We sailed in an aft facing corner MC Sky suite S3 on deck 8 and enjoyed it. We liked the bath layout and didn’t miss the sliding window between the sleeping area and bath. Additionally, the cabin felt a bit wider with the sideways facing bed. The orange MC pillar is there, but so is a window looking forward/aft along the ship providing a great vista. Note: people from adjacent IV’s can see into the balcony window and vice versa. The corner between the pillar and cabin is very sheltered, the rest open like usual. We liked the BIG balcony. On the Apex, we had 2 sitting chairs and 2 loungers. I hear the loungers may be gone. These cabins are down a separate short hall making them very quiet. Magic Carpet rarely moved from the Lido deck on our cruise, maybe twice. We booked the same cabin, just higher for our next cruise. We liked the location and cabin. Others may feel differently. It just comes down to personal preferences.