DESTINATIONS — CRUISE
L
CRUISE
Yacht’s it all about
Hollie-Rae Merrick tries out MSC’s ‘ship within a ship’ Yacht Club
chance to introduce myself. “Hello, Miss Merrick,” he says with a big smile on his face, and I instantly feel relaxed after an early morning flight and a quick dash to the port of Barcelona to board MSC Splendida. The Yacht Club – my home for a couple of nights – is all about personal service. Only available on MSC Cruises’ Fantasia-class ships, it is promoted as a ‘ship
M
y butler already knows my name before I get the
within a ship’, and I quickly realise that is exactly what it is. This year the cruise line is
proactively promoting the Yacht Club to the UK market for the first time as it introduces a new pricing structure based on experiences rather than cabins. The four experiences – Bella,
Fantastica, Aurea and Yacht Club – all offer something different and are already sold in a number of European markets. Bella fares offer a basic
experience, while Fantastica offers 24-hour room service, Aurea fares include benefits from the Aurea Spa. The Yacht Club experience includes dining, most drinks and a butler service.
MSC Cruises chief executive Gianni Onorato admits that the line hasn’t always presented the Yacht Club enough to market. “We have to start promoting our
Yacht Club more,” he said. “It has been shown to be an extremely successful product. Unfortunately,
we have not been very good at presenting it all the time.” The feel of the Yacht Club is completely different to the rest of the ship; peaceful, relaxing and calming – more akin to traditional luxury cruise lines. “This is a product where the
daily rate is getting closer to the prices you see on Silversea or Seabourn” he added. He said the Yacht Club meant MSC could target guests who were looking for a “more upscale experience”.
16 January 2014 —
travelweekly.co.uk • 71
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