Two Wheels Only

ICON OTS puts up a good fight with an ugly face, gaudy colors, and an unattractive rear but Epic will be the undisputed and undefeated Ugly Emeritus of the cruise industry.

Epic's ugliness extends to the exterior, too. 🤢

Different lines have different policies as far as removing balcony dividers but MSC seems to allow it in most cases. I don't know if MSC will allow people to switch staterooms and even if it is allowed, it is impossible to know if the other party is willing to move.

Seashore has them as of recently. As many have pointed out, guests rarely use them.

My cruises are now showing up and I can see Seascape summer 2024. However, I cannot see my actual cruise details other than the number of days until the cruise. I can't see anything as far as payment, excursions, check-in, etc. Give the website some more time, I guess.....

I didn't mention behavior since that is impossible to predict for any experience on any cruise. I just referenced the different languages spoken by different nationalities/ethnicities. I've never heard anyone on the ship refer to anyone as "gen pop" or "the masses" but I have read similar comments on the forum. I don't think that it is meant to be taken seriously. I have heard a few murmurs about "the Yachties" when using priority tendering or priority boarding...😉

I agree. Many of the staff are multi-lingual and you can hear many different languages being spoken in the Yacht Club.

A live review would give us a better chance to answer any questions that you have in order to get the most out of the (Yacht Club) experience. With only 4 days, it is a lot to cram in everything and being a first MSC cruise, there will be plenty that isn't exactly familiar to someone who has previously cruised other lines.

Not allowed.... "Babies in nappies are not allowed in the water and children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult." - MSC FAQ

On Escape, the bridge is on deck 15. The suites on deck 14 directly under the bridge have the PrivaSea (partially enclosed) balcony. On Breakaway, Getaway, Joy, Bliss, and Encore, the bridge is on deck 14. The suites on deck 13 directly under the bridge have the PrivaSea (partially enclosed) balcony. For all 6 ships, the deck 13 port side forward-facing Haven Suite is the wheelchair accessible one that doesn't have the separate living room/bedroom. I'm not a fan of the PrivaSea balconies but some people like them for the extra protection. There's also a bridge camera above you but I don't know how intrusive it is.

1. When you get your stateroom card, it will have an Assembly Station (D, for example). 2. The back of your stateroom door will have a map of the ship showing you how to get to this Assembly Station (follow the green line). 3. At a certain time, you will be instructed to watch a video in your stateroom. Feel free to go wherever you'd like on the ship before this time but be aware that things will close as you approach the announced time. 4. At the announced time, you will watch a safety video in your stateroom and when it is over, you will call the announced number with your stateroom phone. I don't know if it's the same number for all MSC ships but it could be 881 or something like that. 5. You will then proceed to your assigned station (by foot) and once there, your stateroom card will get scanned. Every card for the people staying in the stateroom must get scanned. SOME people can bring two cards (if 1 guest cannot do the stairs, for ex) but this should be arranged before the drill. 6. Once it is scanned, go do whatever you'd like but it will be difficult to "swim upstream" against the mass of people. If you miss the drill, there will be a "makeup" drill at some point but you don't want to end up on the naughty list. As for "all at once...", it also seems to vary by sailing. I've been on MSC and they have announced certain decks go at one time then other decks go at a later time. I've also experienced every deck trying to go at the same time.

Bar is inside but there are usually staff who will take drink orders. It's faster to go to the bar and get your own drinks.

It is. 2 cruises that I'm already booked on don't show up anymore, either.

There is a separate line for Haven guests. There should be signs but if not, ask an employee at the terminal. You shouldn't have to wait in the lines that everyone else waits in but it can be a bit chaotic with so many impatient people in the terminal. You can do either. You can drop bags then park or park and lug your bags across the street. Because it isn't very high, the view forward (from the bedroom) is partially obscured by the bow of the ship and the crew area.... ...You can still see the water but the view is better on the higher decks. Also, being lower means a longer walk to the elevators. The higher the deck, the shorter the walk. If you go too high (deck 13), the balcony is partially enclosed and 13108 is wheelchair accessible which is one large room and one large bathroom (no separate living room/bedroom). The view from the balcony (on the side) will be good for looking straight down to the water. The ship does provide some protection from the wind while moving. If you can get 12108, I'd recommend that over 10108.

This varies by stateroom type and on some occasions, by ship. Royal Suites and Owner's Suites on Seashore had several full-sized bottles with unlimited replacements on my most recent Seashore cruise. The porter who took our heavy luggage on embarkation day was lucky compared to the porter who took our luggage back to the car on disembarkation day.

Oh boy.... The standard side balconies on Breakaway/ Getaway are very small. However, there are some angled balconies that are the same price as standard that are about 50% larger. In addition, there are larger and much larger/deeper side balconies that cost a bit more than standard. Finally, there are aft-facing balconies that are much deeper than standard but those vary in depth and width depending on location. Things are a bit less complicated with Epic side balconies and Epic aft-facing balconies. There are still differences such as bed near balcony or bed near "bathroom" as well as sink near foot of the bed or sink near head of the bed. With everything taken into consideration, I would strongly suggest Breakaway over Epic if booking a balcony stateroom. For the sake of transparency, I must admit that I'm probably in the top 3 of forum members who insults Epic for the ship's appearance both inside and out. 😏

What stateroom type are you considering? If you have questions about stateroom types, feel free to ask.

It isn't PrivaSea (many Joy balconies have that incorrect designation) but there is some uncertainty with the accuracy of the deck plans as far as some of the angled balconies. There have been errors found for deck 10 but I believe that deck 12 is accurate.

NCL asks for a lot when going from a Club Balcony Suite to a Haven 2BR on Escape. There are no non-Haven suites on that ship.

I don't know if there are roll away beds for guests to borrow but one suggestion is to give the teens the upstairs bed. I believe (not 100% sure) that the bed upstairs can split. I'm booked in the same stateroom type on World America but I obviously haven't sailed on it, yet. My kids don't mind sharing a bed so it hasn't been an issue for us. I'm not entirely sure if the bed upstairs can hide an inflatable twin mattress underneath but if it can, that's another option. You can always put the sofa cushions on the floor and have the teens play rock, paper, scissors every night to see who sleeps on the sofa bed.

I think that the problem started with NCL's website info for Prima's Haven sundeck(s). Using the same description for both decks lead people to believe that the infinity pool is/was/will be adults-only. Every other Haven pool is all ages. Some people thought that this new class of ship would be different. Some people thought that this new class of ship would be like the previous Havens. As it turns out (according to reports), the pool is for all ages.

Your room card has the information. On the bottom of the keypad is a place to touch your card.

Regent SS won't even know that you matched to MSC. If you provide proof of your level with Regent SS, MSC will give you a certain level in the Voyager's Club... https://www.msccruisesusa.com/manage-booking/msc-voyagers-club/status-match

The elevators aren't like the typical elevator. If you are on deck 6 and want to go to deck 16, you press 16 on the outside keypad and wait. The keypad will tell you which elevator that you will enter (elevator A, for ex). A few seconds later, someone else on deck 6 wants to go to deck 11. That person will press 11 on the keypad and will also be instructed to use elevator A. Someone on deck 9 might also request deck 14 and be told to use elevator A. When elevator A arrives, you and the other person on deck 6 will enter. The elevator will stop at deck 9 and pick up that person. It will also stop at deck 11, deck 14, and finally your deck 16. If I am also on deck 6 and use my YC card to request deck 16 (a second after your request), the keypad will tell me to use a different elevator (C, for example). Elevator C will silently open, I will enter, and it will take me straight to deck 16. It will zoom right past the person waiting on deck 9. The trick is to pay attention. Elevator A will announce itself on the speaker. Elevator C won't make a sound. 😉

Problems at Port Canaveral shouldn't be held against MSC nor against Seashore. If you can figure out the elevators (with and without YC priority hijack), it will be a plus. Some people never understand the elevators and complain for the entire week. YC hijack does work although it isn't always the fastest way to go. The crew might have a bit of burnout after the holiday cruises so keep that in mind. I've had great cruises on Seashore and would gladly sail Seashore again. Don't let the negative reviews scare you.