Beauty At Sea (#BeautyAtSea)

The Invitation

A few weeks ago I was fortunate enough to be invited to the Naming Ceremony of the magnificent MSC Bellissima on 2nd March 2019.

Now, although I had been preparing the groundwork for my blog for a while, I wasn’t on the media radar at that point (not sure that I am even now). So no formal press invitation for me. Instead,as luck would have it (literally), I had coincidentally won a competition in The Telegraph, which I had absolutely no recollection of entering.

I had started entering competitions at the end of last year as a friend of mine kept winning fabulous prizes and I was 🤢 with envy. However while she was winning 6 Nutri-bullets, a holiday to Marrakech and luxe spa breaks, I had thus far won only a couple of plastic reusable coffee mugs and a miniature pair of ballet shoes. Then I received a call from the newspaper telling me I had won this fabulous overnight stay onboard and an invitation to the gala naming event. It was, indeed, the stuff of dreams.

There was just one ‘fly in the ointment’ as they say.  The day that we were to board this beautiful ship, was the same day we returned from a twelve night Celebrity Reflection cruise in the Caribbean! Now, there was no way on earth I was going to miss out on this fabulous opportunity, but I realised it would take a bit of juggling, especially as we were on an overnight flight from Miami.

The Big Day Arrives

We arrived into Heathrow at 7:15 am on the Morning of the Naming Ceremony and arranged for our travelling companions to take our main luggage home. I had decanted (I thought) what we needed into two carry-ons and a suit carrier - quite conservative for me. Fortunately we had unworn formal gear with us (Celebrity now opting for Evening Chic which seems to encompass anything but clothing-optional and fancy dress!)

We stopped at a service station for a quick spruce and to change out of our travelling gear and then headed to the port. It was at that point I realised we had no underwear or toiletries - I could deal with most things, but NO STRAIGHTENERS? Per-lees! So a quick detour to a West Quay Retail Park opposite the Southampton Docks was required.  TIP: if you were ever brave enough, you could actually travel empty handed to Southampton and be able to buy everything you needed in that little retail park - luggage, clothes, toiletries etc. I might attempt that as a challenge for a future blog.

The Excitement Begins

In spite of the jet lag, I was beyond excited. I had never been on an MSC ship, and like many of you I imagine, never been invited to such an auspicious occasion. We were given our cruise card and made our way to our very well-appointed contemporary balcony cabin, which smelt like the interior of a brand new car, all fresh and new.

It was clear from the programme that there was much to see in our one day on board, and I will give you “the tour” in my future posts so you can see what a beauty she actually is. (If you want some quick “Bellissima” facts and figures check out my related post).

However, the highlights of this fabulous overnighter included an early posh cocktail party (had to be all suited and booted by 5:30 pm), in the super-contemporary Sky Lounge.  We realised that there were actually cocktail parties being held in each of the bars, so seeing this as a bit of a challenge, we headed down to the lower decks to do a comparison (all in the name of research you understand).  We descended one of the fabulous Swarovski crystal staircase (each tread apparently valued at over £10,000!), stopping for the obligatory “coming down the Swarovski staircase” photo opportunity.  

The Naming Ceremony

After a few glasses of bubbles we were invited to disembark onto the quayside where the naming ceremony was to be held. We headed into the “marquee” which was more the size of a small city, and took our seats.  

All started well with an introduction from the lovely Holly Willoughby, who was Master of Ceremony for the star-studded event, plus fabulous performances from Cirque de Soleil (who are resident entertainers on MSC Bellissima) and world-famous tenor Andrea Bocelli and his son Matteo Bocelli who performed  a moving rendition of ‘Fall on me’. 

During the speeches prior to the Naming Itself, which was to be officiated by Sophia Loren no less, Storm Freya decided to make her entrance with high winds causing the overhead gantry lights and giant speakers to swing dangerously, making everyone below (including us) very nervous. Fortunately, the very moving speech by Antonio Paradiso the Managing Director, of MSC Cruises UK and Ireland was unaffected. He announced MSC Cruises’ partnership with Reuben’s Retreat, a charitable organization which aims to relieve the distress of families who have suffered the bereavement of a child or have a child suffering from a life limiting/threatening illness. Such a worthwhile cause, and one to which, (a few weeks after the event), Holly Willoughby  donated her gown worn that evening for auction.

The Evacuation

It soon became apparent that the weather situation was becoming increasingly hazardous, and the decision was made to evacuate everyone from the marquee back onto the ship for their own safety.  This was a brave and selfless action by the MSC Corporate team, who had planned this extravagant, glittering occasion in minute detail, and who must have been bitterly disappointed to have to curtail it so abruptly.  On the other hand, the irony wasn’t lost on us of being evacuated ONTO a ship, rather than OFF a ship as we are all so well prepared for in our Musters.

The highly-efficient MSC Events team handled the whole situation superbly and we were directed to the stylish Promenade underneath the mesmerising 80-meter long LED Sky Dome where we were able to watch live footage of the traditional breaking of a bottle of champagne over the bow of the ship and witness the dedication of the MSC Bellissima by her Hollywood-legend godmother, Sophia Lauren. We were then invited to take our seats at the delicious banquet conceived by 2-Michelin-starred celebrity chef, Raymond Blanc, which was held in the two main dining rooms.

The celebrations continued well into the night with a star performance by 80’s star Leee John of Imagination fame, and parties held around the ship, which unfortunately we were too jet-lagged to attend. Sadly, there was one casualty of Le Freak Storm Freya, and that was Niles Rodgers who, alongside his band Chic, was intended to perform at the ceremony on land, but due to the change in programme this had to be cancelled.

After a well-earned rest in our luxuriously appointed cabin, we enjoyed a sumptuous buffet breakfast before reluctantly disembarking into a gloomy, wet Southampton. It was my first experience of an MSC ship, but I can see it being the beginning of a long, beautiful friendship.

Please see future posts for more details of the MSC Bellissima or check out my infographic for quick facts and figures