Looking for a family ship? Read on…..

Earlier this month I had the pleasure of being invited to the launch party of the beautiful MSC Bellissima. I had a fantastic time and she really is an amazing ship but what struck me the most was the great children’s facilities and how suitable she is for a family holiday.  They seemed to have every thing covered from facilities to keep children entertained, great sleeping arrangements and dedicated eating areas.

Ever hungry my  first stop once on board was the Marketplace Buffet and this had a large area dedicated to family seating. For younger ones there was plenty of plastic tableware and high chairs. The whole area was designed not only with children in mind but also to help parents feel relaxed when dining, safe in the knowledge that their children aren’t annoying child free guests.

The ship offers kids clubs from 1 to 17 years inclusive and they have teamed with leading brands, the Chicco baby club is clearly full of Chicco products and the Duplo and Lego brands dominate the younger clubs. There was Lego everywhere to play with and even to sit on.

For teens there are some really cool chill out zones and spaces designed with the hip and style conscious in mind. There are a choice of consoles to play on and table tennis for the more active. The older teens even have their own  club the Attic Club which is a cinema and hang out club by day and own night club at night. Parents can give their young adults the space and freedom they desire knowing that nothing can go wrong.

As you move around the ship there are also lots of all round family facilities, bowling, arcade games, a multi – sports sports court and the F1 simulator for the Dad’s.

On top of all of this there is also the Arizona Aqua Parks with mini slides and splash zones plus the 3 huge spiraling water slides for the more adventurous. Alas the weather was appalling when I was on board and these were closed.

At the end of a fun day, the MSC family cabins provide a great place to rest you head. I was pleasantly surprised by the size of the family balcony cabins which have bunk beds for the 3rd and 4th guest. Family cabins are never huge but these appeared to be well designed with the bunks having guard rails to keep youngsters safe and a curtain to separate them from the rest of the room.

The MSC Bellissima is offering  a 7 night Mediterranean sailing this summer, embarking in either Barcelona or Genoa for British passengers. She has some fantastic lead in prices, with children under 12 years old sailing for just £149 and infants travelling for free. When you compare these prices to the other large family ships out there, coupled with the comparable kids facilities MSC really have got the best offering for families this year. Call me for more details.