MSC Cruises MSC Yacht Club is a quiet secret in our market about just how good it is. We recently enjoyed the MSC Yacht Club luxury cruise experience on the company’s newest ship, MSC World Europa, a marvel with 6,850 guests and 2,138 team members.
To put that in perspective, we come from the regional Tasmanian town of Penguin, which has a population of 4,132 (mostly around 4,130 as Murray and I travel around!), so MSC World Europa carries more than twice our town at sea.
The embarkation process
We boarded MSC World Europa at Rome (Civitavecchia) for the seven-night round-trip Mediterranean winter cruise. We walked off our previous cruise with bubbles in hand to embark on a new voyage.
MSC is the only company we are aware of that allows for rolling embarkation, rotational itineraries where guests can get on at one port and disembark at the same port seven days later to board another ship in a quick and efficient process by prior reservation.
We were greeted by a butler and whisked away to the Concierge level for a quick embarkation process and in our suite within an hour. Then, all we had to do was watch the safety video from the comfort of our suite and present ourselves at the Muster Station before sailing.
MSC Yacht Club Duplex Suite on MSC World Europa. Image: MSC Cruises
Our cruise card or MSC for Me wristband (optional) identifies us as MSC Yacht Club guests and also activates our cabin door.
MSC Yacht Club is available on 23 of the fleet’s ships and it’s a ship within a ship with just 302 guests treated like royalty in a private club experience and suites on level 15 in the bow.
MSC Yacht Club isn’t all about suites, it also has roomy inside cabins so this private club caters for all tastes in preferred cabins from inside to veranda to suites.
We’re in a two-storey MSC Duplex Suite loft – a booking upgrade from a standard veranda, thanks to MSC Cruises’ Voyages Club free status match with any cruise line, hotel or tour operator.
The MSC Yacht Club experience
MSC Yacht Club offers the luxury of a private club with cabins in the best location on the ship and dedicated service and areas along with access to all the main amenities on board. The dress code is either casual through the day or elegant casual when the sun goes down.
Our highly trained butler, Bullan, fulfils the role of a traditional hotel butler. He is available 24/7 for our needs, whether that’s a mid-morning cup of English Breakfast with cold milk, delivered daily, or escorting us throughout the ship and to tour buses for shore excursions to introducing us to the Maitre D’Hotel to make us feel special.
In addition, the dedicated Concierge Team is available on level 19 to help with any queries on and off the vessel. There are no announcements in our suite (only for emergencies) and the TVs have all the information needed each day.
MSC Yacht Club is all about privacy and that includes dining. Guests have access to the a la carte MSC Yacht Club Restaurant on level 20 for breakfast, lunch and dinner and MSC Yacht Club Grill & Bar, a perfect spot for breakfast, lunch and a poolside snack on level 21.
On deck 19 aft, MSC Yacht Club Restaurant La Brasserie offers a bistro-style dinner exclusively for MSC Yacht Club guests. And if that is not enough, Bullan will arrange room service (around the clock) and pizza delivery.
The private Top Sail Lounge on level 19 is open from 6:30am to 2am daily where you can enjoy any beverage up to the value of €14 included as part of your fare. It also offers light snacks throughout the day, a wide selection of other beverages, afternoon tea and live music, including a baby grand played before dinner.
An external lounge outside this space is a new addition compared to our previous MSC Yacht Club experience on MSC Grandiosa and provides a wonderful space for fresh air and great views.
MSC Yacht Club access extends to private wellness areas, such as the MSC Yacht Club Pool on Deck 22 and the Lanai on Deck 21, along with unlimited access to MSC Aurea Spa, which includes a thermal area, on Deck 8.
This is a huge space with every wellness or fitness regime you can think of. We can walk in any time, however our butler will reserve space on days at sea to ensure access.
Life onboard
Launched in December 2022, everything on this new ship is schmick, spotlessly clean and well-managed.
Starlink Wi-Fi is fast and efficient and allows two devices per person. Press Reader is also offered so we can scan the QR code of any newspaper or magazine from across the globe to pass the time while on the veranda or by the pool.
For the day’s activities, MSC offers Daily Programs in print or via the MSC for ME app, which uses the ship Wi-Fi and is easy to navigate and enables you to see what you have booked and also book anything yourself.
When we go ashore, it’s so easy from our hands-free elevator on deck 16 straight to deck 4 and our private MSC Yacht Club gangway. Everything is considered with no crowds or queueing.
In addition, the destinations (or excursions) are very well organised and, compared to many companies, well priced, ranging from €121 per adult for a full-day ‘Best of Iconic Rome’ excursion to €63 per adult for a 4.5-hour excursion.
Dining and entertainment
In total, there are 24 bars and lounges, from Chocolate & Café by Jean-Philippe to Zest Juice Bar and the Fizz, Champagne Bar (all at an added cost).
The eight speciality restaurants are varied and each have a distinct personality. Choose from Kaito Sushi Bar and Kaito Teppanyaki, Butcher’s Cut, HOLA! Tacos & Cantina, Chef’s Garden Kitchen, Sweet Temptations and the fishmonger and takeaway restaurant, La Pescaderia – Fish Market.
There is an added cost, but MSC offers wonderful packages to combine the experiences, such as two dining offerings at €150 for two.
Entertainment in the World Theatre on Deck 7 is another level again. The shows are like Vegas productions and are offered three times nightly. Our butler makes our bookings and escorts us to our seats.
The World Theatre holds 1,153 guests so everyone has the chance to experience a show before or after dinner. Other shows are staged in the Panorama Lounge on Deck 7 and MSC Luna Park area on Deck 6.
There are also casino, photo and retail options. The huge casino features slots and gaming, there is plenty of photo and digital sales and assistance and well-stocked boutiques (with prices in euros), including a dedicated world of watches featuring all the luxury brands, accessories and fine jewellery.
If you’d like some private retail therapy, MSC Yacht Club guests can access the boutiques before opening escorted by a butler.
While you would forget children are on board while in the peace and quiet of the MSC Yacht Club, kids are well-catered for as well. For the big kids and the little kids there is so much to do, including the MSC Sportplex, Hall of Games, a 5D cinema, bumper cars, MSC Formula Racer and three kids club areas for babies through to teens on Deck 19.
The verdict
MSC Yacht Club is a premium experience with choice and also offers good value for a premium cruise operator with a per diem of AUD$538 per person per day.
It’s not just for adults, it would also be ideal for multi-generational families with grandparents and the choice for children or grandchildren in verandah or even inside cabins.
The ship itself has something for everyone. We wandered around each day after lunch, leaving our private space to see families from littlies to oldies having a wonderful time, but we felt like we needed to be Hansel and Gretel and leave breadcrumbs to find our way home!
We had mastered the lanai Deck 8 as the easiest way back to MSC Yacht Club, maybe stopping at the tearooms, Champagne bar, gin tasting or juice bar for something healthy.
We’re always amazed by a casual dinner conversation with our neighbouring table – this time, a couple in their mid-50s from Berlin who had never wanted to cruise but chose MSC Yacht Club because a week in Sicily in a reasonable resort was double the cost of the seven-day cruise. They are now cruise devotees after one departure – not addicts like us!
The 300-year-old MSC Cruises is still owned by the original family and includes the new Explora Journeys brand, which we experienced cruising on Explora I after disembarking from MSC World Europa in Rome.
Overall, the value is amazing and MSC Yacht Club is a carefree, easy way to vacation.
For more information, visit msccruises.com.au
*The writer travelled at her own expense.
Tags: MSC Cruises MSC Yacht Club