'Live From' MSC World Europa - Yacht Club - 10/11/23 - 17/11/23

[dexddd]

They had elusive chocolate peanuts for check in.  Our recent NYC nothing other than drinks.

 

They finally budged from dark brown furniture in lounge.

 

YC staffing is really the issue vs Haven.  NCL goes with minimum and bare bones running them ragged.  MSC staffs better numbers.

 

Trolley of drinks is a great idea.  Buffet looks great.  That dinner menu same as what we had on gala night.  Wasn't a fan of most.  Too much seafood or things like duck we don't care for. Our fridge was identical to yours.  Normally Europe was Pepsi, US coke.  This was our fourth time on Mera and different from previous three.

 

Fruit in room, we were told it would come, never did.  Maybe a trial to reduce waste??  Not missed but if we had kids with they usually eat.  When roaming ship we saw a note on a door 'no fruit'.  Believe this was message asking for it and it was later in trip.

 

Overall ship looks great.  Have a good time.

[Captain-John]

21 minutes ago, dexddd said:

 

YC staffing is really the issue vs Haven.  NCL goes with minimum and bare bones running them ragged.  MSC staffs better numbers.

 

This is definitely the case for this trip too

 

Heading for our excursion this morning, the number of staff to meet, greet and escort was significant between leaving the cabin and entering the TSL. 

 

Likewise on the pool deck, on Joy we had one, at most two, circulating and we had to flag them down to place orders. Much more present and proactive on MSC and always busy clearing and restocking. 

 

We were told by our butler (I didn't think it was this high) at max capacity YC on WE can take 480 guests and we are running at about 300 for this cruise so that undoubtedly helps. 

 

So far never a wait to be seated at lunch or dinner and the lounge has never felt crowded either. 

 

MSC do the lounge much better than NCL too in my opinion. On Joy, there was no live entertainment, nor any piped background music. The bar area is popular and creates its own atmosphere but not the lounge. On a Caribbean itinerary the observation lounge was dead at night. Completely desolate and a waste of space to me. There is a far better atmosphere in the TSL. 

 

One thing I thought would be an issue, but hasn't been yet, is the crescendo of noise from both a full restaurant and a busy lounge with the piano going. 

 

 

[Captain-John]

Sorry to report we did not enjoy the meal in La Brasserie (the main course anyway).

 

The much hyped (by virtually all staff) section of the buffet that is open to YC guests as an overflow from the main restaraunt was a poorly explained concept. Different wait staff gave different indications of how much to order. We wanted the tandoori chicken but was told it would feed 3-4 people. Another waiter said they could reduce the portion but only on some items. In the end we opted for steak and it tasted of cooking oil and black pepper. I don't know if it had to be heavily coated in oil so it didn't stick to the hot stone or not but the actual beef itself was tasteless. 

 

Starters and dessert were good however.

 

Not sure we will go back and feels like a 'wasted' meal. We still have a Butcher's Cut to organise and I think I will have the filet tonight to get a taste for a good steak. 

 

 

Instead of bread:

 

 

Chicken empenada 

 

 

Pork belly 

 

 

Beef and lamb keftoes

 

 

Steak. The sides were also not great. A warm coleslaw salad is a new one on me. 

 

 

Hot cookie

 

 

We spent some time in the casino and left down, the slot machines were ice cold. 

 

Treat left in room by butler. 

 

 

Genoa today. No real plans as have been before and weather overcast. Will wander around town. 

 

Don't think we will go for restaurant lunch today but instead try room service. 

 

QR_W_YC_LUNCH_DAY1_EN_1699777580.pdf

 

QR_DD_YC-ROOM-SERVICE_OTHER_DAYX_EN_1699779219.pdf

 

[burdcats]

That food does not looks good. I can see how that steak would taste just by looking at it. It isn’t cooked well and the sear is poor.

[sverigecruiser]

20 hours ago, Captain-John said:

 

 

Just a note on the drinks menus, odd situation in the TSL and ain ish they have would bring back paper menus. 

 

We scanned the QR code but were told that is not the full menu. 2 paper menus were presented and we were invited to take a picture for reference. 

 

 

We cruised om the WE in July and they always gave us the papermenu. I wish they had them on the tables.

[Captain-John]

. 

Edited November 12, 2023 by Captain-John
Whole post disappeared.

[Captain-John]

Let's try again. 

 

Continuing the theme of disappointing food, foolishly we ordered room service instead of eating in the dining room or Grill. 

 

Took at least 30 minutes to be delievered and a waste of calories for what we did eat. 

 

Four cheese pizza, which was just warm and not hot. Not as good as previous iterations I've had of this on other ships. 

 

 

 

BBQ wrap - really watery sauce and inedible. Served cold. 

 

 

Club sandwich - passable but underwhelming. 

 

 

Regret not going to the Grill. 

 

 

 

Priority elevator certainly 'appears' to work but in reality we have not had to wait long for a lift anyway so it's hard to see if it truly is making a difference. 

 

 

 

Other observations are that one hot tub on the pool deck is insufficient for the size of the YC. This is not a peak weather sailing but imagine it would not be a pleasant time if it was. 

 

We are docked beside Orchestra today in Genoa and it appears some work is being done with drained hot tubs and lots of maintenance crew on balconies. 

 

 

 

 

We had a nice walk around Genoa this morning. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 12, 2023 by Captain-John

[Captain-John]

Pro for MSC and con for MSC compared to NCL. 

 

The thermal suite was busy again today. Not jam packed like yesterday but busy enough to want to avoid it. 

 

Per my earlier comment, 1 hot tub on YC pool deck is not enough. However, YC guests have access to the Aurea area  which hosts two giant hot tubs. The YC area connects via stairs. 

 

NCL Haven guests are not afforded access to Vibe (their version of Aurea sun deck). This is disappointing on busy sea days and packed ships so pro for MSC here. 

 

NCL manages thermal access much better. Sadly they no longer offer 'spa' cabins that include thermal access, but presumably this will reduce loads even further if it's chargeable as a seperate package for all cruisers. We have never been in an NCL thermal suite as busy as has been on World Europa so far. 

 

If only there was a 'super' line that existed which pulls together the best bits of each line and offers them together. One can dream. 

Edited November 12, 2023 by Captain-John

[ConnieTact]

6 hours ago, Captain-John said:

Pro for MSC and con for MSC compared to NCL. 

 

The thermal suite was busy again today. Not jam packed like yesterday but busy enough to want to avoid it. 

 

Per my earlier comment, 1 hot tub on YC pool deck is not enough. However, YC guests have access to the Aurea area  which hosts two giant hot tubs. The YC area connects via stairs. 

 

NCL Haven guests are not afforded access to Vibe (their version of Aurea sun deck). This is disappointing on busy sea days and packed ships so pro for MSC here. 

 

NCL manages thermal access much better. Sadly they no longer offer 'spa' cabins that include thermal access, but presumably this will reduce loads even further if it's chargeable as a seperate package for all cruisers. We have never been in an NCL thermal suite as busy as has been on World Europa so far. 

 

If only there was a 'super' line that existed which pulls together the best bits of each line and offers them together. One can dream. 

We found the same on Virtuosa and Grandiosa with so many people using the spa. We didn’t the using our YC perk of going for an hour each day because it isn’t enjoyable with it so crowded. I agree, we often have used spa on NCL and rarely have we felt it too busy.

[ConnieTact]

12 hours ago, Captain-John said:

Sorry to report we did not enjoy the meal in La Brasserie (the main course anyway).

 

The much hyped (by virtually all staff) section of the buffet that is open to YC guests as an overflow from the main restaraunt was a poorly explained concept. Different wait staff gave different indications of how much to order. We wanted the tandoori chicken but was told it would feed 3-4 people. Another waiter said they could reduce the portion but only on some items. In the end we opted for steak and it tasted of cooking oil and black pepper. I don't know if it had to be heavily coated in oil so it didn't stick to the hot stone or not but the actual beef itself was tasteless. 

 

Starters and dessert were good however.

 

Not sure we will go back and feels like a 'wasted' meal. We still have a Butcher's Cut to organise and I think I will have the filet tonight to get a taste for a good steak. 

 

 

Instead of bread:

 

 

Chicken empenada 

 

 

Pork belly 

 

 

Beef and lamb keftoes

 

 

Steak. The sides were also not great. A warm coleslaw salad is a new one on me. 

 

 

Hot cookie

 

 

We spent some time in the casino and left down, the slot machines were ice cold. 

 

Treat left in room by butler. 

 

 

Genoa today. No real plans as have been before and weather overcast. Will wander around town. 

 

Don't think we will go for restaurant lunch today but instead try room service. 

 

QR_W_YC_LUNCH_DAY1_EN_1699777580.pdf 102.25 kB · 7 downloads

 

QR_DD_YC-ROOM-SERVICE_OTHER_DAYX_EN_1699779219.pdf 884.71 kB · 13 downloads

 

I think we would avoid the Brasserie and even if it meant waiting, we would go to YC restaurant. Thanks for sharing your experience. I’m sorry to hear you seem to have wasted a meal. 

[Captain-John]

I fed back to the concierge our thermal suite experience. She seemed very surprised they are assured by the spa things are 'always tranquil' - but she also finished my sentence for me when I said it was busy - she said 'chaos.' 

 

The only resolution is to book a quieter time which seems to be 9/10am, so I don't think the thermal suite will be an amenity we can use this trip. Perhaps they need to control access more or have 'YC only' hours to protect the amenity that is offered. 

 

Meal last night was good. 

 

QR_W_YC_DINNER_DAY1_EN_1699777583.pdf

 

Tomato soup - there was cubes of cheese through the soup which initially were not melted but as time went on blended in to the dish. 

 

 

Chicken and duck terrine

 

 

 

Filet mignon x2 - smaller than I remember but cooked medium rare as requested. The waiter did not leave until I cut into it to make sure! 

 

 

Profiteroles - the chocolate sauce was very tasty. 

 

 

A walk around Civitavecchia today:

 

 

 

 

Followed by lunch at the YC grill

 

QR_EH_YC-SUNDECK-POOL_LUNCH_DAY2_EN_1699877832.pdf

 

Main dining menu for the reference

 

QR_W_YC_LUNCH_DAY2_EN_1699877343.pdf

 

Burrito

 

 

Cuban

 

 

 Side of coleslaw - one between two would have been enough. 

 

 

I want to track down the YC director later (he is always visible and also assists with pouring wine and clearing tables in the dining room - very much leading by example from what I can see). Keen to ask for as late a disembarkation time as possible as we have a late flight home on Friday. 

 

Also apparently he is the only person in the YC who can issue tokens to the Speakeasy. 

 

Edited November 13, 2023 by Captain-John

[sverigecruiser]

On 11/12/2023 at 4:59 PM, Captain-John said:

 

Per my earlier comment, 1 hot tub on YC pool deck is not enough. However, YC guests have access to the Aurea area  which hosts two giant hot tubs. The YC area connects via stairs. 

 

NCL Haven guests are not afforded access to Vibe (their version of Aurea sun deck). This is disappointing on busy sea days and packed ships so pro for MSC here. 

 

 

When we cruised in July one hot tub was enough but it's possible that it was a little too hot on the pooldeck then.

 

We paid for VIBE when we cruised on Norwegian Breakaway. The main reason for that was that sometimes there are too many children in the Haven and we wanted to be able to avoid that.

[ConnieTact]

6 hours ago, Captain-John said:

I fed back to the concierge our thermal suite experience. She seemed very surprised they are assured by the spa things are 'always tranquil' - but she also finished my sentence for me when I said it was busy - she said 'chaos.' 

 

The only resolution is to book a quieter time which seems to be 9/10am, so I don't think the thermal suite will be an amenity we can use this trip. Perhaps they need to control access more or have 'YC only' hours to protect the amenity that is offered. 

 

Meal last night was good. 

 

QR_W_YC_DINNER_DAY1_EN_1699777583.pdf 695.21 kB · 3 downloads

 

Tomato soup - there was cubes of cheese through the soup which initially were not melted but as time went on blended in to the dish. 

 

 

Chicken and duck terrine

 

 

 

Filet mignon x2 - smaller than I remember but cooked medium rare as requested. The waiter did not leave until I cut into it to make sure! 

 

 

Profiteroles - the chocolate sauce was very tasty. 

 

 

A walk around Civitavecchia today:

 

 

 

 

Followed by lunch at the YC grill

 

QR_EH_YC-SUNDECK-POOL_LUNCH_DAY2_EN_1699877832.pdf 117.4 kB · 4 downloads

 

Main dining menu for the reference

 

QR_W_YC_LUNCH_DAY2_EN_1699877343.pdf 100.08 kB · 5 downloads

 

Burrito

 

 

Cuban

 

 

 Side of coleslaw - one between two would have been enough. 

 

 

I want to track down the YC director later (he is always visible and also assists with pouring wine and clearing tables in the dining room - very much leading by example from what I can see). Keen to ask for as late a disembarkation time as possible as we have a late flight home on Friday. 

 

Also apparently he is the only person in the YC who can issue tokens to the Speakeasy. 

 

Great idea for YC to have its own hour or so! Much better than mixing with the hoarders of folk down there. We didn’t use it at all the last two cruises but would if this was the case! 

lobe your pictures b6 the way! Excellent review so far.

[Captain-John]

Today we are in Palermo and again had a relaxing start. 

 

Detailed readers will note we have not had a breakfast onboard yet. We find breakfast doesn't work for us as we end up being too full for lunch. We will go once before the end of the cruise just for the experience. 

 

We are booked into Butcher's Cut this evening to use the Diamond meal. Perhaps would have used it in the Garden restaurant but not part of the deal apparently. 

 

Last night the meal was 6.5/10, perhaps partly a wrong choice with the monkfish. 

 

QR_W_YC_DINNER_DAY2_EN_1699877346.pdf

 

Cheese souffle  x2

 

 

Filet with crab  (I thought it would have been crab leg but shredded crab and not much of it). 

 

 

Monkfish - DW said very tough and chewy so overdone. 

 

 

Fries to share

 

 

Cheese - not as good as the first night, seemed to be lots of the same type of cheese rather than a variety. They had to source the crackers from the buffet (presumably) as they weren't offered when ordering and when I asked it was clear it was going to be a bit of work for them. 

 

 

 

 

 

We explored Palermo on foot and the weather was very nice indeed for mid - Novemberm. I did have some trepidation about cruising this late in the Med season but we have been very lucky so far and I would book at this time of year again. 

 

Crepes suzette

 

 

At our James our waiter's insistence I was given a B52 and DW a rum cocktail. Jamese does not let you leave the restaurant if you aren't at least tipsy! 

 

 

Afterwards we explored the ship for a bit

 

Pub - always popular, people dancing in the aisles and up close and personal with the performers. 

 

 

Deck 8 aft. This space could be better utilised as it is never busy. 

 

 

 

TSL

 

 

Evening snack in the cabin

 

Edited November 14, 2023 by Captain-John

[Captain-John]

We explored Palermo on foot and the weather was very nice indeed for mid-November. I did have some trepidation about cruising this late in the Med season but we have been very lucky so far and I would book at this time of year again. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 14, 2023 by Captain-John

[Captain-John]

Lunch today was fine. 

 

QR_W_YC_LUNCH_DAY4_EN_1699951452.pdf

 

Duck rillettes x2

 

 

Rooster - not a lot of meat but fine for lunch. Great sauce. 

 

 

Vegetable curry 

 

 

Fries 

 

 

Chocolate fudge cake 

 

 

Another 6.5. Should have scored all of our meals but will try and do going forward. 

 

Managed to arrange a 2.30pm departure on Friday head of our 7pm flight so pleased with that. We can have lunch and continue to use all the facilities. We have the cabin until 10am (Diamond benefit). 

[Captain-John]

Last night we used our Diamond meal in Butcher's Cut. 

 

It was reserved via the YC concierge for 8pm. 

 

When we arrived, there were no indoor tables available and a considerable wait for one. 

 

I take issue with this as a YC guest and Diamond member - we weren't asked when the reservation was made if we wanted inside or outside, and I found out later the request would not be honoured by Butcher's Cut anyway - it's first come, first served. 

 

The venue is again too small for the number of guests who use it. They have tables outside (because they have to) and it's akin to eating in a shopping mall. Yes I acknowledge some may wish to eat outside but that's not for us. 

 

Loud and boisterous groups were passing the table and it was not a relaxing dining experience, however the food and service was very good. 

 

Food/service - 8/10

Ambiance - 2/10

 

My apologies, I don't have a menu as the start of the meal was overshadowed by the seating issue. 

 

We picked from the dining experience part of the menu, 3 courses total or 50% discount off an item from the main menu not listed in the dining experience section.

 

Bone marrow - large bones but not a lot of marrow content. A first for me. 

 

 

Prawn cocktail

 

 

14oz NY strip - perfectly medium-rare as requested. 

 

 

 

Onion rings 

 

 

Filet and fries - seemed larger than that served in YC albeit doesn't look it in the picture. 

 

 

Cookie

 

 

Cheesecake

 

 

Ambiance (view from the table) 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 15, 2023 by Captain-John

[Captain-John]

I spoke to the Concierge after the meal who accepted my feedback about being able to request inside or outside dining. We would have taken a different day or a different time to dine inside had we been afforded the option. 

 

Today the YC director stopped us and explained he had been made aware of my comments. He said some people do enjoy eating outside to 'people watch' but can also understand why others would not enjoy it. He offered a complimentary meal at Kaito or Hola in mitigation. We accepted his kind offer and we are having lunch at Hola tomorrow. 

 

We ate at the YC grill this afternoon after exploring the 'Three Cities' and Valetta. 

 

Lunch menu in the restaurant was

 

QR_W_YC_LUNCH_DAY13_EN_1700041205.pdf

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grill lunch

 

 

 

 

Cod wrap

 

 

Lamb skewer  - more pitta bread required 

 

 

For a quick lunch it was OK, 6/10.

 

 

Edited November 15, 2023 by Captain-John

[DaKahuna]

@Captain-John Loving your review pictures and comments.  Please keep them coming.

 

[Stockjock]

Thanks for sharing, looks very nice.  I'll be on the World Europa w/the same itinerary in a few weeks.  We have one of the larger Aurea suites.  Thought about bidding on YC, but I figure that w/a drink package, wi-fi, and 4 specialty restaurants out of 7 nights, Aurea should be fine for us.

[Captain-John]

59 minutes ago, Stockjock said:

Thanks for sharing, looks very nice.  I'll be on the World Europa w/the same itinerary in a few weeks.  We have one of the larger Aurea suites.  Thought about bidding on YC, but I figure that w/a drink package, wi-fi, and 4 specialty restaurants out of 7 nights, Aurea should be fine for us.

That was the original plan for us too but we snagged a good deal for YC that made it worth it to us to cancel the original Aurea booking and go with YC. It was through a German T/A and not without a bit of nervousness but all worked out in the end. 

 

The Aurea sun deck is very nice and large, and at this time of year not too busy. The hot tubs are huge. You have to sign towels in and out which you don't in YC. Big bar on the Aurea deck which is under-utilised and it is well staffed all over the deck. You will have a great time. 

 

 

 

Butcher's Cut was very tasty despite the seating and we will sample Hola tomorrow so a speciality package is a good investment I think and was part of our 'YC light' plan as well.

 

I'm seeing a few names I recognise from the Celebrity boards so thank you for your recent contributions over there particularly about the food @Stockjock as we are sailing on Millenium to Japan next May. 

 

That leads me to say @DaKahunaI don't think we are on the exact same sailing (we are May 27th)  but I've seen many of your posts on roll call threads and others for the Millenium Japan sailings so good to 'meet' you over here. 

 

 

[Captain-John]

On 11/11/2023 at 12:22 AM, morpheusofthesea said:

'Read' that they did away with reserved seating for Yacht Club guests in theatre ?

 

Sorry for the delay in reply. I just asked the concierge and he confirmed there is no need to reserve a time for a show. Just show up at the concierge desk 10-15 minutes before show time and there will be a butler escort down to the theatre where you can 'choose any seat.' 

 

So not entirely clear if there is a a reserved seating area but sounds like there is. He definitely said you don't need to pre-book any show, hope that helps. 

[DaKahuna]

16 hours ago, Captain-John said:

That was the original plan for us too but we snagged a good deal for YC that made it worth it to us to cancel the original Aurea booking and go with YC. It was through a German T/A and not without a bit of nervousness but all worked out in the end. 

 

The Aurea sun deck is very nice and large, and at this time of year not too busy. The hot tubs are huge. You have to sign towels in and out which you don't in YC. Big bar on the Aurea deck which is under-utilised and it is well staffed all over the deck. You will have a great time. 

 

 Is it true the YC guest can also use the Aurea sun deck and it's facilities? 

 

16 hours ago, Captain-John said:

 

 

That leads me to say @DaKahunaI don't think we are on the exact same sailing (we are May 27th)  but I've seen many of your posts on roll call threads and others for the Millenium Japan sailings so good to 'meet' you over here. 

 

  Unfortunately it seems we are not.  We are on the May 2nd - 15th sailing.   I am planning to do my usual run at a live review but we'll see how that goes.  It has been 30 years since I was last in Japan so it will be like most things are new to me.  I am really looking forward to experiencing it all over again, especially the food and scenery. 

 

[Captain-John]

Just now, DaKahuna said:

 

 Is it true the YC guest can also use the Aurea sun deck and it's facilities

 

Yes, I was welcomed by the Aurea deck crew after explaining I was coming from YC. There is a push button at the bottle of the staircase to gain access from the YC areas to Aurea sun deck.

 

To return, theoretically you can scan your room card and it should pop the gate open but this didn't work for me. Instead of the crew opening it for me, they asked me to go back inside via the 'public' way and I had to re-enter the YC myself. 

 

If we had more time I'd ask for the key to be re-programmed. 

 

Having this access does make a difference when the YC hot tub is full.

 

You do need to sign towels in and out so I'd suggest bringing plenty from the YC deck upfront. 

 

We have never been to Japan before and thoroughly looking forward to it. It would be great to read your thoughts which will be well timed for our trip. 

[DaKahuna]

1 minute ago, Captain-John said:

 

Yes, I was welcomed by the Aurea deck crew after explaining I was coming from YC. There is a push button at the bottle of the staircase to gain access from the YC areas to Aurea sun deck.

 

To return, theoretically you can scan your room card and it should pop the gate open but this didn't work for me. Instead of the crew opening it for me, they asked me to go back inside via the 'public' way and I had to re-enter the YC myself. 

 

If we had more time I'd ask for the key to be re-programmed. 

 

Having this access does make a difference when the YC hot tub is full.

 

You do need to sign towels in and out so I'd suggest bringing plenty from the YC deck upfront. 

 

 Great Information.  We will be on Divina in February for our very first MSC experience. 

 

1 minute ago, Captain-John said:

 

We have never been to Japan before and thoroughly looking forward to it. It would be great to read your thoughts which will be well timed for our trip. 

 

 I was following this threat on the Celebrity Boards -- he did a very wonderful and thorough job of a live review.  The pictures are amazing.  I only hope our cruise is as enjoyable.  Spring and fall are beautiful times in Japan.