MSC World Europa 9/1 through 9/8 in YachtClub

[Cruiseswithfamilyornot]

I was on the MSC World Europa cruise for one week roundtrip from Barcelona on 9/1 through 9/8.   We travelled in the Yacht Club(all) and were a group of 16 people spread out over 9 rooms including singles.    I have been on well over 50 cruises, but this was my first time on MSC.

 

I found alot of the other reviews on MSC World Europa to be spot on.   While there has been some time to refine/improve in some areas, some things are what they are.

 

Overall, I would say we enjoyed our cruise and the itinerary and found the Yacht Club to be very much worth it, despite some snafus.   Would be go on MSC again?  Really that depends on who you ask and what's more important to them as my more detailed review will show below.  In a nut shell, if you prefer the American way of cruising including more trivias, game shows and the like, then this is not the cruise for you.  But if being able to have that ship within a ship experience at  reasonable price is the most important thing to you, this is the ship for you.  I'm going to be blunt and honest here, but as I've said above, overall it was a very enjoyable experience but there were some things that were not.

 

Embarkation in Barcelona.   10/10.   We were in Yacht Club so separate line, we were on the ship in no time and received an overview and off to our room

 

Pre-boarding items:  In a word, poor.   You can book a massage and specialty restaurants, but you cannot set dates and times until you are on the ship.  That was crazy.   Likewise, cannot book shows in advance.  They also send you a questionnaire a few days before sailing with your choice of pillows, what you want the minibar stocked with, and which daily newspaper you want.  Then you get the EXACT SAME questionnaire when you board.   Then none of it is in your room anyway and you speak to your butler(which is fine btw) and things get done.  The newspaper never came till the last 2 days(which is fine honestly).  Major area of improvement.

 

Yacht Club amenities.  Some GREAT ones honestly.   #1 on the list for me, is each person in a room has two free internet sign ins on different devices.  My last 3 cruises were all luxury cruise lines and premium +(Oceania) and none of them gave you that.   I work full time as did some others so this was big.  Drinks covered up to 14 euros each, very nice.  There was a separate location to disembark the ship for yacht club guests and we never had a line one day, our butler insisted on walking us out.   Great lounge with entertainment every  night, never crowded.   They opened a place called La Brasserie as a second venue for the yacht club located in the buffet on deck 19.   The buffet is closed for just yacht club guests, and you require a reservation.  Food there was shockingly very good, though not the healthiest of fare.   The desserts, especially the warm chocolate chip cookie, were insanely good.  One of the biggies is the ability to use your card to have the elevator come privately for you(ones used exclusively by you).   There are many others honestly.   Yacht Club was as advertised to me.

 

Biggest Positives:  Ship is BEAUTIFUL(except for the casino).   Really much nicer than other main stream cruise lines.   Most servers have a smile.  The chocolate shop and the gelato in particular was great.   Panorama Lounge, although a rip off of 270 on Royal, was a great room with great shows.  Great use of elevators where you push a button for your floor and they tell you which elevator to go to.   Elevators much more efficient.  Our butler, Sandor, was fantastic.  Shows were really better than expected, and some of the best on mainstream lines.  The speak easy room was a HUGE hit, and I can't recommend it enough.  Won't spoil all the details here.  The other big positives were all a part of the yacht club as itemized above.

 

Biggest Negatives:  MASSIVE crowds sometimes on the ship.  Not in Yacht Club but main part of ship.  It was shocking though you learned what times to stay away.  Inconsistency of food and service.  The first night 7 people in our party said they had the worst dinner in the yacht club restaurant they've ever had on a cruise ship.  Most nights it was very good.   Just very inconsistent, sometimes the same dish from one day to the next.   Service also suffered often, especially when busy.   Usually, it was good.  But sometimes they just forget anything asked for and took a long a time to serve.   The third big one was the lack of trivias/game shows and what they had, was terribly overcrowded to the point you couldn't get in.   They need a large room for these activites---and they have the rooms on the ship already in existence.    The ship also had some funky designs that you never got fully used to.  Teppanyaki was the only specialty we went to as we usually love it, it was good, but better on both Royal and Norwegian.  

 

I was in Room 18001, which is one of the Owner Suites.  Great room.   Comfortable bed, plenty of storage, walk in closet, and our butler Sandor deserves medals he was that good.   Negatives were shower was shockingly small and tight(smaller and tighter than a regular yacht club deluxe suite), and the 2/3 of the balcony was in easy viewing distance from the outside area of the Top Sail Lounge, which was not great.

 

Due to weather we had to miss our last stop in Malta, but they rescheduled us to Palermo immediately.   Very good communication and well handled.

 

So overall, nice itinerary, beautiful ship, but if you are at all crowd adverse you won't be happy if not in yacht club and somethings to get used to as a european line vs america.

[Captain-John]

Thanks very much for your review and it sounds like on balance you had a good time. We are sailing her in November so good to get an up to date experience. We will be in 18006 so may have Sandor as well?

 

I am particularly intrigued by the ' La Brasserie ' concept and thought the menu looked great. Although I understand it was introduced to alleviate some of the service issues in the main restaurant.

 

How did you find the YC areas in terms of crowding - e.g. the sundeck/pool/hot tub (is there just one?)

 

Also are drinks in the Speakeasy included in the Premium Plus package? No big deal and I'd still like to go if we are lucky enough to get the invite but I have seen mixed reports on whether it is included for the PP package that comes with YC.

[wirral36]

Hi, thank you for posting this info. Please can you post some pictures of the room you were in and the balcony. If possible I’d like to see where it’s overlooked by the lounge ? 
 

the other thing I’m looking for info on is the ages of the kids clubs and if the kids 10 plus can go into the around the kids club at night ? If anyone is able to advise I’d be very grateful as I can’t find this info anywhere. 

[Cruiseswithfamilyornot]

La Brasserie was excellent, but if you've seen the menu it's a lot of fried and rich food but I was surprised how it was.  The Maitre D' there, I forget her name, is excellent as was the wait staff.

 

On non sea days, no crowding of course on the sun deck.  On the one sea day we had, it was packed. Not like the main pool area, but pretty full with one pool and one hot tub.   The top sail lounge was never crowded and the restaurant was packed around 8 30 at night, and in the morning from 8 am to 9 am.   Service suffered at these times, you could get seated.  

 

The drinks in the speak easy are not included, they make that very clear.  But very worthwhile and again want to leave some things a secret lol.    For Speak easy tickets, if you are in the yacht club, just go to the concierge and they will help you get tickets right away.  If you wait for an "invitation" you won't get one.

 

Sorry that my kids are all 21+ so can't help with anything related to the kids club, though I will tell you kids seemed to be having a fantastic time on board and there was a ton for them to do.  I'll leave for someone else to advise.  I did not take pics of my room, I should have, but honestly didn't want to remember the people sitting outside seeing most of our veranda and the small shower was also not a memory I wanted to keep.  Prefer to focus on the spaciousness of the room(we had all 16 in the living/dining area without an issue).

 

I hope you do have our butler, but I know he is moving to another MSC ship shortly but I don't know exactly when.

 

Enjoy your cruises!   Any other questions I'd be happy to try to answer

 

[Two Wheels Only]

11 hours ago, Cruiseswithfamilyornot said:

I was in Room 18001, which is one of the Owner Suites.  Great room.   Comfortable bed, plenty of storage, walk in closet, and our butler Sandor deserves medals he was that good.   Negatives were shower was shockingly small and tight(smaller and tighter than a regular yacht club deluxe suite), and the 2/3 of the balcony was in easy viewing distance from the outside area of the Top Sail Lounge, which was not great.

 

I'm booked on World America. I narrowed my choices to the Owner's Suite (2 configurations), Royal Suite (2 configurations), and the Duplex Suite. I wasn't happy about any of the balconies (RS was the least desirable). 

 

 

 

Looking at this photo.....

 

 

...it's easier to visualize how the forward part to the Duplex and Owner's Suite balcony can be seen from above. It's not the end of the world but it isn't great. If choosing between a mostly enclosed balcony or an exposed balcony, I'll take the one that is more "open".  The RS balcony is a real downer. If World America is different, I might change. I don't sail it until 2025. 😩

 

[wirral36]

Is this pic Europa ? Looking at the picture the top of the 2 owners suites 18001 has a smaller balcony ? I thought 18001 was supposed to have the bigger balcony ?

[Two Wheels Only]

14 minutes ago, wirral36 said:

Is this pic Europa ? Looking at the picture the top of the 2 owners suites 18001 has a smaller balcony ? I thought 18001 was supposed to have the bigger balcony ?

 

I believe that the stagger gives the deck 18 balcony more depth. Since the deck plans were revealed, I've also believed that deck 18 was the more desirable deck for both the RS and the OS.

Edited September 9, 2023 by Two Wheels Only

[Até]

[MrJulius]

Here is a slightly different look at those World Europa forward cabins. We will be in RS 18003 at the end of October, 2023.

 

Edited September 13, 2023 by MrJulius
Spelling correction

[wirral36]

18001 balcony looks smaller than 16002 but it says the opposite on the website. Who knows. 

[pirate4me2]

Thanks for the review! I’ve been debating on if I want to sail World America, but it seems like crowds are an issue, and the YC design may not be as appealing, if it takes after its sister. 

[wirral36]

Hi, please may I ask if you are able to post pictures of 18001 inside and outside ? I can’t seem to find any videos of it and no pics of the balcony. Also does it have the round lounge chair ?

[Georgia_Peaches]

Thank you for the review!  Wanted to ask what you felt was wrong with the casino as it's a place where we tend to spend a lot of time in the evening.  Also, my experience with YC has been the same as yours regarding the preboarding questionnaire...none of our requests were met ahead of time but were taken care of right away once on board.  Not really sure why they bother with the preboarding questions.  As for the show reservations, it is my understanding that YC guests don't need them.

 

Did you happen to get to the thermal suite?  If so, what are your thoughts?

 

Thanks again!

[no1talks]

1 hour ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

"Not really sure why they bother with the preboarding questions."

Even if the butler never gets the memo, GP, the preboarding question are useful for Yacht Club's inventory preparation as a whole, from cruise to cruise.

[lcpagejr]

Thanks for your review!!  I see there are 20+ more YC cabins than the last 2  Seaside class ships...likely contributing to the YC restaurant crowding and opening of new dining alternative  La Brasserie. Hadn't payed much attention to Europa's design and see it has a Oasis style flair (Opening in Stern area)!? 

Edited September 17, 2023 by lcpagejr

[Georgia_Peaches]

1 hour ago, no1talks said:

Even if the butler never gets the memo, GP, the preboarding question are useful for Yacht Club's inventory preparation as a whole, from cruise to cruise.

A great point I hadn't thought of!  

[sverigecruiser]

4 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Did you happen to get to the thermal suite?  If so, what are your thoughts?

 

 

I think that the waterfall they had was too loud. It was heared very loud also in rooms which should be quiet.

[Cruiseswithfamilyornot]

On 9/17/2023 at 5:51 AM, wirral36 said:

Hi, please may I ask if you are able to post pictures of 18001 inside and outside ? I can’t seem to find any videos of it and no pics of the balcony. Also does it have the round lounge chair ?

I'm sorry that I didn't take pictures of the cabin .   There is a round lounge chair on the balcony

[Cruiseswithfamilyornot]

On 9/17/2023 at 10:00 AM, lcpagejr said:

Thanks for your review!!  I see there are 20+ more YC cabins than the last 2  Seaside class ships...likely contributing to the YC restaurant crowding and opening of new dining alternative  La Brasserie. Hadn't payed much attention to Europa's design and see it has a Oasis style flair (Opening in Stern area)!? 

Having been on many Royal ships, World Europa was built by the same company that builds Royal's ships and there are many parts of the ships that clearly were taken right from Royal's ships.   The back of the ship is 100% like the Oasis ships, except it doesn't have anything in the rear of the ship and the "boardwalk" they have on Royal is replaced with a walkway with the Coffee Emporium, some restaurants, a bar, shops and Sweet Sensations off of it(ice cream, yogurt, and waffles/crepes).   They also have a light show there every night.   The inside of the ship their Panorama Lounge is identical to 270 on the Quantum Ships.    There were other similarities, and some differences.   La Brasserie was great, we are all still talking about it, but not necessarily the healthiest food.  Some of the desserts were amazing.

[Cruiseswithfamilyornot]

On 9/17/2023 at 8:26 AM, Georgia_Peaches said:

Thank you for the review!  Wanted to ask what you felt was wrong with the casino as it's a place where we tend to spend a lot of time in the evening.  Also, my experience with YC has been the same as yours regarding the preboarding questionnaire...none of our requests were met ahead of time but were taken care of right away once on board.  Not really sure why they bother with the preboarding questions.  As for the show reservations, it is my understanding that YC guests don't need them.

 

Did you happen to get to the thermal suite?  If so, what are your thoughts?

 

Thanks again!

 The ship is beautiful.  IMHO it's the nicest looking ship of all of the main stream cruise lines, which is something MSC is apparently known for.     The casino isn't as pretty as the rest of the areas, again IMHO.   Also, it's not as busy, no poker except on seadays(with the exception of the texas hold em table game which I like, but others in my party did not).  So not as pretty of an area, and not as much action going on.

 

I just walked through the Thermal Suite to see it on the first day.   Some others did spend time one day and they felt it was a little overcrowded, smaller space, but they enjoyed it.   Aesthetically, it's very nice though as I think someone else said here the waterfall is a little overpowering.

[lcpagejr]

33 minutes ago, Cruiseswithfamilyornot said:

Having been on many Royal ships, World Europa was built by the same company that builds Royal's ships and there are many parts of the ships that clearly were taken right from Royal's ships.   The back of the ship is 100% like the Oasis ships, except it doesn't have anything in the rear of the ship and the "boardwalk" they have on Royal is replaced with a walkway with the Coffee Emporium, some restaurants, a bar, shops and Sweet Sensations off of it(ice cream, yogurt, and waffles/crepes).   They also have a light show there every night.   The inside of the ship their Panorama Lounge is identical to 270 on the Quantum Ships.    There were other similarities, and some differences.   La Brasserie was great, we are all still talking about it, but not necessarily the healthiest food.  Some of the desserts were amazing.

Thank you for the additional information. I agree shes a beautiful ship… i recently sailed in Odyssey so i can visualize their Panorama lounge.  Hopefully we will have the chance to cruise this ship or her sisters out of FL in future! 

[Cruiseswithfamilyornot]

PS You have to make a reservation to use the Thermal Spa area even if  you're in the yacht club.  They try to monitor the number of people there for overcrowding reasons which is very smart

[Georgia_Peaches]

53 minutes ago, Cruiseswithfamilyornot said:

PS You have to make a reservation to use the Thermal Spa area even if  you're in the yacht club.  They try to monitor the number of people there for overcrowding reasons which is very smart

This is true, however, when we were on Seaside we simply went to the YC concierge when we were ready to go to the thermal suite and they called down and told them we were coming...so, not really so much as a reservation as a heads-up, we're on our way.  At least in our experience...and if it had been any other way, I would have been quite annoyed as the last thing I want to do is stick to a reservation schedule while on vacation.

[Cruiseswithfamilyornot]

I was not on another MSC ship, but I can tell you @Georgia_Peaches that you did need to have the concierge call down for a reservation for you.  They would handle that for you, but you did need a reservation.  Unless it was a day when many were in a port(or so they told my companions), you weren't able to just walk down unfortunately.  I did hear another passenger complain that's not how it was on another MSC ship.  So I guess it's just a function of the timing as if the spa is busy they won't just let you in.   One in my party found that out the hard way unfortunately.

[no1talks]

5 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

"I would have been quite annoyed as the last thing I want to do is stick to a reservation schedule while on vacation."

I'm afraid I plan a somewhat tight schedule when we're in Yacht Club. We have to, really, as a courtesy to the staff. We request things that are out of the ordinary and we want to make sure we're not doing so at an inopportune time.

For example, we have a much more involved style of dining which keeps our server team and the sommelier quite occupied. Accordingly, we stick to the whatever we are told is the best arrival time from the staff's perspective.