4 Nights Asia from Keelung Cruise

Lesser-Known Japan Ports & Busan, South Korea – A Detailed Review

About the Reviewer: I’m a middle-aged American male who traveled solo on this, my 59th voyage. This is the second cruise on a back-to-back itinerary. MSC didn’t allow them to be booked as one continuous segment so the reviews are broken into two separate ones – each for their own cruise segments. I have sailed primarily on NCL with over 30 voyages and a handful of cruises with Celebrity, Royal Caribbean and Carnival. This was my eighth MSC cruise and second cruise segment of a back-to-back on the MSC Bellissima. I have sailed on the MSC Seaside-class and Meraviglia before in the USA market and the MSC Poesia out of Europe. My reviews are written in chronological order and I hope you enjoy… DAY 1 – Yokohama, Japan Since I was on the turn from the first cruise segment, all I needed to do to check-in for the second cruise was present myself to Guest Services between 7:30AM and 8AM this morning to get my new keycard. Due to a snafu with the TV in my originally booked room the last cruise, I was moved to a new room down the hallway from where I was. They wanted to swap me back to the room next door to where I was which would’ve taken time to move into. I protested at Guest Services after the fiasco of five trips to get me moved to begin with and they kept me in the same room I was moved to the previous voyage. From there, with the new keycard in hand, I went ashore to explore Yokohama. It was disembarking the ship in Yokohama that I discovered there was a complimentary shuttle bus that took you over the bridge to Yamashita Park. This was quite handy so I could get into Yokohama without needing to pay for taxi fare. Be forewarned, the port used by the Bellissima is in the middle of nowhere and not central to any public transit options otherwise. The locals realized this and offered the transfer to the ship from a more central location in Yokohama but this was not conveyed by MSC to guests coming on. I spent the day exploring Yokohama’s sights and there were plenty of them. I started the furthest from the bus stop by walking before the morning sun got too intense and went to the Nippon Maru Memorial Park and the Yokohama Maritime Museum which were right next door to each other. Since it was during the week there were lots of school kids on tours in both places but I managed to make it work and they were intrigued by a tall American roaming around seeing the same things as they were. From there I looped back towards the bus stop and past it to the Yokohama Chinatown which is the highlight of places to visit in Yokohama. This small section of the city was bristling with activity, tons of eateries, shops selling all sorts of treats or wares and temples and gates in every direction. Make sure to stop by the welcome center at the beginning to get a map, otherwise, it’s fun to just wander around. Couldn’t resist getting all the matcha treats I could find including matcha ice cream and a matcha mix with something else for a drink. Before heading back to the ship, I checked out an old ocean liner permanently docked in the harbor. NYK Hikawa Maru was a 1930s era ocean liner which did a run between Japan and Seattle, Washington. It survived World War 2 and continued service well into the late 1950s when the airline industry finally ended her crossings in 1960 when she became a floating museum. Her inner workings are still very much visible and on display and the tour of the public areas is extensive. It’s amazing to step back in time and see what people considered luxury then compared to the cruise ships of today. It was fairly cheap on entry fees and worth the time. Once I was done with my touring I went back to Yamashita Park and hopped on a bus back to the ship. The people there thought I was crew since I didn’t have any luggage and I explained I was an in-transit guest. Either way, the bus took me back to the ship. When I arrived back to the port I went down along the restricted area to get some great exterior shots of the Bellissima at the dock. I entered the terminal and cleared the security and showed them my cruise card along the way so I didn’t have to check in and just kept walking until I eventually landed back on the gangway to the Bellissima. When I came back through the terminal, there wasn’t a line for anything inside and so it was easy to just flow through the process at about 2PM local time. It was also quiet because this cruise had about 1,900 guests on this cruise when the ship can hold 4,500 easily at double occupancy. Having less guests meant the ship didn’t run as much as it would and my previous restaurant had closed for second seating since there wasn’t enough demand. They also cut back the show schedule for both the main theater and the Carousel Lounge from three shows per day to two and from two shows most days to one respectively. Having less passengers on the ship I thought would be awesome when I found out about it, however, it was the makeup of the international guests which would make the cruise more interesting than the previous voyage. Back onboard, I dropped my bag in the room and then went to the Marketplace buffet to grab some lunch. One side of the buffet was closed but the open side had plenty on offer and the Japanese corner up the back was still open with delectable local dishes. I grabbed a plate and sat in the outdoor area aft. More people had discovered the outdoor seating area this cruise than the previous one. While walking around the ship to check out the new folks who boarded, I stopped by the info desk that was setup on the Plaza Bellissima. They helped me the previous cruise with getting the internet setup but on embark day my Wi-Fi was still working. I didn’t know it was off the old Wi-Fi package from the previous voyage and it would stop working as of midnight. However, there was a lovely young fellow at the counter there who was from Beppu when I said I wasn’t sure what to do there. He told me how to get to the hells of Beppu using the public transit and where the bus station would be once I got off the ship. It was very helpful of him because I stopped by the Shore Excursions desk to find out what I had booked with them and what they had on offer for this voyage. They were only offering the Beppu hells in Japanese but I could join that tour but wouldn’t understand anything. I told them I would think it over and get back to them. Since the ship was leaving earlier than the previous voyage, we had our muster drill earlier. My muster station was still in the casino so I hung out at the Carousel Lounge to grab a seat until it began and then checked in with my assembly station leader and took off back to the room to dial the number and complete the process. While waiting I had a lovely chat with the casino staff member who remembered me from the previous week and she asked why she hadn’t seen me too much. Simple answer is I gamble only when bored and don’t like cigarette smoke which this cruise had a lot more of in the casino than the previous cruise. After the drill was over, I headed up to the top deck to catch the Welcome Aboard Party from the cruise staff. I missed it the last cruise so wanted to check it out. The cruise staff were genuinely struggling to get people involved or wanting to dance. I was on the top deck overlooking it and they kept waving me down. I wanted to see the Diamond Princess sail by since they could fit under the bridge and sail from closer to Yokohama Center. LONDON THEATER SHOWTIME: Magic Show – Shape of Wonder I had seen this Japanese magician’s act on the previous voyage but since I was out and about and had nothing better to do, I checked out the show again. This time he was having a harder time with audience participation and getting them to do what he wanted them to. It was a good show but I didn’t stay to finish it this time around. DINING: Il Ciliegio Restaurant Tonight, I was swapped across the hallway from the previous cruise and had a new waitstaff team from Madagascar. He had a line of two tops and a large table by the window. Out of the line of two tops, there was me and another table next to me and a gap and then some other folks towards the server station. The section wasn’t full by any means but the people in it were another story. I was joined at dinner by the guest from the previous voyage. We had a leisurely dinner, too leisurely for my liking but that was because the waitstaff were dealing with a rowdy and very needy group at the table by the window. I could tell the team was overwhelmed in dealing with them but I let it run its course. I wasn’t in a rush that night so it didn’t matter how long it took to dine. MSC SIGNATURE EVENT: Space Silent Disco The cruise staff were out in full force tonight and I wanted to make sure I caught this event since it only ran once the previous voyage. There was a sea day the next day so I headed right over when they opened up the headset give out and grabbed one. They had three different channels playing but most seemed to be on one channel. It was great and the cruise staff already knew who me and a few other guests were from the previous voyage so they honed in on us and made sure we had a blast! After the event ended, I hung out at the Bellissima Lounge for a bit before heading to get some pizza and going to bed. It was a long day! DAY 2 – Sea Day Nothing was going on this morning that required me to get out of bed early for so I went to the Marketplace buffet to have my usual breakfast and grab some bananas which were a rare sight. When I went to check my messages and emails, I discovered my phone was no longer connected to the ship’s Wi-Fi. I finished up my breakfast and headed down to the photo gallery which doubled as the internet café and showed them it wanted me to purchase the Wi-Fi again like the previous cruise. The ship showed I had prepaid for it and they had me on the list but like the last voyage they had to purchase it again and then refund my account for it. Pre-purchasing just didn’t seem to work well on this ship. From there, I went to the gym and caught up with the personal trainers from Tunisia to get another waiver for this voyage segment. For having less people this voyage, the gym seemed more crowded on this day than the other voyage but most were doing cardio which I did outside. When I returned to my room after the workout, I discovered a bottle of prosecco, macaroons and the dark chocolate ship figure delivered as part of the MSC Voyager’s Club welcome back gifts. The macaroons on the ship are just so tasty! I saved the dark chocolate ship figure for later. After I showered quickly and headed for lunch, it was time to grab some sun on the pool deck. I decided to hang out at the Horizon Pool aft versus the main pool since it was constantly with games, dancing lessons or stretching. I wanted a more chill vibe so went back there. Unlike the previous cruise, there were more people back there this time and not all of them were quiet. Either way, I got caught up on messages and some light magazine reading. Tonight, I decided to try my hand at the solo gathering which was in the Sky Lounge at 17:30. I showed up, grabbed a drink and sat down looking around at who was coming in. There were a few solos who popped up, older women who all said they had an early dining time and took off. The bar staff were kind to keep me entertained while I decided to stay and watch the sunset from there. Since arriving in Japan, I hadn’t caught one sunset yet. This cruise segment was about slowing down! LONDON THEATER SHOWTIME: Solid Rock Just as the name implies, this production show featured rock hits spanning many decades. It also featured the dancers and live showband. I had seen it the prior cruise and it was worth the time to see again. After the show it was time for dinner at 20:00 hours in Il Ciliegio. Since it was formal night, the menu included a lobster tail. Keeping in mind the Bellissima is geared to the local market, as such the portion sizes were small, including the lobster tail. I knew I wasn’t full but the waitstaff were again overwhelmed by the larger table at the window and their constant needs including yelling for the staff across the room. They were genuinely trying and I don’t fault them but I wasn’t enjoying the dining experience. On the way out I happened to see Sendy from Le Cerisier restaurant where I was dining the last voyage. I told her I wasn’t overly happy with the situation and she immediately came over and fixed it and had me moved to a quieter section of the restaurant away from that raucous group. I am immensely grateful to Sendy for her excellent ability to read the situation and fix the problem on the spot! MSC SIGNATURE EVENT: The Bet After dinner I went to the Bellissima Bar to see what was going on and visit the incredibly talented bar and waitstaff there who I had gotten to know real well the previous voyage. Without saying a word, my drink appeared. While hanging out there, a cruise staff member approached me and asked me if I would be interested in being a judge for “The Bet.” I vaguely remembered some of the acts from the previous cruise and asked what was involved. It was fairly simple to just give some feedback on five acts total. The first was a dance number of the Greatest Show, the second was a magic act featuring a baton by a cruise staff member, the third was an anime costume and song by another cruise staff member, the fourth was a dance number with the dance instructors and the final one was a Frank Sinatra comedy with the one cruise staff member constantly interrupting him. The audience had to guess which order the judges would rank the performances and who matched it would receive a prize. It was a super fun even to be a part of and MSC did reward the judges with a sling bag for their time as well as a complimentary drink. I hung out for a bit after the show ended and then took off for the pizza at the Marketplace buffet and headed to bed. DAY 3 – Beppu, Japan I was up early and had breakfast while watching the ship approach Beppu in the outside seating area. Once I was done, I went up the stairs to the Horizon Pool and watched the locals greet the ship with a performance. While there, a younger gentleman said to me, do you remember what I told you the other day? I didn’t recognize him as he wasn’t in uniform. He was actually disembarking as he was a college student on an internship. He refreshed my memory of what I needed to do to get to the hells on my own. MSC was only offering tours to the hells in Japanese, English speaking tours took you somewhere else where heights were an issue so I opted to go independently. Once off the ship, I headed across the field to the bus stop and took bus 26 up to Kannawa. Since I was early off the ship, the bus wasn’t crowded to get up to the hells and I walked the small distance to the first of the five clustered together. Where the bus stops is a tourist information center that helps you find your way if you get lost, too! I walked to the first hell called Jigoku Meguri. At this entrance, you can buy entrance to one hell or buy a bundle ticket for all of them. The bundle for all of them is the best value. At each entrance you tear the entry ticket off and throw it in the collection bin and go in. Starting at this one and working my way back to the bus station was the best option. Two of the hells are located further down closer to town so you have to hop the bus to get there or walk. I opted to walk and find Kifune Castle along the way. For a nominal fee you can explore this ancient Kifune castle and if you bring a brochure from the information booth in town, they’ll give you a discounted admission. Be forewarned, if the local guide there wants to show you around and has you bend down by a lit up sort of half closet, on the other side of the door is a snake. I wasn’t expecting it and nearly fell over. It’s a nice off the beaten path place to go but be aware it’s all in Japanese so have the google translate app handy. The outside area has great sightlines of the port area and the hills around it. I headed further down through some small villages following Google maps to get to the lower two hells which were next to each other. I arrived to Tatsumaki Jigoku which is the geyser with the viewing platform. You just sit around and wait for the geyser to spray which it does fairly frequently, maybe a 10-15 minute wait at tops. The other hell is right next door to it. Conveniently there’s a bus stop right across from them and you can hop it right back into the city. Once I was back in the city, on foot I went to the Beppu City Traditional Bamboo Crafts Center which my Lonely Planet tour book indicated was a must-see. I turned up and was in the museum by myself. While photos are prohibited in most of the exhibits, there are plenty of items from baskets to more made from bamboo. The center is a preservation of the cultural history of making these items as the craft is dying off. You can even tour the craft making center upstairs but when I arrived it was already closed for the day and empty. There is a small shop with items made of bamboo ranging from relatively cheap to insanely expensive and they have matcha tea available too! Once I was back on the ship, it was time for dinner at the new table Sendy had arranged and it was indeed in a quieter area. I arrived early to get the order in and informed the waitstaff in the new section I was going to pause dinner service to attend the acrobatic cocktail demonstration in the atrium. Sheryl, the Bellissima Lounge lead bartender, was among three who were performing for this cocktail demonstration which took about 20 minutes. It was a good show and all three who participated are very talented. Sheryl poured several martinis all at once using an impressive array of mixed drinks made from earlier acrobatic feats. I rejoined the dinner service and finished up right on time. MSC SIGNATURE EVENT: Tropical Party Tonight’s evening attire was tropical theme. It correlated with the evening party on the pool deck which was their tropical party. They have a large blow-up parakeet and some other items on the flanks of the stage and the cruise staff, full of energy as always, are up there dancing their hearts out. After a quick pizza stop in the Marketplace Buffet, it was time to get some sleep. DAY 4 – Sea Day Thankfully another day at sea, after the previous voyage, I was ready to relax. I had a leisurely breakfast followed by a workout and then a quick lunch and off to catch some sunrays on the pool deck. The ship had plenty on offer around the main pool from pool games to stretching and other aerobics classes. MSC VOYAGER’S CLUB: Diamond Party Since there were less cruisers on this voyage segment, the Diamond Party was more intimate and took up less than half the room. Pre-made drinks were on offer and tons of canapes. The senior staff greeted you as you arrived. I saw Noriko, the Master of Ceremonies and the cruise entertainment manager. I thanked both of them for arranging the LGBT meet up which was in today’s daily planner and immediately after this event ended. LONDON THEATER SHOWTIME: Nature I cannot say enough about this production. It uses the extensive LED panels to project images of nature and various forms of it depending on what the dancers, acrobats and skaters are doing in the show. Having nature and animals come to life and go out into the audience is also very nice. For this show to take it all in, you’d want to sit mid-way up or further back. The vocals that are in the production are fitting and add to the overall natural feel of this. It’s the best production on MSC Bellissima! MSC SIGNATURE EVENT: Italian Party Tonight’s menu in the main dining room featured Italian dishes and the table had the Italian flag runner on it. After the dinner service, the cruise staff were prepared to get you dancing in Bellissima Lounge with Italian tunes. Since we were in port the next day, the venue wasn’t overly crowded but it was a good time. DAY 5 – Shimonseki, Japan We arrived to another warm welcome by the locals. There was a tent setup at the pier and busses waiting for us. Since I ate breakfast outside in aft part of the Marketplace buffet, I could see we were in the middle of nowhere. I was wondering how this would work with the busses to get into the city and where exactly this city was. I had arranged to meetup with some friends I had made on the ship to go ashore and into town. It was Sunday and according to my tour book, the three biggest things to see were all clustered within a half mile of each other with a temple, former British consulate and the fish market. Upon going ashore, I learned the transfer bus took about 30 minutes to get into the city center and drop us off at the metro station and shopping mall. From there we set out on foot towards the tower close by. Realizing it was a bit of a walk to get to the other section of the city, we hopped in a taxi which took us straight to the temple. From there we looped back through the fish market for some photos and hung out for a bit snagging some Wi-Fi. On our way back we stopped by the old British consulate before heading back in a taxi to the mall area where the shuttle back to the ship was located. After sampling some local cuisine in the mall food court and seeing various members of the crew who were out searching for free wifi at Starbucks or Seattle’s Best Coffee, it was time to head back to the ship. I had been feeling off all day but didn’t think much of it. The transfer back to the ship was taking forever and standing room only. I opted to stand and give up my seat to the ladies who were on the bus. We must’ve hit every red light on the way back. I started to feel lightheaded and next thing I know I was waking up on the ground having fainted! How embarrassing! However, the other cruise guests on the tour bus gave me a seat and I had some water in my bag which I promptly guzzled down. I was dehydrated but the pianist who played with the Japanese singer in the lobby was concerned for my health when we arrived back to the terminal. She stayed on the bus with me until I felt good enough to walk back to the ship and offered to get the ship’s doctor for me. She really didn’t have to do any of that and I was very thankful she cared enough to stay behind and check on me. I don’t know her name but I owe her a debt of gratitude and MSC should be so fortunate to have such a caring person on their entertainment team. I thanked her the last night of the voyage when I could finally catch up with her not playing in the atrium. Since I was feeling absolutely wiped out, I went back to the ship and drank more water and ate some more food. I went back to the room and relaxed and actually fell asleep for a bit of time until an announcement came into the room saying international guests had to clear customs in the restaurant. Like the previous voyage, international guests had to exit Japanese customs when heading to the South Korean port which was our next stop. I hadn’t received any notifications of the procedure for this cruise so thought Jeju Island last cruise must’ve been a one-off and handled differently. I was wrong. I turned up in the restaurant and got stamped out of Japan and couldn’t leave the ship for the remainder of our time in port. I was fine with that since I wanted to relax. The ship also took our passports for South Korean entry which was unusual since the prior cruise we had the passports with us and cleared customs in Jeju Island when heading out for the tour. I was told they’d drop off copies of my passport that night but none ever arrived. I laid low for the remainder of the day, having dinner and relaxing. Of note, the ship had a guest entertainment band of four opera singers from the UK called Ida Girls and it was also the Sunshine Party (60s, 70s and 80s). DAY 6 – Busan, South Korea Since I relaxed the previous night and slept a bit, I was up early for the arrival into Busan. I had breakfast at the Marketplace and sat outside watching us cruise in, swing around and then back in before heading downstairs to get my backpack and go to the theater. MSC SHORE EXCURSION: Best of Busan When I arrived to the theater, they told me I needed copy of the passport so I ran to Guest Services to get a copy of it and then headed back to the theater. They called our tour bus number and I was off the ship. When we got outside there were a variety of busses on the pier but the one assigned to my tour group was the VIP Limousine bus. Nice touch MSC, the bus was well appointed and had LED lights in the ceiling. It almost looked like a party coach bus. I loved it and got a chuckle out of it since none of the other tour groups had this style of bus. We made our way to the first stop which was the Haedong Yonggungsa Temple. Our tour guide explained along the way about the Chinese zodiac signs and which one we would be. I already knew which one I was but it was important because at the entrance to the temple were statues for each of the animals making them up. Of course, it was a great photo spot with the animal of your year. The temple itself is situated lower on the seaside and there are plenty of steps. There’s also a ramp I opted to walk down. Below was this amazing temple area filled with shrines to golden Buddha, a huge Buddha statue, monks were praying in the temple and several areas where you could donate and have your wish hung up. It was very nice but not for anyone with walking challenges as there are stairs all over the place. People were having a hard time and it was mobbed with several tour groups, not just from the ship but from all over the place. With less people it would’ve been more enjoyable but it seems to be the most popular site to see in Busan so I doubt that crowds ever really are diminished at any point. Our next stop was the APEC House. I didn’t know what APEC was until the tour guide explained it was the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum and Busan held a meeting for it in 2005 building out this specific area for the summit. It was interesting to learn of this partnership between all the countries, including the United States. It was interesting to see such an amazing architectural marvel built for one summit but now is a tourist attraction. You can see where they held there main meeting and where they sat looking out on scenic views of the harbor while waiting. While fascinating to learn about, I was wondering if Busan had something better to offer. Our last stop was the Gamcheon Cultural Village and this was a better feel for the local culture. The walls were decorated with different murals, including k-pop stars. Stores lined the main entry to the village selling everything from Gatorade (thankfully because the ship didn’t have any) to native clothing which a solo guest purchased and wore around the main street for photos. The dress she picked out was amazing. They also had green tea on and matcha ice cream on offer. I couldn’t resist and had a cone on the way back to the bus. On the way back to the ship, the tour guide explained to us about the healthcare system since no one had any questions for her and she also explained about how she felt about the situation from her northern neighbors. At the time of our visit, two axis of evil countries leaders had just met and she was deeply concerned about nuclear weapons from her northern neighbors. Rightfully so, I found her commentary in English to be very clear and very compelling as well as a great insight into how the locals feel and go about their day to day lives. On both cruises, the South Korean tour guides were fantastic! Back on the ship, I freshened up and headed to the LGBT gathering which the ship graciously put in the daily again. This time it was in the Sky Lounge. I sat up to the bar and grabbed a drink and while waiting, Robert, the assistant bar manager popped out and said hello and stopped by to check in. It was always lovely for a chat. The bartenders were getting the evening’s food ready and also chatted for a bit. LONDON THEATER SHOWTIME: Beautiful This is a number of ballads by female vocalists and a tribute to female power in the music industry. Think of it as a journey from Cyndi Lauper to Celine Dion and artists in between. You’ll hear a French-Canadian Celine Dion song as well as her hit “I drove all night.” It’s a production show so you have the singers as well as the dancers. It’s definitely a toe tapping good time. I went to dinner in the main dining room and then returned to my stateroom to relax for the night. For later in the evening entertainment, the ship did offer the King vs Queen in the Bellissima Lounge at 11PM and the DJ playing aft starting around the same time. DAY 7 – Yatsushiro, Japan Another early morning rise and breakfast in the Marketplace buffet. The ship was alongside earlier than planned but we weren’t tied up so nothing was going on. We were just sitting there waiting for the line handlers ashore to arrive. There was a group who greeted us but they were closer to the front of the ship so I didn’t hear or see them when I was eating out the aft part of the ship. MSC SHORE EXCURSION: Best of Hitoyoshi Today’s meeting point was in the Carousel Lounge and we would get off as a group to clear the Japanese customs and get a new visa for re-entry since I was an international guest. The line moved fairly quickly, much faster than the last cruise and I ventured outside to the tour bus I was assigned to. The tour guide greeted me and I sat up towards the back of the bus like usual. When we took off to the first stop, the narration from the tour guide was a little wonky. He was telling us in words, not complete sentences, what we were seeing. You had to string together what was he was trying to say using the keywords of what he was talking about. Our first stop was the Kyusendo Caves. I’ve been to caves before and didn’t think anything of it as usually you just go down into them and walk around and come out. This particular set of caves had a specific course you had to follow which included going up in the air on stairs that didn’t have any back to the so you could see down. The railings for them also didn’t come that high and I am quite tall. I passed on going the full loops and crossed over where the paths linked up with one going in one the opposite direction to head out. I waited around for everyone else to exit the caves and we continued on. Our next stop was even more baffling, we were brought to the train station to take photos of the JR Hitoyoshi steam train. Now when I originally booked this tour online when I first booked the cruise, this tour was featuring a ride on this very steam train through the Japanese countryside. However, due to flooding, I was informed on the ship that the tour had changed and we would only see the steam train in its shed. When we arrived to the station, there was a shed and no train to be found. While I could forgive the change in the tour because of the weather, why take us to a stop that had nothing at it? We literally looked at an empty shed. Since people were confused on the tour bus and there were miniature train tracks running parallel to it, people thought it was the miniature train and part of the museum and went up the track into the museum. The people who ran the museum were baffled by what our tour group was doing and why were in the museum without paying for it. No one knew what we were supposed to be doing or what was going on! Our tour guide popped back up and tried to get us all together and told us to look at a clock outside the train station. It was about to hit noon but we couldn’t understand why the clock was of importance until noon hit and it put on a two-minute show with different animatronics coming out different sides of it. Ok, moving on… The next stop was the Hitoyoshi Castle. I was expecting something similar to what I had seen in Beppu and maybe with a castle moat and grounds. We pulled up and the tour guide took us to a stairwell along the exterior wall of the castle. Everyone on the tour bus was scratching their heads going what is this place? People climbed up and someone asked them if there was anything up there, only sights of the city. There wasn’t anything else so a group of us from the tour bus decided to climb up all the steps and see what was going on. The other folks were right, there was nothing up there. Our final stop was the Aoi Aso Shrine. Now here was the most interesting stop of the tour, it was a shrine dating back to 806AD and was a great place to get photos with the koi fish in the pond outside and the bridge over it. The architecture of the shrine was different than most I had visited in the area. The tour guide who wasn’t speaking very clearly told us we could get a bite to eat here and gave us the time to be back onboard the bus. I looked around the temple grounds and outside of it and was confused as I didn’t see any eateries. I had brought enough water from the ship. I loaded Google maps on my phone and saw there was another temple within 15 minutes walking distance of this one and over a bridge so I set off on foot to see that temple. It was the Eikokuji temple. I walked around its exteriors and took in the sights before a group of Japanese children arrived and asked if I played basketball and said hello before I went back to rejoin the tour bus for the ride back to the ship. On the way back to the ship, the tour guide said something about stopping at a souvenir shop since someone had asked about shopping. We were on the highway for a few short minutes before the bus pulled off at a rest area with a gas station and what looked like a convenience store. I was confused what was going on, as was most of the other guests in the back of the bus. We told him lets just catch up with the other tour bus we were behind and get back to the port area. I knew there were some shops there so I figured I could grab something but time was getting short. When we arrived back to the terminal, there was just about one hour before the all aboard time. There were shops at the port area as well as many bears all over the place. This port loves bears. They’re very photogenic too. I had some more matcha ice cream and bought some matcha powder made in the prefecture and went to take some photos. It was nearly all aboard time when I got back on the ship so I headed back, dropped my stuff off and went on deck to catch the show I knew was going to be performed for our departure because I saw the performers on the ground and got a photo before reboarding. It was a lovely send off including a dancing bear! When I returned back to my room and had freshened up, I was about to step out of the room for the show when my phone rang. It was the shore excursion manager. From the way the other guests on the tour bus sounded, I knew they were going to be saying something. Since she knew I was a guest on the bus, she rang me to get my feedback on the tour. I told her about why I booked it originally for the train ride on the nostalgic steam train, but was informed when I got on the ship that it was just going to be photos of the train which I said ok, I’ll still go. I told her I’m very forgiving but taking us to an empty train shed made no sense and was disappointing since the train was the reason I had booked. She asked about the tour guide and I gave her honest feedback, he wasn’t that good and the worse I’d had out of all the MSC excursions. I was having a hard time understanding him and English is my primary language. Other guests on the tour bus were German and Turkish so they were trying to use google translate and were getting nothing. I told her I went and found another temple while most guests were left sitting around so at least I saw some more. She thanked me for my feedback and said she would take care of it. When I looked at my folio the next day, MSC had credited back 70% of the tour cost which I thought was more than fair given we did see some stuff but not a lot. LONDON THEATER SHOWTIME: IDA Girls: Movies and Musicals The pop opera band I had missed two nights earlier was back for their farewell performance but it was my first time seeing the quartet. What an impressive group of ladies and what incredibly beautiful voices. They sang a Le Miserables medley, Skyfall theme from James Bond, Never Enough and more. It was very good. MSC flew in this group from the UK since we had an extra day and more international guests on this voyage. They were well liked by everyone in the theater and it was really good of MSC to fly in this group given the ship was sailing at less than 50% capacity! It was our second elegant night of the cruise and I went to the dining room for dinner and had a nice dinner service from Adianna and his assistant. They were right on top of things and chatted for a bit between courses. LONDON THEATER SHOWTIME: Crew Talent Show MSC has some amazingly talented crew members. From the previous cruise, the stateroom stewardess who sang the Japanese song was back and opened the show to rave reviews by all. What a great voice she has! It was followed by the talents of Sheryl Robles from the Bellissima Lounge who did her juggling performance and wowed the guests. There was another singing number from Victoria on the cruise staff. The real show stealers were the fire team from Samoa! They performed many different dances including the traditional haka and variations of them with modern music such as Aqua’s Barbie Girl. I was quite impressed! Cannot speak enough of the talent of MSC Bellissima’s amazing crew, even those I didn’t get to interact with regularly in guest facing areas. MSC SIGNATURE EVENT: Rock Star Tribute Game Show Since the next port call I had been to, I wasn’t in a rush to go to bed and hung out in the Bellissima Lounge while the cruise staff put on the game show of guess that rock tune. They did this all while dressing up as the rock stars themselves. We had Elvis, Tina Turner, KISS and a few others. The cruise staff had a great time with it and if you knew the song you had to run up to the chair and sit in it and say what the song was. You’d win a prize if you got it right. It was a good time and good to watch and hang out with some cruise guests who were on the back-to-back voyage. DAY 8 – Kagoshima, Japan Since I had been to Kagoshima on the last cruise segment, I wasn’t in any hurry to get off the ship so had a leisurely breakfast as the ship was pulling in and tying up. While eating a Japanese hostess came through and we chatted for a bit and I told her how I was disappointed I hadn’t found a matcha tea making ceremony anywhere along my journey and didn’t have time for it in Kyoto due to the tour timing. I really wanted to try for it. She got out her phone and found me a tea shop close to the main tourist information center in town and gave me the address. Since I had Wi-Fi, I could take it readily. Apparently, I had been searching for it using wrong keywords but she found a place for me. I wished her well with her trip ashore and finished my breakfast. Instead of walking in the hot sun and taking the tram into the city, I didn’t want to push it so I paid the $18 USD for the ship transfer to downtown. The only thing was, the ship transfer dropped you off in a parking lot with no facilities but in a direct line to the downtown district. All you had to do was walk westward by about five city blocks before you hit the main thoroughfare full of shops. From there it was a few more blocks before you hit the main tourist information center. While the first shuttle bus ran at 8:30AM, the shops in town didn’t open until 10AM. The place the Japanese hostess on the ship found was called Ikeda Senchado. It was about two blocks from the main information center behind the main thoroughfare and appeared to be diagonally across from a casino of some sort. While it didn’t look like it was in a good area, never judge a book by its cover. When the place opened, there was a nice lady who greeted me. Right away I knew the Google translation app would be handy. We conversed that way and she did a matcha tea making demonstration which was so good and so detailed with her patience, I not only bought some matcha tea, a bowl and the whisk from the shop. I was quite impressed and the matcha was of amazing quality she did the demonstration with. In total I spent about 1.5 hours in the shop and was the only person who was there until I was getting ready to leave. Thereafter, on foot I set off to see some of the local sights I didn’t see in the previous week’s hop on, hop off bus tour because I was afraid with the bus being too packed I wouldn’t be able to get up to the garden. I made it to the Terukuni shrine, the gate, the prefectural museum, the castle ruins and specifically the part with the bullet holes. All of this was in my Lonely Planet guide book for highlights. It was getting to be too hot and I wanted to get back to the ship before it was too intense, I headed back to the pickup area and the tent came in handy while we waited for the next shuttle to arrive. Back on the ship I grabbed some lunch and sat outside doing some work at the Marketplace outdoor area and then took a nap before getting ready for dinner. Tonight’s theme was white since it was white party night! LONDON THEATER SHOWTIME: Variety Show As it sounds, there’s a variety of music ranging from one Japanese song to western favorites. It’s a full production with the showband and the dancers in some numbers as well. It was good to see the second time around and the local market really appreciated the Japanese song. It got lots of praise and was quite catchy. Tonight’s dinner in the main dining room was festive with the white party attire and staff in a party mood. The dinner service was lively. A solo guest joined halfway through my dinner service but the waitstaff never missed a beat. I thanked them for their wonderful service since it would be my last night with Adianna as my waiter. Both of the team did an amazing job with service and the area was nice and quiet so thanks to Sendy for arranging that. MSC SIGNATURE EVENT: Sweet de Night Buffet In the atrium, the culinary staff setup a sweets buffet. The waitstaff serve you and it’s full of a lot of chocolate items. The layout was somewhat identical to the last cruise with some of the items being different and the face carvings in the fruit being different. This cruise I opted to just take photos before people started diving into it. The queue was a lot less since there were less passengers onboard and it was right up against another major event. While sneaking around taking photos, I bumped into the Japanese hostess from the morning and thanked her for the great information on the tea room and the experience. I greatly appreciated it! MSC SIGNATURE EVENT: White Party or White Night The party starts with dancing around the world which is a fixed playlist of songs and takes you to every continent with a dance for each of them. It’s quite fun and keeps you engaged. It always wraps with Magic in the Air. Tonight, the open set featured music from the younger Japanese DJ. The ship had two DJs, one was Normand who I spoke to one night in the Horizon Pool while he was playing a set and the other was the younger guy. The younger guy whose name I didn’t catch was always out and about on the ship experiencing things. Everything was new to him and he was so excited for all of it! I wish I could bottle up some of his energy. He threw down some mean beats at the pool deck and our party did go longer than the previous cruise. I went to buffet to grab some pizza right before the 1AM cut off and called it a night. MSC knows a proper White Party (after the line dance stuff), NCL has lost their way with this featured night (and rebranded it Glow Party which MSC also has and does better). DAY 9 – Sea Day Today was the final day after 17 days on the ship and it was time to get real and back to reality. After breakfast and a quick workout and saying goodbye to Falcon, the trainer, who provided the core abs classes during the voyage, I went to an early lunch and headed for the sun deck for some last rays before a busy evening ahead. MSC SPECIALTY DINING: Hola! Tacos and Cantina When I’ve sailed on MSC Meraviglia, I’ve always done the Diamond dinner at the Butcher’s Cut Steakhouse. Since I was on back-to-back, I tried Hola! It seemed like a great menu when I looked at it when I booked it but when I arrived, I was the only person in the restaurant. This led to a very intimate and efficient dinner service. The waitstaff made great recommendations of additions to try that were not too spicy but spicy enough. I had a nice soup, salad, burrito and something else. There was so much food! Since there was so much food coming along, I didn’t have to order extra like in the dining room. I was quite stuffed by the time the dessert came around; I couldn’t decide but what stuck out was an ice cream taco. In the USA, a company was making them and discontinued it and it caused a stir. I was inquisitive so I tried that. It was quite lovely! Just as a head’s up, beverage packages do not work in specialty dining so any bottled water you order and any drinks are extra. I had a Corona and a water so did have to pay for that but it was a nominal charge for all the food I had! CAROUSEL PRODUCTION: Myut On the previous voyage I saw Sweet, Myut was the second production on offer in the Carousel Lounge with the Cirque-style performers. It opens with an artist who is a poet creating an adventure through the book that we, the audience, go on with them. They say it’s a journey into the painter’s imagination and it is. There is a cover charge for this performance which equates to $20.70 and you do get a drink included with the show that you pick up on the way in. There’s acrobatics, a contortionist, aerialists, a hula hooper and more. The show is condensed and packed. If I had to compare the two shows in the Carousel Lounge, the show “Sweet” was better between the two. Myut was good but just not as engaging as Sweet. LONDON THEATER SHOWTIME: Journey In the US market, this production is performed but I wanted to see if there were any variations to it. It’s a full production with the singers, dancers and live showband. You take a train ride through the countries and have different performances done while the train is traveling on its “journey.” The train is projected on the LED panels behind it. I’m impartial to trains but I did enjoy this production. I missed it the prior cruise but at the end of the production is the special send off with some of the crew waving you off while the traditional farewell song of Andrea Bocelli’s “Time to say goodbye” is sung. It is a great way to close out the journey to Japan on the MSC Bellissima. After the show it was time to quickly finish the packing and switch into what I was wearing off the ship in the AM. I went back out to say goodbye to the team in the Bellissima lounge including the bar staff and the cruise staff who were just wrapping up the Fluo farewell party in the plaza. DAY 10 – Yokohama, Japan – Disembarkation Being in one of the first groups off the ship meant I had to get up early. When I woke up to eat breakfast, the ship hadn’t even docked yet. However, once it did dock, things moved quickly so it was time to vacate the room and head to the tour meeting point in the TV studio. You had to vacate your stateroom by 8AM anyway and the meet up time was just before that. I found Malala, my stateroom stewardess before heading out to thank her for her service those 17 days. MSC SHORE EXCURSION: Asakusa & Tokyo Tower Ending at the Airport Upon arrival to the TV studio, you were told to sit and wait. Since the ship was a little late in docking, our disembarkation time would be delayed a little bit. It wasn’t too long that we waited before we were called. There were two busses. What was odd when we boarded the bus assigned on the tour ticket, there were people going to both airports on it. Instead of putting all the people going to Haneda on one bus and the others going to Narita on another, both buses went to both airports. When we finally left after some confusion with the airport situation, we headed straight for the Tokyo Tower. It was a bit of a drive from Yokohama to get there and even more when there was traffic which delayed us. Upon arrival, we were ushered inside and told a tour meetup time to get back to the bus. The tour provider gave us tickets but if you needed to use the restroom, you got separated from the rest of the group but once you were up in the tower you were pretty much on your own and to get back to the bus. Another towers, more heights but at least they kept you from seeing too much of it and I stayed away from the glass windows in the floor. Our next stop was actually the best stop of the tour which was Asakusa. We were taken to the entrance of the temple grounds of Senso-ji. We were told the time and place to meetup and you could venture wherever you wanted. I toured the temple area and the other smaller temples surrounding it and took photos and then wandered down some of the food stall and vendor ways getting myself slightly disoriented and realizing the time I started to head back to the meeting point but there were so many people you couldn’t get through without pushing or shoving and saying excuse me that it took forever. I did eventually make it back, slightly delayed and had a lady from Australia on the tour bus tell me I should get a watch. It wasn’t very helpful that I was standing in the meet up spot and the tour guide had come back, passed me and was on his cellphone looking all around when I was standing right there. I was confused what he was doing and when I said to him, am I early or late because I’ve been standing here for 10 minutes. He dropped the call and we took off towards the bus which wasn’t in the same spot as it dropped us because I went there looking for it after I realized I was five minutes late back. A small calamity but the tour guide didn’t leave me behind which I was thankful for. Our next stop would be Haneda airport. We dropped a few guests off there but not many. There was no time for a restroom break although someone did go outside for a quick smoke right outside the bus while the driver offloaded the luggage for those guests leaving there. The next stop was Narita airport and the two airports were not close to each other. The tour guide did ask if anyone wanted to use the restroom or to pull over but the lovely lady from Australia again piped up and said no one needed it and to keep going. Perhaps some duct tape would’ve worked for her mouth. Once at Narita airport, there were two stops. Most of the folks on the bus got off at the first stop and the handful of us remaining were at the last stop. The transfer tour arrived with plenty of time to spare. I still had 1 hour before I could check my bags in for the flight. To wrap up this review, I can say the MSC Bellissima was a gracious host for the two voyages. This voyage segment with 1900 guests meant there were less people around and those that were around were not always behaving nicely towards the crew or their fellow guests. It wasn’t the Japanese speaking guests which were over half the guests onboard, it was the other international guests. I didn’t have any of those issues during the first cruise segment. The noisy group at dinner that I moved away from I would bump into in other spots on the ship including the Horizon Pool. Just bad luck maybe but I can’t fault the ship for other passenger’s behavior. Having a nearly 1 to 1 ratio of staff and crew meant there was more time to interact with the crew and they’re all quite lovely and outgoing and happy to chat. I met so many crew it’s hard to list them all who made the experience that much more incredible. First and foremost, the Bellissiam Lounge bar team including Sheryl (aka Mama Sheryl), Apolo Costa, Mary (bar waitress) and Larry. There were may others who rotated through that bar as well but those were the ones I interacted with the most. Adianna and the assistant waiter in the dining room were great, too! Shout out to the Marketplace Buffet bar team for seeing me coming and having two bottles of Ashitaka water ready without even asking. I wish I grabbed their names but being in the morning I was still waking up when I passed through. Good team there! The cruise staff were always around and engaging and trying to get guests involved including me and since they knew me already, they pulled me into things including the Bet. Shout out to Moises M, Victoria O, Rodrigo, Marialejandra and Nari especially from the cruise staff team for being friendly faces out and about. Malala, my incredible stateroom stewardess, she was confused by what was going on with me throughout the voyage and with the mail going to the wrong rooms until it got fixed but she always managed to get it to the right spot. Richard, the assistant bar manager, was everywhere and always checking in. A busy man but he ran the bars with finesse and was literally all over the ship. Also, the washy washy lady in the morning. She was there every morning to greet me with a smile and a small chat. Just so many nice crew on the Bellissima! The only blemish this voyage segment was the bad shore excursion but MSC took the initiative and reached out to me and made it right with a very generous refund given we did see some stuff. The Bellissima team really wanted to make sure the guests were happy and constantly soliciting feedback and tried to remedy anything wrong on this voyage. My firm belief is a happy crew makes a happy ship and the Bellissima crew are well looked after and it shows in the customer service they give!

Japan & South Korea – Detailed Immersive Cruise Experience

About the Reviewer: I’m a middle-aged American male who traveled solo on this, my 58th voyage. I have sailed primarily on NCL with over 30 voyages and a handful of cruises with Celebrity, Royal Caribbean and Carnival. This was my seventh MSC cruise and first cruise segment of a back-to-back on the MSC Bellissima. I have sailed on the MSC Seaside-class and Meraviglia before in the USA market and the MSC Poesia out of Europe. My reviews are written in chronological order… Pre-Cruise I had flown into Tokyo a few days prior to the cruise and stayed in the Shinjuku section of the city. This was convenient to the most traveled station in Tokyo and as such it meant there were convenient transfers to get to the city of Yokohama for the cruise ship. Getting to the ship from the Yokohama train station was a bit interesting. Taking a taxi from there was 4,500 yen. It was very expensive. Little known was a bus transfer from Yamashita Park to the cruise terminal across the bridge which was free to MSC booked guests. I used this to explore Yokohama on the turn between the cruises. DAY 1 – Yokohama, Japan – Embarkation Day The ship was delayed coming in so I arrived to the terminal at my assigned check in time to discover a number of people who were sitting around waiting for the ship to clear. It moved fairly quickly once they opened the check-in gates and I was on the ship before I knew it. Upon boarding the MSC Bellissima, I headed to the Marketplace Buffet to have some lunch before exploring the ship. I was impressed with the offerings in the buffet and true to their local market experience, there was a Japanese food selection station in the back of the buffet on each side. I sampled the Japanese cuisine while chatting with some crew in the back outdoor seating area. The MSC Bellissima has been chartered to Japanese cruise tour companies for most of her season. There were a couple of cruises which were opened to international guests, including US citizens to join. This and the next segment were the only two that were back-to-back. This voyage had a large majority of the ship being from the local Japanese market with tour groups. The international guests were not as many. Things operated differently as the predominant culture dined early, went to bed early and woke up early. My schedule was the opposite so I really didn’t hit any of the peak times for anything or feel crowded anywhere on the ship. After lunch, it was time to explore the Bellissima. Since I had been on the MSC Meraviglia before, the Bellissima is her younger sister in the class. Everything was exactly the same for location with only some name changes for venues such as restaurants and the lounge on the plaza. Having been launched just before the COVID pandemic in 2019, the Bellissima is in pretty good shape. Her public areas don’t show any visible signs of wear and there’s constant refreshing of items such as a carpet being replaced in an elevator lobby on one floor during the voyage. She’s slated for a drydock in November 2023. If you’ve never sailed on a Meraviglia-class vessel, the heart of the ship is the plaza area which includes the shops, specialty dining venues, live music lounge and karaoke bar above it. It goes from the atrium to the theater and spa forward. It’s designed to wow with a huge LED dome screen which has shows on it timed throughout the day. The other major feature of this class of ships is the division of the pool’s topside. There’s the main pool, the covered pool and then the aft Horizon pool. It helps to break up the passengers from crowding around one central pool. Once I completed the tour of the ship and grabbing photos, the staterooms were announced as ready. It was later in the afternoon around 3PM when they were ready but that was to be expected given the time the ship docked in the morning and when the last guests were off. I went to the room and checked out my first MSC solo interior room. Stateroom - Solo Interior Room When I entered the stateroom, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Some had said there’s a fold out couch in the solo rooms or at least some on the Meraviglia have that. Here it was a full bed that was pushed against the wall. Unlike the NCL solo rooms, you could move around comfortably in this room and the bathroom was in its own separate compartment and similar in size to the regular interior staterooms on the ship. The closet space was ample and just opposite the bed with shelving on the right-hand side. The configuration for a solo room was far superior to Norwegian ships. I loved the layout and the space. One problem I later discovered was the TV in the room didn’t work. While in Japan there are really only two TV channels to watch anyway, not having a window (bridge camera) channel functioning would be a lot for being on back-to-back. LONDON THEATER SHOWTIME: Magic Show – Shape of Wonder This was the first bit of entertainment on offer so I wanted to check it out. The magician is from Japan and spoke fluent Japanese. He did translate some of the items into English but basically did his performance. He definitely wowed the audience with some of his tricks and he was interactive with the audience pulling up members so be forewarned if you don’t want to be involved. It was a good act and a great kickoff to the entertainment on Bellissima. Since the cruise was departing Yokohama late, right at my dinner time, I walked around the ship and got more familiar with the crew and looked to see if I could recognize anyone’s faces. My muster station was in the casino and when I went through to the casino and stopped for a drink, a bartender, Alexander, recognized me from the Poesia and welcomed me back onboard. Unfortunately, due to the smoke in the casino, I didn’t get to enjoy his service very much but he did point out some other crewmembers from the Poesia in the Bellissima Bar and Lounge on Deck 6 who I also remembered. Tonight, as we set sail from Yokohama at dinner time, I went to my assigned dining room (Le Cirisier) and discovered I was at a 6-top table and only one other gentleman had showed up. While I’m not a fan of regimented dining times, I do bend when I am exploring the world and prefer to dine late to enjoy as much time in port as possible. What is more intimidating is the table share on MSC. Sometimes it can go really well (first week on Poesia last year) or it can go really badly. The other guest who showed up was an older gentleman who spoke limited English and couldn’t really converse with. The rest of the tablemates didn’t show up. I tried to converse and had a lovely dinner Aubergines Parmigiana, Grilled Ribeye Steak with Chimichurri, Coconut Pistachio dessert with a fruit plate. Unlike the American MSC product, the portion sizes in Japan were very small as it was explained because they like to sample everything so it cuts down on food waste. I ordered a second steak dinner and they were happy to oblige. Tonight, I met Sendy, the section leader for the restaurant as well. She came over and introduced herself and told me I could get anything I wanted to fill me up! I really appreciated that! Immediately after dinner, it was time for the muster drill. Everything shut down as they told everyone to get to their muster stations and check in and to watch the video on the TV and dial a special number. It was here that I first discovered the TV in the room didn’t work. I did check in at the muster station and call the number so I was cleared for the drill. Lots of folks had to make it up the next day. Once the drill was complete, Alex provided a drink and then I headed down to the Bellissima Lounge where Sheryl and Mary were. Both of them remembered me from the Poesia as well and Sheryl even remembered my drink order! Now there’s some great customer service right there! I hung out there and listened to the live music while the cruise staff kicked off the nightlife festivities with a silent disco. DAY 2 – Kobe, Japan (Overnight) With our late arrival into Kobe, slated for 4:30PM, I took advantage of the morning to get some sleep and to get up and do a workout. I had signed the waiver on embarkation day and went to the gym where I talked with Falcon, the personal trainer there. Since people were still finding their way, the gym wasn’t overly crowded and wouldn’t be crowded during the times I went for the remainder of the voyage despite the passenger count being higher. On the Meraviglia out of the USA, the gym is a pain point since it’s too small and lots of folks go there. Not so on this itinerary! After finishing the workout, I went for an early lunch. The Marketplace buffet opened at 11AM for lunch service. Customarily I would have a salad with whatever is on the carving station and would stop by the Japanese station in the back. Surprisingly the outdoor dining was still available so it was nice to watch the scenery of Japan go by while enjoying lunch. Of note during the morning, there were several stretching and fitness activities at the pool which were very well attended. There was also a presentation for the specialty restaurants in the atrium which I was bummed I had missed but was a good showcase of the specialty restaurants onboard. The ship also had its first bingo session. MSC SHORE EXCURSION: Iconic Osaka - Tsutenkaku Tower & Shinsekai After a very warm welcome by the locals in Kobe, it was time for a bus transfer to the bustling city of Osaka for an evening out there. The tour guide did some explaining along the way to Osaka and when we arrived, she brought us to the tower first. With my fear of heights, I wasn’t keen on going on this tour but managed to be ok with this tower tour. The elevator was at the center and was fairly well enclosed. There were two floors to the tower, the first one was for scenic viewing and then to make your way back down there was a disco floor with lighting and beats. It was very strange. With the sun that had set, you really couldn’t tell what you were looking at besides the lights in the district below. Once the tower tour was completed, we had time on our own to venture around Shinsekai to visit some of the arcade game shops, grab a bite to eat at the many restaurants there or take in some souvenir shopping. I visited some of the shops and walked around all the streets before heading back for the meeting point. It was a good sampling of that section of Osaka but I wish I had seen a bit more than just a tower. It seems every city in Japan has a tower to visit! On the way back into the ship, what I thought was a guest asked a male crew member if it was a boy or a girl since he had a stomach sticking out. Being jet lagged I wasn’t sure what I was hearing until the person went over and touched the person’s stomach. I was in shock. What guest would do that? Imagine how surprised I was when we got into the ship’s security queue and the person put on a name tag. It was the HR officer who was on the tour with his lady friend! I was shocked. Crew work hard enough; they don’t need jokes about their weight like that. Shame on him! Since the tour ran late, I had missed the sit-down dinner and went to the buffet. I don’t remember what I had but it was good enough to fit the bill and I was exhausted so went back and showered and went to bed. Of note, the ship had a show in the London Theater consisting of a classical concert with a tenor and soprano. DAY 3 – Kobe, Japan This was the second day of our overnight stop and it started early with breakfast at the buffet and then hurrying back to the room to get ready for another tour. MSC SHORE EXCURSION: Kyoto – Kiyomizu-dera Temple & Kinkaku-ji Temple Kyoto is a bus ride away from Kobe and it’s quite long. Upon arrival to the first stop which was the Kiyomizu-dera temple, the tour guide told us the time the bus would depart and brought us up a very busy tourist street to where lunch would be served. From there she brought us up the rest of the street to the temple itself and bought the tickets. From here is where things went screwy. There was a male from the tour bus who insisted on the lady giving the time to get back to the bus and skip the lunch so he could see the temple. He got the tour guide so flustered she wasn’t giving out the tickets for the rest of us to enjoy it. The tour guide also didn’t come with us in the temple and explain anything, we were left to explore on our own. I walked the temple grounds and took photos and read what the signs said using google translate. Surprisingly for the short time she said we had there before we had to go for lunch, I did make it around the entire temple grounds. Lunch was served at a restaurant close by in Kyoto. It was within walking distance and consisted of a tofu lunch with rice, seaweed salad and some other local items. It was a nice lunch but a lot of folks grumbled about it being tofu and not real meat. After lunch, I still had some time to explore the busy street leading to the temple and the tons of shops along the way. For someone who loves matcha, Kyoto is heaven for matcha lovers! Every store was selling something with matcha in it. I had some matcha ice cream, sampled and purchased some matcha powder. I was fairly well awake for the remainder of the tour thanks to that portion of the tour! Now our tour bus was delayed leaving because two crew members who had joined our tour were missing in action. They didn’t notify the tour guide they were going to leave the tour group so we waited and waited and she finally we moved onto the next stop. Since we were delayed, the tour guide decided to flip the order of the remainder of the tour. Our next stop was the bamboo forest and the Togetsu-kyo bridge. Parking in the lot, we went to the bamboo forest which was a decent walk away. The tour guide wasn’t wasting any time, she wanted us to see as much as we could so she was walking fast. However, not everyone could keep up and as a result, she had to go back for others. The front part of the group continued on and we got our pictures in the forest and then at the bridge and headed back to the bus. At the last stop, Kinkaku-ji temple, the tour guide asked if we minded being late back to the ship so we could see the temple. A majority of the bus said we didn’t mind so we did stay longer. However, that one guest from earlier in the day was not pleased with the short amount of time we had at the golden pavilion and threw a temper tantrum and returned to the bus saying it wasn’t enough time. Those of us who chose to go saw everything and got the necessary photos by the short time we had there was up. The tour guide kept us moving along as a group. I had the same tour guide for the Osaka tour the previous evening and she was trying as hard as she could with the group dynamics she had. On our trip back to the ship she let us doze off and didn’t do any narration which was appreciated after a very long day in the heat and humidity. Back at the ship, we were to sail right at my dinner time of 8PM. I went out on deck to see the ship off as the people had so warmly greeted us with a band the previous day, I wanted to see what they did to see us off. I was amazed at how many people had come out to wave us off. The locals were very friendly in thanking us for the visit. In the hills of Kobe facing the port they also had lights displayed with ships, anchors and what not in the hills. It was very nice. I had dinner that night in the main dining room with the table share where it was me and the other gentleman from the first night of the voyage. I had tempura, a nice salad, the beef dish with double portions and a fruity crème dessert. It was a good dinner service and nice to watch the ship sailing from Kobe out the window. LONDON THEATER SHOWTIME: Variety Show Just as it sounds, the show featured acts from the ship’s singers, dancers and other artists. The singers performed numbers from the UK such as ‘Let it be’ as well as Japan. It was nice to hear songs sung in both languages since the ship is really culturally immersive when it’s in the Japanese market. It was a nice mix of entertainment to cap off a very long day of bus touring. Immediately after the show, in the plaza Bellissima was a dome show featuring a the time machine. Immediately following that was a performance by the cast and leading right into the Sunshine party. The sunshine party was the ship’s decades party featuring hits from the 60s, 70s and 80s. Since it was on the promenade, I sat down at the Bellissima lounge bar and had excellent service by the crew there. DAY 4 – Hiroshima, Japan Since our arrival into Hiroshima wasn’t until later in the afternoon, I took the opportunity and was up early enough to do the core abs class with Falcon in the gym. It was an intense half hour in a packed aerobics room. It was a good session. Once it was done, I stayed in the gym and completed the rest of my workout. After a hearty lunch and scenic viewing of the landscape and islands going into Hiroshima, it was time to get off the ship. Today, I went independently knowing there was a complimentary transfer provided by the port authorities to get us from the ship to the metro station. If you hopped on the local trolley service, it was free as well. It just went slower. A tip would be to take the JR line and pay a little extra but it goes much faster to the Hiroshima station. I went on my own to the atomic dome, museum and other memorials which made up Hiroshima peace park. The museum closed at 6PM and I made it in with 45 minutes to spare. Beware if you cannot handle graphic content, even pictures of it, this museum will scar you. What America did to the people of Hiroshima is on clear display. It’s meant to move you and have you form strong opinions of nuclear weapons and their usage. It was well worth the entrance fee. I meandered around the rest of the peace park and saw the other outdoor memorials including the memorial mound, the children’s memorial, the eternal flame which won’t be extinguished any time soon (only when all nuclear weapons are destroyed), the hall of victims. I wish we had longer in port to slow down the touring of this site and take it all in more. Of note, the ship was offering a tour to Hiroshima peace park, however, the part that I didn’t like was it seemed more focused on shopping than it was on the actual history so I skipped it and opted to go on my own. The local information station is very helpful in getting you to there and giving instructions on how to get back. Once I was back at the port area, I needed to clear Japanese customs as we were exiting the country for South Korea at the next port. I was stamped out of the country and allowed to reboard the Bellissima. I made it back to the ship to shower and change in enough time for the tropical night. I went to the main dining room and sat with the other gentleman. At this point, none of the other tablemates had shown up. LONDON THEATER SHOWTIME: Magic Show – “Funtastic” The same magician who performed the first night was back with a different show tonight. I went to the late show and it was fairly packed. It was entertainment and free so why not?! Thereafter, it was time to stop by the Bellissima lounge for a drink before heading up to the pool deck for the Tropical Party. Sheryl was kind enough to get some photos of me in my new Crimean tartar Hawaiian shirt in the plaza before I went up. The cruise staff were up there dancing their hearts out. They also had decorations to augment the stage with blow up birds and tropical jungle looks. It was a very nice party which I stayed up late to enjoy since we finally had a day of rest. DAY 5 – Sea Day Finally, a sea day and it would be a leisurely one at that! I ate breakfast and headed out around the ship, including up to the pool deck to grab some sun. The passenger make up for the ship was such that finding a lounger at the main pool or at the Horizon pool aft was not an issue at any point during the voyage. Today also saw the delivery of the Diamond Voyager Club goodies. I received a ship model made of dark chocolate, five macaroons, a bottle of bubbly and a string backpack that said MSC Voyager’s Club on it. All were very nice touches! The sea day was packed with activities at the main pool and around the ship. The daily had a list of sales events in the shops onboard as well. Bingo was on offer since it was a sea day, too. LONDON THEATER SHOWTIME: Solid Rock It was the first major production show of the London Theater’s cast. Envision a rock show with rock from all over the world put together with dance numbers. The live show band encouraged guests to get involved and to have fun. The guitarist also did an incredible solo number. It was my second favorite production of the cruise and good time! MSC SPECIALTY DINING: Butcher’s Cut Steakhouse Tonight was the ship’s first and only elegant night of the voyage. By chance, I had picked this night for the complimentary Diamond dinner in the steakhouse. I was running early and asked if they could accommodate me earlier and they could. For dinner I had the shrimp cocktail, the NY sirloin steak with creamed spinach side and the NY cheesecake for dessert. The steak was great and the number of sauces served with it made the taste even more exciting. I tried all of them but had a special place for chimichurri! The service was impeccable and the waiter who serviced my table was all excited when I told him I was from Boston. He knew the Celtics. It was a great dinner service. The only downside is if you have a drink’s package, it doesn’t work in specialty restaurants so you have to pay the cost of any wine and bottled water you may get. LONDON THEATER SHOWTIME: Crew Talent Show The Bellissima has some amazingly talented crew. A housekeeper sang a song in Japanese which got rave reviews from those guests in the audience. A cruise staff member also belted out another tune. There was a magic show of sorts by another member of the cruise staff from Brazil who had this baton that he would manipulate with his hands. I’m still trying to figure out how he was doing it since you couldn’t see a string attached to him! It was a good show and the acts do change from one cruise to the next. Once the show concluded, I went to the Bellissima lounge to hang out and listen to the rock star tribute that was on. Thereafter, I headed to bed. DAY 6 – Jeju Island, South Korea We arrived to port bright and early. I had a lovely traditional US continental breakfast at the Marketplace Buffet sitting in the exterior seating area out the back watching as the ship arrived and tied up. MSC SHORE EXCURSION: Jungmun Highlights Once we cleared immigration on Jeju Island, it was time to head to the busses to take us to the first stop. A rock stack called Oedolgae Sea Stack, this rock formation named after being the shape of a general. Another legend says this rock was formed when a lady who waited for her husband who traveled by boat never came back and hardened into this rock formation. Either way, we were given time to explore the area and get photos from different vantage points. Our second stop on this tour was the largest Buddhist temple on the island and the highlight of the tour. Yakcheonsa temple was very impressive from a distance towering over the land below. Once you climbed up the steep slope to the entrance, you encountered stairs to climb up the rest of the way. Flanked by two different pagodas out in front, one containing a bell and the other a drum, the main temple is very much a functional Buddhist temple. During our time to explore the temple area, a Buddhist monk stopped in to chant. The third stop was to the Cheonjeyeon waterfalls. With the fear of heights I had, the bridge crossing over the waterfalls was definitely anxiety producing. However, when you actually trek down the stairs, you get to see the waterfalls much better but what goes down has to go back up. We were brought to a restaurant with several other tour busses out and about and we had some tasty Korean beef. I don’t know most of the sides were but they were also good. At this lunch I met another solo traveler and we exchanged info since we were on back-to-back voyages. I hadn’t made any of the solo gatherings as I’d been so busy touring but the ship did offer a meeting spot for them. After lunch, the bus headed to Yeomiji Botanical Gardens. We were provided with one hour of free time to go around the gardens both inside and out. I spent a lot of time indoors that I had to hurry through the external gardens but still managed to see everything. The garden observatory tower is good to see but again, fear of heights made it anxiety producing so while I went up there, I did for photos quickly and took the elevator back down. Once we were back at the port and headed back through customs on the way out to the ship, the trip back to the ship was a bit long. Since the Bellissima is a large ship, the dock she tied up at is farther away. The terminals had moving walkways but the hallway itself seemed endless. Do allow for extra time when going ashore and coming back due to this extended length of travel within the port area. MSC VOYAGER’S CLUB: Diamond Party As the ship sailed from Jeju Island, the senior management of the ship welcomed Diamond members at a private gathering in the Sky Lounge. For this trip, it was the first time I had been in the Sky Lounge. I forgot how much of a wonderful venue it was with the panoramic windows. They served pre-made drinks and canapes before the master of ceremonies introduced the officers and they proposed a toast. Of note, on the way in I spoke with Noriko, the Master of Ceremonies who I thought was the Cruise Director but wasn’t and asked about them inserting a LGBT meet up for the next voyage since it was also international. She said she would relay the information along. I stayed in the venue until it was time to catch the early show. LONDON THEATER ENTERTAINMENT: Beautiful This production was a nod to the female vocalists of the world both old and new. Songs covered included some Celine Dion hits (both English and French-Canadian songs), Cyndi Lauper, and many more. This featured the live London Theater showband as well. It was a great production overall and well worth a look. Tonight was the Italian theme night in the main dining room. After the other tablemate had requested to be moved to the earlier seating and the other folks not showing up, I asked to be moved to a solo two top. There were plenty available in the late dining time so tonight I sat in a new location in the same dining room. The menu featured fried meatballs, a nice beef dish (with double portions) and a nice lemoncello dessert. During the dinner service, Sendy led the available waitstaff in a tour of the dining room while another member of the team sang to the guests. The dining room party continued into the evening with an Italian Party in the Bellissima lounge hosted by the cruise staff. Featuring Italian music in the lounge, several folks stayed to dance. I was hanging out taking in the festivities from the bar area while the cruise staff were working the crowd to get them engaged. It was a nice night out with the bar staff and interacting with them and watching the crowd. I hit the Marketplace Buffet for some pizza before heading to bed. DAY 7 – Kagoshima, Japan Since today was a late arrival, I wasn’t in a hurry to get on with my morning. I slept in and took my time getting ready for the day. I had breakfast overlooking the ship’s arrival into port. I waited for the masses to get off and then when they announced it was time for guests to go ashore and clear the customs, I headed ashore thinking most of the people were off the ship. I was incorrect in that assumption. Since non-Japanese guests have to exit and then re-enter Japan through customs when heading to South Korea, I had to re-enter Japan and get a new visa in my passport. This process took much longer than I had hoped for. My next stop when clearing the customs was the information booth located inside the terminal. I inquired about the hop on, hop off bus tour I read about. The tourist information lady was quite helpful in telling me where I could link up with the HOHO bus. However, I would have to get into the city proper at this point. MSC was offering a shuttle for $18USD to get into the city. Alternatively, you could take the tram into the city and spend 170 yen. I opted to go for the walk and hop the city tram to link up with the information booth in the city center. At the Temmonkandari station, you walk to the CenTerrace mall and on the first floor is the main information booth who sells you the tickets for the City View hop on, hop off bus. I bought the day pass that included the tram usage for 600 yen and boarded the bus across the street to start the loop heading towards the Senganen Gardens. Sengan-en Gardens is a traditional Japanese garden with ponds, a bamboo grove, many shrines hidden in different places and streams. The gardens also had plenty of sightlines to the volcano at the island just across the water called Mount Sakurajima. From the info booth at the terminal, there was a gift you could get from one of the shops on the property. My favorite thing after spending all that time touring in the hot sun was the on-site Japanese tea room they had. It was a great place to cool off and grab some matcha tea before heading back on the bus loop. Since the bus was increasingly packed, I hopped off back in town at the same stop as the tram I took into the city. It was at this point that the skies opened up and it was fun trying to get back in the heavy rain. The tram arrived but I was already fairly soaked. By the time I got down to the stop for the marine terminal, thankfully the rain stopped for the 2.5km walk back to the ship. Of note, the ship was offering a tour to the volcano and the gardens, the gardens and a museum and then an exploration of the Chiran district. I decided to go independently based on information I researched online. Leave plenty of time for the tram as it does take awhile to get you into the city and back around. LONDON THEATER ENTERTAINMENT: Nature When the master of ceremonies, Noriko, stated this was her best production in the introduction for the show that night, I was intrigued. She wasn’t wrong! Nature is a visual journey through the forest and all sorts of other backdrops using the LED panels. The cast including dancers, acrobats and the skaters perform a high energy and engaging 30 minute show. It features many animals manipulated by the talented cast. There was a male and female vocalist who helped to add some words to the visuals and dance seen. I agree with Noriko, it was my favorite production on the Bellissima. Thereafter, the cruise staff did a White Party preview while folks were heading to wherever after the show in the plaza. Tonight’s dinner featured the raw ham appetizer, a nice salad, a beef dish and a nice fruit plate. Another performance was had by the dining room staff of the macarena. Since the late dining was sparsely attended on this voyage, the dining room staff were more engaged in the dance numbers and trying to get other guests to come out and join them in the fun. I admired their ability to serve and dance but preferred their service over their dancing. MSC SIGNATURE EVENT: Sweet de Night Buffet In the main atrium at 10PM, the dining room team put on a wonderful buffet of mostly chocolate sweets. I haven’t been on a ship in years that has had this type of buffet presentation. I was stunned by it honestly. It was a nice spread of food and to cut back on food waste, the restaurant staff served you the items you told them you wanted so you got a sample of what you wanted and not taking so much that you didn’t finish it. The display was very photogenic as well. Lots of folks just came to take pictures but not actually eat it. The line was a bit long but it moved quickly and I was able to finish some tasty treats before heading upstairs to the pool area. MSC SIGNATURE EVENT: White Party or White Night The signature nightlife night of the cruise is the White Party. In the first 45 minutes of the party, they have a prearranged dances around the world that they do. It features songs from every continent and dances to go along with them. I’ve never seen so many people follow dance steps precisely before. It seemed to be a real hit with the guests for the line dancing part of it. Lots of guests danced the night away. Once the dance around the world was done, it was opened to more freestyle dancing with the cruise staff interacting with guests. I hung out with some friends I’d made along the way from the Bellissima lounge and we chatted once the party ended. The white party ended fairly early but I was keyed up from some caffeine earlier in the day so I went to head to the Horizon Pool only to discover a crew party was back there. They were still going even though we were done! Kudos to them. I missed the pizza cutoff time in the Marketplace Buffet and headed to bed. It was the best nightlife of the voyage and I loved the vibe. DAY 8 – Sea Day It was a good morning to leisurely wake up and enjoy a nice continental breakfast in the Marketplace Buffet before heading to the gym for a workout. This morning they didn’t have a core abs class but Falcon was still around the gym and stopped to chat between assisting other guests. After the workout, I headed back to the room to take a quick shower, grab an early lunch and get some sun up on deck. It was a pretty chill sea day. The ship had plenty of activities from trivia, dance classes, stretching and more games at the main pool. I hung out at the Horizon Pool aft to get a quieter vibe. CAROUSEL PRODUCTION: Sweet This cirque style show features candy and lots of it. Just as the name mentions, you take a journey through a Candy Land with acrobats, a contortionist who makes you cringe (but is really good), aerialists and of course some vocals. The entire story line flows nicely and keeps you engaged for the entire performance. There is an upcharge to see it with gratuity, it was $20.70 USD. They do give you a choice of three drinks upon entry for the show. I choose the vodka based one that was very sweet. Fitting for a show of the same name! Once the show was over, a bartender who I would routinely get waters from at the Marketplace Buffet told me to go to the Horizon Pool bar because he wanted to make me a special concoction of a drink. I stopped by for his variation of a mojito which had some Heineken and to be honest, I’m not sure what else in it. It was quite the drink I took a photo of it and it tasted quite well. The next stop was my final dinner with the wonderful team in the Le Cerisier Restaurant. Sendy informed me while I was dining on the Beef Wellington and the Baked Alaska that the restaurant would be closed the next voyage due to a lower guest capacity count and not enough late seating diners. I would be saying goodbye to my incredible dining room team. It was bittersweet but Sendy who looked after me and Yoga and Wayan from Indonesia who were the waitstaff team serving me nightly, they all did a wonderful job. It was also at this juncture when Sendy told me where I would be sitting across the hallway that my room number wasn’t showing up correctly in the system and that I was being moved for the next voyage. I missed the Journey show at 21:00 hours but the app said 22:00 hours so I thought I was early. Either way, I missed it for this voyage and ended up seeing the opening of the cruise staff show called “THE BET.” Think of a variety show where the guests have to guess what order the judges will put the variety acts that performed. I stood to watch what was going on and got some videos before grabbing a drink at the bar. I headed upstairs to the Horizon Pool to say goodbye to guests I had befriended during the voyage who were leaving in Yokohama the next day. The DJ was throwing down some good beats as we all said goodbye. I headed to the Marketplace Buffet to get some late-night pizza before heading to bed. I’d deal with the stateroom change issue in the morning since I was told to go to guest services between 7:30A – 8AM for the new keycard. DAY 9 – Yokohama, Japan Since this was disembarkation morning, the ship was bustling with activity and lots of people milling about. I woke up later than I had expected and as a result hurried through breakfast to get down to guest services on time. When I approached guest services, I actually had a nice lady from Brazil who helped me and checked me in for the next voyage. I explained to her when I was moved earlier in the voyage and the number of times it took me to come down that I wouldn’t be moving rooms for the next voyage but staying in the same room. While it was my first encounter with her, I told her it was not what was agreed to earlier on with her colleagues and to get a manager out there because I was fed up. She went in the back and took a few minutes and came out and said I would stay in the same room and gave me a new keycard with the same room number on it for the next voyage. I returned to the room where I couldn’t get in because it wasn’t activated yet and then grabbed my bag and headed ashore to explore Yokohama. I can only say one negative from this cruise segment and this was from guest services. My TV in my originally booked stateroom was not functioning. I was in a studio interior. There was power to the TV but it took me a total of five trips to guest services to get the problem resolved where they said they’d have to move my room since the issue with the TV wasn’t the TV itself but rather the software / computer for the room’s smart TV. This wasn’t something they could fix. They should’ve known this from the start since it appears they were aware of it when they looked into it and offered to move me. The complicated part came when I said, please move me to a room that I will stay in since I was a back-to-back guest. That took more time and I was told to return again while they searched for a room that would work. I was given room 12200 just down the hallway which was a larger standard interior room. The TV worked and I was happy about it but the process to get there was a bit more than necessary and shouldn’t have taken so many trips to Guest Services. When it came time for the turnaround day, it was the restaurant manager who alerted me to my stateroom being changed for the next voyage which wasn’t what was agreed upon out of all the prior trips to Guest Services. I wasn’t too happy about that but in the end they didn’t move me when I pressed them on it. This was the only blemish on what was a great first cruise segment on the MSC Bellissima! Overall, this cruise segment was great! The staff and crew on the ship greeted me warmly and those who recognized me from the Poesia were very warm in welcoming me back. Kudos to the bar staff team including Alex in the casino bar and the Bellissima lounge team consisting of Sheryl Robles, Larry Canaria, Mary Liporada, Apolo Costa and the rest of the crew there. I never went without a drink or bottled water when I sat down. They all knew what I drank and looked after me. The incredible restaurant team in Le Cerisier Restaurant including section leader Sendy for looking after me, Yoga and Wayan my incredible waitstaff team who handled any special requests or extra meals without issue. Lastly the incredible cruise staff who became like family during the voyage and would seek me out and we’d have a great dance at the parties or just stop by for a hello. Special shout out to Robert, who was the assistant bar manager on the ship. He was here, there and everywhere and whenever he saw me he would check in. Just a very friendly crew and staff on the ship for those that were forward facing. The Japanese hosts were also amazingly friendly and helpful with anything you asked them even though they were there to provide translation services for the crew with the Japanese speaking guests. Just good vibes from the crew all the way around.

Japanese cruise so relaxing

Hadn't done MSC before. Would do again any time. So many pluses, take the plunge!! Staff so friendly: - Rodrigo & Alexa - activities - talk to anyone - the best - Lgarde - talked to us every dinner -came around plus on ship at different times - so good - Agus - our server - so friendly - great service Food excellent, service second to none. Loved water park - no queus at all Embarkation very efficient - little time to get on Ship very new and clean, area always clean Activities area great - virtual formula 1, basketball, bowling alley - did this 4 times - again no waiting Ticks all the boxes for a seasoned cruiser, can't wait to do MSC again!! No issues with billing, everywhere service was excellent, asked for a drink within 10 seconds So many things to do onboard, or do nothing - just relax!! Take my advice - well worth it, value for money.