MSC Cruises is taking a new tack to appeal to its top-paying guests by offering them small-group shore excursion options not available to other passengers.
The line this week introduced more than 90 shore excursions exclusively for its MSC Yacht Club guests sailing in the Caribbean, Med and Northern Europe.
Excursion options include making a personalized cologne at one of the oldest perfumeries in Southern France; dining on Greek cuisine onboard a private catamaran in Santorini; and time in a secluded cabana in Jamaica with personal butler. Other examples include a pesto cooking class in Santa Margherita Ligure, Italy, and sailing on a catamaran and snorkeling in Cozumel with a personal guide.
The excursions will also include priority disembarkation and private transportation. MSC said it plans to add more exclusive excursions in other regions later this year.
MSC may be the first among its contemporary-cruise peers to offer exclusive shore excursions to guests staying in its high-end, "ship-within-a-ship" suites. The Haven suites on Norwegian Cruise Line do not include a menu of exclusive, small-group excursions, but a spokesman said guests can call a shore excursion specialist to request a custom tour.
Guests in Royal Caribbean International Royal Suite Class, and all guests, can customize their shore excursions using the brand's Private Journeys team, said Vicki Freed, Royal's senior vice president of sales, trade support and service
The exclusive offerings come as the European MSC line expands its presence in the U.S. with plans to sail seven ships from U.S. homeports in the winter of 2025-2026, up from five this coming winter.
The excursions are bookable in advance via travel advisors and the MSC Cruises contact center, or onboard via the yacht club's concierge service and shore excursions desk or the MSC For Me app.