Whereas MSC Cruises could also be finest identified for its mega-ships, many of those vessels even have a devoted space that’s solely accessible to a couple hundred passengers, interesting to those that need a extra intimate cruise expertise.
The MSC Yacht Membership is MSC’s unique ship-within-a-ship idea that’s residence to upscale facilities, non-public areas, and a devoted employees.
We simply spent 7 nights within the Yacht Membership on MSC Seashore to see whether it is actually price it. Discover out when you ought to pay to improve to this extra all-inclusive expertise in your subsequent MSC cruise.
How Does the MSC Yacht Membership Work?
Heidi and I’ve sailed on the most important cruise ships on the planet that simply can accommodate over 5,000 friends. Actually, MSC Seashore’s max capability approaches 5,800. Though, we have now additionally sailed on a lot smaller cruise ships with solely two or 300 passengers. In fact, each of those experiences are vastly completely different.
Mega-ships have a tendency to supply a wide range of themed eating places and bars, signature leisure, and onboard occasions and actions. In distinction, smaller ships provide fewer onboard facilities however boast extra personalised service and better consideration to element.
So, that is what makes the MSC Yacht Membership distinctive. It presents the posh of a small ship expertise, whereas nonetheless giving its members entry to the facilities and actions discovered on bigger cruise ships. And also you don’t want any particular memberships or loyalty standing to be “part of the club” both. All you should do is e-book a cabin within the MSC Yacht Membership to make the most of all it has to supply.
Like everybody else on MSC Seashore, we had entry to all the public areas on Decks 5 by way of 19. These embody the Jungle Pool, Lengthy Island Pool, and adults-only Infinity Pool, all of the bars and lounges, specialty eating places, and points of interest just like the Pirate’s Cove Aquapark and Corridor of Video games.
Similar to everybody else, we joined within the trivia classes and recreation exhibits. We watched the nightly productions within the theater. We loved the stay music in varied venues across the ship and attended the signature events.
However, we additionally had entry to the areas on Decks 16 by way of 20 ahead with our Yacht Membership key card. By scanning in, we might benefit from the facilities and areas reserved only for the 250 Yacht Membership friends on our crusing.
Thus, we mega-ship fanatics might make the most of all of the ship supplied, then slip away to our secluded area within the Yacht Membership. However, given every thing accessible within the Yacht Membership, you by no means actually have to go away when you don’t wish to.
Contained in the Yacht Membership on MSC Seashore
Company staying within the MSC Yacht Membership can entry the reserved part of the ship by using the ahead staircase and public elevators.
PRO TIP: You possibly can even use your MSC for Me band or keycard for precedence entry at these elevators.
When you’ve scanned into this keycard-access-only area, a non-public elevator and stairwell usher you thru the 4 decks of the Yacht Membership (Decks 16-20).
Enjoyable Truth: There isn’t any Deck 17 on any MSC ship, as it’s an unfortunate quantity within the Italian tradition.
The MSC Yacht Membership’s format was simple to navigate. The primary entrance is on Deck 16 ahead, just some steps away from the ahead elevators. Upon getting into, friends are greeted by the pleasant and useful concierge group. Whether or not it was Aline serving to us with shore excursions or Denise answering certainly one of our many questions, this group was accessible 24/7 to help with varied requests.
Together with cabins, Deck 16 of the MSC Seashore Yacht Membership is residence to the High Sail Lounge. This bar and lounge is open from 6 AM to 1 AM and presents handcrafted cocktails, small bites, and lightweight night music. There may be additionally an outside sitting space on the entrance of the lounge above the ship’s bridge with outsized chairs and couches. This was the best place to benefit from the dawn and sundown with the open-air breeze.
Deck 18 consists of extra cabins and the MSC Yacht Membership Restaurant. The restaurant was open each morning for a sit-down breakfast from round 7-7:30 to 9-9:30 AM. On most days of the cruise, the restaurant additionally served lunch, sometimes from 12 to 2 PM, besides when docked on the cruise line’s non-public island of Ocean Cay. The restaurant supplied dinner from 5:30 to 9 PM each night time.
There have been extra cabins on Deck 19 together with The One Pool and Sundeck. This expansive outside area supplied snug loungers, an outside grill, and a buffet open a lot of the day. There’s additionally a bar, two whirlpools, a central pool, and loads of deck area to take in the solar.
What’s Included When Reserving the MSC Yacht Membership?
Past entry to the non-public venues and sundeck, quite a few extra perks include reserving an MSC Yacht Membership suite.
All friends within the stateroom obtain the Premium Further drink package deal. This package deal covers all drinks as much as $16. It really works in any respect the ship’s bars, lounges, and eating places. From our expertise across the ship, discovering a drink not lined within the package deal was powerful.
All cruisers additionally obtain Browse Web for 2 units. This package deal fits duties similar to checking e-mail or utilizing social media apps. For these searching for greater speeds, friends can improve to a Surf Web package deal for about $140 every week.
Together with the drink package deal and web, all MSC Yacht Membership friends have entry to the Aurea Spa’s Thermal Suite. This thermal suite has a number of experiences, like a hydro-pool, saunas, steam rooms, heated loungers, a salt room, and a snow room. There’s additionally a devoted outside area with loungers and a whirlpool.
Throughout our crusing, friends didn’t must make reservations for the thermal suite on port days. To entry the thermal suite on a sea day, friends do want a reservation. Although, the concierge group had no points securing us a ten AM spot for the ultimate day of our voyage.
Now, these onboard inclusions are only the start of the personalised consideration all friends within the MSC Yacht Membership obtain.
MSC Yacht Membership Expertise
Precedence Entry
From the second we stepped into the terminal, we knew our expertise on MSC Seashore can be completely different. A member of the terminal employees escorted us to a Yacht Membership consultant, who whisked us away to a separate check-in space for MSC Yacht Membership friends solely.
From right here, the concierge group walked us by way of the Yacht Membership’s advantages and offered us with our key playing cards. It wasn’t lengthy after when one of many butlers gathered a small group and swiftly led us to the gangway, making certain we didn’t want to attend in any strains to board the ship.
We later came upon that this butler, Francis, was one half of our butler group, alongside together with his junior butler, Richard.
As soon as on the ship, we have been taken to our muster station. We then obtained precedence elevator entry to the High Sail Lounge for a welcome aboard drink.
Precedence embarkation and disembarkation aren’t simply on the primary and final day of the cruise although. At every port of name, butlers information friends to the gangway. This was a superb function for our go to to the cruise line’s non-public island of Ocean Cay, as we have been among the many first off the ship.
Equally, we didn’t have to fret about waking up early or lugging our luggage round on disembarkation day. With MSC Yacht Membership precedence entry, we might get pleasure from a sit-down breakfast earlier than leaving the ship. With Francis main the way in which, we left the High Sail lounge, received in an elevator, and scanned off the ship in lower than 10 minutes.
MSC Yacht Membership friends even have a reserved part within the Madison Theater for all manufacturing exhibits and headliner acts. Whereas different friends on the ship need to make reservations, Yacht Membership friends can enter the theater for both showtime figuring out they’ll at all times have a seat.
All we needed to do was flash our wristband, and we bypassed the road straight into the theater to get pleasure from all of the nightly productions.
Personalised Service
Our butler was a useful useful resource all week. It was like having our non-public journey advisor alongside us in the course of the journey. He ensured we took benefit of all the advantages and was there to assist make reservations or try to accommodate our requests.
We had a eating package deal, and he ensured we received our desired eating places and eating occasions. He alerted us to approaching signature occasions just like the unique Yacht Membership Island Occasion on night time 5 and the very talked-about excessive tea service on the final day of the cruise.
To not point out, he at all times discovered time to talk with us. He genuinely loved his job and took the butler function very significantly. He was dedicated to making sure we had a improbable time and didn’t miss a factor in the course of the cruise.
The group on the Concierge desk was equally useful all through the week as effectively.
Because the week progressed, we felt like all the crew members within the Yacht Membership knew us, even when we couldn’t recall assembly them.
The Yacht Membership Restaurant
Company can get pleasure from a three-course dinner within the upscale Yacht Membership Restaurant on Deck 18 each night time in the course of the cruise. As talked about earlier, breakfast is served each day as effectively, together with disembarkation morning. Lunch is on the market most days of the cruise too.
Whereas we by no means made it to the Restaurant for lunch, we did dine on the Yacht Membership Restaurant for dinner 5 of the seven nights.
The Restaurant has open seating each night time from 5:30 to 9 PM. Because of this friends don’t must make a reservation nor have they got an assigned eating time like a lot of the different essential eating rooms on the ship. As a substitute, friends can dine every time they’d like. Arriving between 6 and 6:30 PM most nights, we by no means needed to await a desk both. Though, the one draw back was that we had 4 completely different waitstaff groups in the course of the cruise.
Like the remainder of the ship, the Restaurant’s dinner menu options each day specials and traditional favorites. These menus typically supplied a couple of of the identical dishes as the primary eating rooms on the remainder of the ship, along with distinctive upscale choices.
As an illustration, on night time 2 of the cruise, I carved into a fragile crab cake and succulent quick ribs. The meal was topped off with a candy, heat apple strudel.
On night time 3, we dined at a specialty restaurant, The Butcher’s Minimize. This is without doubt one of the finest steakhouses at sea. The restaurant options completely seared filet mignon, equally spectacular facet dishes like mac and cheese, and decadent desserts.
However, I used to be pleasantly shocked the following night time when the Yacht Membership Restaurant served a seemingly similar filet as a part of its Classics part of the menu.
In fact, no crusing on an MSC Cruises’ ship can be full with out Italian classics like ossobuco which was served on the ultimate night time. Company may also benefit from the mild and candy tiramisu each night time as a part of the dessert menu. Don’t overlook the New York cheesecake both; it comes the closest to replicating this dense, wealthy dessert that we’ve discovered at sea.
Room Service
If that isn’t sufficient, friends within the MSC Yacht Membership can entry complimentary 24-hour room service as effectively. Together with breakfast and an all-day menu of sandwiches and snacks, pizza supply is on the market from midday to 1 AM.
On a few events, we couldn’t resist ordering a freshly made pizza that got here proper to our stateroom in solely about 20 minutes. And whereas we’ve at all times given the nod to Princess or Virgin, this pizza may simply steal the award for finest pizza at sea!
The Yacht Membership Sundeck
Company searching for the best slice of Caribbean paradise don’t need to go far. The One Pool and Sundeck provide ample area with padded lounge chairs and loads of different seating choices to take in the solar and ocean breezes.
It’s also residence to 2 whirlpools, the One Pool Buffet, and a full-service bar, serving drinks from 7 AM to eight PM. Company in one of many Proprietor’s Suites have reserved cabanas on the sundeck, whereas the opposite daybeds can be found on a primary come, first served foundation.
For these searching for a faster breakfast or lunch than the Yacht Membership Restaurant, the One Pool Buffet serves al fresco eating every single day of the cruise. Breakfast sometimes runs from about 7:30 to 10:30 AM. Featured choices embody recent fruit, continental pastries, and different typical breakfast objects. Contemporary from the grill, friends can choose made-to-order omelets and different favorites like waffles and pancakes.
For lunch, the grill presents a custom-made burger, together with each day specials like grilled shrimp, grilled fish, steamed mussels, and extra. The buffet lunch featured upscale choices like a carving station and freshly grilled or fried seafood. Lunch was served most days from about 12 to three PM.
There’s even afternoon snacks by the pool. These often consisted of candy treats and mini bites, like decadent bread pudding or small scones and cookies.
High Sail Lounge
The High Sail Lounge was additionally a go-to spot day or night time on our MSC Seashore cruise. Company might seize a morning espresso on the bar or mild breakfast objects from about 7 to 11 AM. Through the day, friends might chill out with some panoramic views and likewise get pleasure from snacks like mini sandwiches, nuts, potato chips, and extra.
Within the evenings, this lounge was a preferred place for a pre-dinner cocktail or for having fun with some stay music and candy treats. Actually, there’s snacks accessible right here 18 hours out of the day, and the bar right here was open most days from 6 AM to 1 AM.
On the final sea day of our cruise, excessive tea was served from 3:30 to 4:30 PM. Make sure that to reach early although, as it is a widespread occasion. With a big selection of premium teas and a tower of savory and candy snacks, this conventional white-gloved service is a throwback to the golden age of ocean liners.
The Staterooms
The MSC Yacht Membership on MSC Seashore boasts 5 completely different room classes. Whatever the stateroom class, all rooms provide a classy décor with a muted shade palette and trendy styling.
Inside Suite
What’s distinctive to the MSC Yacht Membership is that it presents an entry-level inside suite, in contrast to different cruise strains that present related ship-within-a-ship ideas. At about 229 sq. ft, these lodging are 50% bigger than a deluxe inside cabin on MSC Seashore.
Whereas there are only some, these spacious inside rooms nonetheless present all the identical perks and advantages of being within the MSC Yacht Membership. Thus, these suites are a extra budget-friendly entry level for {couples} wanting to check out the MSC Yacht Membership for his or her subsequent cruise.
Deluxe Suite
We stayed in cabin 18001, a Deluxe Suite on Deck 18. Our portside suite was all the way in which ahead.
This suite measured about 269 sq. ft, with a big balcony that was 86 sq. ft. That is about 40% bigger than the deluxe balcony cabins discovered all through the remainder of the ship. We stayed in a single on MSC Seascape a pair years in the past, so we are able to attest that our Deluxe Suite within the Yacht Membership was considerably roomier.
Our Deluxe Suite resembled the format of a mini-suite on most cruise strains. It had a separate seating space with a pull-out couch, espresso desk, and a chair. Although, one of many nicest upgrades was the outsized toilet and bathe. The marble bathe included a rainfall bathe head and premium eco-friendly tub merchandise.
As over-packers, we appreciated the a number of closets and cupboard space too. With three separate garments bars, cabinets, and loads of extra storage all through the cabin, we might actually settle in.
Our balcony was additionally longer and deeper than different balconies we’re accustomed to on most mega-ships. This was a perfect place to chill out outdoors and admire the ocean views or the upcoming port of name.
As well as, all friends obtain complimentary champagne on embarkation day no matter their suite class. There’s a complimentary mini-bar and an in-room espresso maker as effectively.
Proprietor’s Suite
And for these searching for the final word improve, there are two Proprietor’s Suites. Measuring a whopping 1,055 sq. ft, these snug suites can sleep as much as 4 adults. The suite options separate residing and eating quarters. The outsized L-shaped couch faces ahead, providing among the finest views on the ship. Likewise, the master suite includes a panoramic wall of home windows overlooking uninhibited ocean vistas.
Proprietor’s Suite friends get reserved cabanas on the One Pool sundeck as effectively. However with a 269 sq. foot balcony that boasts a non-public whirlpool, why would anybody wish to depart?
Ocean Home at MSC Ocean Cay Marine Reserve
Our 7-night cruise included two days on the cruise line’s non-public island, Ocean Cay Marine Reserve. This Bahamian vacation spot is residence to a number of pristine seashores. The island additionally has a centralized buffet, a couple of bars, and meals vehicles. So, it’s simple to discover a slice of paradise on the island to name your personal.
Or, in case you are staying within the MSC Yacht Membership, you may take non-public transport from the Welcome Pavilion to Ocean Home. This reserved part of the island is only for friends of the Yacht Membership.
Ocean Home boasts a secluded seaside and presents friends the identical personalised service discovered on the ship whereas on the island. Ocean Home has a bar, sit-down restaurant, and towel service. Whereas on Ocean Cay, these staying within the Yacht Membership can take pleasure in gourmand objects like a lobster roll or blackened mahi-mahi whereas sipping cocktails from the close by bar.
PRO TIP: The within of the Ocean Home bar is air-conditioned. So, you may take a break from the solar and luxuriate in a refreshing cocktail in a calming lounge.
As soon as friends are prepared to go away, transports will usher you again to the Welcome Pavilion for a brief stroll to the ship.
Is the Yacht Membership Actually Value It?
As one of many most cost-effective cruise strains, MSC Seashore presents a wide range of stateroom classes at aggressive costs.
For example, friends seeking to take the same Western Caribbean cruise subsequent yr can get an inside stateroom beginning at simply $1,454 for a assured cabin at present pricing. For these two adults to improve from a deluxe inside cabin to an MSC Yacht Membership inside suite can be an extra $1,200 an individual, for a complete of $3,854.
For a similar itinerary, a deluxe balcony cabin would value $1,954 for the Bella expertise at present pricing, and a Deluxe Suite on the identical cruise is presently priced at $6,154. That is an improve value of $2,100 an individual to go from a deluxe balcony stateroom to the MSC Yacht Membership Deluxe Suite.
The added advantages of the drink package deal, Wi-Fi package deal, and limitless entry to the thermal suite alone have a retail worth of someplace round $1,000 per individual. So, these seeking to check out the MSC Yacht Membership are paying marginally extra to get excellent service, non-public reserved eating with upgraded menus, unique facilities, and precedence entry all through the ship.
Thus, the MSC Yacht Membership is a superb possibility for {couples} or households searching for a extra refined and tailor-made cruise expertise that mimics these discovered on luxurious cruise strains at a fraction of the associated fee. Combining the most effective of mega-ship cruising and small-ship cruising, MSC’s ship-within-a-ship undoubtedly delivers an unforgettable, principally all-inclusive cruise expertise.
Evaluating the Competitors
In fact, there are different cruise strains that additionally provide related ship-within-a-ship experiences. Most notably, Norwegian Cruise Line options The Haven. Movie star Cruises additionally has The Retreat, and Royal Caribbean has the Suite Neighborhood on choose ships. So, how do these evaluate to the MSC Yacht Membership?
Whereas every does differ, they often embody lots of the identical perks and advantages, together with extra personalised service. All of them have unique sundecks, eating places, and lounges as effectively.
The larger variations include the lodging. When evaluating related NCL cruise ships, the entry degree suites are no less than 50 sq. ft greater than our deluxe balcony suite or no less than 100 sq. ft greater than the MSC inside suite. A set in Movie star’s Retreat is over 100 sq. ft greater than our deluxe balcony suite on MSC.
Costs additionally differ, with an entry degree balcony suite on NCL costing no less than $1000 further (often much more). An entry degree balcony suite on Movie star will run you no less than $2000 extra. And the most cost effective suite on Icon of the Seas with entry to the suite neighborhood is $10K, or round $4,000 extra. (These costs are topic to alter and are based mostly on calculations from present pricing.)
In fact, every cruise line’s fashion does differ as effectively. So, it’s actually a private choice as to which one is “better” for you. However strictly costs, MSC’s Yacht Membership actually presents essentially the most reasonably priced entry level to this ship-within-a-ship expertise.
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