Two Wheels Only

These are nice staterooms but be aware that 13108 on Joy is wheelchair accessible. It has a larger bathroom (where the window is) and does not have a separate living room/bedroom. It is one large room and one large bathroom. The balcony for 13108/13708 for Joy (under the bridge) is partially enclosed. (Bliss interior shown above but Joy is the same)

The part about "E-Tickets are only available within 20 days of your cruise departure. Please check back once your cruise is 20 days away " is just MSC speak. I've gotten eDocs months in advance. This could change....not that anyone at the port cares about boarding time, anyway.

For 3 people, the system will assume that it is 3 adults and will add the $138.60 (20% of PBP) for each of the 3. Once the ages are entered, guest #1 (adult) would get the PBP service charge, guest #2 (child) would get the soda package and would be charged a much smaller service charge (20% of $9.95 per day) and guest #3 (child) would get nothing. The SDP is only for guests 1&2 so the amount of the service charge is only dependent on the number of meals. People should select based on what is best for them but as noted earlier, even when declining the extra cost FAS promos, some of the total is going towards paying for those unused things.

Yes, even when there is shade, it can uncomfortable eating outdoors of a restaurant... especially when wearing sweatpants.* (j/k) 😀

Miami was a bit more of an unorganized mess but it was faster. We were lead through the crowd, checked in, and lead through to a back elevator then onto the gangway. We saw a table with bottled water near the elevator but we never stopped anywhere other than checking in (they were training newbies so it was a little slow). Our butler escort in Miami wasn't our actual butler on the ship but our Port Canaveral butler escort was (coincidentally?) our butler on the ship for the week. Until MSC's new terminal is up and running, I doubt that things will be consistent. Some people had a long wait even when sailing Yacht Club (we did with Seaside once) but others zip right through.

Although I haven't sailed in The Retreat, the "ship within a ship" concept works great for my family of 4. In addition to the 2 mentioned, I can also recommend NCL Haven. My 2 children are younger than teens but we've all had fantastic cruises in the Yacht Club including on Seascape's sister ship, Seashore. We're also booked on Seascape but we'll probably be on later than other forum members who are booked. Choosing the right ship is important and you seem to have 2 great ships in contention. You might see me and other forum members making fun of the "Tragic Carpet" that's on the starboard side of the newest Celebrity ships but on the Celebrity forum, members probably make fun of the "apartments" on the aft section of MSC's Sea**** ships. Some of the modern ships will overwhelm you with features. Take your time and learn what the ships have to offer and see what might interest your group. There is usually something for everyone.

If you are referring to the roped off area near check in that also has water and Pringles, that is for Yacht Club guests.

It looks like this.... ...and you can de-select the blue boxes (since they have added cost) when taking the FAS promo.

Did you have to option to de-select the PBP when you booked? if you uncheck the drink package when booking, the "Open Bar Gratuities" disappears.

If true, you KNOW what threads are coming next, right? 😆

No. Not since 2016.

All lines seem to borrow from each other. One could argue that the split aft of the World Class was borrowed from the Oasis Class which was borrowed from the never built Project Pinnacle from Carnival.

Imagine how the people who booked early feel. When bookings first opened, a hot tub was listed for both decks and the price was the same. Some people were just unlucky.

Maybe Icon or Quantum Class vs. Prima if it's Royal vs NCL. EDGE class vs Prima does seem closer with Retreat vs Haven being a thing. I'm a "new ship" kind of person so all of the new ones are potentially on the radar. I can't do them all but I already have 2 cruises booked on ships that are still incomplete. 😁

The only competition for the Oasis Class would be MSC World Class and (if any are ever completed) Dream Global Class. The size of the Oasis Class makes it difficult to compare to other classes.

That's what I meant by "Everyone is different". Some ask for a lot. Some ask for little or nothing. By "...different experiences...", I meant that some have a great butler and some have a not-so-great butler. The same goes for room steward, restaurant staff, bartenders, etc. It's impossible for us on the forum to know what the OP will experience and what the OP will request from their butler. It's impossible for us to know how the butler will perform. The OP should do what is best for the OP and what feels right for the OP.

OBC often takes a while to appear. Give it a couple of days, sign into your MSC account, click on "Cruise Details", and look for "Shipboard credit 50 Eur/Usd - 40 Gbp included" near the bottom of the page. If you didn't see the 5%+5% discount when you booked, simply call to have it added. I had to call for a booking that I made a couple of weeks ago.

The World America name leaked a while ago but nothing official has been announced. Since World Europa had a name change (MSC Europa), nobody is/was sure what the next ship in the class would be named.

There is no set amount. Everyone is different. Everyone has different experiences. Tip however much or little that you feel is appropriate. The only person on the forum that can answer your question is you.

Subconsciously, your husband already knows that you will keep both.

With the door closed and sealed, Spice H2O was not a problem at night. If you are outside, you'll hear the noise.

They are basically identical as far as BA vs. BA+. The sofa bed and some other furniture is different but they are mostly similar. I have a list with the bed locations if you can't get the one on deck 12 and have to select another deck. The ones with the bed near the closet also have a slightly more narrow balcony.

12358/12958 would be my first choice for a B1 on Joy. I prefer deck 12 over deck 9 even though deck 9 is slightly deeper. The view (IMO) is better. Also, I prefer the bed near the balcony which is what those 2 have. In addition, the B1s next to a Haven suite have good side view since the Haven balcony is curved away from your line of sight.

There are huge differences in depth for the aft-facing balconies depending on deck as well as differences in width for balconies on the same deck. For BA/GA, the difference is larger between the deepest and the least deep. For Escape/Joy/Bliss/Encore, there is still a difference between the deepest and the least deep but the difference is less. In either class, deck 9 is the deepest and deck 13 is the least deep.