I Took My Son on an Over-the-Top European Mega-Ship Cruise. Here’s What We Loved—and What We Didn’t

When my husband and I surprised our eight-year-old with the news that we would be taking our first family cruise (and his first ever) the next day on the 6,762-passenger MSC World Europa, his initial question wasn’t about fun aboard or a kids club.

Instead, he asked whether the ship would sink (a fear sparked by our visit to the Titanic Belfast museum a few weeks prior). But once we were aboard, World Europa‘s staggering size (1,100 feet long, 21 decks high, and 205,700 gross tons) and dizzying array of amenities and entertainment—waterslides, arcades, and an ice cream shop, to name a few—did a fine job of distracting him.

By the first morning aboard our seven-day Mediterranean itinerary, which included stops in Marseilles, Rome, Genoa, Palermo, Malta, and Barcelona, it was smooth sailing. Instead of fretting about the seaworthiness of our fancy floating digs, our son was soon marveling about its over-the-top attractions. “Isn’t this the best hotel you’ve ever stayed at, Mama?” he exclaimed at bedtime the second night. “It has bumper cars!”

Alas, my son and husband had to disembark on day four because of school obligations. (I stayed for the full cruise, lucky me.) But even in this shortened time frame, we managed to find our sea legs with this new-to-us mode of travel. Here’s what we loved about our first mega-ship cruise as a family, plus a few things we didn’t—and what we learned about how to better prepare for the next one.

The benefits of cruising with MSC

Courtesy of MSC Group

A European approach to cruising

Although Geneva-based MSC is making a big push into the North American market (World Europa’s sister ship, MSC World America, will sail in April 2025 from Miami with a focus on U.S. passengers), its vessels retain a decidedly European flavor and atmosphere, with a more multi-cultural passenger mix than what you’d find, say, on many Caribbean-centric ships. We heard so many languages aboard that it was hard to keep track, and I envied how so many MSC staffers effortlessly switched between them.

In restaurants, we enjoyed the relaxed vibe we’ve grown to appreciate after living in Europe for nearly five years. (Whether on land or sea, U.S. travelers tend to race through meals before dashing off to the next thing, but I find Europeans’ more leisurely pace better suited to vacations.)

Meanwhile, in the kids club, Doremiland, my son made friends with children from England, Spain, and Italy. Some didn’t speak much English—like the group of Italian boys he sat with when I dropped him off one day. By the time we picked him up that afternoon, he was saying grazie with a solid accent.

A cultural fun fact: MSC, privately owned by an Italian family, doesn’t have deck 17 on its vessels. That’s because in Italian culture, 17 is considered an unlucky number (similarly, many U.S.-based ships don’t have a deck 13).

Photo by Ivan Sarfatti

MSC Yacht Club: Upscale digs and fewer crowds

A frequent gripe about big-ship cruising is the crowds, and to that end, the MSC Yacht Club, which the line describes as a “ship within a ship” concept, is a godsend. This exclusive, multi-deck area in the front of the ship features a slew of perks, including its own concierge service, high-end restaurant, lounge and bar, pool, hot tubs, private embarkation areas, butler service, and an all-inclusive premium drinks package.

Elitist and pricey? Yes. (Depending on the ship and itinerary, it can be more than four times the cost of a standard stateroom.) Well worth it, if you can swing it budget-wise? Also yes. Our 270-square-foot Deluxe Suite, Yacht Club’s second-lowest room category (ultra-fancy Royal Suites and Owners’ Suites are often sold out for future sailings), came with ample storage space, a sitting area with sofa bed, and ridiculously comfortable king-size bed. We also enjoyed the balcony and included Wi-Fi that was fast and reliable.

The MSC Yacht Club Restaurant offered a much-appreciated respite from the chaos of some of the other restaurants, and the food was excellent, starting with made-to-order omelettes and freshly baked bread at breakfast to filet mignon and seafood-centric dishes at dinner. And I loved mingling with other passengers over a nightcap at the elegant Top Sail Lounge.

A kids club built for LEGO lovers (with the added bonus of adult time)

MSC’s Doremiland (Do-Re-Mi, à la The Sound of Music, nods to the musical names of some MSC ships), which prominently incorporates the beloved building toys, an official MSC partner, was a huge hit with our LEGO-obsessed son.

For us, knowing he was with kids his own age—there are five dedicated age groups (0–3 years; 4–6 years; 7–11 years; 12–14 years; and 15–17 years)—was another big-ship bonus. We also appreciated how easy it was: You can drop off kids anytime after 9 a.m., and pick them up by as late as 11 p.m. (!), no pre-registration or extra charges required.

Lunch and dinner are also served—a perk we discovered only when we arrived for pickup early one evening. Our little guy plodded out wearing a sea turtle hat he’d made, plus a big scowl—he was having too much fun to leave. But the staffer at the registration desk cheerfully told us he could stay for dinner (for free)—and with that, he dashed back inside, barely saying goodbye.

Viola! An unexpected date night for us and more playtime for him. When my husband picked him up around 9 p.m., the kids were having a full-on dance party in one of the ship’s nightclub venues. Doremiland for the win again.

Courtesy of Ivan Sarfatti/MSC Group

Surprisingly fun entertainment aboard

The chilly weather during our trip wasn’t ideal for pool time, but I was pleasantly surprised by the available entertainment overall. Our favorite: the dry slide called Venom Drop @ The Spiral, which corkscrews down 11 decks; MSC claims is the largest of its kind at sea.

Riders enter through the massive fanged mouth of a red snake on Deck 20 and pop out on Deck 8 a few seconds later. On his first go (of more than two dozen total), my son yelled “Arrivederci!” on the way down. I joined him for several runs, and other adults, even those sans kids, seemed to be having as much fun as I was.

Another hit for us: the arcade. At €1.75 each (about US$1.83), games like bowling, a nonalcoholic version of beer-pong, and air hockey added up quickly (and dangerously easily, with the tap of a room keycard). But seeing my son squeal over those ribbons of orange tickets streaming out was delightful. (In the end, about 300 tickets bought us a flimsy inflatable Smurf bat that cost about $50 in fees. Still worth it.)

MSC World Europa also had plenty of evening entertainment; however, the options that interested us most, like a magic show, started too late for our liking. There was also a lively casino, and hearing a fellow passenger talk about her $2,000 hot streak in Texas hold‘em, I was tempted to try my luck, too. Instead, I opted for a bingo game with a grand prize of $500 that was surprisingly fun despite me coming away empty handed.

Courtesy of MSC Group

Excellent specialty restaurants

Specialty restaurants were another highlight. While our son was in Doremiland one afternoon, my husband and I enjoyed lunch at Hola Tacos & Cantina, which served up surprisingly authentic Mexican cuisine that’s been nearly impossible for us to find in Europe: street-style tacos, chips, zingy salsa, and kicky margaritas. Another date night highlight was Butcher’s Cut, where we indulged in steaks and generous comfort-food sides like macaroni and cheese, creamed spinach, and onion rings.

But the culinary star was Kaito Sushi Bar & Teppanyaki, a Japanese-style restaurant. I’d been eagerly anticipating it not only because it was my birthday dinner but also our son’s first experience with the spatula-twirling, food-flipping shenanigans of a hibachi-style meal. After a snafu with our reservation that almost cost us our seating (more on that below), our hilarious and talented chef, Kristoffer, saved the day with his joke-cracking and cooking. After several delicious courses (including miso soup, fried rice, salmon, and steak), a birthday cake appeared (minus candles, which aren’t allowed aboard). Fellow guests joined my family in singing, capping one of the best meals we’ve had while traveling together.

Forward-thinking sustainability

Cruise ships don’t have the best track record when it comes to sustainability. However, MSC World Europa is the line’s most sustainable ship yet, helping the company toward its goal to achieve net-zero greenhouse-gas emissions operations by 2050, alongside the cruise industry as a whole.

MSC World Europa is the line’s first ship fueled by liquified natural gas (or LNG) instead of diesel, allowing it to reduce emissions by 25 percent. In addition, its LNG infrastructure also will equip World Europa to more easily convert to alternative fuels such as biofuel or synthetic fuel when they’re more readily available at scale.

The vessel’s state-of-the-art design includes next-generation wastewater treatment technology; solid oxide fuel cells that ultimately make the ship more efficient; and propellers designed to reduce underwater noise for marine wildlife. Of course, there’s a long way to go, but as a passenger, I like knowing that MSC has taken a proactive role around reducing its waste and emissions.

Some of the drawbacks of big-ship cruising

Booking through the app

Like most cruise lines, MSC virtually forces passengers to use their app to book restaurant reservations, shore excursions, and more. While I can understand the strategy behind this, as a somewhat tech-reluctant traveler who prefers paper whenever possible (for tickets, menus, you name it), I found MSC’s app, MSC for Me, confusing and not very user friendly.

Case in point: During cocktails before my birthday dinner, my phone pinged with a reminder alert for dinner. The problem was, as I discovered later, that the reminder wasn’t for the 6:30 p.m. reservations I’d made for Kaito Teppanyaki with the Yacht Club concierge; instead, it was for a 6:45 p.m. dinner at the MSC Yacht Club Restaurant (which I hadn’t made). But I didn’t notice the difference—I assumed Kaito Teppanyaki needed to shift us back a few minutes, which was no big deal. However, when we arrived there unknowingly 15 minutes late, we were told we’d missed our seating.

I was so disappointed, but fortunately staff were able to eventually seat us, and the meal was our favorite on the trip. I’m so glad that app snafu/user error didn’t cause us to miss it, and next time, I’ll double-check important reservations like this one.

If you don’t plan ahead, you might miss out

Even after reviewing activities online ahead of time, I still managed to miss some offerings I’m sure my son would have loved. Most notably: the Drone Academy, where passengers of all ages can hone their flying techniques. And only later did I find out about MSC’s MasterChef at Sea Juniors, a cooking class tailored to kids aged 6 to 12 years. (To be fair, I’m not sure it was offered on our cruise, but I would definitely sign up next time around.)

I’m still not sure how this happened. Perhaps, with so many activities happening aboard, it was simply information overload. Next time, I’ll take a closer look at what’s aboard and book early to avoid disappointment.

Photo by Blane Bachelor

The verdict

While big cruise ships aren’t for all travelers, they can definitely be a great option for families with small children, as my husband and I discovered on MSC World Europa. Our son’s time with kids his own age, both in Doremiland and elsewhere aboard, and some much-needed time to ourselves were a win-win for everyone, and we enjoyed discovering all the offerings together.

Plus, the more cruises I take, the more I appreciate their convenience factor. I love only having to unpack once and experiencing multiple destinations on a single trip. (I visited Valletta, Malta; Genoa, and Palermo for the first time on this itinerary.)

All in all, MSC World Europa delivered for our first cruise—and first mega-ship—as a family. My son is already asking when we can go again. Meanwhile, I’m thinking about getting our parents to join us for a multi-generational family trip, during which I could relinquish my status as the default travel organizer and just kick back and enjoy being pampered with my loved ones. And next time, we’ll avoid any museums about maritime disasters beforehand.