Luxury Ship Within Ship Versus "True" Luxury Cruises!

Hi, what a terrific thread. Cruise Critic's editorial team was talking about this issue just last week and most of our editors haven't tried the luxury-ship-within-big-ship concept, and they were wondering about it. So this thread is a must read for them!

I have tried all three of the luxury-within-big lines (Cunard, MSC, Norwegian) as well as true luxury lines and am happy to answer any questions about the differences. For me, it would boil down to what kind of trip we were taking. For instance, if we were traveling with family and/or friends with kids, we'd definitely look at the NCL/MSC option. For a quiet cruise with just my husband, I'd rather go with a luxury (or luxury-lite line, like Windstar, Azamara and Oceania). We just got off an Atlantic crossing on Cunard's Queen Mary 2 and I was glad to be in Princess Grill (though will say that we did a Queen's Grill trip on QM2 in the Caribbean, with lots of ports, and we just didn't have the time to really enjoy it as much as I'd have liked).

Again it just depends.

In a nutshell, here's my quick take on pluses and minuses (with an A, B or C rating for luxury quotient -- A being the best).

*Cunard: The main reason to opt for Princess or Queen's Grill is really the dining and service; you eat in a smaller, more convivial atmosphere. I met a guy on our recent QM2 crossing who was in Brittania, but ate every night at Todd English to get the same effect, so that's an option. On that crossing, public areas did seem to get crowded, so I really liked the small bar that was grill-only (and there's also a small sundeck). You do pay for drinks, all drinks, even sodas. I haven't traveled on QE or QV but these ships have additional perks (you can dine alfresco). Luxury quotient: B.

*Norwegian's Haven: I love the Haven area on the Jewel, Gem, Pearl class of ships. It's cozy, the cabins are double-wides, with fabulous tubs set into bay windows, and a convivial community. There's a small pool and as already noted on the thread the option of dining at Sabatini's for breakfast and lunch was lovely, especially on sea days, which get crowded in public areas. Toured the Haven on Epic and Breakaway and didn't like the cabins as much, they were definitely smaller with stingy balconies, though there is an on-site restaurant with those. Eh. Plus you pay extra for most stuff, definitely drinks and such. Luxury quotient: B

*MSC's Yacht Haven: We've done this twice (it's on Fantasia, Splendida and the new Divina), and it's the best value-for-money option. Cabins typically aren't super big or grand, but they're pretty and comfortable. What sells it for us is the special concierge area that's two decks (with the Swarovski crystal stairs, which sounds silly and stupid until you see how beautiful they are!). We loved the lounge, which offers light fare throughout the day, afternoon tea, and an open bar. The bar manager in the lounge on our last trip, on Divina, had come from Cunard and he was wonderful. MSC also offers the best sundeck option, again, perfected on Divina. It's a full forward facing deck with several hot tubs, loads of chaises, a bar, a grill (!) and plenty of shaded tables for dining. Luxury quotient: A-

Again, happy to answer questions as best I can.

Carolyn

Carolyn Spencer Brown

Editor in Chief

Cruise Critic

Carolyn,

Thanks for the comparison. Out of curiosity how was the food compared to Seabourn or Silversea?

You mean on all three of the boutique ships-within-big-ships, wripro? Haven't been on Silversea in awhile but would say that in all cases the food on Seabourn trumps the food I've had on Norwegian, Cunard and MSC. On the plus side for the latter three, there was more variety of restaurants. But in terms of main dining room fare, Seabourn.

Carolyn

Carolyn,

 

Thanks for the comparison. Out of curiosity how was the food compared to Seabourn or Silversea?

Thanks, Carolyn. The food on Seabourn also trumps the food on Silversea imo.

I'm about 4 years too late but thanks Carolyn!

Funny enough I was thinking tonight about this same ship in ship question that sparked this thread 4 years ago, googled the question and my own thread popped up in the search results haha

I'd forgotten I'd already asked 4 years ago :D

Very late to this wonderful thread....like a Berlitz/Ward book. Thank you all.

Talk about late to a thread?.......wow, this is VERY interesting.:)...I am taking my first "Luxury Line" cruise in August on

Silversea and am very much looking forward to it:D...all my other cruises have been mainstream, except for my 1

RIVER CRUISE last year on AMA Waterways which was SIMPLY FANTASTIC:D.

Anyway, since I cannot compare one luxury line to another........reading about the food being better on one luxury line

to another......I am quite confident I will love what they serve me;p..and from everything I have read and heard, I am

sure I will have a great time and I even booked a balcony:D

How do Luxury Ship within Ship upgrades on mainstream cruiselines stack up versus premium and luxury ships?

 

Specifically thinking about MSC Yacht Club and NCL Haven versus /Azamera in the Premium category and Regent/Crystal/Seabourne/etc in Luxury.

The only people who think that they compare have not been on a true luxury line with less than 500 passengers. Getting on and off the ship alone are unbearable. Usually the people who claim they are similar experiences are ones who have never been on a luxury line.

For me, the main advantage of a small ship is the ports it can access. I don't think there is a lot of tendering going on when you are on a 3000+ passenger ship. Also, those large ships cannot get close to certain cities like Shanghai where Ponant docked in walking distance to the Bund.

We haven't really thought of the 'ship within the ship' because we were not interested in the itineraries of truly large ships. If we find one, yes, we would appreciate the less crowded conditions in a haven. Embarkation and disembarkation can be a challenge on large ships (2400 passengers was our largest.). I remember moments of mayhem when the port facilities were too small or the immigration process stalled. I try to forget the disorganization and look at the price of the cruise.

This is a great thread...started in 2013 and continuing. Interesting to see those comments from 4 years ago. Now the MSC yacht Club is booked solid with most pax booking according to time of availability. A lot of veteran cruisers have seen and done it all and are quite happy with the big ship with a first class enclave. How quickly tastes have changed. I think that trying to compare a luxury line with the above is a mistake. They are completely different experiences for different reasons. I think it's possible to enjoy both.

i read a lot of the Yacht Club on MSC and i decided to give it a try on Splendida - a one week Dubai - Dubai

i do not expect luxury for the amount i have to pay - it will cost me less as a Caribbean on Oceania, SS or SB.

Hi Vistaman, like I said, why not enjoy both. A lot of my friends are dedicated to small ship luxury like SB and SS but my own preference is for bigger and newer. I don't feel like an elitist if I decide to hit the casino or take in a show. The Yacht Club is so well hidden that I don't think the other pax mind it...at least I don't see a lot of complaints in the forum. Enjoy your Dubai cruise...I think you will find a lot more luxury than you expect. The YC is booked solid months in advance, which says something about the popularity of the YC.

Hi Vistaman, like I said, why not enjoy both. A lot of my friends are dedicated to small ship luxury like SB and SS but my own preference is for bigger and newer. I don't feel like an elitist if I decide to hit the casino or take in a show. The Yacht Club is so well hidden that I don't think the other pax mind it...at least I don't see a lot of complaints in the forum. Enjoy your Dubai cruise...I think you will find a lot more luxury than you expect. The YC is booked solid months in advance, which says something about the popularity of the YC.

While true luxury cruise lines do not have "bigger" ships, they certainly have "newer" ships. One thing that many luxury travelers appreciate is the lack of a "class" system on their ships. There is nowhere on the ship that is restricted ...... all guests are welcome anywhere on board a luxury cruise ship regardless of what category of suite you are in. Yes - within the suite passengers have different benefits associated with that suite (butlers, suite size, etc.) but once you walk outside of your door, everyone is treated the same. Unfortunately this cannot be said for luxury areas on non-luxury ships.

It is all a matter of preference IMHO.

Hi travelcat2,

The MSC Yacht Club concept is different from your average "suite experience" on the mass market lines. The YC is in its own area on the top three decks and includes a private pool area, observation lounge and Private dining room...all connected by private elevators. Some of us enjoy having the run of the entire ship while using the YC as our refuge. The YC card gives you access to complimentary beverages at all bars throughout the ship...just in case you feel like roaming. I feel like I have the best of both worlds. Some of my friends prefer the smaller luxury ships and with good reasons that appeal to their personalities giving them the sedate atmosphere that they enjoy.

You are correct...it is a matter of preference.

travelcat,

i partly must disagree with you as on several luxury companies penthouse pax actually do receive another approach.

on one company i noticed PH pax dining in the speciality restaurants on a nearly daily base , another PH couple were served canapes with their drinks prior to every lunch ( what is only done prior to dinner ) and those people were boasting on it : "we do receive here what we want" , others specials for dinner on a daily base ...

on another company : if you are doing a first cruise in PH you are obviously more important to dining room manager and assistants as when you are doing a 15 th.

on another : PH pax invited by senior officers , others by "entertainers" ( with all my respect for everybody's work )

and i 'll be honest : on the Europa 2 the owners suite ( only 2 ) people can book a nice table in the Yacht Club and on the MS Europa PH pax can pre book one evening in each of the speciality restaurants.

It is true for the Europa 2. The owner's cabins passengers reserved the best outside tables every evening. I did not mind the couple who showed up early, and afterwards the table was open to everybody. The passengers who never showed up or very late should have been more considerate and reserved for a specific time instead of having a standing reservation.

sorry for another language mistake as I intended to say "partially" :D

travelcat,

i partly must disagree with you as on several luxury companies penthouse pax actually do receive another approach.

on one company i noticed PH pax dining in the speciality restaurants on a nearly daily base , another PH couple were served canapes with their drinks prior to every lunch ( what is only done prior to dinner ) and those people were boasting on it : "we do receive here what we want" , others specials for dinner on a daily base ...

on another company : if you are doing a first cruise in PH you are obviously more important to dining room manager and assistants as when you are doing a 15 th.

on another : PH pax invited by senior officers , others by "entertainers" ( with all my respect for everybody's work )

and i 'll be honest : on the Europa 2 the owners suite ( only 2 ) people can book a nice table in the Yacht Club and on the MS Europa PH pax can pre book one evening in each of the speciality restaurants.

Based on your experience, I certainly understand your disagreeing with me. However, let me give you our experience - having done most of our cruising on Regent (365 days) in PH or above suites, we are not treated differently. However, Regent recently implemented a new policy where people in Master and Grand Suites can dine in a specialty every night if they wish to do so (not sure who would want to do that because the food in the main dining room is excellent).

Obviously I am only speaking to our experience on Regent (and 3 cruises on Silversea in a Silver Suite which I believe is above PH).

I am against Regent's new policy as well as any cruise line (luxury or not) that treats passengers differently based on their suite/stateroom level.

i never was on Regent so far and i think - being a single - it will not happen very soon ...onerous single sup.

maybe my TA will show me by invitation one of the Regent ships calling in Antwerpen or in Zeebrugge.

I like to do excursions on my own or with a very small group.