Captain-John

Sorry for the delay in reply. I just asked the concierge and he confirmed there is no need to reserve a time for a show. Just show up at the concierge desk 10-15 minutes before show time and there will be a butler escort down to the theatre where you can 'choose any seat.' So not entirely clear if there is a a reserved seating area but sounds like there is. He definitely said you don't need to pre-book any show, hope that helps.

That was the original plan for us too but we snagged a good deal for YC that made it worth it to us to cancel the original Aurea booking and go with YC. It was through a German T/A and not without a bit of nervousness but all worked out in the end. The Aurea sun deck is very nice and large, and at this time of year not too busy. The hot tubs are huge. You have to sign towels in and out which you don't in YC. Big bar on the Aurea deck which is under-utilised and it is well staffed all over the deck. You will have a great time. Butcher's Cut was very tasty despite the seating and we will sample Hola tomorrow so a speciality package is a good investment I think and was part of our 'YC light' plan as well. I'm seeing a few names I recognise from the Celebrity boards so thank you for your recent contributions over there particularly about the food @Stockjock as we are sailing on Millenium to Japan next May. That leads me to say @DaKahunaI don't think we are on the exact same sailing (we are May 27th) but I've seen many of your posts on roll call threads and others for the Millenium Japan sailings so good to 'meet' you over here.

I spoke to the Concierge after the meal who accepted my feedback about being able to request inside or outside dining. We would have taken a different day or a different time to dine inside had we been afforded the option. Today the YC director stopped us and explained he had been made aware of my comments. He said some people do enjoy eating outside to 'people watch' but can also understand why others would not enjoy it. He offered a complimentary meal at Kaito or Hola in mitigation. We accepted his kind offer and we are having lunch at Hola tomorrow. We ate at the YC grill this afternoon after exploring the 'Three Cities' and Valetta. Lunch menu in the restaurant was QR_W_YC_LUNCH_DAY13_EN_1700041205.pdf Grill lunch Cod wrap Lamb skewer - more pitta bread required For a quick lunch it was OK, 6/10.

Last night we used our Diamond meal in Butcher's Cut. It was reserved via the YC concierge for 8pm. When we arrived, there were no indoor tables available and a considerable wait for one. I take issue with this as a YC guest and Diamond member - we weren't asked when the reservation was made if we wanted inside or outside, and I found out later the request would not be honoured by Butcher's Cut anyway - it's first come, first served. The venue is again too small for the number of guests who use it. They have tables outside (because they have to) and it's akin to eating in a shopping mall. Yes I acknowledge some may wish to eat outside but that's not for us. Loud and boisterous groups were passing the table and it was not a relaxing dining experience, however the food and service was very good. Food/service - 8/10 Ambiance - 2/10 My apologies, I don't have a menu as the start of the meal was overshadowed by the seating issue. We picked from the dining experience part of the menu, 3 courses total or 50% discount off an item from the main menu not listed in the dining experience section. Bone marrow - large bones but not a lot of marrow content. A first for me. Prawn cocktail 14oz NY strip - perfectly medium-rare as requested. Onion rings Filet and fries - seemed larger than that served in YC albeit doesn't look it in the picture. Cookie Cheesecake Ambiance (view from the table)

Multiple embarkation ports on this cruise so sadly it was someone's first day!

I wasn't aware of this change and I have sailed Aurea in the past specifically to get thermal access. This is surprising to me as the thermal suite is packed on World Europa currently and I assumed this is because thermal access is offered to all Aurea guests. I didn't think as many people would pay for access but apparently they are as it is overcrowded any time I have been. The Aurea hot tubs were also very busy today as we sailed away from Palermo. But not nearly as busy as the Jungle Pool: Main pool

Lunch today was fine. QR_W_YC_LUNCH_DAY4_EN_1699951452.pdf Duck rillettes x2 Rooster - not a lot of meat but fine for lunch. Great sauce. Vegetable curry Fries Chocolate fudge cake Another 6.5. Should have scored all of our meals but will try and do going forward. Managed to arrange a 2.30pm departure on Friday head of our 7pm flight so pleased with that. We can have lunch and continue to use all the facilities. We have the cabin until 10am (Diamond benefit).

We explored Palermo on foot and the weather was very nice indeed for mid-November. I did have some trepidation about cruising this late in the Med season but we have been very lucky so far and I would book at this time of year again.

Today we are in Palermo and again had a relaxing start. Detailed readers will note we have not had a breakfast onboard yet. We find breakfast doesn't work for us as we end up being too full for lunch. We will go once before the end of the cruise just for the experience. We are booked into Butcher's Cut this evening to use the Diamond meal. Perhaps would have used it in the Garden restaurant but not part of the deal apparently. Last night the meal was 6.5/10, perhaps partly a wrong choice with the monkfish. QR_W_YC_DINNER_DAY2_EN_1699877346.pdf Cheese souffle x2 Filet with crab (I thought it would have been crab leg but shredded crab and not much of it). Monkfish - DW said very tough and chewy so overdone. Fries to share Cheese - not as good as the first night, seemed to be lots of the same type of cheese rather than a variety. They had to source the crackers from the buffet (presumably) as they weren't offered when ordering and when I asked it was clear it was going to be a bit of work for them. We explored Palermo on foot and the weather was very nice indeed for mid - Novemberm. I did have some trepidation about cruising this late in the Med season but we have been very lucky so far and I would book at this time of year again. Crepes suzette At our James our waiter's insistence I was given a B52 and DW a rum cocktail. Jamese does not let you leave the restaurant if you aren't at least tipsy! Afterwards we explored the ship for a bit Pub - always popular, people dancing in the aisles and up close and personal with the performers. Deck 8 aft. This space could be better utilised as it is never busy. TSL Evening snack in the cabin

I fed back to the concierge our thermal suite experience. She seemed very surprised they are assured by the spa things are 'always tranquil' - but she also finished my sentence for me when I said it was busy - she said 'chaos.' The only resolution is to book a quieter time which seems to be 9/10am, so I don't think the thermal suite will be an amenity we can use this trip. Perhaps they need to control access more or have 'YC only' hours to protect the amenity that is offered. Meal last night was good. QR_W_YC_DINNER_DAY1_EN_1699777583.pdf Tomato soup - there was cubes of cheese through the soup which initially were not melted but as time went on blended in to the dish. Chicken and duck terrine Filet mignon x2 - smaller than I remember but cooked medium rare as requested. The waiter did not leave until I cut into it to make sure! Profiteroles - the chocolate sauce was very tasty. A walk around Civitavecchia today: Followed by lunch at the YC grill QR_EH_YC-SUNDECK-POOL_LUNCH_DAY2_EN_1699877832.pdf Main dining menu for the reference QR_W_YC_LUNCH_DAY2_EN_1699877343.pdf Burrito Cuban Side of coleslaw - one between two would have been enough. I want to track down the YC director later (he is always visible and also assists with pouring wine and clearing tables in the dining room - very much leading by example from what I can see). Keen to ask for as late a disembarkation time as possible as we have a late flight home on Friday. Also apparently he is the only person in the YC who can issue tokens to the Speakeasy.

Pro for MSC and con for MSC compared to NCL. The thermal suite was busy again today. Not jam packed like yesterday but busy enough to want to avoid it. Per my earlier comment, 1 hot tub on YC pool deck is not enough. However, YC guests have access to the Aurea area which hosts two giant hot tubs. The YC area connects via stairs. NCL Haven guests are not afforded access to Vibe (their version of Aurea sun deck). This is disappointing on busy sea days and packed ships so pro for MSC here. NCL manages thermal access much better. Sadly they no longer offer 'spa' cabins that include thermal access, but presumably this will reduce loads even further if it's chargeable as a seperate package for all cruisers. We have never been in an NCL thermal suite as busy as has been on World Europa so far. If only there was a 'super' line that existed which pulls together the best bits of each line and offers them together. One can dream.

Let's try again. Continuing the theme of disappointing food, foolishly we ordered room service instead of eating in the dining room or Grill. Took at least 30 minutes to be delievered and a waste of calories for what we did eat. Four cheese pizza, which was just warm and not hot. Not as good as previous iterations I've had of this on other ships. BBQ wrap - really watery sauce and inedible. Served cold. Club sandwich - passable but underwhelming. Regret not going to the Grill. Priority elevator certainly 'appears' to work but in reality we have not had to wait long for a lift anyway so it's hard to see if it truly is making a difference. Other observations are that one hot tub on the pool deck is insufficient for the size of the YC. This is not a peak weather sailing but imagine it would not be a pleasant time if it was. We are docked beside Orchestra today in Genoa and it appears some work is being done with drained hot tubs and lots of maintenance crew on balconies. We had a nice walk around Genoa this morning.

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Sorry to report we did not enjoy the meal in La Brasserie (the main course anyway). The much hyped (by virtually all staff) section of the buffet that is open to YC guests as an overflow from the main restaraunt was a poorly explained concept. Different wait staff gave different indications of how much to order. We wanted the tandoori chicken but was told it would feed 3-4 people. Another waiter said they could reduce the portion but only on some items. In the end we opted for steak and it tasted of cooking oil and black pepper. I don't know if it had to be heavily coated in oil so it didn't stick to the hot stone or not but the actual beef itself was tasteless. Starters and dessert were good however. Not sure we will go back and feels like a 'wasted' meal. We still have a Butcher's Cut to organise and I think I will have the filet tonight to get a taste for a good steak. Instead of bread: Chicken empenada Pork belly Beef and lamb keftoes Steak. The sides were also not great. A warm coleslaw salad is a new one on me. Hot cookie We spent some time in the casino and left down, the slot machines were ice cold. Treat left in room by butler. Genoa today. No real plans as have been before and weather overcast. Will wander around town. Don't think we will go for restaurant lunch today but instead try room service. QR_W_YC_LUNCH_DAY1_EN_1699777580.pdf QR_DD_YC-ROOM-SERVICE_OTHER_DAYX_EN_1699779219.pdf

This is definitely the case for this trip too Heading for our excursion this morning, the number of staff to meet, greet and escort was significant between leaving the cabin and entering the TSL. Likewise on the pool deck, on Joy we had one, at most two, circulating and we had to flag them down to place orders. Much more present and proactive on MSC and always busy clearing and restocking. We were told by our butler (I didn't think it was this high) at max capacity YC on WE can take 480 guests and we are running at about 300 for this cruise so that undoubtedly helps. So far never a wait to be seated at lunch or dinner and the lounge has never felt crowded either. MSC do the lounge much better than NCL too in my opinion. On Joy, there was no live entertainment, nor any piped background music. The bar area is popular and creates its own atmosphere but not the lounge. On a Caribbean itinerary the observation lounge was dead at night. Completely desolate and a waste of space to me. There is a far better atmosphere in the TSL. One thing I thought would be an issue, but hasn't been yet, is the crescendo of noise from both a full restaurant and a busy lounge with the piano going.

For those interested, I've just had a very short visit to the thermal area. It's a zoo even with their booking system. The main hydrotherapy pool posts a capacity of 10. There were 19 people when I counted. Very loud and not relaxing. Hoping the 4pm slot tomorrow is quieter. Definitely an issue here though - too many cabins have access to a venue that is much too small. It's disappointing as we do enjoy this facility and is a factor in us booking a room category that allows this type of access. I find myself back on the YC deck braving the wind but enjoying the peace.

Had a good afternoon in the YC pool and hot tub then headed to the TSL for a few drinks. Just a note on the drinks menus, odd situation in the TSL and ain ish they have would bring back paper menus. We scanned the QR code but were told that is not the full menu. 2 paper menus were presented and we were invited to take a picture for reference. So we have the typical QR menu plus the two further supplements below. QR_V_YC-BAR-LIST_OTHER_DAYX_EN_1699721108.pdf

Generally we don't go to the shows but I will ask the concierge what the position is. Speaking of reservations, not too pleased with the thermal area booking requirement. Requested 4pm and ended up with 6pm as fully booked from 3 onwards. I hope the upshot of a rigid booking system is that the thermal area is quiet and well capacity controlled. If it is also a zoo on top of a stupid booking system I will have to feed that back. I also intend to ignore the '1 hour' guidance. Clearly far too many people are permitted access. We also had to book La Brasserie for this evening which I also find strange for an alternative overflow restaurant offering. Will feed back on that experience later. Toured Aix-En-Provence this morning which was a nice change from Marseille. Escorted both on and off the ship albeit lines weren't long anyway. We were on the bus early rather than late. I assume their logic is to allow a choice of seat but it did mean hanging around. I'd prefer to join later and just go. Lunch was good but not as good as yesterday's meal. QR_W_YC_LUNCH_DAY14_EN_1699704570.pdf Burratta Muasell potato soup Burger (x2)

One remarkable (and frankly unexpected) difference between YC and Haven is the attentiveness of the crew. Everyone was very friendly in Haven, but the team so far in YC (accepting this is only the first day) have been more engaging in comparison. Seems like they have more time and freedom to chat beyond just carrying out their immediate duty. This extends to lounge staff, concierge, waiters, bad staff, pool deck, everything. What's really funny is the number of times La Brasserie ( the 'family style' alternative YC restaurant has been mentioned). Easily 5 times today from seperate crew. Clearly this is a KPI or something for them. As I have said, we always intended to eat there but is clearly being pushed by all. Jason and Shakira served us this evening in the YC restaurant. They both established a great rapport and delivered an exceptional service - a step above any Haven service we received earlier this year. I don't want to go too strong on this point given how early into the cruise we are but the overall service is notable and remarkable. I don't recall having this strong a feeling on previous YC or Haven cruises. Top marks. Our butler Smith too has been very sincere and strikes just the right balance of being engaging without being overbearing. While pre-submitted newspaper and drink requests were muddled as usual, soon remedied by Smith, and again very pleased so far. Anyway on to the meal. Very good indeed in term of taste and service. QR_W_YC_DINNER_DAY3_EN_1699623058.pdf Beef carpaccio (x2) Lamb chops Lasagna Cheese Cheese trolley Wine While the portion of lamb was small, the flavour was delicious and I would have it again readily. We have also eaten very well today so the portioning was ideal and we walked away very full and satisfied. We wandered the ship again and had a drink in the TSL. Old Fashioned and snacks. Had a chat about the snack situation. Apparently never been available buffet style on World Europa. A few complaints have been made by hungry travellers boarding the ship late and finding the restaurant closed and no snacks in the way they have been accustomed to. Our server said it could make a comeback with World America but clearly that is just speculation and we are seeing reports of this being withdrawn on ships that have the physical infrastructure to offer it (there is no serving area in the WE TSL). Water and chocolate by the beside for retiring.

Sorry just read this question more closely. The seperation on 19 is good in my opinion. An unmarked door provides access to the inside cabins and the YC entrance is grander, with key card control.

QR_W_YC_LUNCH_DAY3_EN_1699623040.pdf Cheese fritters Salmon rillettes BBQ Chicken with fries Clam linguini Fantasy sundae All delicious and very filling. It will be a later meal this evening I think. Afterward we explored more of the YC. Sad to report that snacks are not available 'buffet style' and instead are brought on a tiered stand. Will see as the week goes on if we can specify savoury vs sweet and exclude or include certain items or if it's just a standard offering for all. Pool bar and grill (located a deck below the pool) : Pool is heated. There is a roving bar trolley on the pool deck proper.

We explored the ship and then had a delicious lunch in the YC restaurant.

After 20 minutes or so we were escorted to our cabin, 18008. Cabin is a good size and suits our needs for a week. There are two wardrobes either side of the main dressing area. The bathroom is smaller than I recall from previous YC cabins. No tub and laminate rather than tile on the floor. Standard MSC branded amenities. An apology was provided for the lack of fruit on arrival, they are to be re-supplied today (no issue for us). Very comprehensive lighting and temperature controls. I previously thought photographs of these cabins made them look quite cold and grey but that's not the case in person, it's proving very comfortable so far.

Now onboard World Europa and it is definitely a shiny ship, in the MSC style of glitz and glamour. Embarkation was smooth at around 11am this morning. There is a dedicated YC waiting area in the terminal as well as the usual dedicated bag drop off. All our documents were taken and check in formalities completed as we waited with a drink. After around 10 minutes, group of 6 were escorted onboard and deposited in the TSL. Compared to American ships, there was a serious lack of air conditioning in the TSL and it was uncomfortably hot as we were given the introductory briefing from the head butler and concierge staff. Everyone has been incredibly attentive so far, more so than we found in Haven at this stage. We met our butler in the terminal and he has promised to stop by later for a more formal introduction. We require very little of a butler but early signs are positive. To settle a few outstanding matters: We were given wristbands in the terminal. We were strongly encouraged to utilise 'La Brasserie' 'at least twice' - this was presented a great alternative dining option rather than an overspill. We always intended to eat here anyway but I found it odd that reservations are rquired. We have been told we are only entitled to one hour in the thermal suite per day and it must be booked. Not happy about this one at all - will see how it plays out in reality as I suspect it will be more lax than what the briefing told us to expect. To the question about separation of YC from other areas of the ship, the entrance is tucked away behind the elevator bank and really quite discrete on deck 18. On Joy Haven the door was big, bold and in the stairwell area. I can look into this on the other floors in more detail later on.

This evening we had a great meal on the terrace at the hotel. Unfortunately the patio heaters had 'run out of gasoline' but blankets were offered and certainly compared to home it was by no means cold. Perhaps a foreshadowing of the type of thing we like to eat when cruising but we had: Patatas bravas Mushroom croquettes Burger Lobster tacos Vanilla ice cream Chocolate brownie All tasty, followed by a post meal walk around the back streets. Very much looking forward to the breakfast offering tomorrow and of course boarding World Europa.