MSC World Europa

The 2022-built MSC World Europa cruise ship (initially announced as “MSC Europa”) is the first in a 4-unit “MSC WORLD Class” series of passenger liners designed and constructed for MSC Cruises. She will be followed by World America (2025). Two optional vessels (ordered in 2022) are scheduled for 2026 (World Asia) and 2027 (MSC World tbn).

The vessel (IMO number 9837420) is currently Malta-flagged (MMSI 256070000) and registered in Valletta.

History - construction and ownership

MSC Cruises (MSC Crociere) is a passenger shipping company headquartered in Genoa and Naples, established in 1960. Today, MSC Crociere is a subsidiary of MSC (Mediterranean Shipping Company) – the world’s second-largest containership operator. MSC Crociere is also the world’s largest privately owned cruise company.

By annual passenger volumes, MSC is the world’s third-largest cruise shipowner, after Carnival Corporation and RCG–Royal Caribbean Group.

As of 2021, MSC is Europe’s largest passenger shipping company. By 2026, MSC is projected to remain the world’s third-largest cruise company (potentially surpassing NCLH by combined berth capacity), with a planned 29-ship fleet that includes 15 newbuilds (2017-2027) backed by a USD 13-billion newbuild budget.

MSC Cruises WORLD-Class liners

On April 6, 2017, during the MSC Meraviglia delivery ceremony at STX France Shipyard (Saint-Nazaire), MSC signed an MoU for two World-Class vessels valued at ~EUR 4.5 billion (~USD 4.8B). The ceremony was attended by Emmanuel Macron (President of France), Bruno Le Maire (Minister of Economy), Pierfrancesco Vago (MSC Chairman) and Laurent Castaing (STX France CEO).

The contract for the first World-Class ship (Europa) was signed on May 31, 2017.

The option for two additional units (3rd and 4th) was announced in January 2020, making MSC the largest customer of Chantiers de l’Atlantique, with 21 vessels built at the shipyard.

The 3rd and 4th units (World Asia and World Atlantic) were officially ordered on November 13, 2023.

An option for a 5th ship from the same class also exists.

WORLD Class MSC ships have a maximum passenger capacity of 6782 (5079 lower berths). The building cost per ship is EUR 1.125 billion (USD 1.255B). The builder is Chantiers de l’Atlantique. The order originally comprised two firm units plus two optional. Each ship has a gross tonnage of 215,863 GT, LOA 333 m (1093 ft), beam at waterline 41 m (135 ft) / max 54 m (177 ft), height 75 m (245 ft), and draft 9.2 m (31 ft).

When initially announced in April 2016, the design projected 205,000 GT, 2760 staterooms and a maximum passenger capacity of 6850, which would have made her the world’s largest ship by passenger capacity. By tonnage, the World Class remains among the world’s largest cruise ships.

Design renderings suggested an interior layout reminiscent of the Oasis-Class, featuring a ship-long Promenade with multiple dining and bar venues (including Aurea Restaurant, Raj Polo Tea House, Gin Bar, Zest Juice Bar, Elixir Mixology Bar, Fizz Champagne Bar, Malt Lounge & Smoker’s Bar, Emporium Coffee House), Promenade-facing balcony cabins and an aft family pool area.

The Lido Deck features a retractable glass dome with integrated solar panels, a resort-style main pool, six Jacuzzis (including four cantilevered hot tubs), a children’s Aquapark with three waterslides, and an aft adults-only Sundeck (two pools). Forward is the MSC Yacht Club, with an exclusive Sundeck, pool and bar lounge.

World Europa’s MSC Yacht Club is enhanced and includes:

• A redesigned two-deck sundeck with 270-degree views; the lower deck provides dining and beverage venues, while the upper deck offers a whirlpool, swimming pool and sunbathing areas with cabanas.
• Two new Owner Suites (YC4) featuring a double bedroom (walk-in closet), full bathroom, separate living/dining room with floor-to-ceiling windows, and two terraces with alfresco dining spaces and Jacuzzis.
• Two-deck Duplex Suites with lower-deck lounge, dining area and half bath; upper-deck master bedroom with en-suite bathroom. Each has two terraces, one with a Jacuzzi and lounge area.
• Exclusive access to Aurea Spa treatment rooms and unlimited use of the Yacht Club thermal suite.

The Yacht Club complex comprises 152 suites.

The ship offers 40,000+ m2 (430,000+ ft2) of public areas, 15,000 m2 (161,000 ft2) of outdoor deck space, a 3440 m2 (37,000 ft2) main pool deck, seven swimming pools, 13 Jacuzzis, 760+ m2 (8200 ft2) of children’s facilities (created with LEGO & Chicco), numerous bars, lounges, shops, 13 dining venues (six specialty restaurants), 21 bars/lounges, an adults-only Zen district, a Family district, family Sundeck, the fleet’s largest Aquapark (with VR-enhanced slides, Ropes Course, Zip Line), a teens-only Sundeck, and several themed “villages” similar to RCI’s neighborhood concept.

The restaurant lineup includes three major buffets (Luna Park Pizza, Il Mercato, La Brasserie) and six specialty venues: Kaito Teppanyaki & Sushi Bar (Asian), HOLA! Tacos & Cantina (Latin American/Mexican), Marketplace/Il Mercato Buffet (20-hour Lido dining), Eataly Restaurant, La Piazzetta (self-service buffet/pizzeria/tea service/seafood), Butcher’s Cut (steakhouse), and Jean-Philippe Maury Chocolaterie (patisserie, creperie, gelato).

MSC World Europa features a futuristic arrow-shaped G-bow and a Y-shaped stern leading to the World Europa Promenade. The Promenade spans seven decks (104 m / 341 ft) and continues indoors into the World Galleria (300 m2 / 3200 ft2), partially covered by a kinetic LED dome. The Galleria is lined with bars, shops and restaurants.

Promenade’s highlight is “The Spiral” (The Venom Drop), an 11-deck stainless-steel dry slide (76 m / 250 ft), providing a fast descent from Deck 22 to Deck 8.

The main entertainment venue is The World Theatre (1153 seats), hosting large-scale productions and daily activities. Other major entertainment spaces include bumper cars, roller disco, Cinema/Luna Park Arena (300 seats) and a botanic garden pool beneath a retractable roof.

Entertainment programming includes new shows in Luna Park Arena (three concert-style), The World Theatre (five grand-scale productions) and Panorama Lounge (four themed experiences). Surprise pop-up performances appear throughout the ship.

• Luna Park Arena hosts VR Drone Academy, Digital Dance Academy (“Dance with Flavia”), Wake Up Rave, two interactive game shows, Guinness-style challenge events and nightly musical concerts.
• The World Theatre presents five new large-scale shows using advanced visuals, unique props and bespoke costumes: “Eko” (sustainability-themed), “Amelia Earhart,” “Cadmo The Landwalker,” “Yellow Submarine” and “A Night on Broadway.”
• The Panorama Lounge features an interactive LED floor and nightly 90-minute dance-themed experiences with aerialists, acrobats, bands and dancers.
• Surprise living exhibitions themed “Earth and Ocean” appear throughout the ship.
• Each evening features a high-tech poolside “Sundowner DJ Party.”

Kids venues

World Europa has MSC’s largest children’s area, sized 766 m2 (8245 ft2), comprising seven spaces dedicated to ages from toddlers to teens (up to 17 years old). All venues are complimentary and supervised by certified staff.

Facilities include Baby Club (6–36 months), Mini Club and Junior Club (3–11 years), and Young/Teen Clubs (12–17 years).

New fleet-first facilities include:

• LEGO CELEBRATION ROOM
• TEENS LAB with 21 gaming consoles, seven VR stations and 50+ games
• 3,2,1 KNOCK (Asian-themed family game show)
• BEAT THE MUSIC (interactive family music challenge via mobile app)
• Z ACTIVE sports program (football, basketball, pickleball, zorb balls, hoverboards)
• DRONE ACADEMY 2.0 (relay-style drone racing using POV cameras and VR)
• CABIN 12006 – THE EXPERIENCE (Nickelodeon-themed activity program)
• MSC DANCE CREW (teen dance competition by FremantleMedia)

New venues (fleet firsts)

Below are the new MSC-fleet-first venues introduced on MSC World Europa.

“Chef’s Garden Kitchen” is a food bar specializing in microgreens, produced in an onboard hydroponic garden. The menu was developed by Michelin-starred chef Niklas Peter Ekstedt.

“La Pescaderia” is a market-style seafood grill with alfresco seating and takeaway options.

“Luna Park Pizza & Burger” is a buffet offering interactive family experiences and American-themed comfort food. The other two buffets are “Il Mercato” and “La Brasserie.”

Other specialty venues include Butcher’s Cut (steakhouse), Kaito Teppanyaki & Sushi Bar (Asian), and Hola! Tacos & Cantina (Latin American street-food concept).

“Masters of the Sea Pub” is a two-deck British-style pub and microbrewery offering craft beers produced through MSC’s partnership with Teo Musso of Baladin Brewery (Italy).

Coffee Emporium is a premium coffee house with an outdoor patio, serving MSC’s signature Lavazza roast.

Raj Polo Tea House is an India-themed tea venue.

The Gin Project offers 70+ craft gins and botanical cocktails.

“Elixir – Mixology Bar” specializes in signature cocktails and features an outdoor terrace.

New fleet concepts also include “Zest – Juice Bar,” “Malt Lounge & Bar” (smoking lounge with cigars, whiskies and cognacs) and “Sweet Temptations” (gelato and frozen yogurt bar).

The ship’s main complimentary dining venues include four MDRs (Bubbles, La Foglia, Esagono, Hexagon) and three buffets. Les Dunes is exclusive to Aurea-class guests.

MSC WORLD ships also feature ROBOTRON (introduced on MSC Seascape) – a robotic thrill ride by RWS Entertainment Group. Mounted on a 53-m-high robotic arm, a three-seat gondola rotates and flips in multiple directions over the ship’s edge. A nearby DJ Booth enhances the experience with synchronized audio-visual effects.

Decks and cabins

MSC World Europa staterooms (2633 total across 19 categories) include 159 Suites, and ~65% of all cabins feature step-out balconies. The ship provides 65 ADA/wheelchair-accessible cabins (33 Inside, 24 Balcony, eight Junior Suites).

Seven of the 19 cabin categories are new to MSC, including:

• Balcony staterooms overlooking the Lower Promenade
• MSC Yacht Club Duplex Suites with terraces featuring Jacuzzis and alfresco dining
• AUREA Suites with balcony Jacuzzis
• Infinite Oceanview cabins with French Balconies (slide-down window with glass balustrade)

The ship has 20 decks, 16 open to passengers and 12 containing cabins.

Decks are named after European capitals: Berlin, Rome, London, Madrid, Dublin, Vienna, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Prague, Brussels, Bern, Athens, Paris, Lisbon, Valletta, Amsterdam.

Itineraries

In March 2019, Gianni Onorato (MSC CEO) announced that the first World-Class ship (Europa) would be homeported in the USA (Miami) for her inaugural Caribbean 2022-2023 winter season.

In November 2019, MSC and Qatar signed an agreement to charter two ships (Europa and Poesia) as hotel vessels during the FIFA World Cup 2022. Throughout the event (Nov 21–Dec 18), both ships were moored at Port Doha to accommodate fans.

Bookings opened on May 31, 2021, for MSC World Europa’s inaugural Middle East season.

The Arabian Gulf deployment (Dec 2022–Mar 2023) featured 7-night itineraries roundtrip from Dubai (Port Rashid), Abu Dhabi and Doha. Ports of call included Sir Bani Yas Island and Dammam (Saudi Arabia). Starter fares for 7-night cruises were from EUR 815 (USD 995 / GBP 700) per person (double occupancy).

The Maiden Voyage departed on December 20, 2022: a 9-night Doha roundtrip calling Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sir Bani Yas, Dammam, returning to Doha on Dec 29. Fares started at EUR 1280 (USD 1565 / GBP 1100). A shorter 4-night Doha–Dubai inaugural voyage was also offered.

The Arabian season concluded on March 25, 2023, with a 19-day repositioning cruise from Dubai to Genoa, calling Abu Dhabi, Sir Bani Yas, Muscat, Jeddah, Suez Canal (transit Apr 6–7), Naples, Civitavecchia and Genoa (Apr 12).

The ship’s Mediterranean deployment consists of 7-night roundtrips from homeports in Italy (Genoa, Naples, Messina), Spain (Barcelona) and France (Marseille), all calling at Valletta.