Live from the World Europa - Boarded in AbuDhabi

[trintrav]

Greetings from the MSC World Europa!

 

This is our 62nd cruise, and 2nd time on MSC in the Yacht Club.  First was on the Grandiosa last year.   We’ve cruise on many different lines with some recent river cruises as well.  Most of our business goes to NCL.   We are grateful for MSC’s status match program as NCL Platinum has earned us MSC Diamond.  I frequently read reviews here and Im grateful for those that take the time to pose, so its time to pay it forward.

 

We flew to Abu Dhabi for two nights precruise to get accustomed to the time difference.  I am not going to spend much time talking about port calls as this is the World Europa’s last Middle East cruise for a while as she is headed to the Med.   Abu Dhabi was incredible.  A vibrant and modern city, and reasonably priced.  Perfect weather in March.  Everyone was very friendly to us westerners. Used the Careem App to get around.  Their version of Uber and much less expensive than taxis. 

 

Embarkation was flawless.  We arrived at  1130 for a 12 pm appt time and were the only YC members checking in at the time.  Luggage was quickly whisked away, and we were seated in a nice area  and offered refreshments while someone came to us to process our passports (which they keep for a couple days so I’m told).  Before we could even finish our Prosecco’s , our butlers assistant arrived to escort us on board, and though security.  Except for a river cruise, this was the fasted embarkation we’ve ever experienced.

 

Once on board, we were escorted to our suite in the Yacht Club (A pretty standard YC balcony cabin on Deck 18). The Asst Butler explained the room features, and off he went.  We met our Butler Camilla later in the afternoon.  The stateroom while certainly not a  “suite” was very spacious and very well laid out.   Sparkling clean, but to be expected on a ship that is only a couple months old.   Note for those who use CPAP machines.  Bring or ask for an extension cord as there are no outlets near the bed.  Only a USB outlet near the reading light.  They happily brought us an extension cord.

 

After a breather, we explored the ship.    I will say after 60+ cruises, this is by far the nicest, most well laid out, and architecturally pleasing that we have experienced.   Even beats the RCI Oasis class ships.  THe ship is spotless.   We got a tour of the Thermal Suite of the spa, which we plan to take advantage of several times this week.  They say you should make an appt, so we will see how that works out.  Last year on the Grandiosa, we didn’t get to experience it because they only allowed a few in at a time because of the pandemic.  There are several new features we have not seen in other thermal areas.  Excited to try later in the week.

 

Since we are Diamond members, we are allowed one specialty restaurant per cabin, so we plan to choose the steakhouse.  You have limited options, 3 I think.   We purchased the Asian Duo package which allows us to use the Teppanyaki restaurant and the Sushi Restaurant during the week.  Otherwise we will eat in the YC restaurant.   The food there tonight was very good and the service exceptional. 

 

Tonight we opted to see the Broadway Show, which was fantastic. The talent and the set effects are top notch.  We also signed up for the Ibiza Interactive Disco show which was disappointing.  Maybe we didn’t have enough alcohol yet to fully enjoy.  LOL

 

One thing to note on the YC Drink Package. We were told in advance that if you spent over 13 Euros on any one drink you would be charged the full price of the drink…not the difference between the two.   We learned that starting with this cruise, you now pay only the difference.  In this case, 1 euro.  This is reasonable.

 

Regarding the internet.  With YC, you get two devices per person with the Browse package.  Don’t upgrade to Browse and Stream.  If you want to Stream, simply long into a VPN (we use Nord VPN) and you can stream at full speeds. We were able to watch Netflix.   The channel offerings on the TV are horrible 

 

Anyhow, Day 1 in the books.  I am not going to post any photos as there are so many already online everywhere.  If there is anything specific you want to see, let me know.

 

Let me know if you have any questions, and I will try to answer them on my downtime.

 

Cheers!

[RBrowny]

What a brilliant and insightful post.

 

I'm curious about the capacity and how well spread out all the passengers are so there's enough space for everyone, where it doesn't feel over crowded?

[trintrav]

6 hours ago, RBrowny said:

What a brilliant and insightful post.

 

I'm curious about the capacity and how well spread out all the passengers are so there's enough space for everyone, where it doesn't feel over crowded?

Honestly when we were first walking around the ship it felt empty.  I’m not sure what the occupancy is currently but it’s never felt crowded at all. We’ve not wait for anything really. 
 

FYI there is no more reserved seating for YC in the shows. However we got there 5 mins before show time and got decent seats on row 2
 

Demographics, I’d say mostly Russians.  Very few Arabs this week as a Ramadan starts in a couple of days. 

[trintrav]

Sir Yani Bas beach day 

[sueh664]

This is really interesting 🙂 We board Europa on Sat for 21 nights…. Your point about the drinks package is sparking my curiosity 😂 Do you know if this is just for YC or everyone? Would be great to think you only pay the difference!

[RBrowny]

4 hours ago, trintrav said:

Honestly when we were first walking around the ship it felt empty.  I’m not sure what the occupancy is currently but it’s never felt crowded at all. We’ve not wait for anything really. 
 

FYI there is no more reserved seating for YC in the shows. However we got there 5 mins before show time and got decent seats on row 2
 

Demographics, I’d say mostly Russians.  Very few Arabs this week as a Ramadan starts in a couple of days. 

Thank you for getting back to me! That's brilliant. I think it will all depend on capacity, as we're going to Europe.

 

Hope you have an amazing time. I really can't wait to get on board, for what it's worth we're not in the Yacht Club. It's our first time on MSC as well.

[Two Wheels Only]

Thank you for taking the time to review. 

[trintrav]

5 hours ago, sueh664 said:

This is really interesting 🙂 We board Europa on Sat for 21 nights…. Your point about the drinks package is sparking my curiosity 😂 Do you know if this is just for YC or everyone? Would be great to think you only pay the difference!

Everyone depending on the package you buy.  The regular package includes any drinks up to 13 euros.  Now, the rule is that if the drink is more than 13 you only pay the difference.  Prior to this sailing you had to pay full price for the more expensive drink.  For example last night i was drinking shots of patron which were 14.  I only paid a euro plus the service fee 18 cents i think

[trintrav]

1 hour ago, RBrowny said:

Thank you for getting back to me! That's brilliant. I think it will all depend on capacity, as we're going to Europe.

 

Hope you have an amazing time. I really can't wait to get on board, for what it's worth we're not in the Yacht Club. It's our first time on MSC as well.

I’ve heard mixed reviews about the food in the buffet and main dining room. So far the yacht club food has been fantastic. we are eating at Teppanyaki tonight. 
 

Regardless, the ship, facilities and entertainment has been superb. And we are picky.  You'll Have a great time. 

[sueh664]

2 minutes ago, trintrav said:

Everyone depending on the package you buy.  The regular package includes any drinks up to 13 euros.  Now, the rule is that if the drink is more than 13 you only pay the difference.  Prior to this sailing you had to pay full price for the more expensive drink.  For example last night i was drinking shots of patron which were 14.  I only paid a euro plus the service fee 18 cents i think

Thanks very much!!

[RBrowny]

Just now, trintrav said:

I’ve heard mixed reviews about the food in the buffet and main dining room. So far the yacht club food has been fantastic. we are eating at Teppanyaki tonight. 
 

Regardless, the ship, facilities and entertainment has been superb. And we are picky.  You'll Have a great time. 

Yeah, I've heard mixed reviews. I am not a fussy eater, but my partner is. I don't think we will have a problem at all.

 

Very interesting about stuff costing over 13 and only paying the difference, that's quite good.

 

Enjoy the rest of your vacation!

[ocdb8r]

Thanks for the excellent post.  Answered two questions I had in my mind:  do we get 2 devices per person in YC or per cabin....so glad it's per PERSON; also had previously heard about using a VPN for streaming rather than upgrading - thanks for confirming.

 

No more reserved seating for the shows?!?!  I hope this is due to lower than normal capacity.  This is one of our favorite perks (aside from being able to just show up shortly before, also being sure we also get good seats).

 

Any issues with capacity at the YC dining room or on the YC pool/sun deck?  Some early reports implied the additional capacity of the World Europa had some teething pains for these areas.

 

Glad to hear about the now "upcharge" if you go over 13 Euro - bit disappointed to hear Patron triggered this (I would have expected a shot of any of the main Patron variants to be under 13 Euro!).

[trintrav]

1 hour ago, ocdb8r said:

Thanks for the excellent post.  Answered two questions I had in my mind:  do we get 2 devices per person in YC or per cabin....so glad it's per PERSON; also had previously heard about using a VPN for streaming rather than upgrading - thanks for confirming.

 

No more reserved seating for the shows?!?!  I hope this is due to lower than normal capacity.  This is one of our favorite perks (aside from being able to just show up shortly before, also being sure we also get good seats).

 

Any issues with capacity at the YC dining room or on the YC pool/sun deck?  Some early reports implied the additional capacity of the World Europa had some teething pains for these areas.

 

Glad to hear about the now "upcharge" if you go over 13 Euro - bit disappointed to hear Patron triggered this (I would have expected a shot of any of the main Patron variants to be under 13 Euro!).

Not sure what the current occupancy is.  I was told that MSC did away with reserved seating for YC fleet wide though.   We’ve never had to wait for a table for the YC restaurant but it’s only day two and we tend to eat earlier than most Europeans or Asians.  We haven’t really spent time on the sun deck yet.  Tomorrow is a sea day so we will see. 

[sverigecruiser]

 

Who is the Yacht Club manager and how long will he/she stay on the ship?

 

Any Champagne included in the Yacht Club?

 

We are cruising on the World Europa in July.

[Captain-John]

23 hours ago, trintrav said:

After a breather, we explored the ship.    I will say after 60+ cruises, this is by far the nicest, most well laid out, and architecturally pleasing that we have experienced.   

 

Thanks so much for sharing your experience so far. I note you are primarily NCL cruisers (as are we). Have you by any chance been on Prima, and if so how would you compare to World Europa?

 

Both Prima and Viva are sailing the Med in Nov '23, same time we are boarding WE and it was a real dilemma not helped by the Prima pricing reducing significantly recently.
 

23 hours ago, trintrav said:

 We got a tour of the Thermal Suite of the spa, which we plan to take advantage of several times this week.

 

I appreciate capacity has already been touched on (would have been one of my questions too!) but I am particularly keen to find out how busy the thermal suite gets on the occasions you use it.

 

In the past, on Meraviglia the area became extremely congested and almost unusable so I hope they have mitigated this with the booking system... even although I generally like the freedom of being able to walk in without a booking, I can see the upside.

 

23 hours ago, trintrav said:

One thing to note on the YC Drink Package. We were told in advance that if you spent over 13 Euros on any one drink you would be charged the full price of the drink…not the difference between the two.   We learned that starting with this cruise, you now pay only the difference.  In this case, 1 euro.  This is reasonable.

 

This is great news!

 

Hope you have a wonderful cruise and thanks again for taking the time to share it with us.

Edited March 20, 2023 by Captain-John

[Beamafar]

2 hours ago, sverigecruiser said:

 

Who is the Yacht Club manager and how long will he/she stay on the ship?

 

Any Champagne included in the Yacht Club?

 

We are cruising on the World Europa in July.

Hi SC.  We’re embarking WE next Monday (though not in YC) taking her to Europe over 16 nights. 
 

To the OP - hope you have a wonderful cruise.  Looking forward to reading more. 

[Beamafar]

Which venue was the Broadway show in, the main theatre?  

[sverigecruiser]

8 hours ago, Beamafar said:

Hi SC.  We’re embarking WE next Monday (though not in YC) taking her to Europe over 16 nights. 
 

To the OP - hope you have a wonderful cruise.  Looking forward to reading more. 

 

Have a great cruise!

[trintrav]

12 hours ago, sverigecruiser said:

 

Who is the Yacht Club manager and how long will he/she stay on the ship?

 

Any Champagne included in the Yacht Club?

 

We are cruising on the World Europa in July.

Not sure who the manager is.  And yes, champagne is included. 

[trintrav]

10 hours ago, Captain-John said:

 

Thanks so much for sharing your experience so far. I note you are primarily NCL cruisers (as are we). Have you by any chance been on Prima, and if so how would you compare to World Europa?

 

Both Prima and Viva are sailing the Med in Nov '23, same time we are boarding WE and it was a real dilemma not helped by the Prima pricing reducing significantly recently.
 

 

I appreciate capacity has already been touched on (would have been one of my questions too!) but I am particularly keen to find out how busy the thermal suite gets on the occasions you use it.

 

In the past, on Meraviglia the area became extremely congested and almost unusable so I hope they have mitigated this with the booking system... even although I generally like the freedom of being able to walk in without a booking, I can see the upside.

 

 

This is great news!

 

Hope you have a wonderful cruise and thanks again for taking the time to share it with us.

We have not sailed on the Prima yet.  Only 2-3 times in the Haven as it’s usually out of our price range. The yacht club as you know is very reasonable compared to NCL.

 

I visited the thermal suite yesterday in the afternoon of a port day.  They seemed put off a bit that i didn’t have an appointment but allowed me access anyway.  It was not crowded at all with all of the features except the snow room in operation. 

Edited March 21, 2023 by trintrav

[trintrav]

8 hours ago, Beamafar said:

Which venue was the Broadway show in, the main theatre?  

There are really two main theaters in this ship. The larger world Theater on deck 7 is where the broadway shows are. 

[Beamafar]

1 hour ago, trintrav said:

There are really two main theaters in this ship. The larger world Theater on deck 7 is where the broadway shows are. 

Thank you.  I thought as much, both that there was a second venue and that the Broadway show was probably in the main one.  Wanted to make sure so I can keep an eye out for it. 👍

[trintrav]

First stop was in Sir Yani Bas Island. I don’t plan on commenting much on the port calls because the Europa is leaving the Middle East for the Med at the end of this cruise.   The most important takeaway was to book the wildlife tour for early Am hours when the animals are most active.   We saw everything but the cheetahs.   Pretty amazing place. 
 

We had dinner last night at the Teppanyaki place last night.  The food was good but our cook was a dud. The other cooks in the place were so lively and engaging.  Ours, not so much. He was pleasant and soft spoken.  But not the show we were expecting. 
 

Today is a sea day.  We had an 11 am appointment for the Thermal area.  It was pretty crowded, but with some patience you could visit all of the features.  The impolite people who put their towels and books and glasses and such on the thermal loungers to reserve them while they are doing other things are annoying. That shouldn’t be allowed.  They are limited as it is.  I was tempted to take the stuff and put it on the floor, but my wife made me behave. 🙂 

[RBrowny]

Oh, I Can I ask who is able to access this area please? To me, it looks the best location for me and my partner away from the main pool, and just offers a fantastic all round view. Thank you

[trintrav]

27 minutes ago, RBrowny said:

Oh, I Can I ask who is able to access this area please? To me, it looks the best location for me and my partner away from the main pool, and just offers a fantastic all round view. Thank you

Everyone has access to that area.  Haven’t been back there during the day to see how crowded it is