2cruiseluvrs

Here is the daily program time schedule for venues, bars, etc, on MSC World Europa effective June 2024. The only tangible copy I could find is in Spanish. Everyone has access to the schedule via the MSC FOR ME app which is their effort to reduce paper waste.

Can anyone tell me the opening and closing hours of the spa thermal area on deck 8 of world europa? If you still have the daily planner it is listed under wellbeing, but I cannot find a copy online. Thank you!!!

Wow, so much empty

You can access and update the list of cruise ship steam rooms and saunas at https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ROCmeNSYj_VwCYs3IUjWbrcEomFeqOrvIDUnXG6GLTg/edit

Welcome to the roll call for the May 31st 2024 sailing of the MSC World Europa! We look forward to meeting you and enjoying this beautiful ship and the ports she visits!

Interesting! Because of the timing of your cruise, I am wondering if some of your experience is specifically because of covid restrictions, that are hopefully long gone.

I found this on their website on 2023 April 11.

Some people prefer same-gender saunas and steam rooms. Others prefer coed. What is your preference, and if you care to share, why do you lean that way?

Have you stayed in the MSC Yacht Club lately? Our last YC experience was Seaside in the summer of 2019. Now we're gearing up for Meraviglia this May. I am wondering what amenities or benefits have been LOST during the last four years. Or what has been added? Thank you for any insight! What I have read, and I cannot confirm is true, is that: Butlers will no longer put away and hang your clothing when you first board Butlers no longer provide additional nuts and snacks in the minibar (other than what might first be there when you board) Butlers no longer provide additional small liquor bottles, but instead provide you with one large bottle of your choice.... ? Butlers can no longer take you to the front row at the evening show Gelato is no longer a "free" benefit You cannot get coffee drinks at Jean Philippe... ?

All seems to appear just fine on the spreadsheet at at https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ROCmeNSYj_VwCYs3IUjWbrcEomFeqOrvIDUnXG6GLTg/edit?usp=sharing -- there are 184 ships listed, representing all the major cruise lines.

As a reminder, the full editable spreadsheet is at https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ROCmeNSYj_VwCYs3IUjWbrcEomFeqOrvIDUnXG6GLTg/edit?usp=sharing

From the videos I've seen it looks wonderful and if it's half as nice as Seaside, I'm thrilled. Already booked for Meraviglia for May and extremely excited about the Thermal Area!

BklynBorn47 — Having a balcony room is wonderful. You certainly cannot get a balcony in Yacht Club for as reasonable of a price! And since you didn't buy a drink package or Thermal Suite access, it would really be hard to justify the added expense of Yacht Club. Unless of course you have money to burn, in which case, I'd be happy to be your guest next time!!! 🙂 Have a wonderful trip on Meraviglia!

Why try the MSC Yacht Club? (written by 619deals@gmail.com -- this is not a sponsored article, though it would be really nice if MSC reached out to me... a very loyal guest!) Since getting married, my wife and I have been on nine cruises, and our 10th is booked, with plans in motion for our 11th cruise to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary in a couple of years. I guess that comes out to about one cruise every two years. We have sailed on Celebrity, Norwegian, Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and MSC; each was special in its own way, and we are firm believers that you cannot judge an entire company based on one ship or one cruise experience, though we do have our preferences! We’ve stayed in interior rooms, ocean view rooms, balcony rooms, and deluxe suites. We tried MSC for the first time in 2016 when they were relatively new to the states. That year we sailed on Divina, and enjoyed an Aurea-level balcony room. Two years later, while trying to find a room that would accommodate our family of five, we discovered a “deal” that placed us in the Yacht Club on MSC Seaside. At the time, young kids could sail “free” and the total cost was reasonable. We LOVED the service and perks. The following year, in 2019, we returned to Seaside’s Yacht Club and it felt like coming back home. (I actually cried a little when I arrived back in the Yacht Club!) At the tail end of the pandemic, we were itching to take another cruise, and we found ourselves on a non-MSC line going to Alaska, and we were in an oceanview room with no balcony. The trip itself was fine and we enjoyed the food, but we sure did miss the Yacht Club experience. So now my wife and I are excited to take our next cruise, which is in the Yacht Club on MSC Meraviglia, and we are looking forward to going “sans kids” this time 🙂 With SO MANY people choosing a cruise for their vacation, I am sure a lot of folks ask, “What is the benefit of being in the Yacht Club? And is it worth it?” So this article will venture to answer that question. Having been in the MSC Yacht Club twice and looking forward very much to the next two times, I feel like I am in a great position to answer the question. I also have the perspective of comparing the Yacht Club to seven other cruises that were NOT in a VIP space. I should also preface this article by adding that I am a very frugal person. I am in my 40s, I have been self-employed most of my life. I’ve had rich months and poor months. I buy many of my clothes second hand. I drive cars for 15+ years before replacing them. We buy a lot of generic groceries. And I always look for the best prices when shopping. And so I am pretty good at finding a good deal when it comes along! As a marketer/advertiser by trade, it’s easy for me to see right through a promotion and identify the real offer versus the gimmicks. I often tell my kids that people buy “bullet points.” The more features you can include with the product, the more value the customer is going to “feel” or benefit from their purchase. At its heart, in my opinion, the Yacht Club is a marketing offer that includes many bells and whistles, or many bullet points, and I have found it to be a very good value. You are essentially paying for alcohol, the thermal suite, and internet access, while also receiving exclusive service and a better experience. Look at it this way… When you buy a new car, there are “trim levels” available. The entry level car has fabric seats and a basic stereo system. But the “fancy” version has leather seats, premium sound, and maybe even computerized lane detection. Sure, you can buy the cheaper car, and then later you can pay extra for leather seats, and you can pay extra to install a better stereo. But if you do those things, you may find yourself paying as much for the basic car with extras, as if you would have if you bought the “fancy” car in the first place! That’s like buying a ticket into the Yacht Club! Do I think it’s a good idea to buy the fancy car? Not always... but sometimes. When I go on a cruise, I like to have adult beverages, and I like to go to the Thermal Suite A LOT. I’ve calculated that if I buy a cheap stateroom in the general area, and then pay extra for the drink package, and then pay extra for the spa pass, it gets me really close to the cost of an interior room in Yacht Club. In real numbers, a general interior room may be $500, and the drink package is $400, and the spa is $250. That’s $1150 per person. The total for two adults is now $2300, plus tips, etc. A Yacht Club interior room can be had for as little $2750 per couple plus tips, and it comes with drinks and spa, and so much more. So if I am paying an extra $450 total, what am I getting for the extra money? Well, my list of benefits and experiences is below. Granted, if you don’t drink and you don’t like saunas and steam rooms, then none of this makes financial sense for you! And if you take the kids along, it could really add up to be a bit too much. Just two adults going on an occasional cruise? This is a no-brainer. YACHT CLUB BENEFITS (subject to change): Arrive when you want, but not too late to miss the ship! Expedited Boarding, zipping right past lines and quickly through security Enjoy champagne and snacks while the staff prepares your ship card and wrist band…. It’s so much better than standing and waiting without snacks! A Yacht Club butler then escorts you onboard and directly to the private Yacht Club Top Sail lounge The entire Yacht Club is private and only a couple hundred guests have access to it, while the many thousands of other guests cannot get in. Inside of the private lounge, you can enjoy all the drinks and snacks from 6A to 2A. Just sit down on the comfortable seats and enjoy the service that comes to you! Your lounge may even have spectacular outdoor spaces with can’t-be-beat views. Your butler will escort you to your room and offer to put away your clothes into your closets and drawers. Your butler will ask you what you like to drink and eat for snacks, and then she/he will ensure these items are stocked in your complimentary mini-bar throughout the cruise. Your butler will make sure you like your pillows. You can choose more and different bed pillows from their extensive pillow menu. When you are hungry, you can go to the Yacht Club restaurant, at any time, and choose from the menu, or maybe even ask for a custom entree. Remember, drinks are included, so ask for whatever you like to go with your meal. And then ask for another one! If you have any questions, your butler can help you, or you can visit the Yacht Club concierge, who can book an excursion for you, provide information about your room, your billing, etc. Ask them for anything! You have complimentary use of the Premium Wi-Fi package for two devices per stateroom. This wifi access includes the ship’s Browse & Stream internet package. When you are ready for the sun and swim, head upstairs to the Yacht Club One Pool and deck, a fully private area that includes a pool, hot tubs, many open lounge chairs, embroidered towels, a full bar, and a great buffet with foods for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks in between. Staff here will clean up your dishes, bring drinks to you, etc. During the cruise, there may be a couple of special evenings with music, etc. At night when you want to go to a show, call your butler and he/she will escort you to the main theater, and take you directly to the front row, even if the rest of the theater is sold out or full. Back in your room, when you want a snack or a cocktail (that’s not already in your minibar), just call your butler, and it will be brought to you for no extra charge. When you want to visit other parts of the ship, your Yacht Club wristband or key card will give you no-cost access to the other bars. Just ask and it’s yours! Gelato around the ship may also be included! When using the elevators, your YC wristband gives you priority access, usually zipping you right to your desired floor, bypassing all the other folks waiting on other floors! When you are at port, and you want to leave the ship, just gather your bag, and head to the Yacht Club lounge. Your butler will escort you down the Priority Elevator and out a private exit of the ship, bypassing lines of other folks who are waiting. He will see you off to enjoy your day. When you arrive back at the ship, often the Yacht Club butlers may offer you a cool hand towel to clean up, and some fruit-infused water to cool off. The butler will escort you past lines and through security, then up the priority elevator, to your room or to the lounge. Once again, you will feel like Royalty simply by skipping the lines! While you are visiting Ocean Cay in the Bahamas, Yacht Club guests are taken on small trams to the private Yacht Club area of the island! There, you have cushioned loungers with umbrellas for no extra cost. Enjoy private beaches, and have access to the Ocean House where you will enjoy better foods and drinks than anywhere else on the island, all included. Back on board, when it’s time to relax, put on your Yacht Club robe and slippers, and take the Priority elevators down to the Aurea Spa near deck 7 or 8. You have free entry! Visit the changing room to get comfortable in your trunks or bikini, then head out to enjoy the saunas, steam rooms, salt room, snow room, heated loungers, bubble pools and more. The Thermal Suite may open as early as 8 a.m. and may close at 10 p.m. Sadly, when your cruise comes to an end, you may be able to stay on board just a bit longer than others before you have to leave. There may be even more benefits that I have missed! So there you have it. That’s a lot of extra “bullet points” for just $225 per person more! Would you pay $35 per day for that? It’s really hard to say no. Of course these are ballpark numbers on select sailings, and you’ll pay quite a bit more in a Yacht Club balcony room or better, or at peak times of the year. The point is that just getting into Yacht Club provides members with so many extra benefits that are hard to scoff at, even if you are an extremely frugal person like me. Finally, be sure you are signed up as an MSC Voyagers member to collect your points, and consider booking again at least 12 months in advance of your next cruise, to double your new points! More points give you better benefits and bigger discounts, so the doubling gets you there faster. Did I miss anything? Do you agree or disagree? Share your comments below. See you in the MSC Yacht Club!