At 1,082 feet long and with a maximum capacity of 6,762 people in 2,626 cabins, MSC World Europa is based in the Mediterranean and is the biggest cruise ship that sails year-round in Europe. The flagship of Italian cruise line MSC, it ranks as the 8th largest ship in the world (only Royal Caribbean ships are larger). From April, that's a position it will share with sister ship, MSC World America, which is based in Miami for cruises to the Caribbean and brings MSC's World class to the United States.
MSC World Europa has all the bells and whistles cruisers have come to expect from mega-ships — from an extensive menu of food and beverage choices (33 venues in total) to high-octane theater shows, a brightly colored knot of waterslides in the aquapark, and seven swimming pools (and even more hot tubs). It also has a versatile SportPlex area that transforms from a basketball and soccer court into a bumper car track or roller skating arena depending on the time of the day. The ship even claims the longest waterless slide at sea, Venom Drop @ The Spiral, which corkscrews down a dizzying 11 stories at the aft of the ship.
What I found most unique on my recent seven-night, round-trip sailing from Marseille, France, with my family is how MSC World Europa sails the same loop of Mediterranean hotspots every week of the year. If it's Saturday, the ship's towering silhouette is visible across Marseille. On Sunday, the same in Genoa, Italy. If it's Monday, it must be Rome (or rather Civitavecchia, an hour away). Tuesday it pushes further south into Italy — we had a day in Messina, Sicily — before waking up on Wednesday in Valletta, Malta's richly historical capital. Thursday is a day at sea before spending Friday in Barcelona, Spain.
What's more, you can join the ship from any port except Valletta (although some departures from here, though infrequently, are open for reservations). That means you can start your vacation on MSC World Europa no matter when you are planning to arrive in Europe. On the flip side, you're unlikely to cruise any longer than seven nights, unless you're happy to repeat the itinerary.
There's no escaping the fact that MSC World Europa is a big ship — and big ships are busy, noisy, and have a lot of people. But size also has its advantages. And, if you really want it, you can find your own space, particularly if you're prepared to splash a bit more cash.
MSC Yacht Club is MSC's ship within a ship, or a section of the vessel reserved for guests who pay extra for the privilege. Along with larger cabins, MSC Yacht Club guests have priority embarkation, butler service, and access to exclusive areas, including a top deck pool and terrace area and a private lounge and restaurant. MSC Yacht Club guests have their own dining rooms, and the premium drinks package and Wi-Fi are included in the fare. The MSC Yacht Club on MSC World Europa can accommodate just 450 people — which makes it a veritable haven on such a big ship.
MSC World Europa's selection of bars and cafés — 20 in total — is impressive. It's one of the few ships to have its own microbrewery at sea and uses desalinated sea water to brew three "Oceanic" beers, as its brews are called. All three beers — a pilsner, a bitter, and a wheat beer — are available on tap inside brewpub Masters of the Sea, as well as other venues onboard. Other speciality drinks venues include the Gin Project, with over 70 craft gins on the menu; Fizz, a dedicated Champagne bar; and Elixir, a cocktail bar with a Mediterranean-themed spritz menu. There's even a dimly-lit speakeasy hidden somewhere on the lower decks — but I'll keep mum on how I found it.
Although it has an indoor shopping mall vibe — albeit a fancy one with a glittering Swarovski crystal staircase — World Galleria is the hub of the ship that you'll quickly find yourself returning to numerous times a day. This three-deck-high promenade is where most of the specialty restaurants, bars, and shops are located. Don't be surprised if an entertainment troupe bursts into impromptu performances here when you least expect it.
MSC stands for Mediterranean Shipping Company and the Mediterranean is MSC World Europa's home turf. The company is 100% family owned, and the ship carries its Italian identity with pride: the captain and many of the senior members of the crew are Italian. The majority of passengers are European, which means that most announcements are made in a quintet of languages by impressively multilingual staff who seamlessly switch between English, Italian, French, Spanish, and German.
With its sleek, contemporary design, including a wave-like silhouette and an open aft (rear of the vessel) that flows into the 11-deck-high outdoor World Promenade, MSC World Europa is one of the most striking ships at sea. When it launched in 2022 from France's Chantier de l'Atlantique shipyard, it headed straight for Qatar, where it served as a floating hotel during the FIFA World Cup that year. Three years on and it still feels fresh and new, thanks in large part to ongoing touch ups, even when guests are onboard — although they don't feel intrusive in any way. At its launch, it was the largest cruise ship to be powered by liquified natural gas (LNG), although that title has now been taken by Royal Caribbean's Icon of the Seas. It can also connect to shore power (the port's electrical supply) to save using its onboard engines. Valletta, however, is the only port to currently have an operational shore power facility in the Mediterranean.
With everything from slides and pools to a sports complex, an F1 racing simulator, and an array of arcade zones — plus, a busy daily program of dance parties, music games, and even Guiness World Record challenges — it's pretty clear that MSC World Europa is made for family cruising. Five dedicated kids' clubs cater to a vast age range of ages, from newborns through to late teens, and are open until late for parents who want to enjoy an evening meal without their kids. While you should expect a lot of children onboard, the ship does have dedicated adults-only spaces, including a pool area on the aft deck and a serene spa.
If you've only got a week to play with and you want to take in some of Europe's biggest cities while also managing to unwind and relax, then MSC World Europa is a fantastic option to consider. A full program of shore activities can be booked for every port and range from traditional coach tours to more active e-bike excursions. I'd also recommend picking one port to stay onboard, aside from the sea day. While the ship will never be empty, it is much quieter when most guests are ashore, making it the perfect time to enjoy its array of facilities. It's worth noting that between mid-April and mid-November 2025, the ship will call at Naples instead of Rome.
With its year-round itineraries, no month is off limit for MSC World Europa, even the cooler, non-traditional cruising months. The advantage of off-season sailings is fewer crowds and lower fares, but you can also strike it lucky with weather. We were treated to glorious winter sun during our February sailing, so much so that we were able to have lunch in t-shirts on a gorgeous 62-degree Fahrenheit day in Valletta. However, you can't place an order for sunshine and blue skies, and on some sailings earlier this season, particularly in December and January, the ship wasn't able to dock in certain ports when the conditions were rough. That meant that a last-minute sea day was added to the itinerary.
When you've got 6,000-plus guests to feed, the main dining rooms can be very busy and noisy at meal times. If food and the dining experience is a part of travel that you really savor, I would recommend purchasing one of MSC World Europa's cruise dining packages. A steakhouse, fresh fish counter, and a sushi and teppanyaki restaurant are among MSC World Europa's six specialty restaurants. The two standouts for us were Chef's Garden Kitchen, the onboard fine dining venue from Swedish star chef Niklas Ekstedt, and all-you-can-eat tacos at the colourful Latin American restaurant, Hola Tacos & Cantina, which my children adored.
Since passengers can embark and disembark at numerous ports on MSC World Europa's itinerary, there's always the feeling that people are coming and going. My children spent a day with new friends at the start of our sailing, only to be disappointed to learn they were leaving the next day. Rather than your typical cruise, where everyone boards at the same time and, usually, disembarks at the same time, this made the ship feel somewhat transitory.