Unveiling the MSC Yacht Club Experience

The MSC Yacht Club Experience

If you are looking for a vacation where you will be so spoiled that they might have to kick you off the ship on debarkation day, look no further than the MSC Yacht Club experience!  From large suites to butler service, attentive wait staff and bartenders to upscale and modern elegance, the Yacht Club experience has it all!

Included within the pricing is the premium drinks package, wifi, butler service, private Yacht Club decks including a lounge with nightly live music, restaurant, and pool area with three hot tubs, pool, padded loungers, luxurious beach towels, bar, and a buffet with breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as an afternoon snack time.  You also get a private beach on Ocean Cay with a sit-down restaurant and golf cart service to the Yacht Club area of the island.   AND you get unlimited thermal suite access in the spa!

My husband and I decided to have a stressless “just us” getaway in January 2025 on one of our favorite ships, the MSC Seashore.  This was our second time aboard this vessel and we already have another itinerary planned for this upcoming June.

Check-In

Upon arriving at port, we were dropped off with luggage next to the Yacht Club porters.  We had to wait a few minutes for the terminal to open, but as soon as it opened we were taken straight into the terminal by an onboard butler to go through security.  Once through security we were led to a Yacht Club lounge within the terminal where we were handed each champagne and privately checked in. We received our ship cards to get access to the Yacht Club decks and to get on and off the ship and a wristband to use onboard. The wristband giave us the ability to get elevators quicker (the MSC Seashore has smart elevators) and just like the ship card, have access to the Yacht Club areas of the ship and our cabin.

Once checked in, we were taken onboard by a butler.  The butler took the small group directly to the muster station to check in and then to the Yacht Club lounge.  We were immediately served drinks and snacks. As cabins were readied, butlers came through the lounge and asked for our cabin number.  Butlers took other passengers to the cabins as they were opened, but we decided to just tour the Yacht Club area and go to the cabin by ourselves.

Cabins

The Yacht Club cabins are nothing but luxury and space.  The interior cabin we booked under was spacious, clean, and full of snacks, drinks, and other amenities.  Each night we had a special treat like a fruit basket, macaroons, or biscotti waiting for us.  We had champagne and strawberries on the first night.  We did have a seating area with a table and two chairs as well as a king bed.  All other Yacht Club cabin categories have balconies, but we were just doing a 5-night cruise so we decided an interior was fine.

Butler Service

Our butler checked in with us each day and could have made all our dinner reservations and excursion reservations, but we used the Yacht Club concierge to do that for us when we were touring the area on the first day.

The butlers took us off and on the ship in ports and also got us to the front of the line on debarkation day so we did not have to wait when we were ready to get off the ship.  All the butlers worked together to make the experience special for each Yacht Club guest.  We even had one sit down and pay Uno with us on the last night of the cruise.  

Thermal Suite Access

Since you get unlimited thermal suite access in the MSC Aurea Spa we decided to take advantage.  You only have to check in with the spa reception on the first visit and then you can just go.  Since we were never there before we had someone give us a tour before we enjoyed the area.  

There is a changing room in the thermal suite area.  My suggestion is to wear your bathing suit and then the Yacht Club robe provided for you in your cabin.  

The thermal suite comprises many different experiences including a salt room, sensory saunas, cold and hot rinse rooms, fragrant showers, and others.

Yacht Club Pool Deck

The pool deck was nothing short of amazing. There were so many loungers and daybeds that there was no fighting for a spot to chill.  We had very comfy lounge chairs right next to the pool and got those same chairs each day.  I went to the restroom on the first sea day and when I came back, the bartender had laid out two of the very plush beach towels on it for me.  

There are also three hot tubs on deck:  two small ones on each side of the ship and one larger one forward.  We had a blast on the first night chilling in a hot tub during the  sail away with a couple from England and another couple from Mississippii.

I was so excited when I saw the buffet on the pool deck.  If you have ever cruised, you know the main buffet is always super crowded, especially on port days.  There was never a time where I had to wait at the buffet.  During breakfast, I ordered eggs and my husband ordered omelets just like at the main buffet.  I had fresh grilled hamburgers for a couple of lunches, but hot dogs were also available. The buffet also had salad items, cheese and meats, and other hot items that rotated throughout the week.

I think there was only one time that I had to wait longer than ten minutes for a drink on the pool deck.  The bartenders and wait staff always made their rounds making sure we had water and our drinks were to our liking.  Empty cups and plates were cleared within minutes of finishing.
Ocean Cay Marine Reserve

Ocean Cay is quickly becoming one of my favorite island destinations.  The marine reserve which now has an abundance of aquatic life used to be a mining island.  This small island is located in the Bahamas and has a lot of white sand beaches and crystal clear water.  

After a butler leading us off the ship, we were taken to the MSC Yacht Club tent that was furnished with a seating area and water to wait for the dedicated golf cart to take us to the private area which includes a sit-down restaurant and beach.

The private beach is not the best.  It is extremely rocky at the entry.  The lounge chairs were nice and they had beach towels ready for us.  We did spend most of the day at the beach at the end of the island since it’s not rocky, but we definitely took our drinks with us!

The restaurant was sooo good.  I got the carne asada and that meal had to be one of the best I had in a while.  We waited to eat lunch until near the end of the busy time and had a beautiful view from our table.

We did opt to walk back to the ship since we wanted to enjoy the island, but we could have taken the golf cart back.

Ocean Cay also has a lighthouse light show each night.  We watched the show from the pool deck on the ship and had a great view.

Yacht Club Restaurant

There was a cheese cart!  I was so excited.  But the food was amazing.  Filet mignon was on the menu each night.  There were many other options throughout the cruise.  We did dine at the Butcher’s Cut Steakhouse one night, but every other night we had the main dining room fare.  

Seating was ample and we never waited for a table.  There are no assigned times for the restaurant so we could go at our leisure.  The restaurant was open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  

One of my clients said the nightly live music in the lounge below was a little loud during dinner, but we found the music soothing and not as loud as other cruise lines I have been on.  The live music usually starts later in the evening, so there were a few nights when we were eating too early to hear the music.

Debarkation Day

Unfortunately they do make you get off the ship at a certain time.  Fortunately, we had a late check-out of our cabin due to our MSC status.  We did not have a flight until 6pm, so we took our time getting off the ship.  We ate a relaxing breakfast in the restaurant and had some mimosas in the lounge while we planned what to do when we got off the ship.

When you are ready to leave, your butler takes you to the debarkation area where you get priority debarkation.  Yes, you get to pass the long line of non-Yacht Club guests. This is apparently the time when you should tip your butler.  We did not know this and left the tip in our cabin.

We decided to have our luggage picked up the night before debarkation so we did not have to carry it off ourselves.  Yacht Club guests get the luggage uploaded first, our luggage was already waiting for us to get before we headed through customs.

Would I book this experience again?

ABSOLUTELY!  And I am always recommending the Yacht Club to my clients!  This experience would be a great honeymoon, family reunion, birthday, or anniversary gift!  We saw all these life experiences while onboard and each person was super happy and impressed with the service and attentiveness of the crew.

When you combine all the amenities given, the value for the experience is untouched by another cruise line

For any and all cruise travel, please do not hesitate to reach out to begin a conversation!  I love cruising and I know you will too!