MSC Bellissima Back in Shanghai as Foreign Guest Share Grows

The MSC Bellissima arrived at Shanghai Wusongkou International Cruise Terminal on August 1, entering its third consecutive year of homeport operations at the port and officially launching the company’s 2026 Shanghai summer season.

Marking MSC Cruises’ 20th anniversary in the Chinese market, the Bellissima returns with a series of upgraded offerings, including the MSC Smart Concierge, interactive experiences with Unitree robotics, K-POP-themed parties and Italian cultural heritage cuisine.

President of MSC Cruises China, Helen Huang, said that the 2026 summer season has seen “explosive sales, with some popular routes and cabin categories close to sold out.”

The Bellissima’s return comes as Shanghai’s cruise market continues its recovery. According to the Shanghai Municipal Cultural Tourism Bureau, the city’s ports handled 126 cruise calls and 744,000 passengers in the first half of 2026, representing 59.7 percent and 74.2 percent of the national totals, respectively.

Foreign cruise arrivals via Shanghai grew 37.8 percent year-on-year, with 81.2 percent of those visitors entering under various visa-waiver policies.

The return also reinforces the port’s position as China’s dominant cruise gateway with a second international ship alongside Royal Caribbean’s Spectrum of the Seas.

The Bellissima’s 2026 summer deployment features sailings, with four- to nine-night itineraries calling at Jeju, Busan, Fukuoka, Kitakyushu, Nagasaki, Kagoshima and other Japanese and South Korean destinations. The opening voyage was a five-night roundtrip visiting Kitakyushu and Busan before returning to Shanghai.

The ship will return to Shanghai on January 20, 2027, with 28 voyages covering winter, spring, summer and fall travel seasons.

The vessel will continue operating from Shanghai through the summer and early fall, with potential repositioning in late October or early November.

According to MSC Cruises, its international passenger mix is expected to grow. On the August 1 sailing, international guests from Russia, Romania, the United States, Australia and other countries and regions accounted for over 10 percent of passengers.

MSC stated that for some September sailings, the international passenger share is projected to exceed 50 percent.