MSC Yacht Club is MSC Cruises’ ship-within-a-ship concept that is home to upscale amenities, private areas, and a dedicated staff. During a recent sailing on MSC Seashore, we stayed in this exclusive complex for the first time. Find out what our luxury accommodations were really like in our MSC Yacht Club Deluxe Suite review.

Our Review of an MSC Yacht Club Deluxe Suite on MSC Seashore

Since this was our first time staying in the MSC Yacht Club, we weren’t sure what to expect. While we typically book balcony rooms on a cruise, we were interested to see how this Deluxe Suite compared to traditional balcony cabins found on mainstream cruise lines.

When comparing the Deluxe Yacht Club Suite with a typical Deluxe Balcony room found on MSC Seashore, there are a few big differences, namely when it comes to size and inclusions. A Deluxe Suite is over 40% larger than a Deluxe Balcony room with 269 square feet vs. 183 square feet. The actual balcony is larger as well with 86 square feet of space vs. 54 square feet.

While this extra space is nice, the real value comes in the additional perks and inclusions for those staying in the MSC Yacht Club. These include:

• A private restaurant, lounge, bars, and sundeck
• Premium extra drink package
• Browse internet for two devices
• Access to the Aurea Spa’s thermal suite
• Butler services
• Priority embarkation and disembarkation
• Reserved theater seating
• Complimentary room service
• Exclusive area at Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve
• Discounts on specialty dining and spa packages
• More MSC Voyagers Club Points
• Included MSC for Me wristbands

Layout of a MSC Yacht Club Deluxe Suite

For our recent sailing on MSC Seashore, we stayed in cabin 18001, a MSC Yacht Club Deluxe Suite all the way forward on Deck 18 portside. All Yacht Club suites are located within the Yacht Club complex, so it’s never a far walk to any of the amenities. For those with mobility issues, there is an exclusive elevator within the complex that will take you to Deck 16-20.

Further, the Yacht Club is also located nearby the ship’s forward main elevators. As a tip, Yacht Club guests can scan their cards or wristbands at these elevators for priority access.

Upon entering our cabin, we were pleasantly surprised. We could see the size difference immediately. The color palette was muted with light wood tones, various shades of tan and gray, and black marble in the bathroom. While it did feel refined, there were no pops of color anywhere.

The bathroom was situated to the right with one closet across the way. Continuing in to the room, the bed was on the forward wall facing aft and the large desk/vanity area was on the opposite wall. Beyond the bed, there was a large sitting area. Across from the sitting area was the television and a second closet. Lastly, there was the balcony with two upright chairs and a table.

Inside the MSC Yacht Club Deluxe Suite on MSC Seashore

Bathroom

The bathroom in this MSC Yacht Club Deluxe Suite on MSC Seashore was much larger than your typical cruise ship bathroom. It was certainly more on par with a bathroom that you’d find in a hotel on land. There were marble and stainless steel finishes along with Yacht Club embroided towels and bathrobes.

While there was only one sink, it had a spacious countertop and two shelves for storing products, along with liquid hand soap. The shower itself was spacious too with a built-in bench and premium bath products.

Main Cabin Area

The king bed was positioned facing aft with a nightstand on each side. These nightstands had two small drawers for additional storage. Unfortunately though, there was only one USB outlet on one side of the bed. This is always a miss for us as we both need to charge phones, watches, etc. at night. We do always pack portable power packs to leave bedside for these instances.

Overall, the bed provided adequate comfort and we never had any issues falling asleep. On a side note, if you do have any particular preferences with bedding and/or pillows, let your butler know and he/she will try to accommodate your request.

With plenty of space in between to walk, the fairly long desk/vanity area is across from the bed. While there are no shelves for storing items, there is plenty of counterspace. This is also where you’ll find the hairdryer. Immediately adjacent, there’s a Nespresso maker as well which was certainly a nice perk for us.

The seating area is also an upgrade from typical cruise cabins. It featured a sofa, coffee table, and upright chair. The sofa was large enough for two adults to sit comfortably to enjoy some room service or for the two of us to get some work done in the afternoons.

Across from the sitting area was a large television along with a dry bar-type setup. Here, there were some shelves for additional storage; a cabinet housing the coffee pods, teas, and other glassware; and the mini-fridge. This mini-fridge is complimentary and stocked daily by your butler. He/she will work to accommodate any requests as well.

This is where you’ll also find most of the outlets in the suite. There are two 110-V power outlets, two USB outlets, and a Hamlet wireless charging station. Unfortunately, the wireless charging station was extremely slow so we never ended up using it.

When it comes to the closets, there are two– one near the entrance of the room and the other at the far end near the balcony. The one near the entrance of the suite features two clothes bars with hangers and a small shelf on the top and bottom. The one near the balcony features one clothes bar with hangers, a series of five drawers, and the safe. These drawers were just big enough to store our packing cubes. Overall, this was more than enough storage space for a 7-night cruise…even for overpackers like ourselves.

Balcony

Finally, there was the balcony. This balcony did feel noticeably larger than balconies we have come to expect on modern mega-ships. But, it did still only feature two upright chairs and a small multi-purpose table/ottoman. There were no sun loungers or anything of that sort.

Still, it was a comfortable space to enjoy some quiet time and the ocean breeze, either in the morning with a cup of coffee, in the afternoon with a drink, or while sailing into or out of our ports of call.

Of course, MSC Yacht Club guests also have their own private sundeck with plenty of loungers, a pool, and whirlpools to soak up the sun.

Recap of Our MSC Yacht Club Deluxe Suite on MSC Seashore

We didn’t know what to expect from our first stay in an MSC Yacht Club Deluxe Suite, but we were pleasantly surprised. It provided the perfect mix of luxury often found on small cruise ships with all the amenities of large ship cruising. The extra space in the actual cabin was great too.

The only real flaw of this cabin (and all cabins on the ship) is the need to insert your keycard to use the lights and electricity. While you can bypass this on other cruise line’s by inserting another card like a membership card, you can’t on MSC. This means you can’t leave devices charging while you are away.

Of course, while the more spacious cabins and added benefits are nice, an MSC Yacht Club Deluxe Suite does come at an increased price. So ultimately, only you can decide if it’s worth it for you.

We think the MSC Yacht Club is an excellent option for couples or families looking for a more refined and tailored cruise experience that mimics those found on luxury cruise lines at a fraction of the cost. MSC’s ship-within-a-ship definitely delivers an unforgettable, mostly all-inclusive cruise experience. It’s also considerably cheaper than other cruise lines’ ship-within-a-ship complexes.

Another bonus is that the Yacht Club offers a variety of accommodations from interior suites all the way up to the expansive Owner’s Suite, and regardless of category, all guests get the same perks.

Comments

Have you sailed in an MSC Yacht Club Deluxe Suite? What is your preferred cabin category when you cruise? Drop us an anchor below with your MSC Seashore room reviews.