While MSC Cruises has mega-ships sailing from the U.S., its largest cruise ship is in Europe. So, Heidi and I headed to the Mediterranean to board MSC World Europa to see how this 215K+ gross ton ship compares to other vessels of a similar size. We are back and share how this cruise ship stacks up to the competition with our honest MSC World Europa cruise review.

If you are considering a cruise on MSC World Europa, here are some of our pros and cons of this cruise ship.

Pros:

• New “districts” concept, with highlights being the World Promenade and World Galleria
• Top-notch specialty dining
• Improved theming and specialty cocktail menus at bars and lounges
• One of the best coffee shops at sea
• Lively nightlife
• Many family-friendly activities, the most on any MSC ship

Cons:

• Embarking/disembarking in multiple ports loses some of the normal cruise camaraderie
• While more options, the quality of complimentary dining still falls below the competition
• While smaller than Royal’s Oasis class, it still has roughly the same guest capacity potentially leading to more crowds
• Rather basic staterooms

Our Honest MSC World Europa Review

Complimentary Dining

When it comes to complimentary included dining, other ships in the MSC fleet are lacking. Aside from the main dining rooms, these ships only offer the typical cruise buffet. So, we are happy to report that the World class has upped its game with World Europa and the upcoming World America. MSC World Europa now features some additional spots to grab a quick bite to eat.

Casual Dining on World Europa

The best addition to this ship is Luna Pizza and Burger. This venue is located in the World Galleria on Deck 6, just steps away from the family-friendly Luna Park Arena. This casual, quick-service restaurant was usually open from 11 AM to 2 AM. As the name implies, the venue dishes out slices of freshly made pizza and hot off-the-grill hamburgers. Along with the namesake menu items, the venue also offers other handhelds, like hot dogs, chicken wings, and French fries.

The food was always fresh, as the cooks had to keep up with the demand for this busy venue.

Likewise, a similar menu is also available poolside at Rive Gauche. This was a convenient stop for those wanting something to eat without having to brave the buffet.

MSC World Europa features not one, but two, buffets as well. The two buffets were open for breakfast and lunch; only one was open for dinner though. Il Mercato on Deck 18 and La Brasserie on Deck 19 had similar layouts, dining times, and food selections. During our cruise, staff often directed guests to one or the other buffet based on capacity.

The food at the buffet was edible, though nothing to write home about. Actually, the MSC Seashore buffet had more variety, with different international lunch options. The buffet on that ship also had considerably more dessert options.

Overall, while MSC World Europa has expanded casual dining options, the variety and quality still do not level up to the competition. We found ourselves gravitating towards Pizza & Burger or the specialty restaurants for lunch during our sailing.

The Main Dining Room

MSC World Europa has five main dining rooms with a variety of set dinner times between 5:30 and 9:30 PM. Guests are assigned to a location and dining time based on their preferences and MSC experience level. The restaurants include La Foglia Restaurant (Deck 5), Esagono Restaurant (Deck 6), Hexagon Restaurant (Deck 6), Bubbles Restaurant (Deck 6), and Les Dunes Restaurant (Deck 8).

During our seven-night cruise, we dined in the main dining room three times for dinner. We also tested out the Sea Day brunch on our only sea day. Brunch was a pretty typical and uninventive menu. It did not compare to Carnival’s Sea Day brunch.

For dinner, we had My Choice Dining at Les Dunes which was open from 6:30 to 10 PM. We typically dined around the same time, between 6:30 and 7 PM. Thus, we sat in the same section with the same waitstaff for these meals.  Service was very attentive, with the waiter, assistant waiter, and headwaiter checking in with us during each meal.

The menus on MSC World Europa did differ significantly from those in the main dining room on our recent MSC Seashore cruise. This was presumably to cater to the European market. Again, nothing wowed us in the main dining room, with the pasta selections being among the better dishes we sampled. While served warm with a friendly smile, the meals themselves were average at best.

Specialty Dining

However, what MSC lacks in complimentary dining, it makes up for in specialty dining. Similar to our past experiences, the specialty restaurants offered some of the best food on the ship. And, they rivaled any specialty restaurant on competitor cruise lines.

For this MSC World Europa review, we dined at four of these upcharge venues. The other two venues, Chef’s Garden Kitchen and La Pescaderia, are unique to this ship and will not be present on World America when she debuts in Miami.

The casual Hola Tacos and Cantina is among our favorite spots on any ship. We dined here twice during this cruise—once for lunch and another time with friends for dinner. After all, how can you pass up all-you-can-eat Mexican food for 22 euros? Some of the menu highlights for us included queso fundido, al pastor tacos, chicken enchiladas, and pork tamales. And of course, you can’t skip on the margaritas.

Kaito Teppanyaki always serves up a fantastic dinner and show. I am more of a fan of this Japanese steakhouse on MSC ships than Heidi. This is mainly due to the menu, which features additional sushi and seafood options not typically found on other cruise lines. The food on this trip was on point, even if our chef wasn’t as lively and comical as others we have had in the past.

On the last night of the cruise, we dined at the nearby Kaito Sushi. Using our remaining onboard credit, we sampled some dishes, like chicken teriyaki, yaki soba, fried rice, and sushi rolls. With the a la carte menu, this venue is an excellent option for sushi lovers but does feature other items to satisfy everyone in your travel party.

While we are usually big fans of the Butcher’s Cut steakhouse on MSC ships, this visit did not live up to our previous dining experiences. My steak was well-prepared and cooked to the appropriate temperature, but Heidi’s chicken was rather dry. The side dishes and desserts also fell short this time around.

Another great value on MSC World Europa is the takeout window at the seafood restaurant, La Pescaderia. This venue is located on the World Promenade outdoor space on Deck 8. For 6 Euro, I treated myself to a heaping order of freshly fried seafood one afternoon for lunch. This was a great option since I couldn’t test out the restaurant for dinner with Heidi.

Nearby, guests can also dig into various frozen treats at Sweet Temptations. Along with sundaes, frozen yogurt, and crepes, you can also create your own custom ice cream bar. This was more Heidi’s style; although, I may have sampled some items too!

Pool Deck

MSC World Europa offers a variety of outdoor spaces, each with its own vibe. The ship boasts five pools with most found on Deck 18.

Forward, the Botanic Garden Pool is an indoor solarium. This pool is open to guests of all ages. With a retractable roof, guests could enjoy this indoor pool and four whirlpools even when it was 60 degrees during our November cruise. Similar to the Jungle Pool on other MSC ships, the second deck of this space has tabletop games like ping pong and foosball, along with a bar.  

Still, there were a few days when the weather was in the 70s, so guests had no qualms about taking a dip in the main pool. Midship on Deck 18, La Plage is one of the largest pools we have seen on a cruise ship. With two decks of tiered seating surrounding this pool and four whirlpools, there was plenty of deck space for guests looking to unwind. There’s even a secluded whirlpool and deck space on Deck 21 overlooking the main pool.

The adults-only Zen Pool area is aft on this deck. This space is significantly larger than the adults-only area on other MSC ships. There are plenty of loungers and two good-sized pools, giving those 18+ a quiet retreat from the rest of the families on the ship.

Of course, MSC Yacht Club guests have their own sundeck and pool on Deck 21 forward as well. Although this is the largest MSC Yacht Club in the fleet, the pool and accompanying deck space felt small.

Finally, guests with the Aurea Experience can access the exclusive sundeck, Top 20 Solarium. This outdoor space offers a private bar, two whirlpools, and additional loungers. Upgrading to this experience is a nice perk; although, the other remaining pool decks were never all that busy during our cruise.

Sports Deck

Like other MSC cruise ships, World Europa offers several sports facilities and family-focused amusements, many of them clustered next to each other on Deck 20.

MSC World Europa’s Aurora Borealis waterpark offered three attractions: a tube slide, a drop slide, and dual racing body slides. With some of the warmest weather of the trip, I spent the morning in Civitavecchia enjoying all the aquapark had to offer with few lines. The drop slide was my favorite.

Not far away is the 11-story dry slide, the Venom Drop. Like Royal Caribbean’s Ultimate Abyss, this complimentary activity is popular. So, make sure to get there right when it opens to avoid the queue. When comparing the two slides, I felt like the Venom Drop had more speed than the Ultimate Abyss. Though, both look more intimidating than they actually are.

Nearby, there’s also the indoor MSC Sportplex. This sports area is home to up-charge bumper cars with pricing of 7 euro each ride. Don’t let the size of the court fool you; these electric bumper cars pack a punch and have excellent maneuverability.

Other complimentary activities, like indoor soccer and roller skating, also occur in the Sportplex. For the adults, there’s also a nearby bar and some lounge furniture to relax while the kids are enjoying themselves.

Above the Sportplex are additional digital games. Furthermore, guests can find arcade games in the lobby of the Luna Park Arena as well as in the Hall of Games. The Hall of Games is on Deck 19 and home to two F1 simulators (11 euro) and two VR attractions (5 euro). Next door to Luna Park is the XD cinema (11 euro). We couldn’t help aiming at some zombies during one afternoon of our cruise.

While these attractions are all an up-charge, guests can purchase a Fun Pass, which gives them a discount of up to 40% on these attractions. The Fun Pass works on all digital games, XD cinema, F1 simulators, and bumper cars. So, it is a great deal for families with kids who want to utilize all these amenities over and over again.

Like most cruise ships, MSC World Europa has a fitness center on Deck 19 as well. This workout area features cardio machines, free weights, a spin room, and more by Technogym. However, one blatantly missing fitness activity is an outdoor walking track.

Onboard Activities

With a port-intensive itinerary, we spent much time ashore exploring many destinations that we had yet to visit (Genoa, Italy; Palermo, Sicily; and Valletta, Malta). In fact, our 7-day cruise had only one sea day, but we chose to stay onboard during our stops in Rome and Barcelona since we had toured these locales before.

Even with the hectic schedule, the activities team on World Europa ensured there were various things to do throughout the day.

While we didn’t catch any of the competitions, the ship did have MSC Cruises’ popular Guinness Book of World Records. The TV Studio and Bar on Deck 8 was home to regular karaoke sessions and game shows. The Dolce Vita Bar was also popular for game shows, dance classes, and other daytime events. Several trivia sessions and cruiser challenges, like Guess That Song, took place at the Dolce Vita Bar as well.  

On the pool deck, there were games like cornhole, visual trivia, tic-tac-toe, and even line dancing. In fact, there was so much going on that we would sometimes just stumble upon these events, like the Snow Party occurring during our sail away from Malta.

Entertainment and Nightlife

Even more so than other MSC ships, there was never a dull moment on World Europa in the evenings. The Dolce Vita Bar was one of the most happening venues, day or night, with live music, dancing, and other events. At Masters of the Sea, two pub guitarists rotated sets, offering distinct takes on classic sing-along-style songs.

Not to mention, essentially every night, a different themed party was happening somewhere on the ship. From the Glow Party to the White Party and 90s Party, guests danced and sang until the early morning hours.

Like many cruise ships of this size, World Europa had several entertainment venues. For this MSC World Europa review, we made sure to attend as many of the shows as possible. These signature productions took place in three different venues: the main theater, Panorama Lounge, and Luna Park Arena.

These shows do require reservations, which guests can make in the MSC for Me app. However, guests could only make reservations 24 hours before a production show or one of the immersive/interactive shows.

In the main theater, there were four signature productions along with a few headliner acts. Amelia—A True Aviator Soul was our favorite. While we expected more narrative, this cirque-style show featured several acts that seemed to defy gravity. Eko—Recycled Rock Show was another high-energy show filled with popular classic rock songs that had the audience singing and cheering along. While better than the typical lineup of MSC productions, they still didn’t measure up to Royal Caribbean shows.

Aft on Deck 7, the Panorama Lounge offers lounge-style shows with a live band, male vocalist, a cast of dancers, and two aerialists. Depending on your musical tastes, there is an immersive experience for you. Latin music fans will love Let’s Get Loud, while fans of rock will jam out to Rock Revolution. There are also shows featuring disco music and big band arrangements. While we did enjoy the shows, they do get a little repetitive if you attend them all. We also thought the shows were missing a femal vocalist as many numbers were set to a track with no live singing.

Finally, the cruise line offered interactive concerts in the Luna Park arena. The closest thing we could compare these shows to is the UntitledDanceShowPartyThing on Virgin Voyages. However, the Virgin Voyages’ show is more interactive than the couple of MSC Cruises’ shows we popped into during our cruise. Honestly, this entire venue was a miss for us.

Bars and Lounges

World Europa is home to over 13 bars and lounges. And one of the big improvements is that many of the venues are intricately themed and offer signature cocktail menus unlike Seaside class ships. For our MSC World Europa review, we made sure to get signature drinks at all of the exclusive bars and lounges.

One of my personal favorites was Masters of the Sea. This English-style pub offers various ales and lagers on tap and three signature beers brewed right onboard. It was a popular venue with dark woods, leather furniture, nautically themed accents, and live pub music.

Upstairs from Masters of the Sea is the more sophisticated Gin Project. Overlooking the pub below, this bar offers a dedicated menu of gin-based cocktails. This loft cocktail bar was an inviting and cozy space for a pre-dinner or post-dinner drink.

The ship’s cocktail bar, Elixir Mixology, was perhaps Heidi’s favorite watering hole. This venue shook up drinks like the fruity Pink Flamingo or the smooth Tender is the Night, with live DJ music in the evenings.

Sparkling and bright, Fizz Champagne Lounge serves a variety of bubbly in a classy setting. This bar also offers al fresco seating for those wanting to enjoy the sunset.

There are several bars near the pools and sports deck as well, mainly serving the same menu. Whether it was the Surfers Bar aft on Deck 20 or the Botanic Garden Pool Bar forward on Deck 19, classic frozen drinks and various other libations were available throughout the day.  

The ship’s whiskey bar was the Lanai Bar, aft on Deck 8 in the World Promenade. This venue will become the All-Star Sports Bar on the second ship in this class, World America. While I do enjoy whiskey cocktails, we feel this new concept will better fit the U.S. market. Plus, the Lanai Bar area was a designated smoking area, so it wasn’t very inviting for the non-smokers on the ship.

Perhaps our favorite spot on the entire ship was the Coffee Emporium, also on the World Promenade. This is the most sophisticated coffee shop at sea. The best part is that most of the specialty coffee drinks are included in the drink package. So, whether it was an iced latte and nitro cold brew or a cappuccino on a chilly afternoon, we always seemed to find our way back to the Coffee Emporium. Plus, they serve one of the best espresso martinis on the ship!

And, you didn’t hear it from us, but there may even be a secret Speakeasy Bar onboard World Europa. You’ll have to find out the details for yourself once onboard the ship!

Staterooms

For this MSC World Europa review, we stayed in a deluxe balcony stateroom, cabin 16210. This starboard-side stateroom was located fairly aft on the ship. Immediately upon entering the room, our bathroom was on the left wall. Following the bathroom, there was the closet tucked around the corner and then the bed facing aft. The seating area (left wall) and desk (right wall) were in front of the balcony.

According to the MSC Cruises’ website, this World Europa balcony room measures 186 square feet with an approximately 32-square-foot balcony.

While on par, the room felt slightly more cramped than comparable staterooms on other mega-ships. There was barely enough space to scoot by the bed and the aft wall as well as between the bed and closet. There was also a bit less storage than we are used to. The closet featured five shelves and two drawers on one half and a small clothesbar with hangers on the other half. We found it difficult to hang a weeks-worth of clothing for the two of us on this side of the closet.

The desk was adequately-sized with two overhead shelves and two additional drawers. The third drawer actually housed the safe. The mini-fridge was located here as well. Across from the desk, the pullout sofa was large enough for two adults to sit comfortably; however, it did feel needlessly bulky.

The balcony in this World Europa stateroom was quite small, with barely enough space for the two upright chairs and small table. With a new historic city essentially every day, our balcony came in handy during the morning sail-ins and afternoon sail-outs from port. But since it was November in the Med, we didn’t use the space much beyond that.

The bathroom was a standard size and had a relatively typical layout. While cruise ship bathrooms are small, we felt there was adequate counter space and shelves for storing toiletries. The glass-doored shower was also a pretty typical size.

In terms of decor, we always think the staterooms on MSC ships are very plain, and World Europa was no different. With light wood tones and various shades of brown, there was not much color or accents in the cabin.

Overall though, our king-sized bed was comfortable, and the cabin layout was familar. With so much to see at each destination and on the ship, our stateroom was a functional space to call home during our week-long cruise, allowing us to unwind and prepare for the next day’s adventures.

Overall MSC World Europa Review

Debuting in December 2022, MSC World Europa is the first in MSC Cruises’ new World Class. At over 215K gross tons, it is the largest ship in MSC’s fleet and the largest cruise ship sailing in Europe year-round. This new class of ship debuts several firsts for the brand and is poised to make a splash in the U.S. when sister ship, World America, debuts in April 2025.

Mega-ship enthusiasts will find a lot to love about MSC World Europa. It offers a variety of onboard amusements and attractions, many of which are complimentary. There are new casual dining options, as well as upscale specialty restaurants offering distinct cuisine. There are also elegant and sophisticated bars with unique signature cocktails and perhaps the best coffee house at sea.

We are partial to mega-ships because we want choice and flexibility when we cruise, and MSC World Europa offered just that. While the quality of complimentary dining in casual venues and the MDR as well as the signature production shows might not live up to the likes of Icon of the Seas, MSC Cruises has come a long way in refining its cruise product for a more global market.

With affordable rates, this ship appeals to several types of travelers. While we typically cruise just the two of us, the Doremiland youth areas offer plenty of activities for children of all ages. So, don’t be surprised if you see all types of travel parties onboard World Europa—from families, to couples, to multi-generational groups.

Those looking to experience some of Europe’s most popular cruise destinations, like Barcelona, Rome, and Marseille, can hop on World Europa at any of these ports. The eclectic crowd comes from all over the globe, helping create a unique onboard atmosphere.

After this MSC World Europa review, we look forward to sailing on World America from Miami next year. This second World class ship will have a number of new and updated features tailored to the U.S. market which makes it even more appealing to us.

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