long LED dome overhead, with ever-changing imagery. The boys started a game of “guess the ceiling”, and we made regular stops to watch the Sistine Chapel’s frescos being replaced by colourful hot air balloons. Marbled art made way for geometric patterns.
MSC make the most of this quirky attraction, running regular five-minute Dome Shows to showcase its splendour. Fans can pitch up for the “selfie times”, where the crew are available for a photo with the galleria as a backdrop.
Virtual games arcade
It’s practically a crime to be by the sea and not visit an arcade, so this was a regular port of call for us. Our family favourites were the air hockey table, the ridiculously addictive basketball game and the Fast and the Furious-style racing machine. Book early for the full-sized bowling lanes, which are great fun.
Older children flocked to the virtual games, with a VR maze and XD interactive cinema, where they used lightgun blasters to shoot robot cowboys. There were also two F1 simulators, which looked like the real thing, with genuine F1 tyres and screens that wrapped around the drivers.
The arcade was next to the Sportplex court, which hosted volleyball, basketball and football games.
For children who are allowed to explore independently, opt for a Fun Pass, which loads a fixed amount of credit for the arcade to their cruise card.
Cirque du Soleli at Sea
MSC has partnered with Cirque du Soleil to create exclusive shows for the line’s ships. Bellissima is home to Varélia, which sees the courtship of a violet-skinned princess and a blind hero thwarted by a purple villain. It sounds mad, but was utterly brilliant. One act saw the blind champion ride a unicycle on a tightrope, while juggling. Later, the villain spun a huge metal cube in a laser light disco.
The shows were a blend of acrobatics, dance and circus tricks, and the costumes, lighting and stage design were flawless.
I’d worried the boys wouldn’t sit still for an hour, but they were rapt, and both were adamant we also saw Syma, which follows a sailor travelling to a mysterious island. The costumes were somehow even more impressive, with acrobats transformed into bioluminescent jellyfish with UV make up, glittering neon costumes and rubbery headpieces.
While the main theatre’s six shows are free, Cirque du Soleil at Sea is performed in a custom-built theatre and costs £32 including a three-course dinner, or £14 with a cocktail or soft drink. The latter is good for children, as the seats are near the rotating stage.
How to book
A seven-night cruise on MSC Bellissima departing from Dubai and visiting Abu Dhabi, Sir Bani Yas Island, Bahrain and Doha, starts from £1,476. The price is based on two adults and two children sharing on a cruise only basis, departing February 1, 2020.
msccruises.co.uk
