MSC Cruises held an inauguration ceremony for the newest flagship in its fleet, the MSC World Europa liner. From late November to 19 December, the liner was moored in the port of Doha, Qatar, and hosted World Cup cheering guests. MSC World Europa embarked on its first Gulf cruise. It set sail from Doha. I boarded the next day, 21 December, in Dubai and was among the first cruisers on the liner in its history.
Meeting the liner was something I was looking forward to. A new one. The largest in the MSC fleet. The itinerary was not important to me – I had already cruised in the Persian Gulf on Royal Caribbean’s Jewel of The Seas with calls in Bahrain and Qatar. It was the liner that was important to me. So I took a 4 day/3 night cruise, from Dubai, with stops in Abu Dhabi and Sir Bani Yas Island. Just for the liner.
The port of Dubai (Port Rashid) was crowded on landing. Naturally, the port is the most popular on the route. Already while waiting for boarding, I started to meet representatives of partner tour operators and fellow travel agents.
Many could not miss the premiere, and neither could I. Yes, it is very important to understand the liner, to have an idea of how everything is organised on it in order to tell your clients about it.
The landing was chaotic, we had to wait. But I can’t say that it was annoying. I remembered the pre-pandemic times and boarding a liner somewhere in a popular port, such as Barcelona.
Let’s run through a little bit of facts about the liner:
- MSC World Europa can accommodate 6,850 passengers (that’s a lot). The ship has 22 decks, 40,000 m2 of public spaces, 2,626 cabins, 65% of which have balconies.
- By the way, Italians consider the number 17 unlucky, that is why there is no seventeenth deck on MSC cruise liners, the sixteenth deck is immediately followed by the eighteenth.
The liner is notable for its innovative design – Y-shaped aft part (it will provide maximum stability of the ship, fuel economy and additional comfort for passengers), 104-metre promenade with breathtaking views of the sea, a real street with restaurants and boutiques, 33 restaurants, bars and lounges, including those with unusual concepts, own brewery, 6 swimming pools, the largest entertainment area for children and the most luxurious MSC Yacht Club.
On board the liner there is a water park, with traditional and extreme slides. You can feel the “free” fall or measure the speed with which you go down the slide. There is a virtual reality slide where you ride in special glasses surrounded by animals or dinosaurs.
On the liner MSC World Europa restaurants are enough:
- 2 buffet restaurants
- 4 main à la carte restaurants
- 1 fast food restaurant
- 6 alternative restaurants
- 16 indoor bars and lounges
- 3 outdoor bars.
Some novelties:
CHEF’S GARDEN KITCHEN – a farm-to-table restaurant serving dishes with seasonal produce and herbs grown on board.
LA PESCADERIA is a fish market where you can choose your own fish or seafood for dinner.
LUNA PARK is a burger pizzeria located near the children’s area
I liked MASTERS OF THE SEA – the atmosphere there is still special, some kind of unity. I also looked in Teppanyaki – also interesting.
By the way, one more thing. Now you don’t have to call a waiter in buffet restaurants if you want to order a glass of wine. You can pour it yourself at the wine machine. Check. And the fact that mozzarella isn’t made on board the MSC World Europa sadly, I wish it was.
Solo travellers (or solo travellers), you won’t be bored. There is no shortage of company on the ship. Solo traveller meetings organised by the cruise company are also available.
In principle, I note that since the pandemic, meals on MSC liners have become easier. This applies specifically to buffet restaurants, in a la carte restaurants everything is fine. But it absolutely does not mean that you will be hungry. Absolutely not. It’s just that those who have been on cruises before will feel the difference.
The name of the restaurant, dinner change and table number are indicated on the cruise card. You can also go to a la carte restaurants for breakfast and lunch. Pay attention to the opening hours of the restaurants – the app will help you.
Conclusion on the inside cabin.
Yes, it is quite comfortable accommodation, but there is no comparison with a cabin with a window or (even more so) a cabin with a balcony. Most of the fun is gone. So if you can – book a cabin with a window, or even better with a balcony. I know that many experienced cruisers will say – what’s the big deal, an inside cabin is fine too. But I am talking about comfort and getting the FULL enjoyment from the cruise. An inside cabin doesn’t give you that. Again checked personally.
A few more words about the animation on the liner. Decent, quite. Good shows (the only one I didn’t like was the one about magic tricks). I would like to mention the immersive shows – with guest participation, make sure you go to them.
On MSC World Europa, you can use an app to sign up for shows and events. Do this in advance.
A few words about the island of Sir Bani Yas.
Until a few years ago, there was a tender landing on the island – that is, we went ashore on dinghies. So the passengers depended on the weather. For example, the last time I came to the island, we could not disembark and left the island due to sea disturbance. Now a mooring has been built at the island and the liner is safely moored and we go ashore on our own.
- What are we doing on the island? Sunbathing and swimming.
- The beach is free.
- The drinks package is also available on the beach.
- You can take additional excursions if you don’t like lying on the beach.
Is it worth taking excursions? The question is an interesting one. If you’ve been on safari anywhere in Tanzania, you definitely shouldn’t. Sir Bani Yas won’t surprise you. And then it’s up to you.
And from the island of Sir Bani Yas you can also get a good look at the MSC World Europa liner itself and take photos.
The issues of relaxing on the beach and eating on the island are solved. There are sun beds, umbrellas and places to eat. I think it would be good to add soft sand to the shore to improve the comfort of guests. But maybe I’m being picky. In principle – Sir Bani Yas is a normal story, such a beach stop in the cruise, where guests can sunbathe, and, if weather permits, swim in the sea (for me the water in the sea in December and January in the UAE is still cool, there is a breeze, I am capricious).
When people ask me what to do on a cruise during a “day at sea” I answer that there are a lot of things to do. You just have to keep up! For example, you can go to the spa on the liner. In my free time, I did just that. I booked the Iyashi Dome treatment – in the process you lose as many calories as if you ran 20 kilometres. And that’s all while lying down. After the procedure, I drank several glasses of water with lemon on the therapist’s recommendation. And then I also “hung out” in the thermal zone with a swimming pool, but that was at my own request. The sauna with a sea view – love it.
You can also play sports. The liner has a gym and sports grounds.
What else is interesting about the liner:
Casinos. There are a couple of dozens of poker tables alone. I have never dared to play casino on the liner (hopefully, next time I will “grow up” to this kind of entertainment).
Formula1 simulator (not a novelty for MSC, but interesting for newcomers to cruises), Promenade on the eighth deck with shops and panoramic lift. By the way, the “users” of the dry slide “land” here, on the eighth deck. There is also an open deck where you can see the liner off when leaving the port. But still I enjoyed seeing the liner off from the upper decks. And how the liner impressively “buzzes” when it goes to sea….
From the important practical. Top up your on-board account on MSC World Europa. The on-board account can be topped up with cards from foreign banks or cash in vending machines, so you don’t have to queue at reception.
It is very important that your account is “zero” on exit. If there are even a couple of euros left unused, you will be returned to close your account on departure. To avoid queuing to get off the liner, close your account in advance, preferably the night before disembarkation! Again, you can use the app to keep track of your expenses. You can also collect your change from the vending machines.
Evening on the upper deck of the liner. This is also where the night discos take place.
Oh, how we danced here….
This cruise has become a memory for me, and more cruises to come.
