MSC WORLD EUROPA Thanksgiving 2023

Cruises: 4-6 cruises

Reviews: 6

Helpful Votes: 61

Review summary

Voyage 8 Days from Barcelona, Spain with stops in Tulun, France; Genoa & Rome, Italy; Palmero, Sicily; Valetta, Malta The Ship: The MSC World Europa is a Really Large but very nice! I think it is definitely nicer than the MSC Seaside that I was on in May of this year even though the decor is similar. It is MUCH NICER than RCL’s Anthem of the Seas. Virgin Voyages Scarlet Lady is still however the nicest cruise ship I have been on, there was so much for me to do plus there are No Children. I do not have children and do not travel with children so picking the itinerary over Thanksgiving I thought we would at least avoid European family holidays but alas that was not the case, more on this later. One of the Biggest negatives for me about the ship is that is not very handicap friendly. There were several times during the 8 days where I had to walk a lot more than was necessary to get to where I needed to go. Automatic doors which were sporadically accessible during the cruise, unknown why they were closed at certain times when no work was being done. As someone who is disabled and uses assistive devices to walk I was forced to use manual doors. For an able bodied person that isn’t a big deal but for someone like myself a roadblock like that can cause issues for me when trying to walk with a cup of tea or coffee. Also some of the doors to access the Buffet did not work and there were times they needed to be forced open manually, very difficult for a person in my position. This should be something that the ship needs to work on so to make sure that people wit limited mobility still have access to as much of the ship as they possibly can. The Crew aboard the World Europa are AMAZING!!! HUGE SHOUT OUT to our Steward Lauraj and Kandak our waiter for dinner. Both Gentlemen looked out for both myself and Carol like we were family. Then there was Georgia from the Excursions Department, My HERO!!! For context, our tour in Palermo, Sicily to the city of Cefalu was supposed to be 4 hours listed in the app for 9:45 AM - 13:45 PM as well as on the board behind the Excursion Desk before we departed the ship. When we got onto the bus and were leaving the port the tour guide said that the tour would be close to 7 hours, 3 more than was planned for. Again for a normal person, not a problem. However I am on a Very Strict Pain Medication schedule and was not prepared for the extra time. When I brought this up to the tour guide when we stopped we got the typical Lassie Faire Attitude that is so pervasive throughout the Southern European Continent, again more on that later. Georgia however seeing how distressed I was immediately jumped into action and called back to the ship and even calling another MSC ship in port, the MSC Poesia, to see if there was anything that could be done. Georgia got Carol and I back to port with the tour from the Poesia and I was back on the boat in the allotted time so that I didn’t turn into a Potato. I cannot emphasize how grateful I am to Georgia for looking out for me. If left up to the tour guy I would have waited the entire time at the bottom of the hill. In fact I WAS left by the tour guide to sit by myself on a bench in a foreign country that I did not speak the language. There is nothing more terrifying for a person in my position to feel helpless and vulnerable in a foreign country. So Georgia, Thank You from the Bottom of My Heart! In fact a BIG THANK YOU to the MSC World Europa Excursion Team they were really Great and Accommodating. The MSC World Europa Crew is Truly Top Notch! As for the passengers. I have NEVER been around such entitled clueless people in my life! Apparently when you go on Holiday in Europe your manners also go on holiday. In Europe there is no such thing a showing someone a little common courtesy such as holding a door open, allowing you to get off the elevator before pushing past you like you don’t exist or just waling pst you all while making sure to bump into you or not give you right of way.. And its not like it is hard to see, my assistive devices are 5’ tall and I have a large Black Back Brace that I wear for support. I am beneficial because I have a BIG MOUTH and will not tolerate such rudeness. I mean seriously, let a person off the elevator before you barge in. Also I do not understand the need for people to RUN to get a table in a Buffet that just opens. People were pushing through each other like they were giving free Crack away! I mean where are the tables going? You’re on a Ship!! Stupidity has No Boarders. But I digress and will finish with this, the MSC World Europa is a wonderful cruise ship and the crew are Amazing People, they want to make sure that you enjoy your time so make sure to show them the respect they are due because I saw too many instances where crew members were treated poorly by entitled passengers. The Ports of call Tulun, Fr (Marseille), Genoa, Rome where I stayed on the ship, Sicily where I had my personal Guardian Angel Georgia to Valletta, Malta, a small slice of paradise. You can understand why the island of Malta has been conquered for 2 millennium from beyond its shores, it is absolutely stunning! And what adds to the natural beauty of the island is the Maltese people!! They have successfully integrated the cultures of their conquerers and made them their own. So Ultimately I would say our MSC World Europa cruise was a success.

Embarkation

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

Onboard Activities

Service and Staff

Ship Quality

Cabin / Stateroom

Ports of call

Palermo, Sicily

Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy

Marseille (Provence), France

Genoa, Italy

Valletta, Malta

Barcelona, Spain

Disembarkation