Two Wheels Only

https://www.ncl.com/specialty-dining-package/faq 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). For the most part, you can ignore the prices on the menu. Certain items will have a supplement charge even when using the SDP.

Don't walk into the mirror on deck 8. 🤪

For Mediterranean cruises, it happens more often than for the basic closed loop 7 day Caribbean cruises. Even with the Caribbean cruises, itinerary changes happen. For the OP, I would advise contacting MSC or having the travel agent contact MSC.

Book a Prima/Viva stateroom that has a hot tub on the balcony.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2830623-the-ncl-haven-luxury-vip-experience-secrets-revised-for-2022/?do=findComment&comment=64042073 ^ Shortcut to your post.

It also depends on the ship with MSC. The Meraviglia/Meraviglia Plus ships have Duplex Suites as low as deck 9 that are Yacht Club.

I have only sailed MSC in the Yacht Club BUT I am not the type to lock myself in the enclave for fear of venturing out "into the wild". When I'm on a ship, I try to explore the entire ship. I'm out and about from before sunrise, during the day, in the evening, and into the late hours of the night. I also have plenty of time to enjoy the Yacht Club for hours at a time. On my very first night in the Yacht Club (2018), my family and I were preparing to walk to the MDR to try it out. We figured that the Yacht Club restaurant was always there so we had the rest of the week to enjoy it. Vishnu basically halted our plans and escorted us to the Yacht Club restaurant. My point is that even though we very much enjoy the Yacht Club, that doesn't stop us from enjoying the rest of the ship. We sometimes hit the buffet and grab a few things to eat. We'll jump into the Jungle Pool just for fun. We'll go bowling, visit the shops, and do all of the things that everyone who is not in the Yacht Club will do. Based on our experiences, non-Yacht Club isn't bad at all. Sure, having a Yacht Club or Haven to "retreat" to (haven't done Celebrity, yet) is a great option and I'm glad that the option is there. MSC (outside of the Yacht Club) and NCL (outside of the Haven) are fine options for cruising. Is either of them perfect? Obviously not. Neither Yacht Club nor Haven is perfect, either. Cruising isn't perfect if you think about it. If you go into a new cruise line looking for things to complain about because things are different than what you are used to, you'll find things to complain about. Someone in a Bella interior could have a great cruise while at the same time on the same ship, someone else in an Owner's Suite in the Yacht Club could have a "terrible" cruise. People are different.

I'll add Seaside.😁 It shouldn't be a surprise that there isn't a standard sign for the fleet. Different letterhead, different font, different wording,.....

There are a few articles out there but other than "The Harbor" and a few dining changes, I haven't seen much. I'm already booked but not sailing until summer 2025. https://cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/2023/03/msc-to-tweak-world-america-for-u-s-market/ https://cruise-arabia.com/2023/03/30/msc-cruises-opens-sales-for-world-america-announces-tweaks-for-us-market/

Reservations for your cruise opened months ago (130/125/120 days before sail date) so you might not get the dates/times that you want. More reservations open on embarkation day.

The discount wouldn't always get applied automatically. Did you call after getting a VC number/status?

...does not apply to cover charge restaurants or Food Republic, Pincho Tapas Bar and Sushi, where a meal includes any 4 menu items.

Since the Yacht Club automatically includes wi-fi and drinks, you don't need a promo that includes the same. If you were booking Fantastica (for ex.), you could choose between with the promo or without. Take the "without" since you get the items, anyway. You're fine.

I've later added a VC number to a booking and received the appropriate discount. In my case, the website was being wonky and wouldn't let me add my number. It was a simple phone call and I received the new confirmation pdf reflecting the discount within minutes.

We always bring our water shoes for that beach. The rocks aren't particularly sharp but they can be annoying. You can/should also use the same shoes when walking on the Yacht Club sundeck. THAT surface (when hot) causes more pain than the rocks on the beach. 🥵

Seashore and Seascape are mostly similar. Seaside and Seaview are mostly similar. The build order is Seaside, Seaview, Seashore, Seascape so Seascape is the newest of the 4.

The butler can deliver the courses separately but usually, the butler will deliver the whole thing at once. Even when delivering in courses, the covered plates are usually on the butler's cart at the end of the hall. As far as a charge, it depends on what is ordered. If it's from a restaurant that doesn't have a charge, there is no charge. If it's from a specialty restaurant, the guest would pay as if they were at the restaurant (SDP, OBC, onboard account).

Only the **700 forward-facing Oceanview staterooms are sized/configured in that way. The location of the support pole and the location (left or right) of the bed can differ depending on the deck. The lower the deck, the longer the walk to the elevator and higher decks have a better view forward.

^^ The video in the link is a forward-facing Oceanview. If you want something similar to the photo, it will look like this... ^^ 5140 on Encore. 12700 is a forward-facing Oceanview that is larger than the other forward-facing Oceanview on the same deck. There is 1 per deck on decks 9-13 for Encore. If you are thinking of adding an extra person, add them now. Once lifeboat capacity for that section has been reached, you will not be able to add anyone even if your stateroom has the capacity for another person.

You can add this.... Unlimited Starbucks® Package $12.95 USDper person per day ITEM #: STBXP Whether you need to kick-start your morning or you’re looking for a post-dinner nightcap, you’ve got the perfect brew. Includes everything from classic coffees and teas to the delicious Frappuccino® favorites and other specialty beverages you love. Prepaid @ $12.95 USD per person per day x Cruise Days plus 20% gratuity and beverage service charge. Must be at least 18 years of age at time of sailing to purchase. See Terms & Conditions for full details. A 20% gratuity and beverage service charge will be added at checkout. LOGIN TO ORDER

It a guest made the sign, it would say "reserved", not "reserve". 😁

Pricing is always an unpredictable comparison with different cruise lines. Just for fun, I compared what I currently have booked in Yacht Club on MSC with a NCL Haven suite (close in size), a Princess Mini-suite (suites are sold out), and a Celebrity Aqua Sky suite (smaller stateroom and smaller balcony) for the same week and nearly the same itinerary.... The NCL Haven suite (not the largest) was about $200 shy of being double the MSC Yacht Club Royal Suite. The Princess mini-suite (one room) was $170 more than the Yacht Club Royal Suite. The Celebrity Aqua Sky suite (one room) was over $1,500 more than double the Yacht Club Royal Suite. I made the mock bookings as close as I could (drink package, wi-fi, etc.) and went by the total after taxes, fees, etc. for a family of 4. None of them are brand new ships (Seashore, Escape, Sky Princess, APEX) and the prices would be even higher if they were newer ships. It's also during a holiday so prices are inflated for all.

Someone could cancel or have their booking cancelled if they don't make final payment. With YC deposits being non-refundable, it's less likely that someone will cancel, though.

If you watch the webcam for a few minutes, the camera will eventually pan to show the new MSC terminal next to the new RCCL terminal which is next to the new NCL terminal.