Once out at sea we could continue to look round and enjoy the ship before unpacking and changing for dinner. I enjoyed walking up the staircases in the Atrium because they had been created to show off the Swarovski crystals in each step. They were an amazing sight, especially with all the lighting focused on them. We arranged to meet at the Champagne Bar for a glass of something delicious before dining in the Restaurant Il Ciliegio. I haven't been able to get a translation for this Italian name, but the food, surroundings and staff were very good and we felt very welcome on board. Our dining companions were good company and we enjoyed celebrating the birthday of one of them, just the day after celebrating the birthday of my friend.
Copyright S. Morton
After dinner we continued looking around part of the ship and marvelling at the specially-created grand Dome Show on the ceiling of the Galleria Bellissima on deck 6. There are three shows every evening and I think we saw many of them during our trip. We managed to book tickets for the Cirque du Soleil at Sea in a couple of days time and are looking forward to that.
What I think was The Library was rather a surprise - just a few shelves of some books. I enjoyed seeing much of the artwork along the Galleria and around the Atrium, including an interesting and large moving piece at the Jean Philippe Chocolat & Cafe.
We joined the crowds of passengers promenading (this is an Italian ship after all) along the Galleria and visiting the shops, ice cream bar, chocolate bar and cafe, London Theatre, etc. I was so pleased to find that MSC have actually printed small pocket-sized ship plans and these proved very useful. They list details of Food & Beverage, Shopping, Spa & Beauty, Sport & Fitness and Entertainment. With an on-board wi-fi system available everywhere, and ship information available on all cabin and public screens, there was lots on offer for passengers.
Ships seen: Corsica Victoria, Moby Ale, Moby Baby Two, Ichnusa, Balearia, Mega Express Two, GNV Cristal, Sardinia Vera, Mega Smeralda, Moby Otta, Moby Zaza, Moby Drea, the Genoa Pilot boat, Dionea, Le Rif, yacht Nero built in 2007 registered in the Cayman Isles
To be continued...