Two Wheels Only

"...very old Carnival ship..." is a bit redundant. 😅

People forget poor old Jacksonville....😔

We had an excursion cancelled due to weather and it took 5 months for the refund. 😟

Is it because of the weather?

Encore doesn't have Spice H2O (no charge/adults-only during the day) but does have VIBE Beach Club (limited number of tickets sold/adults-only) and the Mandara Spa (limited number of tickets sold/adults-only). There is also an adults-only pool (area surrounding the pool is all ages) but that area is neither quiet nor relaxing. The Haven pool is all ages but the upper sundeck (outside of the retractable roof) is adults-only.

That's what I was thinking. Was there a change in the scheduled departure time and the OP never got the message? Was there confusion with reading military time (1600 isn't 6pm, for ex.)?

Amenities vary by ship so narrowing it down to a particular ship or class would help to give better answers. Not all ships have VIBE. Not all ships have a Spa. Not all ships have Spice H2O. Only one ship has POSH, etc. Which ship are you considering?

Is that where people go to die? 😁

I have good news and bad news..... The good news is that the deck plan for Joy has the PrivaSea symbol in many places where it doesn't belong.... ..and 10346 is not enclosed nor obstructed. The bad news is that 10946 is not an angled balcony so you might have to move to 10342 for an angled balcony (see thread below)...

I'm not expecting much as far as innovation with World Class 3-5. RCCL is in the lead and is pulling away as far as humongous Class ships. Even NCL is trying something new (Aqua Slidecoaster) after the 5 ships with the go-karts.

Why not try to get the launch rescheduled?

Depending on what you booked and when the cruise is, you can cancel and rebook. Your deposit should be refundable if you aren't past final payment date.

You have to click the right arrow to see the Yacht Club option.

https://www.msccruisesusa.com/cruise-deals/promo-terms-and-conditions If there are any specific questions related to "experiences", just ask.

😝 On Meraviglia, I had a different experience.....literally and figuratively. It seems that a series of little things added up to make the cruise less than ideal. Many people prefer the Seaside/Seaside EVO class over the Meraviglia/Meraviglia Plus class. I tried Meraviglia after Seaside so I was prepared for a letdown. I wasn't expecting to like Meraviglia as much as I did. I would put Seaside Evo first, Seaside second, then Meraviglia as far as the MSC classes that I have sailed. I haven't sailed a Meraviglia Plus ship nor have I sailed on a World Class ship (World America, 2025), yet. Hopefully, you'll enjoy one of the other ships more. I would suggest Aurea or Yacht Club experience since assigned dining was an issue for you with Fantastica experience. I can't comment firsthand on the food served in the Aurea dining room (not all ships have one) but there might be a higher attention to detail with that experience. Yacht Club gives all of the condiments that you want...even butter. Aurea sundeck has towels there for you to use. You can take as many or leave as many as you want. Hot tub temperatures vary greatly by ship. Sometimes, it feels like cold water is being pumped in. Other times, you're sweating from the heat. I don't think that MSC has a standard temperature for their hot tubs. Thanks for the review.

Cabanas provide a bit more sun protection and privacy vs. the pergolas. The Seascape pergolas are a bit better than the Seashore pergolas but Seaside/Seaview cabanas are better than what's on the EVO ships. When I was on Seaside years ago, they were able to be rented for a fee. I'm not sure what they are doing now. It seems that MSC is now going for a "first come/first serve" tactic for cabana/pergola usage on the ships and no longer offers the extras that come with renting one for the day.

There are more available reservations that open on embarkation day. The issue is that there are thousands of people who could potentially be trying to book reservations just like you want to book reservations. That's why doing it as early as possible on embarkation day is the option if you missed the early windows (130/125/120 days before).

They mostly match the other Meraviglia/Meraviglia Plus ships.

There are suites that do not have the Yacht Club "experience". For example, there are suites that are very large with 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms but they only come with the Aurea "experience", not the Yacht Club "experience". It varies by ship. With Yacht Club, you get access to more exclusive areas that are off limits to guests with a different "experience". The Yacht Club is a "ship within a ship" concept. It's partly similar to RCCL's Suite Neighborhood but taken to a higher level of exclusivity. The closest thing to the Yacht Club is NCL's The Haven. The next closest is Celebrity's The Retreat. It's not on all MSC ships. The newer ones have Yacht Club and some even have some exclusivity for Aurea guests (sundeck, restaurant, etc.). https://www.msccruisesusa.com/cruise/ships The ones with the have Yacht Club. I don't know which ship that you are considering (Euribia, Preziosa, Poesia) but Euribia is the newest of those 3 and has pretty much everything that you could need either with or without Yacht Club as far as nice staterooms and new ship "stuff".

The thing is, for Breakaway/Getaway, the stateroom that you prefer is 10916. For Escape, Bliss, and Encore, the stateroom that you prefer is 10918. For Joy, the stateroom that you prefer is 10970. That's why I made the point about jumping around in the thread to different ships and different classes of ships. I knew what you meant (I recognized the carpet) but I knew that 10918 is for 3 of the Breakaway Plus ships and not for Breakaway/Getaway.

There are transparent panels above that cover a large part of the sundeck. They don't completely block the sun but they do provide some shade. There are also shaded areas near the pool and bar/grill. There are plenty of loungers and umbrellas. You just have to open them or have an attendant open them.

3 and a half.

They're mostly the same. A few minor differences. Seaside = cabana on the sundeck Seascape = pergola on the sundeck Seascape has the better whirlpool on the balcony and has power doors for the balcony. Seaside doors are manual (at least when I was on). Seaside balcony has better furniture but not a worthy difference. The butler might hook you up with some extras while you're in your cabana/pergola but not everyone gets something. It depends on the butler, I guess. Although rare, it is possible to snag a RS for a decent price. My next RS I managed to get for about what I paid for a 2018 RS when prices were still low (booked in 2016). When prices are double (or more) than the Deluxe, it isn't worth it.

It has the symbol for Holds 8 on the deck plan but the booking engine doesn't seem to allow 8 when I try it. It'll probably be 8 people max.

Many people feel that Epic has the better Haven but Escape is the overall better ship. For a $2K savings, even I, the forum member who insults Epic the most, would go on Epic...in the Haven.... As ugly as the ship is, Epic wins.