When you book a holiday on a large cruise ship, you’ll get access to a wide variety of onboard experiences. Pools and hot tubs, theaters, casinos, mini golf courses, restaurants on almost every deck and much more. But, this often comes at the price of the low guest-to-crew ratio and luxury service associated with smaller cruise ships. How do large ships bridge this gap - with a ship-within-a-ship cruise experience! It’s the new ‘business’ class style of cruising on big ships.

What can you expect from the ship-in-ship experience?
The ship-within-a-ship experience is all about exclusivity.

The experience often begins with prioritized boarding options and access to dedicated embarkation lounges. You can choose from lavishly appointed suites with a personal butler at your service. There’s also a 24x7 concierge to help you with everything from dinner reservations to planning shore excursions.

Your VIP keycard lets you enjoy sections of the ship cordoned off from everyone else. This can vary from ship to ship. Some may have a private pool and a sun deck while others have private restaurants and lounges. You’re welcome to explore amenities in the other parts of the ship as well. And when you do, you can be assured of complimentary services to elevate the experience.

Let’s take a look at your top picks for a ship-in-ship experience.

The Retreat, Celebrity Cruises
Whether you’re sailing on a 3-night cruise on the Celebrity Edge, a 14-night cruise on Celebrity Apex or a 7-night cruise on Celebrity Beyond, you can enjoy an indulgent ship-in-ship experience with a suite at The Retreat. Each suite is equipped with cashmere mattresses, plush robes, a complimentary stocked minibar, premium bath and body products and plenty more.

Bookings also include the unlimited premium drink and specialty dining package, full in-suite meal service and exclusive access to the spa’s SEA Thermal Suite/ Persian Garden, Luminae, The Retreat Lounge and The Retreat Sundeck. In addition, choosing to stay in the Royal Suites or one of the higher suite categories also gives you the option of a complimentary extend-your-stay program at select ports.

The Palace, Resorts World Cruises
The Palace is an all-suite private enclave on Genting Dream Cruise. Choose from a range of modern suites with top-of-the-line fittings, premium bath amenities and luxurious linens. Your suite booking comes with complimentary Wi-Fi, welcome minibar beverages and snacks, pressing service and more.

There’s also a free-flow of chilled juices, teas and coffee throughout the day, complimentary drinks during Happy Hour and set meal entitlements at the ship’s specialty dining restaurants. Or, you could enjoy a meal at the exclusive Palace Restaurant.

The Haven, Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL)
Most of the larger NCL ships have an exclusive enclave named The Haven on their top decks. This includes the Norwegian Prima, Norwegian Viva, Norwegian Breakaway, the Norwegian Epic and the Norwegian Bliss. The Haven Staterooms are inclusive of luxury bath products, complimentary evening turndown service and a range of in-suite movies.

Your bookings will also include meals at The Haven Restaurant, a cocktail party with the Ship’s officers, 24-hour room service and little treats delivered to your suite every night. Select stateroom category bookings may also receive a custom selection of liquor. What’s more, you can enjoy exclusive service at the Haven Lounge, the Haven Restaurant and the Haven Courtyard & Sundeck.

MSC Yacht Club, MSC Cruises
The MSC Yacht Club ship-in-ship experience is available on the MSC World Europa, MSC Bellissima, the MSC Euribia and 13 other cruise ships. This is an all-inclusive cruise experience with unlimited data usage throughout the cruise. You can choose between 9 types of lavish suites.

The Top Sail Lounge is one of the most talked-about spaces in the MSC Yacht Club. This exclusive lounge has live music every evening. Yacht Club guests also have access to the MSC Yacht Club Restaurant, MSC Yacht Club Grill & Bar, the MSC Yacht Club Sundeck & Pool and the Thermal Suite in the MSC Aurea SPA

The cruise line also extends Yacht Club privileges beyond the ship with tailor-made shore excursions and access to reserved areas on select beach resorts.

Grills, Cunard
Cunard elevates its luxury cruise experience with the Princess Grill Suite and Queen Grill Suite experience. You can book this experience for the Queen Elizabeth, Queen Anne and Queen Victoria cruise itineraries.

Booking either suite gives you exclusive entry to the Grills Lounge and Grills Terrace as well as a dedicated table at the Princess/ Queens Grills restaurant and the option of enjoying a meal in-suite from these menus. A butler service is also available to Queen Grill guests.

Taking Your Cruise Experience to the Next Level
Whether you’re sailing to Greece or cruising down the Caribbean Sea, the freedom from queues and crowds is the ultimate standard for luxury. Choosing a suite with a “ship-within-a-ship” cruise experience can cost more than your average cruise. Hence, you need to make sure you understand the fine print.

That’s where we can help. At Cruisebay we’ve helped hundreds of people plan exclusive cruise holidays. From finding the right itinerary to picking a suite and understanding the privileges that come with it, we’ll guide you through every step. Connect with us today to explore your options.