Sunday Times

The sun always shines on the SEAVIEW

Summer-loving, fun-seeking travellers of every age will find the party never stops on MSC’s splendid new flagship, writes Elizabeth Sleith

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It’s well after 1am, and I should have been in bed ages ago. At least, that was the plan. But the human race needs me. I have zombies to kill.

Strapped into a row of shuddering seats in the XD Dark Ride Cinema, a motley crew of night-owls and I are shooting and shrieking as a ghastly crew of ghouls leaps out at us from the screen. They react to the lasers from our guns and when we hit, they recoil. It’s a loud, terrifying and exhilarati­ng business, and who cares what the time is? We’ll sleep when we’re dead. But not tonight, zombies. Blam! Blam! Blam!

When that’s Game Over, maybe a lap or two in the F1 racing simulator, or some frames in the proper-sized bowling alley. Or we might give in (again) to the pull of the party in the Sunset Bar by the pool, where a ridiculous­ly good-looking and well-dressed crowd is burning up the dancefloor.

Here’s the thing I learnt about cruising on the MSC Seaview: it sure stokes your carpe

diem side — even when the day is long gone. And anyway, this sort of ecstatic insomnia is entirely fitting on what is officially nicknamed “the ship that follows the sun”.

A CLASS OF THEIR OWN

The Seaview, christened in June in Genoa, Italy, is, along with her near-identical sister ship, the Seaside, the first in a new class of MSC ships, also called Seaside, designed for warmer climes. Her architectu­re is entirely aimed at maximising outdoor spaces and bringing guests into the open air. Because, really, why even go to sea if you’re just going to hole up inside?

As executive chairman Pierfrance­sco Vago tells us at the launch, a reshufflin­g of working parts has enabled a whopping 70% of her 2 066 cabins to offer private balconies, along with generous swathes of public outdoor places.

At 323m long and 72m high, she is the biggest ship built in Italy. On almost every deck, it seems, open-air cafes and bars and pools and loungers lean into the ocean under clear skies. And with high-end shops and even an art gallery on the inside — featuring works by, among others, Spanish surrealist Salvador Dali — every promenade feels like a stroll in some chic European seaside town.

Her plans for the year are suitably sunny. She will spend the coming months cruising the Med, and head off when winter arrives to Brazil for more of a summer that never ends.

THE DIVINE IS IN THE DETAILS

On paper, she has all the usual attraction­s the modern cruiser expects. There is a casino, a theatre, a gym, a spa and, yes, wifi.

But, after the neck-craning experience of first seeing her from the outside, a kind of glossy, boxy skyscraper on the sea, it is in actually exploring that you see why this $900-million baby is the new flagship of the 15-strong fleet.

Your first on-board OMG moment will no doubt be the atrium. Rising from the reception area, the “lobby” towers four storeys high. Against its back are stacked three screens, each one a storey high. On day one, they’re all showing underwater footage and you’d be forgiven for thinking this was the world’s most epic fish tank. But later, a band appears on a balcony in front of a screen, and the fish are replaced by giant swirling shapes.

Over the coming days, there will always be some musician stationed here — a jazz singer; a pianist; a funky rock ensemble.

This thriving heart of the ship turns out to be a good meeting spot, and a great base camp for future exploratio­ns, thanks mainly to the pair of Swarovski crystal staircases leading up several levels. Up and up she rises, inviting you, like the unfurling arm of a showgirl, to explore.

As for those to-be-expected attraction­s, they stand out in the details. The spa, for instance, raises the bar for spas with additions such as “emotional showers” (they spray coloured water, which is soothing) and a snow room (full of actual snow, which is good for circulatio­n, apparently).

For tinier passengers, there isn’t just a “kiddie club”, there’s Doremiland, giving kids their own fantastic play areas, so thoughtful­ly packed with Chicco and LEGO, you may never see them again. Maybe entice them out to the adventure-themed kids’ pool, with its climbing frames and slides and water cannons.

Adult water babies can get their kicks too, with four pools across the ship and, at the very top, a full-sized, spiralling waterslide and two ziplines, each 105m long. Extra props if you do a Kate Winslet and shout “I’m flying!” when you go …

And for the more sedate, there are several spots for romantic strolling, most notably the Bridge of Sighs, a glass catwalk 40m above the ocean. If that’s a bit high, take some baby steps on the Infinity Bridge on deck eight, also in parts a glass skywalk. Or ride the great glass elevators and take in the views.

EAT, THEN EAT SOME MORE

At a launch event, MSC’s CEO Gianni Onorato talks of “the main pillars of cruising”, those aspects that make people

choose one ship over another. Clearly, the Seaview has the entertainm­ent part sorted in spades. Another pillar is the food.

Here, your dining choices are so ample you’ll be hard-pressed to eat in the same place twice — though you’ll probably want to.

The six speciality restaurant­s include a seafood spot by Michelin-starred Spanish chef Ramon Freixa, and an Asian Market Kitchen by Japanese-American celebrity chef Roy Yamaguchi.

The main buffet restaurant (there is a second, especially for families with kid-height counters) has a staggering 13 food stations — I dare you to name something they do not have.

And in the two main, fine-dining rooms, you make your selection from a menu with dishes such as “Homemade Fossatelli Pasta Stuffed with Fossa Cheese” or “BriocheCru­sted Rack of Veal”. Every meal I had here was outstandin­g.

LET’S GO BY BIKE

The other “pillar” Onorato mentions is the sailing itinerary. As he says simply: “People want to travel.”

So I test out the Seaview’s shore-excursion capacities with a trip into Genoa: a guided tour by e-bike because, hey, did I mention those 13 stations at the buffet?

The first step is a tutorial on the dock. I’ve never ridden an e-bike but, as it turns out, it is just like riding a bicycle — with a power button that makes the uphills feel like flat roads and the flat roads feel like downhills. Which is lucky since Genoa, the capital of the Liguria region and the sixth-largest city in Italy, is one hell of a hilly town.

Bike programme supervisor Bostjan Marhold — who sails with the ship and offers these kinds of trips in all her ports — leads us easily through its outskirts to the historic Old Town centre.

Genoa has a long maritime history that predates even the Roman Empire and we stop every now and again to ponder some ancient attraction. Here are the remnants of the Barbarossa walls, built from 1155-1163 to defend the independen­t republic from the Romans. Here is the house where Christophe­r Columbus was born in 1451. Here are the Unesco-listed Palazzi dei Rolli, a series of grand palaces built between the 16th and 18th centuries, now all museums.

Heading back to the ship, we pause at a magnificen­t, old wooden galleon, creaking in the wind. This is the Galeone (Neptune), actually a fake 17th-century ship, built in 1985 for the Roman Polanski film Pirates.

She is now permanentl­y moored in Genoa as a nod to the city’s maritime past.

IT’S FUN TO STAY

There’ll be no such lazy days, however, for the MSC Seaview. Time is ticking and soon she will sail for Barcelona.

But first, another party — this time a thumping ’70s-’80s throwback in the atrium.

Again, it goes on well past midnight, and the crew of the entertainm­ent team, in sparkly bellbottom­s and big wigs, does the YMCA in front of psychedeli­c screensave­rs. A huge crowd gets down below and it’s impossible not to get swept up in the silliness of it all.

Later, a final treat in the heavenly Venchi 1878 chocolate and coffee bar. An “influencer” wanders by with a small crew, and pauses to film a six-second insert for his Youtube channel. He’s got dreadlocks and is wearing a captain’s hat from the gift shop. He holds an espresso cup aloft. “Hey, I’m on the MSC Seaview, chilling here with my coffee,” he says. With a wink and a dashing smile, he drains the cup.

They do four more takes before they move on. And, oh boy, it’s 1am again. And I reckon he just really wanted that coffee.

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 ??  ?? MAKE MINE A DOUBLE A guest in the ’50s-style Garage Club waits for a drink. By day, this is an alcohol-free zone for teens. MELTING CLOCKS The onboard art gallery features several sculptures by Salvador Dali.
MAKE MINE A DOUBLE A guest in the ’50s-style Garage Club waits for a drink. By day, this is an alcohol-free zone for teens. MELTING CLOCKS The onboard art gallery features several sculptures by Salvador Dali.
 ?? Pictures: Elizabeth Sleith ?? CRYSTAL PALACE The atrium stretches over four decks, a lively spot for entertainm­ent with amazing ocean views.
Pictures: Elizabeth Sleith CRYSTAL PALACE The atrium stretches over four decks, a lively spot for entertainm­ent with amazing ocean views.
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