Complete MSC Yacht Club Review Including Top 5 Perks
Why not feel like one of a few guests instead of one of 4,000+ passengers yet still be able to experience the perks that all MSC ship guests enjoy? If such a prospect makes your ears perk up, we're sharing some inside info about the best way to travel on MSC Cruises. Come along as we give you an exclusive peek into MSC Yacht Club.
The cruise line's suite class gives guests various perks while creating a small community vibe on a ship with thousands of people. We'll review MSC Yacht Club's benefits here and highlight our favorite top perks.
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Our Picks for Top 5 MSC Yacht Club Perks
The perks are many for MSC Yacht Club guests; however, these five are amongst our top favorites.
Priority Embarkation & Debarkation
There's nothing like not having to wait in a line of dozens of people to get on and off the ship, whether it's the first day of the cruise, the last day, or for daily excursions.
Private Lounge
If we wanted snacks or a quiet indoor place to read or work, or somewhere to get a pre-dinner cocktail, the private Yacht Club lounge was our go-to spot.
Private Restaurants
The exclusive MSC Yacht Club restaurant is open for three meals a day, and the menu for lunch and dinner changes daily. There's also a Yacht Club Grill by the private pool.
Includes Premium Drinks and Wi-Fi
We easily stay connected to work, family and friends via text and emails throughout the cruise. And all the drinks we wanted were included with MSC Yacht Club.
Yacht-Club Only Concierge Desk
Speaking to someone at the Yacht Club Concierge desk was always just steps away. They helped us with specialty dining reservations, excursions, and spa treatments.
Let's deep dive into all these perks, along with some exclusive additional benefits MSC Yacht Club guests enjoy.
Priority Embarkation & Debarkation in MSC Yacht Club
Yacht Club guests enjoy priority embarkation, which gets you onto the ship — and onto vacation — ASAP. We loved this ship-within-a-ship suites class benefit.
MSC Yacht Club Experience Boarding at Port Canaveral
When we pulled up to the terminal at Port Canaveral to board MSC Seashore, the porter asked for our cabin number. We stated, “16407,” and he immediately replied, “Oh, you’re in the Yacht Club! Come this way.”
Priority ensued during each step of the boarding process. Our luggage was put in a different line to get on the ship, we were brought to a separate security line shorter than the rest of the passengers, and we were shown the way to an area with snacks and drinks to enjoy while we waited to be escorted on the gangway to get onto the ship.
We grabbed a glass of bubbly and some chips, but within a few minutes, someone came over to check our passports and hand us our keycards and MSC Yacht Club wristbands. Not wanting to miss out on any time onboard, we took a few sips of our drinks and queued up for the walk onboard with six or so Yacht Club guests.
A separate gangway led Yacht Club guests to the ship; a butler or a Yacht Club Concierge desk crew member escorted all guests. Butlers can ensure that elevator ride priority is given to guests of the Yacht Club despite the craziness of embarkation day and — what feels like — a large population of the 4,000+ onboard guests trying to use the elevators all at once.
We were definitely grateful to have priority embarkation.
The butler escorted everyone to their muster station check-in area (Yacht Club guests seem to have one of two muster station check-in areas), so we all efficiently checked that off our Day 1 cruise to-do list. Then, it was off to The Yacht Club reception desk, or Concierge desk, area.
We arrived at our suite around 1:00 pm, approximately 30 minutes after our initial welcome at the port, and were informed our rooms were ready. We could also opt to have lunch or enjoy Top Sail Lounge as Yacht Club guests during this time as well.
Priority Debarkation on the Final Morning of the Cruise
On the final day of the cruise, which equated to a few more hours on the ship to pack the last of our belongings, eat breakfast, and get back to “reality” at home, we needed to get off the ship fairly quickly, as we were leaving the next day for our Portugal Douro River Cruise with Viking.
Thankfully, being in the Yacht Club allowed us priority debarkation. Our butler escorted us to the elevators and got priority to transport us to the proper desk and in front of the debarkation line within minutes. There is also a separate area for MSC Yacht Club luggage in the terminal (though not to get through passport control, if you're wondering).
We were on our way home fairly quickly, from leaving Top Sail Lounge in the Yacht Club with our butler that morning to getting into our car. All in all, it must have been within 20 minutes, including passport control.
Priority Excursions Disembarkation
On port days with excursions, there are more thoughtful touches for Yacht Club guests. You meet in Top Sail Lounge for priority disembarkation, and a cart of water and towels for excursions (if excursions to water destinations are happening, like a beach club or resort with a pool) is available to guests. A tray of biodegradable ponchos was also put out one day because the forecast called for rain. (We appreciated the sustainability aspect of the ponchos!)
Private area of Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve for Yacht Club Guests: Ocean House
The nicest thing about being on MSC's private island as a Yacht Club guest was that there was a private area for us. When we disembarked from the ship, we were given priority transportation to the beachfront for Yacht Club guests. Additionally, drinks were complimentary (because premium beverages are included for Yacht Club guests), and lunch was included. We appreciated the seated meal with a stunning oceanfront view at the outdoor venue for Yacht Club guests, which is right next to the private MSC Yacht Club beach.
Private Yacht Club Retreat: Top Sail Lounge
We quickly appreciated a private lounge, much like the exclusive lounge on Celebrity Cruises when you’re in The Retreat. This was especially evident on embarkation day when the ship felt chaotic and packed with cruisers who were excited to get the party started.
It was so nice to find respite at Top Sail Lounge, which was spacious and enjoyable to sip on an afternoon cocktail and snack. It was lovely to come here daily. Unlike the vibe we experienced on Celebrity Cruises in The Retreat, we felt a greater sense of community and social interaction in MSC's Top Sail Lounge. This was likely because of the lounge layout, which was conducive to meeting people.
One of the best things about the MSC Yacht Club lounge was the specialty drinks we got that we couldn't easily get elsewhere on the ship. The simplest example is a chocolate martini.
Another thing we loved at Top Sail Lounge was the snacks throughout the day, especially at night. Breakfast items, lunch snacks, dinner snacks, and nightly treats were switched throughout the day.
Nightly, Venchi chocolates were complimentary for MSC Yacht Club guests; other passengers had to go to the onboard cafe and gelato shop and pay for the same chocolates a la carte.
Private Restaurants
MSC Cruises has a restaurant dedicated to its Yacht Club cruisers, which is the main restaurant for these passengers. We’re used to sailing on river cruises and other small ships for cruise vacations, where one restaurant option is the norm instead of many options; this is why having one main restaurant for meals on our MSC cruise felt usual to us.
If you like steak, another perk of being in MSC Yacht Club is that Filet Mignon is on the anytime menu at the Yacht Club restaurant. In contrast, the anytime menu steak option for non-Yacht Club guests in the complimentary restaurants is a New York Strip. Another thing I appreciated was the fresh squeezed orange juice at the Yacht Club restaurant in the mornings, whereas the buffet and main restaurants only had juice from concentrate.
The Yacht Club Grill is an additional dining option for lunch in the private pool area. The menu differs from the menu at the seated restaurant, though a few menu items overlapped, like the soup option.
Dining at Other Onboard Venues
The beauty of being a Yacht Club guest is that you can also eat in main dining like the other MSC passengers if you want or make reservations at a specialty restaurant for an additional fee. Unlike other passengers, though, MSC Yacht Club guests have a dedicated butler and concierge team to assist in booking these reservations.
Also, unlike other MSC Cruises guests who must choose a time for the main dining (one of three seating times: 5:30 pm, 7:30 pm, or 9:30 pm), Yacht Club guests can make timed reservations in the Complimentary Main Dining Restaurants. If you want to eat at 6:15 pm at Tribeca restaurant on MSC Seashore, for example, the Concierge team or your butler will make that reservation for you.
Breakfast works a bit differently — one morning, we wanted a change of scenery for breakfast, so we showed up at Central Park Restaurant on MSC Seashore without a reservation and were seated immediately.
Private MSC YAct Club Pool Deck
Guests of MSC Yacht Club have a private pool deck with several pool and whirlpool options. It was great to have a private enclave like this onboard, which is also where the private outdoor grill is.
Room Service at No Extra Charge
Yacht Club guests can order room service — including breakfast, lunch, or dinner — without an additional fee. A favorite thing that we discovered as Yacht Club guests is that we could order a pizza to our room between noon to around 11:30 pm. Room service and pizza delivery incur an extra charge for non-Yacht Club guests. (There is complimentary pizza on the buffet, but there's nothing like pizza delivery to your stateroom!)
The MSC Cruises pizza was quickly declared our favorite cruise ship pizza; it's really good.
Spacious Suites with Upgraded Features
Speaking of ordering food to your room, our Yacht Club suite was incredibly spacious and had more perks in addition to what the Yacht Club areas offer guests. We were in a luxurious private enclave with key card access, which included access to all Yacht Club staterooms.
Our room, 16047, was on Deck 16 of 20 on MSC Seashore and had a seating area and a spacious bathroom with an outdoor balcony. It was so spacious that there was a seat in the large shower if we wanted to sit and let the rain showerhead (one of two showerhead options) wash over us.
The mini bar in the room was included in our Yacht Club experience. There was also a Nespresso machine for coffee any time, like if we wanted a morning coffee after we woke up before we headed to breakfast. (And we must admit that we like to enjoy morning coffee on our suite balcony each cruise.)
Two Yacht Club robes were hung on the bathroom door for our use. There was plenty of drawer and closet space. In fact, there were two closets, and we each claimed one for our week-long MSC Seashore vacation.
A long vanity doubled as a desk for us to work remotely while cruising. Our big balcony had two chairs and a little table for us to relax outside; there was even a light to illuminate the balcony at night.
A wireless charging station was one of our favorite features of our Yacht Club suite. We placed our phones or AirPods on the charger, and voila, the item charged! Though our devices charged faster if they were directly plugged into the wall, we still used the wireless charging several times throughout the cruise.
Daily Turndown Service
When we got back to our room each night, the bed was ready for us to sleep. There was also a box of MSC Yacht Club sweets, like fruit jellies, macarons, or biscotti, to look forward to, along with a bottle of water and a glass next to each side of the bed.
The extra special touches are something to look forward to as an MSC Yacht Club guest.
Pillow Menu
If you have any needs as far as bedding goes, especially if you're sensitive to pillow allergies, there is a pillow menu for Yacht Club guests that isn't widely known about. You can ask your butler or the concierge desk to look at the menu and select a pillow. The options when we sailed included:
- OXYGEN Dorelan Myform Air pillow
- SENSE Dorelan MyForm Memory Ergonomic Air pillow
- SHADOW DorelanMyform special ortho-cervical pillow
- Natural down pillow with thermo-variable properties
Concierge Desk Assistance, 24 hours a Day
Another perk of being in MSC Yacht Club is a dedicated concierge desk, which is akin to a front desk for Yacht Club guests. It's located in the exclusive MSC Yacht Club area after doors accessible with Yacht Club keys, only, so other guests can't access it.
We noticed a long line for general guests needing assistance with dining and Wi-Fi, for example, right after we embarked. But we didn’t have to wait in that line. When we wanted to make specialty dining reservations as soon as we got onboard, we waited in a much shorter line with just two couples ahead of us at the MSC Yacht Club Concierge Desk.
When time is money and your vacation days are finite, waiting in line isn’t a great use of precious time. The private concierge team is worth the MSC Yacht Club investment!
MSC Yacht Club Butler Service
Yacht Club guests have a dedicated butler at their service. There is a team of approximately ten butlers or so that assist with five or so staterooms each from what we could tell during our cruise. (MSC Yacht Club capacity on MSC Seashore is around 320 guests, which is the guest capacity of a Windstar Star class ship if you've ever sailed with them.)
We admit that whenever we have a butler at our fingertips — from yacht cruises to luxury resorts like Jade Mountain — we aren’t great at utilizing them. However, we appreciated that MSC Yacht Club ensures you use your butler. From the moment we embarked, a butler was there to escort us around the ship when needed or if we wanted assistance getting from Point A to B.
One day, our butler saw us before heading to our specialty dining reservation, and it was a lot faster to have him come with us, navigating the most efficient route to Kaito Sushi restaurant than if we had tried to get there on our own.
Here are Ways to Utilize Your MSC Yacht Club Butler
You can also easily call the restaurants or spa directly from your stateroom phone if you prefer.
Yacht Club Guests Get Daily Thermal Spa Access
Enjoy access to the onboard Thermal Spa for one hour a day at a Yacht Club guest. Additionally, Yacht Club guests get 10% off all spa treatments. We loved that this was a small but significant way MSC Cruises made Yacht Club guests feel extra special. We each had a 55-minute Balinese massage that was incredibly enjoyable.
Premium Drinks and WiFi are included
Premium Drinks for MSC Yacht Club Guests
MSC Yacht Club guests have premium drinks included. When you're in the Yacht Club lounge or restaurants, you are served drinks without needing to state your room number or tap your cruise card or MSC bracelet on a computer for the servers; they know everyone in Top Sail Lounge is in the Yacht Club, and there's no need for such a formality. Drinks were also included in the exclusive MSC Yacht Club Ocean House area of Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve.
You can still enjoy the perk of premium drinks when out and about in other areas of the ship. Beverages that cost up to $16 are included in the price. If you wish to get anything above that cost, you pay an additional nominal fee. We loved the drinks at the Cocktail Bar on the ship and frequented that area when we wandered around. They have the best cocktail and mocktail menu on MSC Seashore.
Yacht Club Wi-Fi
Onboard Wi-Fi is also included for MSC Yacht Club members. It was pretty good when we sailed in the Caribbean. Photos in text messages took a while to download; however, texts went through fairly quickly, and we could work on our computers, loading emails and websites without issue. The ship's location is likely to impact the connectivity at any given time. The Wi-Fi for Yacht Club guests typically includes two devices per person.
We had a few tech difficulties getting online because the system was new to us, as any cruise Wi-Fi login is new until you learn it. However, the Concierge team was incredibly helpful in getting us situated and online.
Wi-Fi is also included at Ocean Cay; the signal on the island wasn't as strong as on the ship, but we were still grateful for connectivity.
When we're in ports, we use our Solis Wi-Fi hotspot to stay connected, so we don't have to turn on international data plans.
Priority Seating at Shows
Guests are encouraged to reserve seats in the theater for shows within the MSC Cruises app. This is why it is likely that show seating will “sell out” (though shows are not an additional cost). This is opposed to a line like Disney Cruise Line, where you cannot reserve seats in advance. But MSC Yacht Club guests don't need to make a reservation because there's a reserved area for Yacht Club guests. We didn't think we'd need to use that area, but lo and behold, when we arrived at any of the evening shows, they were full.
All we had to do, though, was flash our Yacht Club wristbands or cruise cards, and we were let into the show without an issue. The seating area for Yacht Club guests on MSC Seashore was on the back right of the theater.
Review of Additional MSC Yacht Club Perks
Assorted Evening Events
Some nights, there was a piano player in Top Sail Lounge; other nights, guitarists. It reminded us of the wonderfully chill vibe on river cruises at night. We loved aspect of MSC Yacht Club's Top Sail Lounge.
There was an additional special event for Yacht Club guests one evening, called the Starlit Night Party, with DJed music, dancing, dance floor lights, and snacks. Instead of being held outside on the MSC Yacht Club pool deck, it was moved indoors to Top Sail Lounge due to inclement weather.
Special Meeting of the Ship officers (Including the Captain) and Afternoon Tea
Another lovely special event for MSC Yacht Club guests was a Captain's Welcome, where the ship's officers were presented to everyone in attendance, and hors d'oeuvres and drinks were served. The last full day of the cruise while we were at sea, afternoon tea was served in the Top Sail Lounge for Yacht Club guests at 4:00 pm.
MSC Yacht Club-Only Excursions (Additional Cost)
Lastly, there were a few Yacht Club-only excursions that guests could sign up for during our Caribbean cruise. These options vary depending on the itinerary, but the options for our cruise included:
Be sure to ask your butler or concierge team about Yacht Club-only excursions during your sailing.
We Look Forward to Future Yacht Club Sailings
We had a wonderful time as part of MSC's Yacht Club. As cruisers who seek small ship experiences on large ships and favor a low-key vibe in intimate spaces on mega ships as opposed to going to the casino or a nightclub, we cannot imagine cruising with MSC in any other way. We highly recommend it if you like similar experiences and want an exclusive home-away-from-home during your cruise vacation.
