MSC World Europa
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.