MSC BELLISSIMA
14th March 2019
Over a year ago, in February 2018, a plan was made to try the new MSC BELLISSIMA in March 2019. She offered a 3 night trip from Genoa, Italy, and four of us made bookings for single studio cabins. Time passed and subsequent work commitments meant that two of the group had to back out but two of us decided to go ahead.
Monday 11th March 2019
I stayed overnight at Gatwick Airport, ready to check in for a very early flight to Genoa the next morning.
Tuesday 12th March 2019
My alarm went off incredibly early, and I then set off to South Terminal ready to check in my rucksack for the BA flight at 7.30 a.m. This gave me time for coffee and a snack at one of my favourite food stops before boarding my flight. The UK weather had been atrocious for the previous couple of weeks, with heavy rain and high winds over most of the country. This morning was no different, although theoretically it was becoming daylight.
The plane pulled away from the stand and we were told that the flight would go south over Bognor Regis and that the plane would then climb to 39,000 feet. I knew that the more usual flights were at about 34,000 feet so the thought of 39,000 feet said it all as far as I was concerned! We were soon lined up for take-off and could feel the strength of the wind, and that huge engine power was being prepared. Take off certainly concentrated my mind, as we lurched along and then we were up and away. We climbed and climbed and climbed, and couldn't see a thing from the windows, but then suddenly we were up above dense cloud and in sunshine under a clear blue sky at 39,000 feet. Our female pilot did a wonderful job in getting us up and away.
Everyone relaxed or dozed, and I took a few pictures of snow on the Alps going south, then of the Italian coast as we headed for Genoa. We landed at 11.00 a.m. and as we taxied back to the terminal I could see the new Virgin ship being built in the nearby Fincantieri shipyard. I was able to get a quick picture of it.
We had flown 625 miles here and it looked as if I was in another world. On the bus to the city I noticed a chemist's sign saying it was 21 degrees C outside, although later this dropped to 15C. I got off the bus outside the main railway station and then headed up towards my hotel.
To be continued...