helen haywood Posted May 1, 2016 #1 Share Posted May 1, 2016 I have sailed MSC once, on Divina. I'm looking at doing a 14 night cruise on Seaside in 2018. Amazingly the balcony choices seem to be pretty limited that far out! Anyway, I need some help making sense of the numbers. Am I correct that the difference between a Bella and an Aurea balcony is Aurea comes with the lesser Classic beverage package and ability to do Select dining and the Aurea has an extended balcony? And a few other amenities. I can't find any information on what the difference in size of the balcony is. Also I'm reading something about the balconies on deck 9 will have partly see-thru balcony dividers...is that on any other ship so I could find a picture? If the Aurea comes with the Classic beverage package and the price is more than the Bella price and purchasing the Classic package myself then I would be deciding if Select Dining and a larger balcony would be worth the difference. I'd be happy doing regular dining so I'm confused as to what the differences are.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
champagne123 Posted May 1, 2016 #2 Share Posted May 1, 2016 Omg.....I am in the same boat as you...but you just confused me even more..:D:D:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helen haywood Posted May 1, 2016 Author #3 Share Posted May 1, 2016 Well, then let's go have some champagne! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
champagne123 Posted May 1, 2016 #4 Share Posted May 1, 2016 Well, then let's go have some champagne! Lol...gladly. Doing research on MSC is very difficult....although Pete has been answering a lot of my dumb questions. This is our first time on the cruise line and it seems to be a little different than what we are used to. All of the other cruise line boards are very busy...not so much on MSC. It's funny, I am looking at the two week on the Seaside for 2018 also. Not sure yet, but I am definitely booking one of them this week.:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikesa1721 Posted May 1, 2016 #5 Share Posted May 1, 2016 (edited) I have sailed MSC once, on Divina. I'm looking at doing a 14 night cruise on Seaside in 2018. Amazingly the balcony choices seem to be pretty limited that far out! Anyway, I need some help making sense of the numbers. Am I correct that the difference between a Bella and an Aurea balcony is Aurea comes with the lesser Classic beverage package and ability to do Select dining and the Aurea has an extended balcony? And a few other amenities. I can't find any information on what the difference in size of the balcony is. Also I'm reading something about the balconies on deck 9 will have partly see-thru balcony dividers...is that on any other ship so I could find a picture? If the Aurea comes with the Classic beverage package and the price is more than the Bella price and purchasing the Classic package myself then I would be deciding if Select Dining and a larger balcony would be worth the difference. I'd be happy doing regular dining so I'm confused as to what the differences are.... The size of the balconies between Aurea and Bella are quite significant,,especially if you choose an aft wrap stateroom. I have not heard of any staterooms with a partial balcony divider so I'm not quite sure where that information is coming from,,unless it is the Aurea suite garden style balconies on deck 9 (9205 - 9249 or 9210 - 9252) which you can see down into from the balconies on deck 10 and above? Bella category staterooms are in dark blue,,,Aurea are in orange: Edited May 1, 2016 by Mikesa1721 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidari Posted May 1, 2016 #6 Share Posted May 1, 2016 Bella is the lowest category of cabin, Aurea comes with my time dining,spa access, one massage, access to private sun deck, Allegrissimo drink package and priority boarding, the Aurea Suite balconies are on Deck 9 aft sides with extended balconies and 14 Aft suites overlooking the Aft pool. The Aurea Balconies B3 are on Deck 9,14 and 15 forward. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
champagne123 Posted May 1, 2016 #7 Share Posted May 1, 2016 Great info. THANK YOU. Everything is starting to make sense. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skier52 Posted May 1, 2016 #8 Share Posted May 1, 2016 (edited) I have sailed MSC once, on Divina. I'm looking at doing a 14 night cruise on Seaside in 2018. Amazingly the balcony choices seem to be pretty limited that far out! Anyway, I need some help making sense of the numbers. Am I correct that the difference between a Bella and an Aurea balcony is Aurea comes with the lesser Classic beverage package and ability to do Select dining and the Aurea has an extended balcony? And a few other amenities. I can't find any information on what the difference in size of the balcony is. Also I'm reading something about the balconies on deck 9 will have partly see-thru balcony dividers...is that on any other ship so I could find a picture? If the Aurea comes with the Classic beverage package and the price is more than the Bella price and purchasing the Classic package myself then I would be deciding if Select Dining and a larger balcony would be worth the difference. I'd be happy doing regular dining so I'm confused as to what the differences are.... The size of the balconies between Aurea and Bella are quite significant,,especially if you choose an aft wrap stateroom. I have not heard of any staterooms with a partial balcony divider so I'm not quite sure where that information is coming from,,unless it is the Aurea suite garden style balconies on deck 9 (9205 - 9249 or 9210 - 9252) which you can see down into from the balconies on deck 10 and above? Bella category staterooms are in dark blue,,,Aurea are in orange: If I could chip in, the Aurea balconies on deck 9 are the light orange in the forward section of the ship.(n the right of the diagram) The darker orange cabins in the aft section of the ship are Aurea Suites.(On the left of the diagram) These are the ones with bigger balconies and are a different category to the Aurea balconies. This could be te source of the confusion The OP doesn't mention Fantastica balconies and perhaps should look at all the "experiences" on offer Bella, Fantastica, Aurea, Wellness and Yacht Club to better understand what is what Here is a link to the basic information on the "ecperiences" https://www.msccruises.co.uk/en-gb/Cruise-Deals/Our-Fares.aspx For a more in depth set of information here is a link to the Q & A advice for Travel Agents for the experiences http://www.msccruisesagent.com/experience-a-cruise/inclusive-experiences/inclusive-experiences-faq Pete Edited May 1, 2016 by Skier52 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidari Posted May 1, 2016 #9 Share Posted May 1, 2016 Aurea suites are S3, Orange on diagram, there are also Aurea SJ3 Suites those in Red on the diagram. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Cruisergal1208 Posted May 1, 2016 #10 Share Posted May 1, 2016 Lol...gladly. Doing research on MSC is very difficult....although Pete has been answering a lot of my dumb questions. This is our first time on the cruise line and it seems to be a little different than what we are used to. All of the other cruise line boards are very busy...not so much on MSC. It's funny, I am looking at the two week on the Seaside for 2018 also. Not sure yet, but I am definitely booking one of them this week.:D May I ask which two week cruise on seaside are you looking at? We have a one week booked but would like longer. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skier52 Posted May 1, 2016 #11 Share Posted May 1, 2016 (edited) Aurea suites are S3, Orange on diagram, there are also Aurea SJ3 Suites those in Red on the diagram. He deck plan lists the reed cabins as Aurea Suites with Whirlpool and the dark green as fantastica suite I don't know of the alphanumeric designations Pete Edited May 1, 2016 by Skier52 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helen haywood Posted May 1, 2016 Author #12 Share Posted May 1, 2016 I got this information from the website cruisedeckplans. More Size Info: In some cabins the bed will be close to the balcony door. In other cabins the couch will be close to the balcony door. "Deck 9 category B3 cabins on port and starboard side will have balcony partitions that do not extend all the way to the railing. This means that the area around the railing will have clear dividers (railing height) between balconies. You will be able to see your neighbors balcony." That was what I wondered about...if it existed on any other ships. It looks from the deck plans that the B3 balconies (not suites) are twice the size of the B1s but I'm assuming the cabin configuration is the same? I like balcony cabins where you can look directly down at the water but it looks like that isn't possible on Seaside. Thanks for all your help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidari Posted May 1, 2016 #13 Share Posted May 1, 2016 Pete ... The Green one you mention is an S2 Fantastical suite HH ... The deck 9 Aurea suites have a cover from the balcony doors so far out so that people have some privacy, the rest of the balcony is open with it seems glass dividing screens, due to their length it may be that they will have sun loungers on them. You will have a view of the sea but not down the side of the ship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinkrosesdeb Posted May 1, 2016 #14 Share Posted May 1, 2016 We are looking at MSC Seaside for our first ever MSC cruise. We are cruising with our adult daughter and wondering if the Deluxe Yacht Club suite will be large enough for 3 adults. We usually do a GS on Royal Caribbean. Can anyone compare the size of these 2 cabins for us? I am holding the deluxe yacht club for 1/6/18. Thank you for your help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
champagne123 Posted May 1, 2016 #15 Share Posted May 1, 2016 (edited) May I ask which two week cruise on seaside are you looking at? We have a one week booked but would like longer. Thanks. Honestly, I cannot remember the dates. The MSC website has been DOWN all day for me. *anyone else having this problem* but I know that there were a couple of them. PS...Sadari and Pete...you have been an amazing help. Edited May 1, 2016 by champagne123 ssssss Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidari Posted May 1, 2016 #16 Share Posted May 1, 2016 Pinkrosedeb ... The YC cabin is 182 sq feet if that is any good to you, if you look at the Seaside Renderings thread at the top of the page there is a link on one of the posts to the cabins and sizes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helen haywood Posted May 1, 2016 Author #17 Share Posted May 1, 2016 Thanks for all the help! Complicating MSC's already complicated categories is the fact that there are only four B1 and four B3 balconies for the April 7 sailing I'm looking at and all of them are on deck 9. But regardless I'm calling my TA tomorrow and book something! And then keep an eye on the cabins in case others open up... Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidari Posted May 2, 2016 #18 Share Posted May 2, 2016 A bit more help with the cabins and categories on seaside. YC 3 ... yacht club Royal suite stateroom (Brown on deck plan) YC 1 ... Yacht club Deluxe suite stateroom (Grey on deck plan) YCI ... yacht club Inside cabin (Light grey on deck plan) GS ... Grand suite (Bight Red on deck plan) SJ3 ... Aurea suite with whirlpool bath (dark Red on deck plan) S3 ... Aurea suite (Orange on deck plan) S2 ... Fantastica suite (Dark Green on deck plan) Balconies. BW ... Wellness (Pink on deck plan) B3 ... Aurea (Cream on deck plan) B2 ... Fantastica (Green on deck plan) B1 ... Bella (Blue on deck plan) Outside/ OV OW ... Wellness (Pink on deck plan) O2 ... Fantastica (Light Green on deck plan) O1 ... Bella (Light Blue on deck plan) Inside IW ... Wellness (Light Pink on deck plan, Deck 10 Forward) I2 ... Fantastica (Pale Green on deck plan) I1 ... Bella (Pale Blue on deck plan) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
champagne123 Posted May 2, 2016 #19 Share Posted May 2, 2016 (edited) Hi Sidari and thank you so much for all of your help. I am having sooo much trouble right now. I am trying to get an S3 ..orange on the Seaside. This is the one with those long balconies, right? Well, I have tried every single date for this ship and there is no option for an S3. What am I doing wrong. I know they are on deck 9 and cannot seem to get to it. I punch in the option for Aurea Balcony and all I get is the tan colored ones. Edited May 2, 2016 by champagne123 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidari Posted May 2, 2016 #20 Share Posted May 2, 2016 (edited) It may be worth ringing MSC because they have access to all available cabins, the S3 are indeed the long balconies and all those on the Aft end of the ship. I am guessing that you are using the MSC USA site to check dates and cabins ? if you add a date I can check to see what is showing as available here in the UK. We had the same issue with the Aft Aurea suites not showing up on the UK site, we booked 9225 one of the long balconies on the Port side, contacted the UK office and got a move to one of the Aft suites for Xmas 2017 so it is worth calling them. Checked the USA site and in March there are Aurea suites available. Edited May 2, 2016 by sidari Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
champagne123 Posted May 2, 2016 #21 Share Posted May 2, 2016 Very strange it is showing up on your site and not mine. The date is not really important to me, although I prefer April or May, 2018. If worse comes to worse, I will call, but I wanted to actually SEE the cabin and prices after fees before committing to it. I would hate to call and annoy the heck out of an agent by asking a million questions. Thank you for all of your help. I am going to keep trying. Just wanted to verify that I should check off Aurea/Balcony for S3. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidari Posted May 2, 2016 #22 Share Posted May 2, 2016 It was the USA site I looked at as well that showed cabins available, did you click on Aurea suite ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
champagne123 Posted May 2, 2016 #23 Share Posted May 2, 2016 It was the USA site I looked at as well that showed cabins available, did you click on Aurea suite ? Yipeeeee. I figured it out. Seriously though, this is the most difficult cruise line website I have ever navigated. :eek: Thank you soooo much for all of your help. I will try very hard not to annoy anyone for at least another hour...:D:D:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
champagne123 Posted May 2, 2016 #24 Share Posted May 2, 2016 The size of the balconies between Aurea and Bella are quite significant,,especially if you choose an aft wrap stateroom. I have not heard of any staterooms with a partial balcony divider so I'm not quite sure where that information is coming from,,unless it is the Aurea suite garden style balconies on deck 9 (9205 - 9249 or 9210 - 9252) which you can see down into from the balconies on deck 10 and above? Bella category staterooms are in dark blue,,,Aurea are in orange: Ok Mike...please don"t kill me. Do you know what that extra bump out line is in front or 9218 to 9240? Is that an over hang? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helen haywood Posted May 2, 2016 Author #25 Share Posted May 2, 2016 If you look at post #133 of the Sticky at the top on MSC Seaside Interiors there are pictures of a model of the ship that shows a dark blue enclosed outside walkway that could be what the bump out shows.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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