My trip started one day before the actual flight – I booked an overnight stay at Schiphol. It helped me to be fresh in the morning, without the pressure of traffic jams. Completely fresh, our morning flight turned into an afternoon flight, but we got to Barcelona in the end. Here, we stayed at a hotel on the Rambla. Ready for dinner, we went to Plaça Reial. The vibe was just right for the first official evening of vacation.

Even though I’ve been to Barcelona plenty of times, I still enjoy walking around. The following day we decided on a lunch at Makamaka – a burger place I discovered over 10 years ago that’s still going strong. From there, we took a taxi to the cruise terminal. Embarking was incredibly smooth. We basically walked right through and easily found our cabin.

MSC World Europa is a very new ship. It started sailing in 2022 – and you can feel it. It’s part of a new class for MSC, with lots of space, the beautiful World Galleria inside, and the World Promenade outside. It’s also the first MSC ship with inside balcony cabins. Not revolutionary (Royal Caribbean did it first), but still a nice touch.

We booked an inside cabin – no windows – and were curious how that would feel. Honestly? It was great. The cabin was spacious enough for the two of us, and since we were barely inside anyway, it worked perfectly. Having no view actually encouraged us to explore the ship more. Bonus: it’s the cheapest cabin type, so more money to spend on a beverage package.

We upgraded to a package that included specialty alcoholic drinks like gin & tonics. MSC World Europa has a few great bars: “Masters of the Sea” for beer lovers and “The Gin Project” upstairs for the gin fans. Tea from Raj Polo Tea House and juices from Zest – Juice Bar were also included. No complaints here.

The first harbour was Marseille, France. Unfortunately, it was raining, so we didn’t really enjoy the city. We went out to take a few pictures and buy a souvenir, but the rain made us head back early. A coffee from the Coffee Emporium on board made up for it – this one’s not included in the package, but worth the price.

The following day we arrived in Genova, Italy. We decided to walk all the way up to Spianata di Castelletto. For me, it felt like a real workout – I was feeling my muscles by the time we got there. Then we discovered there is an elevator that can also bring you up… which might have been worth it too. Still, the view from this point is worth every workout. After that, we walked to Piazza De Ferrari. It started raining again, so we grabbed a taxi back to the ship.

In the evening, we treated ourselves to a specialty dinner at Butcher’s Cut. Worth every euro. I had a burrata with red beet to start, followed by a lady steak with Brussels sprouts to balance it out, and a cheesecake for dessert. Our waiter surprised us with some limoncello shots on the house as a fourth course. And a fifth, if we didn’t stop him in time.

Arriving in Civitavecchia, Italy – we finally had real sunshine. Most cruise passengers will disembark early to get to Rome. It is worth it – if you get off the ship immediately after mooring. In our case, we decided to stay in Civitavecchia. This is also a very nice town for a walk. From here there are also excursions not organised by MSC. You can check TripAdvisor for interesting tours. Unfortunately for us, we were too late – the interesting ones were booked out already.

The next day we arrived in Messina. We had a late morning arrival, meaning that we could enjoy the full approach to Messina. Sailing in here is stunning – land getting closer on both sides and still seeing the open sea. When you pass the Stele della Madonna della Lettera, you know you’re almost there.

We decided to visit Taormina. The train is cheap, but doesn’t drop you off directly in the town – you’ll still need a bus or taxi. Or… you can walk, like us. We chose the Goethe path. It felt like Genova all over again. But the view made it worth it. In Taormina, we grabbed a pizza, wandered around, and took a taxi back to the station. By then, my feet were done for the day.

Last port of the cruise – Valletta, Malta. Valletta is beautiful. We explored the old town from top to bottom: starting at Upper Barrakka and ending at the Granaries at St. Elmo. On the way back, we passed Wuestenwinds Beach – a perfect place for a picture with a great view, if you are not afraid of heights… and the WWII Sleeping Soldier Memorial. If you like photography, there’s a great spot here for a picture of the ship. With our last day at sea, we relaxed and prepared for our trip home. Dreaming of the next one.