The ship sailed from Shanghai with a special event held on board to mark this maiden call.
MSC Bellissima will homeport in Shanghai, Keelung and Shenzhen throughout the summer.
Follows Viking
Viking restarted international cruising in China in June 2023.
‘MSC Bellissima’s maiden call in Shanghai reaffirms our commitment to a market that continues to play an important strategic role for us,’ said Gianni Onorato, CEO of MSC Cruises. ‘We are fulfilling our commitment to bring to the region a modern Asian flagship and we are dedicated to further invest in China and benefit the local economy. We want to push high-quality development of the cruise industry in the region, promote the cultural tourism industry and related home port markets.’
Winter 2024-25 deployment
During the festivities – which saw MSC invite government officials, travel agents, media and partners on board MSC Bellissima – the cruise line announced it would deploy two ships to China operating from four major ports within the first year of returning to the region, with MSC Bellissima and MSC Splendida.
MSC Splendida will be deployed there from December 2024-April 2025 operating from Shenzhen and Xiamen.
In addition, MSC Bellissima will return to its home port in Shanghai from January 2025.
Drone show and acclaimed chefs
World-renowned chefs Enrico & Roberto Cerea from acclaimed restaurant Da Vittorio crafted a special menu for the ceremony, as well as for the ship’s first sailing. A drone show and entertainment around the ship took place to celebrate MSC Bellissima’s arrival into Shanghai.
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