I first read about Europa in Berlitz's 2017 guide, fantastic, by the way, in case you're looking for in-depth research about individual ships not on CruiseCritic. I am an American who went on this amazing ship for just over a week, albeit that it was quite difficult not knowing any German prior, but I felt interacting with fellow passengers who spoke at least some English or Chinese (which I speak).

EMBARKATION:

Embarkation was very smooth and swift, and shockingly punctual at 16:00. Between starting to board in Monaco and getting to my suite (all of them are suites), it was only about twenty or so minutes. I also got a bottle of champagne and four quite small but delicious chocolate-covered strawberries. My suite was clean and tidy and I wasted no time in unpacking. There was ample room to store my things and very few minor niggles such as the bedspread being slightly off-centre. Read more