If you're an upscale cruiser, sailing on a luxury cruise ship is one way to go. But an increasing number of cruisers are opting for a big, mass-market cruise ship outfitted with ship-within-a-ship VIP enclaves, luxurious perks or high-end stateroom categories with exclusive services.
What's the appeal? Today's hybrid cruises combine high-end havens or plush VIP services with the wide range of options and activities you can find on a large modern ship. In return for paying four to five times as much as you would for a standard stateroom, guests staying in these VIP enclaves or luxury suites typically receive a personal butler, concierge service, top-of-the-line accommodations, private restaurants and free drinks, with perhaps a private sun deck and swimming pool thrown in.
In practice, you’re paying for two things when you upgrade to a VIP experience: space (bigger suites) and de-friction (priority access, private venues, and staff who solve problems before you feel them).
These high-end getaways are especially popular with multigenerational families, given that few luxury cruise lines cater to families. The solution? A ship that offers luxurious touches and quiet retreats while still offering kids' clubs, multiple restaurants, stage shows and all the razzle-dazzle of today's resort-like smart ships.
Here are five VIP enclaves and perks-heavy luxury suite classes you'll find on contemporary and premium cruise ships.
The Haven
Norwegian Cruise Line
Here's how The Haven works on eight Norwegian Cruise Line ships: First, like Fight Club, you don't talk about The Haven. You may not even know it exists if you're one of the roughly 4,100 passengers aboard a ship such as Norwegian Escape. The Haven is the sealed-off private playground and exclusive enclave of luxury suites discreetly perched high up in the forward part of the ship.
Passengers enter The Haven with a key card. The section of the ship features 24-hour butler service, a gorgeous sun deck/courtyard with a private pool, two whirlpools, sauna, fitness center, concierge service and a private entrance to the Mandara Spa (shhh!). On Norwegian Breakaway, Getaway, Epic and other ships, Haven guests get access to an exclusive, private restaurant; on other ships, you dine in one of the specialty restaurants, such as Cagney's Steak House or Moderno. The Haven is especially blissed out on the newest Prima Class of ships: Norwegian Prima, Norwegian Viva and the new Norwegian Aqua.
Other perks for Haven guests: a cordoned-off seating area up front during live stage productions, priority embarkation and disembarkation (no waiting in line), priority boarding on tenders to shore, fine linens on the bedding, gourmet treats delivered each evening, and plush bathrobes, slippers and oversized towels.
The size of The Haven varies by ship, ranging from 18 to 95 suites. The rooms range from spacious balcony suites to opulent three-bedroom, 3.5-bathroom villas of more than 5,700 square feet, including a private garden and dramatic floor-to-ceiling windows. And the service rivals that of five-star hotels.
Cost? "Depending on the season, a room in the Haven might cost a couple $10,000 for a weeklong cruise vs. $3,000 for an ordinary stateroom elsewhere on the ship," the New York Times reported in a front-page feature on the elite enclave phenomenon. Actually, it can run as much as $30,000 for a two-week cruise in a high-end suite, or as little as $3,000 for a balcony suite.
Depending on what you book, some perks — such as dining, drinks, Wi-Fi and shore excursions — may be bundled or offered through promotions, while others are extra.
Want to go? Contact a Cruiseable travel advocate at 1-877-322-3773.
MSC Yacht Club
MSC Cruises
On Italian-flavored MSC Cruises, the ship-within-a-ship concept takes the form of the members-only Yacht Club: an access-controlled suite enclave with a dedicated concierge area, private lounge, private restaurant, and a secluded pool/sundeck, plus 24/7 butler service.
On MSC Divina, the Yacht Club offers 64 Deluxe Suites, from 295 to 344 square feet, including a 61-square-foot balcony. Two extravagantly designed Royal Suites are available at 562 square feet (which includes a 172-square foot balcony). Three Executive & Family Suites, at 462 to 547 square feet, are located on deck 12 and have no balconies but give guests access to the Yacht Club on decks 15 and 16. Suites come with a marble bathroom, plush linens and a pillow menu and, while not as opulent as the massive suites in The Haven, they're relaxing and comfortable.
Other perks typically include priority embarkation/disembarkation, concierge-handled reservations, and an included premium drinks package (with line-specific responsible-service limits), plus access to Yacht Club venues while still enjoying the rest of the ship.
MSC continues to expand Yacht Club across the fleet, including adding new Yacht Club accommodations on MSC Poesia and MSC Magnifica starting in summer 2026.
Want to go? MSC Yacht Club has openings on many of its ships and offers a variety of activities for kids. Contact a Cruiseable travel advocate at 1-877-322-3773.
Queens & Princess Grill
Cunard Line
Cunard Line, founded in 1840, has for decades offered a tiered (some might say "class") system on its ships, with its Queens and Princess Grill class accommodations and restaurants aboard Queen Elizabeth, Queen Victoria, Queen Mary 2 and Queen Anne. If you book those higher-end suites, your ticket gets you access to dine in the high-end Princess Grill and exclusive Queens Grill restaurants, which offer a single seating. Other perks for guests in Grills suites and penthouses: butler and concierge service, priority embarkation, pre-dinner canapés, a private lounge and terrace and in-suite dining with selections from the Queens Grill menu.
Suite Class on Celebrity
Celebrity Cruises
Celebrity Cruises's top-tier suite experience, The Retreat, increasingly feels like a ship within a ship. Retreat guests get a dedicated butler (reachable by message), access to a private lounge, and — on Edge Series and "Revolutionized" ships — an exclusive sundeck. Your dining home base is Luminae, a suites-only restaurant with menus you won't find elsewhere on board. Add priority services and high-touch assistance, and you get the same basic promise as the enclaves: a quieter home base, with the big-ship action just outside the door.
On Celebrity Reflection, guests in the Reflection Suite gain access to a private area accessible by key card. The stateroom measures 1,636 square feet with a private 194-square-foot veranda and comes with a bathroom and all-glass shower cantilevered over the side of the ship. Yowza!
Royal Suite Class
Royal Caribbean
Will we see a ship within a ship enclave on Royal Caribbean any time soon? "That's not the mojo or the culture of Royal Caribbean," president Michael Bayley told the New York Times.
That said, Royal is not to be out-perked.
Its Royal Suite Class is a tiered ecosystem — Sea, Sky and Star — that can feel VIP from the moment you arrive. Depending on tier and ship, benefits can include dedicated check-in, priority boarding, suite dining advantages (such as Coastal Kitchen access where available), elevated in-suite amenities and reserved or priority access in select venues. At the top end, Star Class adds the Royal Genie, a highly personalized concierge-butler service designed to learn your preferences and take friction out of the vacation.
Other ships
Other contemporary cruise lines haven't always used the ship-within-a-ship template, though that’s not to say there are no tiered services. Disney Cruise Line offers concierge staterooms and suites across its fleet, pairing upgraded accommodations with exclusive services. Another modern twist: Virgin Voyages' RockStar Quarters, which bundle suite-level perks with access to Richard's Rooftop, a members-only sun deck.
Luxury & premium cruise ships
Luxury cruise ships offer everything from butler service to included shore excursions to complimentary Champagne and wine (see our luxury series below). Some offer tiered services:
- Oceania offers a private lounge for passengers in its Owner’s Suites.
- Guests sailing in Concierge-level suites (and higher) on any Regent Seven Seas ship receive such benefits as a one-night pre-cruise stay in a luxury hotel packages, free ground transfers, online shore excursion reservations, reservations at the Prime 7 and Signatures restaurants and complimentary Wi-Fi.
- Crystal is expanding headlong into more luxury travel experiences.
Interested in taking one of these cruises?
We know this stuff. If you're interested in booking a cruise on one of these ships, at the best price and value. Contact a Cruiseable travel advocate in our Business Department at 1-877-322-3773.
Your take
How about you? Have you stayed in one of these private enclaves? Worth it?
In our series Luxury Cruises
- A taste of what you'll find on a luxury cruise
- Guide to all-inclusive pricing on cruise ships
- 20 most luxurious staterooms on a cruise ship
- Experiencing Alaska on a luxury ship
- Butler service: A blissful perk on high-end cruises
- Top amenities on a Crystal cruise
- Top luxury spas at high-end cruise lines
- 10 world class hotels
- Is a world cruise right for you?
