320 Guests vs. 5,600: Inside MSC Yacht Club's Exclusive World

Step inside MSC's exclusive Yacht Club with us! We’re revealing how this "ship-within-a-ship" creates an intimate 320-guest experience on a large vessel and whether the investment is worth it for your cruise style. 

You'll discover the game-changing benefits of priority embarkation and debarkation that eliminate stress, explore the Top Sail Lounge that becomes your private social hub, and learn about the elevated dining options with flexible menus that go beyond the main dining room. 

We'll walk you through the spacious, luxuriously appointed suites with attentive butler service, plus the included perks like premium Wi-Fi and beverage packages that add serious value to your investment. 

Whether you're comparing MSC's Yacht Club to other luxury cruise enclaves like Celebrity's The Retreat, trying to decide if the upgrade is worth the cost, or seeking that small ship feel while still having access to large ship amenities, you'll understand exactly who thrives in the Yacht Club and why this exclusive experience might be the perfect fit for your next cruise adventure.

For photos & additional info: 

• Complete MSC Yacht Club Review Including Top 5 Perks
• Curious about Celebrity’s The Retreat? Check out this podcast episode & this article.
• 🍕During this episode, we mention not to miss the pizza, which is complimentary for MSC Yacht Club guests! You eat with your eyes first: Check out the MSC pizza delivery (& follow us on Instagram @sometimessailing while you’re there!)  
• We reference our favorite hotspot in this post, which you’ll find reviewed on our site in depth here or to purchase on Amazon here.

Thank you to our sponsor, Riverside Luxury Cruises. Find out more about our experience with this outstanding river cruise line, providing guests with the luxury of choice.

Chapters

• 1:17 Welcome to MSC’s Exclusive Suites
• 2:29 Overview: Exploring the Perks of MSC Yacht Club
• 3:17 VIP Treatment & Priority Access
• 7:09 Peek Inside Top Sail Lounge: Your Private Oasis Onboard
• 11:01 Exclusive Dining in The Yacht Club
• 15:05 Luxurious Suite Amenities
• 18:59 More Services & Perks Exclusive to MSC Yacht Club Guests
• 25:51 Who is MSC Yacht Club Ideal For?
• 27:25 Value & Cost for Exclusivity in MSC Yacht Club
• 29:02 Our Verdict: Is MSC Yacht Club Worth It?

Transcript

Dan (00:35)

Hello and welcome. 

Today we ask, what would it be like if you could be one of 320 guests instead of one of 5,600 guests on a mega cruise ship?

We're going to discuss MSC's Yacht Club. It's their version of a ship-within-a-ship. And we've previously discussed The Retreat on Celebrity Cruises. So you'll find that linked in the show description.

This will be a comprehensive overview of our first hand experience with the MSC Yacht Club and what you can expect if you book into The Yacht Club on your next mega ship cruise.

Mikkel (01:14)

We've been on MSC Seascape, which is approximately 5,600 passengers. We've also been on MSC World America, is even more, 1,100 more at 6,700 passengers. So because we are Small Ship Cruise Talk, we really look for those intimate small ship experiences on mega ships. We know that mega ships are appealing because of the evening entertainment, the multiple dining options, maybe their itineraries. So, there really are perks of going on a mega cruise ship.

But when you want to be one of just a few hundred instead of the thousands and have access to exclusive areas, MSC Yacht Club is really what you want to focus on. We're going to cover the Top five perks of being in MSC Yacht Club, which includes exclusive amenities. And we're also going to tell you whether or not we think it's worth investing in this for you to be part of the exclusive few. 

The five things we're gonna discuss are priority embarkation and debarkation, the private Top Sail Lounge, the private restaurant with elevated menus, the included premium drinks and wifi, and your dedicated 24/7 concierge team. We're gonna deep dive into each of these throughout this episode.

Let's start with the very first of your cruise experience as soon as you get to the port: priority embarkation on the day that you are boarding.

Dan (02:47)

So I thought this was phenomenal. Because getting on and off the ship is a huge stress point for me on big ships. So the special MSC Yacht Club tent was awesome. The separate security —

Mikkel (02:49)

Mm-hmm, I agree.

Dan (03:03)

think TSA pre-check, but just to get on the ship, that was nice. Complimentary champagne and snacks while we're away waning. I right. I think, yeah, I think I took two sips and all of a sudden it was like, we were there.

Mikkel (03:13)

We didn't even have time to drink the champagne. We weren't even waiting that long. Right? They were like, are you ready?

Yeah, they were like, you can wait and drink. And I'm like, no, no, no, let's get on the ship.

Dan (03:23)

Yeah. Yeah.

So, and with that, there was a dedicated gangway and a butler escort. And truly, if you've been on a big ship — and you, all of a sudden you're dumped into this all new atmosphere, figuring out where the elevators are, what floor you're on — having that butler to escort you directly to the room was excellent. And then priority elevator access. If you've ever been

Mikkel (03:45)

Yeah.

Dan (03:49)

embarkation day on a big ship you know you're waiting for an elevator with a thousand of your closest friends waiting there.

Mikkel (03:53)

my gosh, are you waiting? Yeah. Yeah, right. So

This is worth its weight in gold. The butler meets you. So what happens is you get to the port. As soon as the porters even knew we were in Yacht Club, "Oh, you're in Yacht Club. OK, you go over here." You basically get to skip the line. Then somebody else is holding your hand when you get to the special area through the security line that you almost get to jump the line like you were saying.

Then once you get on board, you're taken to a butler who has the key to the kingdom, so to speak. And they just tap it on the elevator for that priority elevator access so you don't have to wait with the embarkation day chaos of the thousands trying to use the elevator, like you said. The VIP luxury treatment continues on port days and for excursions. So instead of meeting in a huge theater with thousands waiting for your number to be called, which is one of my least favorite things about ocean cruising, you meet in the Top Sail Lounge for priority disembarkation. It's much more civilized. It's much more pleasant. You can have a drink while you wait. You can look at the ocean. It's beautiful. There's plenty of natural light in there. 

I love the thoughtful touches in the lounge while you wait for disembarkation. One day it was looking like rain, so they had biodegradable ponchos that you could put in your bag. There was a water cart. They had towels. It was really lovely.

Also on excursion day, if you're on an itinerary that's going to MSC's private island, Ocean Cay Marine Reserve, there's also a private Ocean House area with complimentary lunch and drinks and it's really great because it's a seated lunch option, which we love. It's exclusive to Yacht Club guests. Even when we got off the ship, there was a tent for MSC Yacht Club that you could wait, you had cold water there, you had shade, and they were doing priority golf carting over to that area.

Dan (05:51)

Right? I I remember, I can't remember what port it was, but our butler actually walked us off the ship to meet our excursion team.

Mikkel (05:57)

Mm-hmm.

Yeah. I just feel bad for those butlers because they're in long sleeves and white gloves and pants. God bless them in the Caribbean. God bless them. Yeah. Yeah.

Dan (06:04)

In the Caribbean.

So we talked about debarkation a little bit, but same thing, but in reverse, right? So departure, priority elevator access, separate luggage area. I think it took us 20 minutes from leaving our room to being off the ship.

Mikkel (06:26)

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Let's talk about your private oasis on board, that Top Sail lounge. So to get into the area for MSC Yacht Club on the ship, you need your key card, like most private areas of a big ocean ship, much like Celebrity area. It's the Top Sail Lounge on these ships. It is the heart of The Yacht Club experience, I would say.

Dan (06:51)

Yeah, spacious lounge, a lot of natural light. The downstairs was the lounge and then upstairs was a specialty dining restaurant that was connected to it.

Mikkel (07:00)

It's almost like lofted, right? And you saying the stairs, the double levels... MSC has a very famous Swarovski crystal staircase on all their ships I can think of. And there's your own dedicated Swarovski crystal staircase in the Top Sail Lounge. So if you want those staircase photos, you'll get that. And you don't have to kind of, you know,

Dan (07:02)

Right, yeah.

Mikkel (07:27)

fight with all the influencers or, you know, wannabe influencers or whatever, like, you know, and I'm being funny, but like, it is really a great memory and a really great photo that I do, I actually recommend everybody gets. But you do have that gorgeous staircase in there. Even on MSC World America, the biggest newest ship, there's one in there and The Yacht Club is a little bigger. So yeah, so spacious and you know, there's really beautiful evening entertainment,

Mikkel (07:54)

a piano player, guitarist. They're really great about having live entertainment in there.

Specialty cocktails were in there that weren't anywhere else on the ship. You we got great chocolate martinis in there. They had the most gorgeous display of rotating snacks, sweet and savory, kind of like stepped up, you know, like a little staircase for the snacks on display. Really beautiful.

Dan (08:19)

Yeah, and it seemed like there was always snacks available and they were always just appearing at your table as soon as you sat down in the lounge.

Mikkel (08:24)

Yeah.

And the chocolate shop that they have in the main area of the ship that most people have to pay for the chocolates, we got complimentary chocolates in the lounge area and they really were delicious. 

They even have some special events there at night, like the Starlit party at night that unfortunately when we were sailing, they had to move indoors because of inclement weather, but they had a special Captain's Welcome just for MSC Yacht Club guests, which I thought was really special. You do a nice toast and the high ranking officers come and shake your hand and that was really great. And then one day we did afternoon tea, which is always like kind of a really fun special thing and just really a lovely experience.

One of the things I really loved about the lounge area of MSC Yacht Club was — I think it's because of the way they lay it out — it really felt like there was a great sense of community there and just something about the layout and the couches and how they're open. And maybe it's that, you know, the double deck kind of ceiling in there because it's lofted. It really lent itself to socializing. You could completely keep to yourself and not talk to anyone, but it felt like a river cruise to me in a really beautiful way, that it was this home base and everybody knew they were like kind of in this special experience and the conversation was really nice. 

I remember having a great conversation with this couple that actually didn't live too far from us in Celebration, Florida. And they had said that they were two adults, no kids, lifelong Disney cruisers. But once somebody told them about MSC Yacht Club, like they converted and were never going back just because of the elevated affordable experience.

Great spot for pre-dinner cocktails or quiet reading. So I just wanted to mention that for whatever reason, the social aspect in there really lends itself to being the hearth of the MSC Yacht Club and a really warm social place to be if you want to socialize.

Dan (10:19)

Right.

Speaking of socializing, you can do that upstairs also at the dining experience. Now they have single tables, but they also have other tables so you can join your other Yacht Club guests and make some new friends up there. You can eat anywhere in the ship but in the Yacht Club, the restaurant is open for three meals daily and they have a changing menu every day. So check back for something new.

Mikkel (10:46)

Yeah, no buffet.

Dan (10:48)

Correct, no buffet. They're elevated options: filet mignon is on the anytime menu versus New York strip in other restaurants. Fresh squeezed orange juice at breakfast. And there's also flexibility for guests in the dining. So you can dine anytime, right? There are fixed seatings, but you get a little special treatment in there.

Mikkel (11:14)

Right, whereas in the main dining restaurants for the other 5,300 guests on the ship, let's say, for x-amount of times, you really have more flexibility to dine any time. I had heard mixed things about MSC food before we cruised. And I have to say that it was good. It was a lot better than I had heard. So I was happy with that. I mean, I remember one pasta dish one night really stood out with this pesto sauce and fresh rigatoni, and it was really great. The one thing that I do think could use a little bit of improvement was a little bit of the service. I don't know why. I don't know if it was because it was a new ship or what, but I thought the service could be a little buttoned up.

Dan (11:56)

Yeah, but that's always something that can be. I don't want to say it's an easy fix because I've never run a kitchen, but I think that out of everything that can be fixed, think that's probably one of the easier things.

Mikkel (11:59)

Right. Right. 

And if you do want to eat elsewhere on the ship, you can ask your butler, the concierge (the concierge is available 24/7) to make a reservation for you. I remember as soon as we got on the ship, we had specialty dining, you can do like a pack of three different reservations for specialty dining that's not included as part of Yacht Club, you need to upgrade to that, while the premium drinks package is included. 

So I remember talking to concierge to work out a spa reservation and that specialty dining as soon as we got on the ship and they were so helpful and they can call if you have any questions, you know, for that restaurant or whatnot. Another option was the Yacht Club Grill. So that's an outdoor dining was like a little bit of a buffet, but that was the only buffet option. And they were also cooking things on the grill order.

Dan (12:55)

Right.

Mikkel (12:56)

So that was by the private pool and there's a private pool for Yacht Club guests. And them enu was a little different than the main restaurant.

Dan (13:03)

Right.

Mikkel (13:03)

The main restaurant being the Yacht Club restaurant.

Dan (13:06)

Any time, you can get complimentary room service. So you've got your breakfast, lunch, your dinner, all to your suite. And Mikkel's personal favorite was the pizza delivery.

Mikkel (13:17)

Drum roll! ⁓

The pizza delivery from noon to about 11:30 pm. MSC is an Italian or they'll say "European ocean cruise line," but they have roots in their Italian heritage might I say. And that's why their pizza is so phenomenal. Don’t hold me to that. I don't this is just a guess.

But as a New Yorker who is, I would say, obnoxious about pizza — I want great pizza. Their pizza was so good. And we did post this on Instagram a while back. I should link that in the show notes. I will. It was so good. It was so good. It's delivered in a pizza box. So if you are saying in the Yacht Club, even if you're not and you have to pay for it, that pizza delivery, oh my god, do it. But it is included for Yacht Club guests. So do not forget to take advantage of that.

Dan (14:07)

We even saw other guests carrying around pizza boxes up in The Yacht Club. Like they ordered that instead of lunch and then took it up to the top deck.

Mikkel (14:12)

Yes, We did! Yes, yes, yes.

Oh my god, that was so smart. I was like, wait, what is that? That was before we knew. But yeah. You know, because you're listening to this now. So you are a step ahead. Let's talk. Yeah. So let's talk about that being delivered to the room to your luxury suite at sea.

Dan (14:23)

Yeah, get the pizza.

The suite itself, it's everything you would hope for, right? Spacious, separate seating area, a little work area if you need to get some work done. Keycard access to the Yacht Club enclave. So it's the same keycard. Also they gave us bracelets with the — on Princess it's called The Medallion, I can't remember what it's called on MSC.

Mikkel (14:51)

Mm-hmm. I don't know if it has a name on MSC, but it's just like a magnetic bracelet. I remember that. Yeah.

Dan (14:57)

Right. Yeah. Cause I remember wearing it around saying like, "Look! Look at me. Yacht Club, Yacht Club, Yacht Club." Yeah.

Mikkel (15:02)

Yes, yes, Yacht Club, Yacht Club, Yacht Club. The only thing I hate about those things is that they are not eco-friendly. Like once your cruise is over, you can't use it again for anything. Yes. Ahhh! Hahaha

Dan (15:10)

Correct. Yeah. You can't check your email on those.

Back into the suite. So large bathroom, dual shower heads, including a rain shower, which I enjoy. And a seated shower. Yeah. The seated shower option. Double closets. One for each of us. That was nice.  Long vanity too. I remember it was quite, quite spacious in there. You could spread...

Mikkel (15:22)

Hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. You could sit in there. Yeah. Let the rain wash over you. Yeah.

Mm-hmm.

Dan (15:39)

Well, you know, it collected a lot of things. And then wireless charging stations for your phones and your devices. Yeah.

Mikkel (15:40)

Yeah, you can lay down on the vanity. Yeah.

That was one of my favorite things. You could literally just put your phone on the wireless pad, but it was built into that dresser, that vanity

Dan (15:55)

Right.

Mikkel (15:57)

That was amazing.

Dan (15:58)

Yeah, nice, nice detail on that. Balcony: two chairs, a table. So good size balcony. Some of them that you get into, if one person wants to get up, like the other person has to move. But this was a nice spacious

Mikkel (16:00)

Mm-hmm.

Dan (16:12)

lighting out there. So if you want to sit out there during the night and enjoy the ocean air, you could do that. But also perfect for your morning coffee that you could brew inside your room because there was a Nespresso machine in the suite.

Mikkel (16:26)

Yeah, we love a Nespresso, or whatever substitute, but it was a Nespresso machine in MSC Yacht Club suites was awesome.

Dan (16:35)

Yeah.

So, funny. Other in-suite stuff was the complimentary mini bar. But I remember, I think it was the first day our butler asked us what, what bottle we needed.

Mikkel (16:46)

Yeah, he said, "What bottle do you want?" And we said, "Excuse me?" And he was like, "What bottle of alcohol do you want that comes with the room?" I was like, "Wait, but there is an open bar right down the hall. And there's all these drinks in the fridge." And he was like, "It's included." And we were like, "Okay."

Dan (16:58)

Sure. Yeah, just just in case.

Mikkel (17:05)

And we were like, "Gin?" I don't believe we used that bottle. But it is complimentary.

Dan (17:06)

No, we did not. 

Right. Yeah.

So there was also some plush yacht robes that we took advantage of, daily turn down service, much like on a river cruise or a smaller ship. So it really did give you that small ship feel within the larger ship.

Mikkel (17:17)

Mm-hmm. I love that.

Mikkel (17:26)

Yeah, and there were some fruit jellies one night, macarons another night, biscotti for the turndown service. And I really think the luxury is in the details. So things like that, even the pillow menu, if you have specific needs or allergies or you're just pillow-picky and you didn't like your pillow, so that was an option. And I just thought it was classy that at night they put water and a glass on both nightstands. Just really thoughtful.

Dan (17:41)

Right? I think you just invented a new term, "pillow-picky." Yeah.

Mikkel (18:00)

⁓ thank you. I've coined good terms on here.

Dan (18:05)

You should buy the domain names because somebody else is going to do it.

Mikkel (18:10)

By the time you're listening, I will have purchased that domain name: PillowPicky.com.

Dan (18:13)

PillowPicky.com

Mikkel (18:17)

Let's talk about exclusive services and perks. So things like the butler, the Concierge Desk, premium beverage packages, and your Wi-Fi, and some spa benefits, and theater priority seating. Starting with the butler.

Dan (18:33)

The omnipresent butler. There was a few times I was just kind of walked out of the suite and it was like, he was just standing there. Like how long have you been standing there?

Mikkel (18:35)

Omnipresent. He was a little bit. Hahaha. 

Yeah, yeah, they like to make themselves useful. So they can make dining, spa, reservations,

If you want them to unpack for you or press clothes, they can. They're really a proactive — like you said, omnipresent — proactive assistant throughout your cruise. They can even help you get from point A to B. If you want to use their key card to get that priority elevator access, if you have a dinner reservation and specialty dining elsewhere on the ship, use them for that. And we did.

Dan (19:14)

Yeah. Just navigating the ship is going to be a lot of work. So having that butler there as your sherpa to make sure you get to the restaurant on time.

Mikkel (19:17)

Yes. Yes.

Yeah, to your point, it's not that we even needed the escort to get the elevator because after embarkation it's not as crazy — the elevators. But it was that we didn't know the directions of how to navigate the ship to get there because we didn't know where it was. So that was really helpful.

Dan (19:38)

Yeah. I mean, you, really do get sucked into being your little world. And then you forget there's the rest of the ship there. So when you venture out into the big city, it's good to have your butler with you.

Mikkel (19:47)

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yeah, yeah.

As we mentioned before, the concierge desk is available. I remember getting on, and we saw lines for the desk for guest services. As soon as you get on the ship, everybody's trying to book things left and right or get tech support help for their Wi-Fi. And my jaw dropped. I was like, "Oh my god, that line is so long." I think there were maybe two lines. Once you get to the concierge desk, there's much shorter lines. I think we had to wait for one other guest to talk to them.

They were really helpful in securing those reservations. Again, we could have done it through the butler, but we were talking to the front desk anyway. Great tech support for the Wi-Fi. We always forget when we have a VPN on, it's like kind of blocking the ship Wi-Fi from working. So they helped us set that up. The Wi-Fi is included for MSC Yacht Club guests. Let's talk about the premium beverage packages.

Dan (20:46)

Yep, so included are drinks up to $16 and no need to scan a card if you're ordering a drink in The Yacht Club. But if you are somewhere else on the ship ordering a drink, you do have to show your Yacht Club card.

Mikkel (21:01)

Right. Or did your band work, that magnetic band? They have to scan something to know where you are. But when you're in The Yacht Club, they know everybody in The Yacht Club is there and on the same package for that.

Dan (21:04)

Yeah, the band work.

Mikkel (21:12)

We didn't order a drink above $16, I think all but once. We just did it once. But $16 really covers a lot. Also, that works at the Ocean Cay Marine Reserve Ocean House as well and on the beach

Dan (21:25)

Right.

Mikkel (21:27)

MSC Yacht Club guests, that exclusive beach are included there as well.

Dan (21:32)

Yeah. So speaking of the beach area, wasn't the WiFi — didn't that work at the beach also?

Mikkel (21:39)

It did, yeah, which was amazing.

Dan (21:42)

Yeah, so Wi-Fi, you get two devices per person, that's included. And it's not, you're not gonna be streaming too much, you know, it's not amazing Wi-Fi, but know, texts work, emails, basic web browsing, stuff like that works.

Mikkel (21:55)

We always bring a hotspot because we're usually working as well. But we do try to minimize that. But we do bring our hotspot that we've mentioned in the top five things that we actually pack for river cruising. But we... there's not a trip we go on ...we're actually packing this week for a trip... and there is not a trip we go on that we don't pack our hotspot just in case. But the Wi-Fi was definitely ample, especially if you are purely on vacation.

Dan (22:15)

All right.

Mikkel (22:21)

Another benefit if you were totally unwinding is the spa benefit. So included with MSC Yacht Club is a daily one hour thermal spa access and

Mikkel (22:32)

it had the snow room, they had the plunge pool, the little hot thermal spa in there, they have a sauna, they have all the Turkish delights in there and that was really great. You also get a 10 % discount on all spa treatments if you want a facial or massage or anything.

Dan (22:34)

Right.

Mikkel (22:50)

Again, easily book through Concierge or your butler. I was in there, you were in there, but like, I don't recall anyone being like, "Oh, your hour is up."

Dan (23:01)

Oh, no. I didn't. I don't remember that at all or anybody really checking. All I remember really that stood out was the snow room because I was the only one in there.

Mikkel (23:06)

Right, right, right.

Yeah, me too. We didn't go in at the same time. I remember going at different times. It's really small. It's like a small closet, but so cool. And I was like, I'm in here alone. I'm going to make snowballs. So I did. Yeah. Yeah. And as usual, like the busiest days are always days at sea. So, you know.

Dan (23:23)

The sauna was packed but nobody was in the snow room. I don't understand.

Mikkel (23:35)

Avoid it on that day if you want to deal with less crowds, because people can buy passes to there too. So again, MSC Yacht Club, just a perk that's included. And then lastly, another perk is theater priority seating. So you have a reserved section for Yacht Club guests. Your butler can help bring you there. So you don't need any advanced booking for theater seats, like regular guests get there early to get a great spot for the evening entertainment.

Flash your wristband (bam bam!) or cruise card for entry. And its... if you're curious, it's located in the back right of the theater on MSC Seashore. So I'm guessing it's something similar on the other ships. Any other things to add to all of those incredible perks?

Dan (24:22)

I think it's really about, you know, we prefer small ship, but when we do big ship, we try to really focus in on that ship-within-a-ship feeling, right? And for MSC in particular, it felt like I forgot about the rest of the ship. And I forgot there was a casino. I forgot there was a band playing in the main bar, you know, like, and then once I ventured out of The Yacht Club, I was a little...

Mikkel (24:38)

same.

Dan (24:51)

it was a little jarring how much activity was going on on on board.

Mikkel (24:52)

Right. Yeah. Sensory overload outside of MSC Yacht Club. Yeah.

Dan (24:58)

Yeah, so they really do such a great job of making a distinction between those two environments and you really do feel like it's a completely different ship.

Mikkel (25:09)

Yeah, a luxurious elevated experience. So actually, that's a good point. Who is Yacht Club perfect for? I’ll kick it off. I would say cruisers who want that intimate small ship experience on a large ship.

Dan (25:24)

Yep, and if you don't want to wait in lines or if you don't like crowds, The Yacht Club is probably the way to go.

Mikkel (25:31)

Yeah, time is money. And if you value your time and you hate waiting in those lines, like you said, it's the way to go. You want that elevated experience, those amenities. You like exclusive access. You like that money can buy exclusive access. I think that's great. I think like a river cruise, if you're low key, if you want just to retreat to the lounge at night, get a martini, listen to the live music, and go to bed over the casinos and the nightclubs, I think it's a perfect little oasis for you.

Dan (26:05)

Yeah, I would agree with that. And like we've said throughout this entire episode, you can really carve out your own space and you can participate with the other Yacht Club guests or participate with the rest of the ship all you want. But you have kind of a place, a little retreat to run away from all of that.

Mikkel (26:11)

Mm-hmm.

Yeah, and we didn't really focus on this because there's not much to say about it other than there's a private pool and hot tub and everything. But like that, you can carve out your own little retreat if you want to go to the very quiet, civilized pool deck with the pool options and whirlpools and your own MSC Yacht Club lounge chairs and everything is really great.

In terms of investment, it obviously is always going to cost more for a retreat access like this, like MSC Yacht Club, like The Retreat, like The Haven on Celebrity Cruises and NCL, respectively. But when you compare that to being one of, let's say, 320 guests in The Yacht Club, which is the entire ship capacity for a ship like Windstar, Star Pride, Star Breeze, like those ships, the entire ship of Windstar could fit in the Yacht Club. You're really paying for that incredible access.

And if you do want to go to the nightclubs and the casinos, you can, which is the benefit of a big ship. If you want to go out dancing at night, you can.

But you really value the time saved also versus the money you're spending and that peace of mind and having stress-free cruising and really feeling like you're taken care of on these cruises. So the investment is more. We don't love talking about specifics because we could say that this suite costs $1,000 for three days. And then you tell us we're wrong because you looked it up and it's different because it varies so much. But it really depends, like we always say, on the specific itinerary, the ship, where it's going. It's going to be a little more. But just like we said, that couple that had been on Disney Cruise Line couldn't believe the savings, even being in MSC Yacht Club. When you compare it to Disney Cruise Line Concierge, I mean, it's a fraction of the cost for just a really solid, great investment.

Dan (28:20)

Our recommendation, if you're a small ship cruiser, you love that experience, or you just want a slightly elevated experience with access to the normal experiences on a mega ship, then we strongly recommend a ship-within-a-ship concept or a experience such as MSC Yacht Club.

Mikkel (28:41)

Couldn't have said it better myself. Thank you so much for this incredible highlight of MSC's exclusive ship-within-a-ship experience. If you're listening and you want to experience this, you have any other questions, don't hesitate to reach out. We are always happy to answer questions. We have an article about this that we have linked in the show notes so you can see some great photos. I'm looking forward to sailing with MSC again in just a couple of weeks.

I would say I encourage everybody listening to hit that follow and subscribe button so you get more great small ship cruise content like this and information about ship-within-a-ship concepts. And we will talk to you next week.

Dan (29:28)

Until then, keep cruisin'.