Two Wheels Only

Normally, PrivaSea refers to a balcony that is partially obstructed or partially enclosed. However, Joy has that symbol for many balconies that aren't obstructed or partially enclosed at all. Ironically, the 2 most expensive obstructed or partially enclosed balconies (13108/13708) aren't listed as obstructed.

According to this Click HERE 10342 is angled.

Nobody does. 😉

Mine are the same. It has never been a problem.

You can arrive and check-in as early as you have planned but you probably won't board until after 11am. You will board way before 3pm if you arrive early. It is unlikely that anyone will pay attention to your assigned time. People with priority boarding (Yacht Club, B2B, Voyagers Club Diamond, etc.) will board early then once general boarding begins, those who have checked-in earlier will board before those who have checked-in later.

Looking at my old emails, it's usually a reply in 1-2 business days. I don't think that anyone responds to emails during the weekend. I've gotten a response (not the automated one) on the same day but that was during the work week.

From what I can see, deck 21 Yacht Club staterooms are all Deluxe numbered 1-20 (skipping 17). Deck 18 has a mixture of Deluxe, Duplex, Royal, and Owner's with the Deluxe numbered 4-26 (skipping 17 and 25). IF there are available Deluxe staterooms on 18, they should be roughly the equivalent to deck 21. On the plus side, on deck 18, you won't have to hear any noise from moving loungers on the sundeck directly above on deck 22.

Long story short..... NCL used to allow them to be opened but gradually started to add stipulations. Sometimes, they were allowed open in port but not when out to sea. Then, certain ones were allowed to be opened while others were not. Then it was at the captain's discretion. After getting denied, some people would complain. NCL decided on a blanket policy that they should be closed for everyone and only opened for maintenance or emergency. Are there some stewards who will open them with the expectation of a tip? Yes. Are there some guests who open them on their own "MacGyver style"? Yes. Should they be opened? No.

It looks like deck 15 has the extra space blocked off on Joy.

The last side balcony is wider (not deeper) than the standard side balconies. The amount of extra width can vary by deck and if you are next to the window washing equipment, that extra space might be blocked off. The extra space has a slanted wall but a lounger can easily fit in that area if choosing the right deck. Deck 12 has the most extra space, IMO.... 12352 has the "PrivaSea" symbol on the deck plan but that is just one of the many places on the deck plan that has the symbol where it shouldn't be,

Wine counts as fruit, right?😁

Do you mean the partition on the balcony? Per NCL safety regulations, those aren't supposed to be opened for passenger enjoyment.

For the balcony door, there is a child-safety lock that is higher/ separate from the main lock. Was that the problem?

Yes...

No, the service charge is based on the cost of the package. You pay 20% on the cost of the package which is $109per person per day. It has nothing to do with how many drinks that you have per day. Once you take the promo and pay the $21.80pppd, you are not charged 20% on each drink. That is an option but be aware that not only will you be charged for the drink, you will also be charged 20% for each drink. If that works out better for you, that's an option for you to consider.

Lots of different types of cards will work. 😉

I can give an example of what happened to me once when the website was doing exactly as you describe.... The price was no different whether I added my VC number or did not. It didn't matter if I was logged in or not. The price was the same. I booked anyway and figured that I would have to call to get the discount added. To my surprise, the confirmation pdf that was emailed to me had the discount added and the price was lower than what I had seen on the screen a few minutes earlier. I can't guarantee that the same will happen if you book now but it is possible....

MSC will assign you a time to check-in but that doesn't mean that you will board at that time. Honestly, I don't believe that anyone at the port enforced the assigned time. You can check out of your hotel then head directly to the port.

As noted above, deck 9 has the deepest/largest balcony for the aft-facing suites. A couple of things to add..... NCL has changed the alphanumeric codes for many staterooms so the thread referenced above has the correct information but the codes have been changed. Also, for Breakaway/Getaway (Breakaway Class), Joy, Bliss, and Encore (Breakaway Plus Class), NCL has started to charge more for the larger balcony aft-facing suites and has even put them in a separate category. For Escape, they are all (currently) the same category and the same price. In other words, changing from deck 14 to deck 9 on Escape shouldn't result in a change in price but trying the same on the other ships will probably cost more to change.

The same for Bella through Yacht Club.

Most of the benefits aren't applicable to guests under 18. https://www.msccruisesusa.com/-/media/us/documents/voyagers_club_terms_and_conditions_eng.pdf See section 4.

If you want to explore Bermuda......you might have to be a strong swimmer. 😁

Those are the exact examples that I give when describing the Yacht Club. RCCL has the Suite Neighborhood which is very similar in concept. One of the reasons for many negative reviews from first time MSC cruisers is that people choose the wrong experience then complain about what wasn't included. My first MSC cruise was on Seaside in 2018 and I was reading many reviews from other first time MSC cruisers. One review on YouTube was from a guy who was complaining that there were certain parts of the ship that he couldn't go whereas on other lines, he could go everywhere other guests could go. He chose the wrong experience. He didn't like seeing other guests "skip the lines" in port. He didn't like seeing other guests take control of the elevators to express themselves to the desired deck. The food is another area where people get upset when they don't get "the usual" food that is on other cruise lines. Some people who expect ice cream might be disappointed with gelato. Some people who expect mozzarella sticks might be disappointed with mozzarella di bufala. Some people who expect Domino's pizza might be disappointed with fresh (mozzarella made on board), hand-made pizza. SOME areas where MSC can improve are IT (website can be/is a nightmare), finance as far as refunds, and land-based customer service. You'll read horror stories including some from me but in my case, everything worked out and I currently have 3 more cruises booked with MSC.

Nothing is actually free when it comes to cruising. The toilet paper in your stateroom isn't free. You're paying for things in one way or another. NCL's promo "gives" the package but you pay $21.80 per person per day (20% of the normal cost of the package) in charges. The positive side is that you can have 100 drinks per day and not pay anything additional. If your drink is over $15, you pay the difference plus 20% on that difference. The negative side is that certain things aren't included in the promo package. You always have the option to upgrade the package (at a cost) to include more or to not select the promo and pay for drinks a la carte (plus 20%). Weigh the options and select whichever is best for you. I'm fine with the promo package. Some people skip the promo. Some people upgrade to the Premium Plus package. Some people just get the Starbucks package. Some people just order a case of boxed water. Not everyone wants the same thing so there is no way for NCL to have a package that fits everyone.