We recently travelled onboard MSC Virtuosa in Yacht Club. Known as a "ship within a ship," MSC Cruises Yacht Club offers its passengers an exclusive section of the ship which feels like a sanctuary.
Here are the 10 things we loved about MSCs Yacht Club…
Embarkation
Yacht club benefits start as soon as you arrive at the terminal with priority boarding.
Upon arrival, you are escorted through check-in and security to a special seating area where you are provided refreshments. Shortly after you will be escorted onto the ship and taken to the TOP SAIL Lounge where you’ll enjoy more drinks and wait for your cabin to be ready.
We found embarkation to be one of the quickest, and most relaxed we have ever experienced.
Exclusivity & Perks
Deck 14 to 19 forward house, the yacht club. Right from the entrance on deck 16, the yacht club feels like an exclusive area.
Yacht club also provides some exclusive perks such as priority lifts which take you straight to your requested deck, a section of part of the theatre and priority departure for excursions, and additional reward points and discounts onboard.
Top Sail Lounge
The top sail lounge offers panoramic views looking out to sea.
Open all day you can enjoy a drink as well as some snacks in a relaxed environment. Afternoon tea is served here and there is often live music in the evenings.
Yacht Club Restaurant
The Yacht Club restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
It is much more intimate than the main dining rooms and feels exclusive. We could not fault the food, it was better than some of the extra charge restaurants onboard. We enjoyed chatting with the sommelier for their recommendations and learning a bit more about the wine. Particular favourites included… the Broiled Beef Filet Mignon and the Angus Beef Burger
Sun Deck
On deck 19, you can find the sundeck. Complete with a swimming pool, whirlpool, sun loungers, private cabana and bar.
Unfortunately we travelled in the winter so did not get to use all of these facilities but did get to enjoy the pool and Whirlpool. We can imagine in the summer. This is a great place to chill out and relax. That being said, although it was cold, the staff would often still take drinks orders for those sitting out during the day.
The Cabin
There are 103 suites spanning across 4 decks, with round-the-clock butler and concierge services.
During our cruise we stayed in a deluxe suite featuring a cozy bed, sofa area, balcony, a large shower, robes & slippers, choice of pillows, as well as hors d'oeuvres delivered daily.
The cabin comes with a well-stocked mini bar, cutlery, as well as tea and coffee making facilities.
All-Inclusive
One of the best features of your club is that it’s all inclusive. All drinks, food, room, service, Wi-Fi, and even your morning paper are included.
Afternoon Tea
The Afternoon Tea featured a three-tier stand with light sandwiches, scones, and pastries.
You are also offered a selection of loose leaf teas which are brewed for you at your seat. It was a truly relaxed and indulgent experience.
Butler Service
At first, we were a bit apprehensive about the butler service within yacht club but were pleasantly surprised in the end.
We met our butler, Olena shortly after boarding. She welcomed us and talked us through all the features and benefits of yacht club and asked if there was anything particularly that we needed. She organised a small supply of Yorkshire tea bags for us as well as booking some theatre shows and the butchers cut for us.
Thermal Spa
A perk we used more than others was definitely the complimentary access to the thermal spa.
We enjoyed its multiple steam rooms, saunas, whirlpools, salt room, heated marble loungers, a 4-stage walk through hot/cold shower, cold room and experience showers.
A day pass to the thermal spa is normally 70 euros.