Two Wheels Only

So when the OP starts a thread with..... ...is it not a Yacht Club oriented thread? 🤔

That settles it....

9320/9920 would be my top choices for deck 9. Yes, the view is better going higher than deck 9 but the balcony will be less deep if you go higher. The flag is there but I wouldn't consider it much of a problem if you are that far from the center. Decks 14 and 11 are nearly identical as far as depth so both can fit a lounger.... ...(14304). Just for clarity, there is some jumping around in this thread between Escape and Encore. That's why there are pictures/videos of both ships. The stateroom numbers can be slightly different. There are also slight differences with the 2 ships but most of the information carries over.

It might very well be as simple as that. Meraviglia, Seaside, and Seashore didn't have problems like some have described. I haven't sailed Seascape (a few months to go) but the problem is something that I will have in the back of my mind. The Captain might not be aware and TBH, the Captain has more important things to worry about. The concierge and director should be able handle interlopers. I'd be willing to wear a distinctive wristband but the problem is that anyone could transfer their wristband to an interloper friend/family member. Maybe photo ID badges?🤔

I can help with bed location for the most part but door location requires photo/video to be sure. Where the door is has no bearing as to where the bed is.

The best Haven promo that I ever got was unlimited specialty dining (UDP), Ultimate Beverage package (UBP, kids got soda package), $500 OBC, waived DSC for guests 1&2, and kids (guests 3&4) sail free. Those days are long gone.

No. Probably 99% of Haven guests book with the promo and the drink package has been one of the promos for as long as I can remember. There was a time when Haven guests weren't charged the 18% or 20% service charge on the drink/dining promo but NCL changed that years ago.

It still isn't automatic. It's part of the neverending "limited time only" promo.

It has recently changed. Even Food Republic no longer allows sharing...but if the server looks the other way, well.... An SDP meal in a la carte restaurants includes 1 appetizer, 1 soup or salad, 1 main course and 1 dessert (does not apply to cover charge restaurants or Food Republic, Pincho Tapas Bar and Sushi, where a meal includes any 4 menu items). No sharing or to go orders permitted.

For both Encore and Bliss, the only real forward-facing balconies are the Deluxe Owner's Suites. The other "forward-facing" Haven suites actually have the balcony on the side.

Q. How do MSC UpGrade offers work if I am part of a group or traveling with another reservation? A. Each MSC UpGrade offer is considered individually, MSC Cruises (MSC) cannot guarantee that all reservations traveling together will be upgraded. Under the circumstance that all reservations are upgraded, MSC cannot guarantee that all he upgraded cabins will be close together.

Even more fortunate for MOTS, he had another door to go inside in case one door got stuck. 😉

For the Caribbean... Adults (>12 and over) - $14.50USD Child (2 and over) - $7.25USD Child (Under 2) - No Service charge applied

Go for the Yacht Club. https://www.msccruisesusa.com/cruise/msc-yacht-club You don't "need" to tip anyone. The butler and concierge are included in the daily service charge unlike NCL Haven. You can tip anyone that you want but it isn't required.

MSC has plenty for kids... https://www.msccruisesusa.com/on-board/cruise-for-kids https://www.msccruisesusa.com/on-board/cruise-for-kids/clubs ...but no cruise line can guarantee the appropriate behavior of any guest.

MSC will provide both soggy bacon and crispy bacon depending on requests.

MSC does some things differently than the Big 3 (in the US) cruise lines. Carnival, RCCL, and NCL can be considered "brothers" in that they are more similar than not as far as standard operating procedures. MSC is like that weird cousin that you only see during the holidays. MSC doesn't have a standard operating procedure other than being inconsistent. Hopefully, you're still interested in MSC. 😁 Many of the complaints about MSC are from cruisers who are used to things being "a certain way" on their usual cruise line. When things are different, many people complain and go running back to their cruise line of choice.....which is fine by me. For example, MSC doesn't have many of the southern comfort (processed) foods that too many cruisers want and expect. People who want soft-serve ice cream are often disappointed because MSC has gelato. Typical ice cream in America has about 4x as much butterfat as gelato and Americans (cruisers or not) tend to love their butter. There was a scandal on MSC when some guests weren't able to get packets of butter with their meal...but we don't talk about Buttergate, anymore. My kids don't do the kids' clubs but many other children do. The clubs seemed to be popular and well organized when I was on Meraviglia. Getting in to the club can be a problem because once they fill, parents who miss out will complain. If getting into the club is important, it should be done ASAP. Not a cheerleader by any means so in all honesty, I think Symphony OTS is a better ship for families than Meraviglia. The Oasis Class ships are in a world of their own based on size and things to do. Only recently have other cruise lines tried to challenge the Oasis Class by building their own 200k GT plus ships including MSC's World Class. Meanwhile, RCCL is raising the bar even higher with the ICON Class of ships. Not that there's anything wrong with Meraviglia (I enjoyed it more than I thought that I would) but I would rank Symphony OTS higher if MSC Yacht Club isn't a factor. If price is a factor, that will usually favor MSC. You didn't mention what "experience" you are thinking of with MSC so I can't really compare what you are used to with what you are considering. My kids are also 2 years apart and were 10 and 8 when we sailed Meraviglia.

Other than photo/video evidence of that particular stateroom, no. Bed location can usually be determined by looking at the deck plans but there are often errors on the deck plans. Again, it's best to look for photo/video evidence.

It seems to be accessible. Within the Yacht Club, there is an elevator that goes to all of the Yacht Club decks. I don't remember if the door that leads to the sundeck was powered or not but I don't think that it is. The door leading to the outside of the Top Sail Lounge is powered. If you flip everything from left to right, your stateroom will look like this.....(push button balcony door) No walk-in closet for these...I'm working on the list of which Deluxe Grands have and which don't. I wouldn't worry too much about it. MSC dress codes are more like "dress suggestions". Certain things are prohibited (and enforced) but casual is usually fine. It can vary but just ask the butler if you want more of something. Different butlers will tell you different things as far as what gets replaced at a cost and what gets replaced at no extra charge. I haven't fully figured it out but I've also never been charged for anything in the fridge (including multiple cans of Pringles). Other guests have been charged based on forum posts. The food choices can vary. Some things are readily available and some are made to order. The service....priority tendering/on/off at ports...lack of crowding on the sundeck...elevator hijack...reserved seating at shows...private section/restaurant on Ocean Cay...I could go on and on. There are too many aspects of the Yacht Club that I enjoy.

I found the following that states that something was done in April 2021..... ...but it wasn't the extensive refurbishment like in 2018.

Another issue with Epic balcony staterooms that doesn't get mentioned as often is the bed location AND the sink location. Bed near balcony and bed near sink are known differences but when the bed is near the sink, the location of the sink can be near the foot of the bed or near the head of the bed. With the way that the sink is shaped, water can splash out of it.

I'd probably go for the forward-facing (balcony is on the side) in that case. The separate bedroom would be more important (to me) than being in the enclave. The balcony is small for both choices (especially on Breakaway/Getaway) but the difference isn't huge between the 2.

More information needed.... Which ship? Which deck is the forward-facing stateroom? Which deck is the "in the Haven" stateroom?

I believe that the person who asked the question is wondering if the gentleman that you met paid MORE than you did, would you feel better about what you paid?

Ships are in a "class" in a similar way that cars and trucks are made on platforms. For example, a Chevrolet Tahoe, a GMC Yukon, and a Cadillac Escalade all share a platform under the skin but have differences that the general public can see. The Dawn and the Star are in the same class. It's a bit complicated since they were originally called the Libra Class because they were originally intended for Star Cruises (SuperStar Libra/SuperStar Scorpio). From a guest's perspective, the code names/class names aren't really important. Nobody cares that the Tahoe/Yukon/Escalade are built on the GMT T1 platform, for ex. The ship was recently refurbished so don't let the age of the ship worry you. It does have an arcade, a kids' area, basketball court, and a gym but there are also relaxing areas such as a Spa, a library, casinos, pools, etc.