My favorite place on board the MSC World America is one of the worst-kept secrets in cruising. You won’t find this 1920s-style speakeasy clearly marked on a public ship map. There’s no way to book it via the MSC app, and your drink package absolutely will not apply.
With its leather seating, intimate tables for two, and antique, early 20th-century wooden accents, walking into this space feels like stepping back in time. This is the most interesting place on the ship, and it’s home to the most expensive—and creative—cocktails onboard.
Inside MSC’s secret speakeasy on the MSC World America
Many of the people I talked to on board the MSC World America knew about this speakeasy’s existence. Fewer people knew how to get in.
When I arrived at my cabin, I received a token that had a London-style phone booth on one side and a QR code on the other. After scanning the QR code, I was directed to call a number to make a reservation for the ship’s speakeasy. What seems like the least friendly person on the ship grumpily answered the phone and took my reservation.
Tip: Not everyone working on the ship knows about the speakeasy. Even if they’ve heard there is one, they might not know how to access it.
Several of these tokens are given out each sailing, but no one seemed exactly sure how they got them. Representatives for MSC Cruises wouldn’t tell me how to get them, explaining they want to keep the mystery alive.
Some frequent MSC cruisers wondered why they hadn’t been chosen, and others wonder how they were selected, despite not booking one of the most expensive cabins on the ship or being an onboard VIP. I would bet the cruise line targets travelers in its premium Yacht Club section, are big spenders, or are frequent cruisers. As a journalist traveling as a guest of the cruise line, I was booked into the Yacht Club, which I suspect is how I got my token.
I met many people onboard the MSC World America who found ways to get in despite not being granted a rare entrance token. One couple on my November 2025 sailing from Miami to Cozumel, Costa Maya, and Ocean Cay, told me they sweet-talked their favorite bartender into making them a reservation for their last night on the ship. Another said they begged their room steward for a token.
Visitors enter the speakeasy through the lone red phone booth on Deck 6. We dialed a number we had been given when making our reservation. Some people have also reported being able to enter with a password or special phrase. On the night I went at the end of a Caribbean cruise, a member of one rowdy group stayed on the entrance phone long enough that the doorman gave in and let them enter.
Once permission to enter has been granted, step through the phone booth’s secret back door and into a place few passengers get to experience. The path to the speakeasy winds through staff–only areas of the ship that are typically off-limits. Follow your guide until you get to the entrance. Step through a door that feels like an entrance to a bank vault, and you’ll find yourself inside an intimate lounge that can accommodate maybe 30 people. There were about 15 people there the night I went.
Book on the last night of your sailing for a peek at what happens to your luggage after you’ve left it outside your stateroom door to be picked up for disembarkation. As someone who’s now been on almost a dozen cruises, I loved getting a behind-the-scenes look at the ship’s operations.
The doorman who guided us through to the speakeasy was one of the strongest performers on the ship. He was so unbothered and strict that some passengers thought it went too far. I was entertained, and he lightened up significantly when he opened the door to the dimly-lit space that is my favorite spot on the MSC World America.
Drink prices here are in-line with major cities like New York, Chicago, and London, and drinks are not included as part of any drink packages. Cocktails cost $22, and prohibition-themed shots are $16 each, $20 if you want a souvenir glass. There’s a non-alcoholic French75 on the menu for $22 as well.
To me, the price of admission is worth it. The show is a mix of jazz, swing and cabaret, and these performers are such strong storytellers that they’ll make you almost forget what you’re paying for drinks. The 90-minute show was an excellent reminder of just how much talent there is in the world, and it was a pleasant surprise. I never expected to find such an on-brand, period-specific speakeasy hidden away on one of the world’s largest cruise ships.
There’s another secret speakeasy on the MSC World Europa, a similar ship targeted more toward European travelers. Just remember to expect a bill. And if you aren’t able to make it inside, there are more than a dozen other bars on board, and all of them will honor your drink package.
