My next sailing takes me aboard MSC Meraviglia, departing from Brooklyn and heading south on a classic warm-weather itinerary: Port Canaveral, Nassau, and the private island paradise of Ocean Cay. It’s a familiar loop for many cruisers, but this trip comes with a twist that makes it especially interesting from an industry and guest-experience perspective.
This voyage will be my first time experiencing MSC’s Yacht Club, the line’s much-talked-about “ship-within-a-ship” concept that blends a small-ship luxury feel with the scale and energy of a modern mega-resort. With its private restaurant, lounge, pool deck, and butler service, Yacht Club is positioned as MSC’s answer to the premium-plus and modern-luxury market. Seeing how it holds up at sea—and where it stands apart—will be a major focus of this trip.
What makes this especially compelling is that I’m coming off an Explora Journeys sailing, a brand that sits higher on the luxury spectrum and prides itself on curated service, refined design, and an all-inclusive model. Comparing these two experiences head-to-head—their service philosophies, public-space dynamics, culinary execution, and overall atmosphere—should offer useful insight into how MSC aims to compete for travelers who want something elevated without crossing into full luxury pricing.
So as we sail out of New York and into (hopefully) warmer waters, I’ll be watching closely: how does Yacht Club function within a ship as large and busy as Meraviglia? Where does it shine, where does it fall short, and how does the experience measure up against Explora’s more boutique approach? Follow along on CruiseInd, X/Twitter, and Instagram as I take you through the trip, port by port—and deck by deck.