MSC Cruises’ newest megaship MSC Bellissima will be deployed in Asia in spring 2020.
The vessel is to be christened in Southampton next March with more than 3,000 travel agents from the UK and Ireland invited over three days.
The sister ship to 5,700-passenger MSC Meraviglia will become the company’s newest flagship in Asia.
MSC Bellissima will spend its inaugural 2019 summer season in the western Mediterranean before moving to the United Arab Emirates for the winter, calling Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sir Bani Yas, Muscat and Khasab.
The Asian deployment news emerged as MSC Splendida arrived in Chinese waters to be based in Shanghai as the largest ship the line has ever home-ported in the region.
A nine-day Japan itinerary has been added, departing on August 2 calling in cities of Yokohama, Muroran, Aomori and Sendai as well as Vladivostok in Russia.
The cruise has been timed to coincide with the Aomori Nebuta Matsuri “fire festival”.