MSC World Europa 9/1 through 9/8 in YachtClub

[Georgia_Peaches]

49 minutes ago, Cruiseswithfamilyornot said:

but I can tell you @Georgia_Peaches that you did need to have the concierge call down for a reservation for you. 

I 100% agree. The point I was trying to make is, in our case, at least, we didn’t prearrange an appointment for the thermal suite. Rather, when we were ready we just went to the concierge and they called to let them know we were on the way. To that end, we only went twice during the entire cruise. Both times the suite was nearly empty. We tried to go during off peak times so as not to complicate things. 

[Georgia_Peaches]

46 minutes ago, no1talks said:

I'm afraid I plan a somewhat tight schedule when we're in Yacht Club. We have to, really, as a courtesy to the staff. We request things that are out of the ordinary and we want to make sure we're not doing so at an inopportune time.

For example, we have a much more involved style of dining which keeps our server team and the sommelier quite occupied. Accordingly, we stick to the whatever we are told is the best arrival time from the staff's perspective.  

Well I have to ask, how involved is your dining? I’m intrigued 😊. 

Edited September 19, 2023 by Georgia_Peaches

[no1talks]

2 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Well I have to ask, how involved is your dining? I’m intrigued 😊. 

Fair enough. ☺️

I preface this example by mentioning we prepare printed requests before the cruise and discuss them with the applicable staff as soon as possible after boarding. This allows for adjustments and clarifications to be made. So, to dinner.

Having dressed for dinner, we arrive at YC's dining room at the appointed time and are seated at our appointed table, in the section of our appointed (gold tie) servers. The sommelier then arrives with the surprise apéritifs. I should mention we include in our written requests very general details as to likes & dislikes vis-à-vis alcoholic beverages, leaving the somm with lots of room for creative choices.

Along with the drinks comes the amuse-bouche from the kitchen. (No, we don't impose upon the culinary staff to make a special from-scratch nosh just for us.) Sometimes it is as simple as some crostini with a jazzed-up schmear or some Topsail bites, plated nicely. While we sip, nibble, and select the balance of the courses. The servers take the meal orders and share that information with the somm. 

Next, the one constant of all our YC dinners: shrimp cocktail. This gives the somm a bit of time to choose the rest of the adult beverages.

When the starters from the evening's menu come out, the somm pours his & hers wines-by-the-glass to accompany the starters. Even if we order the same courses, we may very well be served different wines, based on the general notes mentioned in the written requests.

Following this is the sorbet intermezzo. Lemon or raspberry will do just fine. Sure, an herbal sorbet or even a champagne sorbet would be great, but I know this is MSC and not Le Français.

With our palates thoroughly cleansed, bring on the main course! Again, we receive the much-appreciated wine choices from the somm. (Yum!)

With dessert, another surprise beverage. This time, it is something from the broad digestif group.

Traditionally, a mignardise would follow, but we generally postpone that until after shows/casino and it is time for sweet bites and nightcaps in Topsail.

If any of this folderol raises questions for you, GP, ask away. 😃

Edited September 19, 2023 by no1talks

[wirral36]

Hi, I never know what we can and can’t ask concierge/butler for. I’m sure we must be missing out on a few nice things. Please can you advise what things you have asked for ? This will be our 2nd Msc cruise so we’re somewhat new to the brand. We did quickly realise the butler isn’t the same as a genie on rci and tbh the things we did ask for were met with a polite sorry we can’t do that. So I’m just wondering what you can and can’t do/have/experience on the ship ?

[no1talks]

4 hours ago, wirral36 said:

"We did quickly realise the butler isn’t the same as a genie on rci and tbh the things we did ask for were met with a polite sorry we can’t do that."

 

If we share some "yes" examples, you share some of your "no" examples. I'll start.

 

One of the requests on our butler list is to have balcony chairs replaced with chaise-style deck chairs. (Sometimes, there's only room for one swap, though.)

 

Another list item is afternoon tea. We take tea every day, since we skip lunch. The butler meets us in Topsail with the traditional three-tiered assortment of nibbles and tea accouterments. (Unfortunately, the loose tea is only available for the Yacht Clubs "official" tea party, but that's not the butler's fault.)

[wirral36]

17 minutes ago, no1talks said:

 

If we share some "yes" examples, you share some of your "no" examples. I'll start.

 

One of the requests on our butler list is to have balcony chairs replaced with chaise-style deck chairs. (Sometimes, there's only room for one swap, though.)

 

Another list item is afternoon tea. We take tea every day, since we skip lunch. The butler meets us in Topsail with the traditional three-tiered assortment of nibbles and tea accouterments. (Unfortunately, the loose tea is only available for the Yacht Clubs "official" tea party, but that's not the butler's fault.)

We asked if we could have food from the restaurant brought to our room and it was a polite no. We asked if we could please have our bottle of champagne swapped for something else and couldn’t. We asked if we could please have 2 choc ships as we have 2 kids, not possible. Unfortunately it was also a case that once you left yc, the butler was ignored by the rest of the ship. Not sure if it’s like this on all ships or maybe we were unlucky. We also asked for ice cream, but that was a no too.  
 

We didnt see any afternoon tea either. 
 

im interested to see what others have had so that I know what I can ask for on the next one. 

[Georgia_Peaches]

8 hours ago, no1talks said:

If any of this folderol raises questions for you, GP, ask away. 😃

Awe thank you for sharing. It sounds truly romantic. I love that you leave the wine selections up to surprise and turn the dining experience into a 5 star event. It’s nice that they are willing to accommodate you and it just goes to show how far they will go for their guests. 
 

 

[no1talks]

50 minutes ago, wirral36 said:

"I'm interested to see what others have had so that I know what I can ask for on the next one."

Unfortunately, in several cases, you touched upon corporate policies outside a YC butler's control.

 

The room-service-food-only rule is in the FAQs on the website. Restaurant choices are brought for sick passengers, however.

 

The gelato and chocolate ships are the purview of the vendor outside of YC. Accordingly, inventory available for YC use is constrained. The gratis ships are pretty much done and replaced with small bars of chocolate, these days.

 

Afternoon tea requests are easily misunderstood. The loose tea service is held in reserve for the YC director's tea party on the last sea day. I don't think this party is held on cruises of less than seven days duration. In our case, we had to clarify that the regular assortment of bagged tea would be fine.

[Georgia_Peaches]

1 hour ago, wirral36 said:

We asked if we could have food from the restaurant brought to our room and it was a polite no. We asked if we could please have our bottle of champagne swapped for something else and couldn’t. We asked if we could please have 2 choc ships as we have 2 kids, not possible. Unfortunately it was also a case that once you left yc, the butler was ignored by the rest of the ship. Not sure if it’s like this on all ships or maybe we were unlucky. We also asked for ice cream, but that was a no too.  
 

We didnt see any afternoon tea either. 
 

im interested to see what others have had so that I know what I can ask for on the next one. 

When we were on Seaside we asked for afternoon tea service and were told they only do it on the last sea day as a collective. Meaning you had to request a time and show up in the lounge. I feel like the entire YC showed up at 3:30. In contrast, on Seashore people were served individual tea service by their butlers through out the week.  

Edited September 19, 2023 by Georgia_Peaches

[Georgia_Peaches]

4 minutes ago, no1talks said:

Afternoon tea requests are easily misunderstood. The loose tea service is held in reserve for the YC director's tea party on the last sea day. I don't think this party is held on cruises of less than seven days duration. In our case, we had to clarify that the regular assortment of bagged tea would be fine.

Ahhh that makes sense now!  Thanks, we will know for next time. 

[no1talks]

1 minute ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Thanks, we will know for next time. 

 

Things like the loose vs. bagged tea availability is why preparing a written request list for one's butler, the concierge, the dining staff, etc. makes things go so smoothly. 😉

 

[morpheusofthesea]

10 hours ago, no1talks said:

I preface this example by mentioning we prepare printed requests before the cruise

Love it !

"I am a man of simple taste, I am quite easily satisfied with the best of everything." Winston Churchill

P.S. " True contentment is not having everything, but in being satisfied with everything you have." Oscar Wilde

Edited September 19, 2023 by morpheusofthesea
ps

[morpheusofthesea]

23 hours ago, wirral36 said:

Unfortunately it was also a case that once you left yc, the butler was ignored by the rest of the ship.

I notice this with some of the newer butlers. Like when being escorted to get into the Madison or Chora Theatres early to get better seats. We had to tell them to open the closed door or had to tell the usher that we were Yacht Club or flash our black card, etc. One time I needed to be escorted to security because a duffle bag was 'flagged' for suspicious items. The Security overrules the butlers, but the butler was able to butt me to the front of the 'suspicious' line of others waiting to be 'cleared'.

  The ice cream is odd as it is on the YC lunch and dinner menus. I have a sundae most every lunch and dinner of whatever is available.

P.S. I do not really know for certain, but I do 'dress' with a jacket and tie and black evening slacks every evening. Not as dapper as @no1talks, but more presentable and that is reciprocated by the staff treating us with more respect.

Edited September 20, 2023 by morpheusofthesea

[palmbaytish]

Sailing the World Europa in 2 weeks our of Barcelona and out of curiosity, what kind of table games did they have in the casino and do you know what the table minimums were? Thanks in advance!

 

Oh and one more question...what time were you able to begin boarding in the Yacht Club. Our boarding pass says 2 PM and our last YC cruise, we were on the ship by 11 am. Granted that was on the Mergavillia in the Caribbean, but wanted to know if the time on the boarding pass is firm or if they let you on early. We are boarding in Barcelona. 

Edited September 29, 2023 by palmbaytish

[Preziosa]

You Can board early. They Don t ask you what time you are assigned to.

You have paid for the first Day.

[wirral36]

On 9/9/2023 at 2:59 AM, Cruiseswithfamilyornot said:

I was on the MSC World Europa cruise for one week roundtrip from Barcelona on 9/1 through 9/8.   We travelled in the Yacht Club(all) and were a group of 16 people spread out over 9 rooms including singles.    I have been on well over 50 cruises, but this was my first time on MSC.

 

I found alot of the other reviews on MSC World Europa to be spot on.   While there has been some time to refine/improve in some areas, some things are what they are.

 

Overall, I would say we enjoyed our cruise and the itinerary and found the Yacht Club to be very much worth it, despite some snafus.   Would be go on MSC again?  Really that depends on who you ask and what's more important to them as my more detailed review will show below.  In a nut shell, if you prefer the American way of cruising including more trivias, game shows and the like, then this is not the cruise for you.  But if being able to have that ship within a ship experience at  reasonable price is the most important thing to you, this is the ship for you.  I'm going to be blunt and honest here, but as I've said above, overall it was a very enjoyable experience but there were some things that were not.

 

Embarkation in Barcelona.   10/10.   We were in Yacht Club so separate line, we were on the ship in no time and received an overview and off to our room

 

Pre-boarding items:  In a word, poor.   You can book a massage and specialty restaurants, but you cannot set dates and times until you are on the ship.  That was crazy.   Likewise, cannot book shows in advance.  They also send you a questionnaire a few days before sailing with your choice of pillows, what you want the minibar stocked with, and which daily newspaper you want.  Then you get the EXACT SAME questionnaire when you board.   Then none of it is in your room anyway and you speak to your butler(which is fine btw) and things get done.  The newspaper never came till the last 2 days(which is fine honestly).  Major area of improvement.

 

Yacht Club amenities.  Some GREAT ones honestly.   #1 on the list for me, is each person in a room has two free internet sign ins on different devices.  My last 3 cruises were all luxury cruise lines and premium +(Oceania) and none of them gave you that.   I work full time as did some others so this was big.  Drinks covered up to 14 euros each, very nice.  There was a separate location to disembark the ship for yacht club guests and we never had a line one day, our butler insisted on walking us out.   Great lounge with entertainment every  night, never crowded.   They opened a place called La Brasserie as a second venue for the yacht club located in the buffet on deck 19.   The buffet is closed for just yacht club guests, and you require a reservation.  Food there was shockingly very good, though not the healthiest of fare.   The desserts, especially the warm chocolate chip cookie, were insanely good.  One of the biggies is the ability to use your card to have the elevator come privately for you(ones used exclusively by you).   There are many others honestly.   Yacht Club was as advertised to me.

 

Biggest Positives:  Ship is BEAUTIFUL(except for the casino).   Really much nicer than other main stream cruise lines.   Most servers have a smile.  The chocolate shop and the gelato in particular was great.   Panorama Lounge, although a rip off of 270 on Royal, was a great room with great shows.  Great use of elevators where you push a button for your floor and they tell you which elevator to go to.   Elevators much more efficient.  Our butler, Sandor, was fantastic.  Shows were really better than expected, and some of the best on mainstream lines.  The speak easy room was a HUGE hit, and I can't recommend it enough.  Won't spoil all the details here.  The other big positives were all a part of the yacht club as itemized above.

 

Biggest Negatives:  MASSIVE crowds sometimes on the ship.  Not in Yacht Club but main part of ship.  It was shocking though you learned what times to stay away.  Inconsistency of food and service.  The first night 7 people in our party said they had the worst dinner in the yacht club restaurant they've ever had on a cruise ship.  Most nights it was very good.   Just very inconsistent, sometimes the same dish from one day to the next.   Service also suffered often, especially when busy.   Usually, it was good.  But sometimes they just forget anything asked for and took a long a time to serve.   The third big one was the lack of trivias/game shows and what they had, was terribly overcrowded to the point you couldn't get in.   They need a large room for these activites---and they have the rooms on the ship already in existence.    The ship also had some funky designs that you never got fully used to.  Teppanyaki was the only specialty we went to as we usually love it, it was good, but better on both Royal and Norwegian.  

 

I was in Room 18001, which is one of the Owner Suites.  Great room.   Comfortable bed, plenty of storage, walk in closet, and our butler Sandor deserves medals he was that good.   Negatives were shower was shockingly small and tight(smaller and tighter than a regular yacht club deluxe suite), and the 2/3 of the balcony was in easy viewing distance from the outside area of the Top Sail Lounge, which was not great.

 

Due to weather we had to miss our last stop in Malta, but they rescheduled us to Palermo immediately.   Very good communication and well handled.

 

So overall, nice itinerary, beautiful ship, but if you are at all crowd adverse you won't be happy if not in yacht club and somethings to get used to as a european line vs america.

Hi, please can you post pictures of 18001 as there are no pictures of the room, balcony or bathroom anywhere of this cabin. Please can you tell me if the sofabed was comfortable or was the mattress very thin ? Many thanks 

[Cruiseswithfamilyornot]

Sorry as I put in my post of 9/8 I did not take pics of the room.    No one slept on the sofa bed so can't advise about mattress or how comfortable the bed was.

[wirral36]

On 1/3/2024 at 10:58 PM, Cruiseswithfamilyornot said:

Sorry as I put in my post of 9/8 I did not take pics of the room.    No one slept on the sofa bed so can't advise about mattress or how comfortable the bed was.

Hi, silly question but was the decor cream and green ? I’ve just seen a video online but the interior is blue with exactly the same layout, whereas the deck 16 was always blue with a different lay out. 

[Cruiseswithfamilyornot]

Sorry I didn't see this and I don't recall but didn't remember it being green.