Episode 3 | 7-Day Cruise from Yokohama Japan on MSC Bellissima 

It’s sad to see you not enjoying your time on the ship. However, it’s also refreshing to see a travel vlogger give an honest but not sensationalist view on things. We can feel your disappointment without you needing to shout about it. By the way, I want to thank you for your videos. I like your style. No shouting, no crazy camera cuts, no drama. It’s very relaxing to watch and these days, I need to relax. Stay safe and stay happy. 😊

"I'll just order with zero expectation." is truly the saddest thing I've seen STJ say.

“should i grill it myself?…with my passion?…” 😂😂😂 i always look forward to your videos 😊

“Stay positive and get the toilet paper” are words to live by. 🙂

"Prison break" was my favorite line from the whole trip. Haha! Thanks for showing us your journey.

I saw in the Cruise forum on Reddit a question about had anyone just abandoned a cruise and made their own way home. There was a reference to MSC banning those passengers for life, but the most common response to that was , “Please do!” Good luck! I hope you find good foods in ports. Always watching!

Thank you for making these three episodes because now we know NOT to take an MSC cruise. I could feel the misery emanating off the TV screen. 😅 It seemed like a special flavor of hell.

Well, I'm at loss for words. You've had better conditions on vending machine ferries TBH. It doesn't show the cruise line in a very good light. Glad you managed to get some nice food when you went ashore. Your bravery has not gone unnoticed. Take care.

As a European, I got to give it to MSC that they managed to provide a very authentic taste of the European idea of customer service (both figuratively and literally). There is a saying in Germany that goes "the customer is king". Thing is, we have a history of dealing with kings in a certain way in Europe, so.. that's that. Joking apart, glad you made it out alive 😅

"The rice was good." Ouch. Happy to see you found some tasty food once you left the ship!

The dessert chef seems to be the only person aboard the kitchen who cares about the food. I really like the way the desserts are plated. The other dishes, well...

Showing that first breakfast: "The rice was good." :-D "Some pie. Some soup. Some beef. Dessert." TSJ-san is OVER IT.

All I can say about dinner is dessert looked ok. I think I rather just stick to the food in the Marketplace. I worked as a chambermaid in an upscale resort and my boss would have never allowed a stained duvet like that.

The people in charge of that food (and a lot of other parts of that cruise) should really be ashamed of themselves. A lot of people work hard and save a lot of money to go on trips like this and they look forward to it for a long time. And then something like bad food such as that can ruin the whole experience and trip. 😔 But that's why we appreciate you STJ, because your videos can help us plan a trip based on showing us who does a good job and who doesn't! Luckily it got better later on!

I would pretty much be writing a scathing letter to the cruise line! Thanks for sharing - we all know what cruise NOT to take, now! Glad you are off the ship safe and sound.

MSC does have a reputation as being a bad cruise liner company. My recommendation is to try going with Princess Cruises, I have been on 2 cruises with them and the food is exceptional! And they offer free room service 24 hours a day.

Well thats one cruise company i wont be using hope you arrived home safely and thank you for the videos ❤

Your positive attitude won despite being what seems like a miserable trip. I love your videos, and I will always come back to them.

Oh, STJ, this was definitely the Cruise Trip from Hell. Perhaps you felt at times that pitching yourself into the Pacific would be better. Some of those dining room food offerings were appalling. Not all cruising is this bad. Perhaps you can find a better line to travel on in the future. Thanks for sharing your ordeal with us, your loyal fans.

When what I am eating at home while watching this video is 5x better than your food on the ship, there is a problem. 😂

Wow. Just wow. I would have gotten off at the first stop and flew home. How you managed the entire trip is amazing. I enjoy your snarky little comments, they make me laugh. Glad you passed your "anger management course". :)

I could never have dinner with people I don't know, so props to you. I am an introvert to the max. I've gone on a few Disney cruises with my friends, so we always had our own table.

STJ, my heart ached watching this!! The trip from Hell lacks in description of this "cruise!" I would have lost it well for that, and they probably would have been tossing me off the ship!! The food was abominable, the extra charges for almost everything had a severe problem! I would send this video along with any edited-out clips to the Japanese Tourism Board to have the management investigated. At least you had a few days (hours) to get some decent food into you. What other passengers thought about it? You needed those very stiff drinks to ensure you got through the rest of the torturous cruise.

We had a cruise from Hell on Norwegian about twenty years ago but even they didn't have the nerve to charge extra for water with dinner! That beautiful picture on the screen over the pool during the rain was like they were just taunting you.

OMG! I haven't laughed this much today. Your comment, along with the visual, about the restocked TP in the bathroom is EVERYTHING! 😂 *camera pans to open vanity* And . . .comment! "It is stocked there. The door was open, like 'Don't ask us again, we put it here.'" Yes, that was comedy! LOL!!!!!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

When I was planning my last cruise, I considered MSC. So GLAD I WENT W CARNIVAL! I'm a pretty patient person, but if I were in Solo's place, I'd have gotten off in Taiwan. Btw, Solo, if you want to try again, consider an American cruise to the Caribbean. Just bring max strength ear plugs, cause we Americans are as loud as hell. LOL! Loud music, loud talking, and loud, brightly colored clothes when we go on vacation.

The bus application refusal was the final insult. What a terrible experience. Your ferry journeys rate many levels higher than thiscruise ship. Thank you for sharing your experience. Your videos are always sowell presented. Thank you!

Oh, you poor sweet thing - thank you for your sacrifice! When the video started I thought “wow, things improved!” and then realized “oh, duh, ports!” This makes the ferries seem absolutely first class! Should we start a “go fund me” to treat you to a trip on one of your favorite routes? Glad you found decent food in the ports!

First, I have to say I love your attitude. I feel so bad that you had such a bad cruise. Terrible food, and terrible service. At least you got good food when you got off the ship. Second, I love that you shared this with all of us. We won’t go on that cruise. )At my age, I’m not going anywhere anyway.). Third, love and best wishes on your future trips, from NC, USA

Thank you very much for sharing your journey with us. That packed dinner table gave me anxiety. And glad you truly enjoy the local food, away from the ship.

I was so happy to see your rice with one meal, and going to the buffet to fill up with desserts after dinner. Going into the city for food in Taiwan was an excellent idea. I am sad that the trip has been so disappointing! Thank you for sharing your troubles and adventures with us! Many happy curries in the future!

I am so sorry for your rather sad trip. The only exception was the good food in Taiwan and Okinawa and the kind man who shared his table with you. I still enjoy your videos and that you managed to not let this trip get to you! Bravo Solo Travel Japan!!

I am really sorry for you to have to go through this ordeal. I never went with cruise-ships because of all the reasons you so clearly lay out in these video's. The food's abhorrant, and the service...well, let's not talk about the service 😅 ... I hope you will get better luck with your next adventure! Keep positive and keep making these video's my friend. It is so much appreciated here ! Greetings from Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

"THE RICE WAS GOOD"........yeah, sums it up

I love your video style. Well done. I can’t wait to watch more of your adventures

"Cornfirmed!" 🤣🤣🤣 I love his humor!

Beautiful ship 🚢

You entertained us through your pain! Thank you 😊

I am so sorry this trip did not go as you had hoped. Very glad the Marketplace Buffet was there to offer you some alternatives to the restaurant. Though, their breakfast didn't look too bad. I enjoy your channel very much. Thank you for always putting a smile in my heart and Japan in my dreams.

What a journey!!!! and you kept your cool.

I know it wasn't much fun for you but I really enjoyed watching this trip, love your light hearted honesty, glad you got some decent grub (food) at the end

I hope you're gonna fly home!!!! That Bellissima is anything but! But the Weather cleared up for you, so that's good. I, too, am in the south of France and it's been nothing but gray and foggy for weeks now. I need some sun! could use some anger management myself... ✌🤟💙

When your customer calls the Pitstop at a port a "prison break" , you know you're in trouble.

Wow, what a truly anticlimactic ending. I'm so sorry the crew on board truly left no possibility out to disappoint and anger you. The advice I'm getting from this clip: Stick to strictly domestic cruises within Japan. As in, domestic cuisine, crew and customer service.

After a particularly bad day, I will say it’s time to give myself a little “treaty treat” - maybe I’ll order delivery or get a candy bar. After this cruise, you deserve seven days of treaty treats.

When the music started playing at around 9:00, my mind automatically started playing "Sunflower" even though I knew it wasn't going to be there Also, no traditional three blasts on the ship's whistle? Somebody was sleeping up on the Bridge as its seafaring tradition to do so when departing from the berth/pier Yes, STJ, just as well you took that course otherwise you might have torn the ship to pieces... Never have I seen such a poor display from a ship's company and the quality of food is disgusting in the main restaurant Get on a Sunflower ferry and relax in your more natural surroundings

The fact that they didn't announce departures and wouldn't let you on the shuttle at the end is so crappy. This must be the Spirit airlines of cruise ships...

Thank you for sharing this series of videos. It was a very stressful watch, but I am very glad you managed to find nice food and some quiet away from the ship.

Wow .. straight to the airport after all the bad experiences ... i supposed customer satisfaction is not their priority ... glad that you found some consolation in Taipei ... never the less look forward for your next posting ...

"Prison break", "should I grill them with my passion", "the rice was good" were very funny moments to watch. On behalf of my country, I apologise 😞

Just wanted to say thank you very much for always showing us the menu!

Ah Solo .. even when you're going through difficulty, you still manage to make me laugh! 😄

I have never known a cruise ship to be this bad… EVER! The food looked like it came from a cafeteria. Cruises are known for their good food, the sheets & TP were also unacceptable. I’m really sorry this turned out so bad for you. Hope to see your Japanese restaurant experience on your food channel. 👍🏻🤗

Absolutely love your videos. They are soooooo relaxing. I have never been to Japan but now this is on my bucket list!!'.

Glad that you found some good food in Taipei at least. A bit sad for your experience on that cruise. Will there be a separate video about the on shore food? Hope your next trip is much better! Thank you, as always, for bringing us along.

STJ-san, I hope your next few trips are all on ferries, with decent food, and all the free tap water you want.

What an awful experience. I'm glad that you survived. The offshore food definitely saved you!

The food was frightening on that ship! It looked like something found at a low quality summer camp. The housekeeping was also rather indifferent at best- I wouldn't have been happy. I think I would have taken the opportunity to secure lots of snacks on one of the shore excursions, and never ventured into the restaurant again.

You poor thing how awful for you, but you didn't lose your sense of humour (much 😅)seriously though I was so shocked at the way you were treated, certainly was an eye opener, many thanks for taking us on your journey ❤️ ❤❤ thankfully you found some good tasty food 😊😊

19‘53‘‘ Your a lucky guy to watch THIS sun 🌅

Well, if there's one thing we've learned... ...it's that desserts freeze and thaw better than entrees.

I do love a seven day cruise, but you seriously need to book on a cruise line that has some entertainment, a decent menu and staff who are helpful. I can understand why you're disappointed. I could literally feel it while watching. Come take a Caribbean cruise with us. We'll see that you have a good time and plenty of good food to eat.

Hahaha absoluutly love your videos can I grill it with my passion😂😂. Your a true legend❤

Japanese people truly never complain. It’s a bad thing when you genuinely need to

I did some quick looking online, and MSC is not known for being the best at anything, but they are cheaper -- both cruises and hotels. I've only been on one cruise. It was a Royal Caribbean Mediterranean cruise, and it was a first class cruise ship, in every way. Very clean. Great food. Expensive? Yes. But, you often get what you pay for.

'I just picked randomly' looks nice!

Oh dear!!! I'm sorry the cruise was disappointing,STJ !😢 I was relieved when you got to Taiwan. My Uncle married a lady from Taiwan, so I have an aunt and cousins who are Taiwanese & they cooked YUMMY 🍚🥢 food & taught me to use chopsticks too. So now I am a blonde in Georgia USA, who can " do some real damage" in a Japanese or Chinese all you can eat buffet ( but no octopus !!!🤨😝 LOL. 😂.... From Georgia with love ❤

Two words come to mind… PRINCESS CRUISES!!! 😊

I love japanese food. It looks so tasty. Sadly in my homecountry of germany beside of sushi i could not taste it. But your Vids give a good impression. Good Work

Thanks for posting this video.

Thank you for sharing your experience. Personally, I would of eaten from the buffet the whole trip. The food looked better. And you didn't have to spend money on it.

Do you plan on making a video about the japanese chains in taiwan?

I am so sorry you had such a bad experience. I will never go on an MSC cruise. Terrible terrible service and terrible food. Food is one the the things people normally rave about on cruise ships. I was hoping that somewhere on this ship you would find "!!" food. The staff should have done their best to get you on a bus at the end, but I guess it was to expected as the whole cruise was a disappointment. You deserve to find yourself some amazing beef curry.

I was nearly expecting you to go directly to the airport in Taiwan. I bet you were longing for vending machine ferry ;)

I don't know how to express it politely, but I think in this video you can see the clash of the Japanese culture and the European culture as MSC is a European carrier! The "some beef" at 18:41 seems to be (sort of) a Fillet Wellington, the masterpiece of every chef! For me the whole menu was just a "wow!". And no, rice for example isn't usual for breakfest here in Europe. On the other hand I wouldn't set foot on a ship for some 5000+ passengers and 1700 employees. Where I live that's a whole city for itself.

I hope you enjoyed your floating AEON Mall experience with food that looks to be just as bad as that sold at the Futtsu AEON Mall food court.

Kabira Bay is beautiful.

That seemed like the worst experience. I'm so sorry you had to endure that. You are always so calm and make the best of situations you are in. I say well done for making it through that and i hope you're able to get this veto to someone that can investigate this cruise line. ❤

Thanks, I was about to book a cruise with MSC but won't now. Royal Caribbean looks good.

That was sad, but very informative. I hope you'll go on another cruise ship.

I love to see all of your vlogs. more vlogs to come brother.

1:20 Was the rocking motion of the camera due to wave action, or your trauma at seeing your breakfast? 17:57 Not only that, they brought the old stained bedsheets back....

I really loved your adventure continues as the stunning cruise ship. 😊

Bro loves his deserts! Can't blame him...

Sounds like your cruise experience was similar to ours! Will not be doing another one. Although the food looked average at best you should know that down here in Australia that bacon looked good! We like crunchy bacon!

The people at MSC should be ashamed of the quality and level of service they provide! Im glad you got of the ship and had some proper food once in a while during your cruise STJ. Hope you had a good and safe flight back home😊.

Thank you for enduring this so we don’t have to.

Aww, STJ-san. You're always so positive and excited about exploring the ships you go on and experiencing what they have to offer. It's a shame this one seemed so miserable. But at least the food you had in Taipei looked tasty in your other video!

Cannot wait to watch your videos about your Japanese food adventure in Taiwan. Next time, try cruising on a smaller ship, either mid-priced one (like Holland America Line, and choose a ship with about 2000 PAX or less) or an up-market one (like Oceania Cruises, with superb food services, and is about 670 PAX or 1250 PAX depending on the ship.)

i could tell you were low key trying to be excited about the risotto … you tried to do the “!!” shake without the other people at the table noticing 😂😂 well played 👌

You made it out alive!!!!😮

I’ve never been on a cruise but making you leave your room at 7 and then not letting you off the ship for 4.5 hours is crazy 😵‍💫

I would like to see footage from Taiwan next time! It is not Japan, but it is still part of the experience when you travel on a Japanese cruise.

❤❤ thank you for sharing. Beautiful.

You seemed underwhelmed by the food on this cruise. Rightly so. I think it's tight that they charge even for non-alcoholic beverages! -- James

Given your prior reception to the food and bedding, im not surprised this video covers every other day :P

I guess MSC does not do well at localising their food and service to Asian clientele. I am an Asian too, and I have cruised with MSC in the Mediterranean and Norwegian arctic & fjords. From a "European" perspective, it is very good value for money (because dining out in Europe can be very expensive), and the food ranges from ok to good, but their Italian/Neapolitan dishes are always fantastic! In the end, it depends how much you paid, and if your expectations are aligned, knowing that it is a Europe-centric cruise line with Neopoletan 🇮🇹 flair. I paid €55/night as a solo cruise for my last MSC cruise to Italy, Spain and France in January 2024, and knowing that even in Italy, dining out with a 3-course meal at a touristy area in Rome can easily cost €30 or more, I am not complaining much 😅

If you pull the duvet cover out and leave it on the floor, the cleaners should change a clean one for you. Not changing sheets everyday is good for the environment (and profit).

The local food looks way better than what's on the ship

I wish you showed more of the cruise ship amenities. Fitness, shopping, theater.ove your videos.