slei15

1 hour ago, buckeye25osu said:

 

Couple questions for anyone still following-  I got upgraded to balcony by bidding the minimum (90 pp).  They assigned it automatically.  Can I get the room switched by calling if another is available?  There's nothing wrong with my room, but a very nice youtuber pointed out some balconies that have some extra room.

 

Also, I was able to apply the 5+15% discount!  My account now shows a negative.  Where is this money?  It has not been refunded to my CC so is it ship credit or is it something i can get refunded?

 

Thanks again all!  Cruise in 5 days!

And, I would not bother moving the room unless it is in a really bad location (ie right under the pool deck).  A lot of times MSC will mess up the reservation when doing something simple like a room move.

1 hour ago, buckeye25osu said:

 

Couple questions for anyone still following-  I got upgraded to balcony by bidding the minimum (90 pp).  They assigned it automatically.  Can I get the room switched by calling if another is available?  There's nothing wrong with my room, but a very nice youtuber pointed out some balconies that have some extra room.

 

Also, I was able to apply the 5+15% discount!  My account now shows a negative.  Where is this money?  It has not been refunded to my CC so is it ship credit or is it something i can get refunded?

 

Thanks again all!  Cruise in 5 days!

For the negative balance, you will want to add something to use that up.  Since it was applied after booking and you are fully paid, they won't refund it, but you can use it to pre-purchases specialty dining, spa, service charges, drink upgrade, onboard credit etc.  Anything you want to add, just call MSC (or your travel agent) and have it applied against the negative balance.

We have sailed MSC many times, and love the product. We will be sailing again over Christmas (Meraviglia) and Spring Break (Seashore) It is different from the typical American mass market cruise lines in some ways, and similar in others.  Their pre-boarding customer service leaves something to be desired (I always recommend using a travel agent experienced with them), but the onboard product is always great.  We find the food to be good (pizza excellent), and have never done a specialty restaurant.  The feature shows are shorter than most other cruise lines, but very entertaining.  Drink packages are great. Bring an old hotel room key with you if you have one to leave in the cabin...The lights and AC will turn off if you do not have one of your keycards in the slot by the door. We usually bring an old MSC room card, but hotel keys work too. If you still have the activities team from South Africa, they are very entertaining for the onboard activities.

Most of all, there is no such thing as a bad cruise.  It will be what you choose to make of it. Enjoy your new wife's company and have a great time!  Tell the server and room steward you are on a honeymoon...Sometimes they make special things appear for celebrations! 

1 hour ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

I beg to differ. When it comes to MSC, things'd better be spelled out.

 

RCI spells out the difference in protocols for kids under 12 depending on their vaxxed status. MSC doesn't even mention the possibility of under 12 being vaxxed.

 

If I show up with a 10 yo with a negative antigen test done 2 days before the cruise, and they turn me away because they don't have a protocol for that, whose fault will it be?

We are in the same "boat" with our 9 year old for the 12/19 Meraviglia sailing.  He is fully vaxxed (2 weeks post) this Sunday, and we want to make sure we show up at the port with the right test.  I currently have him scheduled for PCR Thursday the 16th and Antigen Friday the 17th.  If I don't get confirmation soon enough, he will be testing twice and bringing both with us.  I did get written confirmation from MSC Corporate that he will be treated as fully vaccinated for the purposes of excursions (being able to get off the ship on our own).

Just was able to do a mock booking through the TA site with the new pricing. Aurea Balcony for 12/18 Seashore with the all in package and adding the massage($216/cabin for it) is within $50 of the price it was before if you were to have upgraded to easy plus and added internet. The base price (escape to sea) without adding drinks dropped by $500, and it was $660 to add the easy plus package for a cabin of 4 (2 adults easy plus, 2 minors package). 

49 minutes ago, jules815 said:

Yes. It would be nice though, if it could be used as OBC to cover gratuities. When I tried purchasing on-board credit with it (I forget what they call it on their website) so we'd be able to use it toward our gratuities, they said it wasn't allowed for that.

You can ask them to add the service charges to the booking...it will cover that if you prepay them.

They will be coming back available for booking soon, on the Divina and Meraviglia. Details are being finalized on itineraries and dates.

http://www.mscpressarea.com/en_GB/press-releases/3713

So MSC IT seems to be at it again....It looks like they rolled back the cancellation pages on both the consumer and TA sites to be back to only through October 31...Very confusing! Yesterday it was showing all the north american cancellations through 11/30....Now it is back to only showing through 10/31! Are they changing their mind, or did their IT team roll back to an old view of the website for some reason!!

They didn't word it well, but it was saying that those are the sailings you can book today.  They seemingly would know less than us based on the wording, as they are unaware that there are still scheduled sailings for November that are not currently available for booking.

The combination can be done, but unfortunately requires an obscene amount of escalation to the resolution team, which half the call center doesn’t know exists. You need to be “that person” and send an email directly to Ken Muskat with the issue for it to get forwarded to them. I had to do this to get the VC 5+5 applied on an FCC for ourselves and our clients. It is frustrating and time consuming, but they can do it. 

11 hours ago, KINGBOBOFTHENORTH said:

Has anyone else noticed that MSC cruises out of Port Canaveral for this November no longer appear on the MSC website nor on on-line agency websites? Did the November sailings on Seaside get cancelled?

BobK/Orlando

On the travel agent site they still appear but show as sold out. I am wondering if they stopped selling more cabins to  work on cabin allocation to ensure that they have the appropriate level of cabins set aside for isolation at this point, and ensure they have everyone booked in areas where they don't plan to have isolation?

We were at club med for a few days in July. It wasn’t bad, wasn’t great. Food was passable with a good variety. Drinks were ok...great for free but all bottom shelf stuff unless you pay by the drink. There was a lack of entertainment options due to Covid precautions. Pools are beautiful and the non-motorized water sports were fun. Kids loved the kids club when they went. Hours were tricky for kids club. There is no real beach at the resort. It’s on the bay, but you have to drive to the ocean. We had a good time and it was very relaxing, but it definitely wasn’t the cruise type of experience. 

We are on the Nov 22-29 Seaside (originally booked as a 4 night). Also a TA. Have been working with a resolutions supervisor there on a few issues, and feedback from her is that they feel they are in the best position of any to restart 11/1. They have protocols that are already working, access to the tests needed, and just need government approval. They are spending a lot of money to get going with people feeling comfortable, forsaking a return to profit in the short term to be able to get back there quicker in the long term. As a private company without shareholders to answer to, they feel they have more flexibility to do what should/needs to be done. That being said, I have no faith in our government to actually allow this to happen on 11/1 and have a backup plan booked on land as well for thanksgiving. Club Med Sandpiper Bay is allowing cancellation 15 days out right now, so I am holding onto that in case. 

I could be wrong, but it is my understanding that the two week quarantine is happening on shore, not on the ship.  They do not get to board until after the two weeks and the final negative test.  If that's the case, she could have caught it from someone in the hotel, etc. during quarantine, or during the travel to the port.

7 hours ago, choxnpinz said:

You could always buy into the parent company trading as MSM, but they offer no perks at this time.  Even if they did, it seems awfully expensive for a possible $50 OBC.  LOL

This company has absolutely nothing to do with the Mediterranean Shipping Company Group, however; it is a great dividend stock!

MSC Industrial Direct is a US supplier of industrial supplies (their homepage advertiser hand sanitizer, ear plugs, etc.).

It is true that they carry over the old reservation to the new one.  It is the same booking number and all.  As far as same cabin type, its not required.  If you placed a hold on a new one, you will have to release it for them to be able to get it.  I did this recently and she grabbed it as soon as I released it.  My challenge right now is getting them to apply the VC 5+5 promo on the new booking, since it still shows as the old booking it appears ineligible based on the booking date.

MSC is actually applying the FCC to any balance due on the new cruise, including taxes/fees. I just applied one for a client today, and the FCC had him paid in full without putting any cash towards it. They are allowing it to cover anything, including taxes, precruise purchases, etc. 

Off topic a little, but I was speaking to a Carnival rep today for a client and found out the significant issues with the refund process. It applies to most cruise lines the way the systems were designed for convenience in normal operating times. The system is set up to automatically charge cancellation penalties when a cruise is canceled. Due to this, they have to manually enter every reservation, override the penalties, determine if it is FCC or refund, ensure the appropriate amount is set to refund, and have the refund processed by the revenue accounting team, which are not large teams at any of the cruise lines. Carnival at this point is not giving a timeframe for refunds, as they are so overwhelmed and they have no clue when they will get through it all. They are going cruise by cruise, while also trying to go about the necessary everyday business and keep things going for the future. All of this while dealing with significant furloughs and layoffs, which frankly are a part of how they are saving the cash to be able to refund. It is a slow process for every cruise line, but they also know that if they end up screwing thousands of customers by not refunding, they will not have anyone feel safe enough to ever book again. The refunds will happen, but they will take a significant amount of time. It is frustrating for everyone. Please also know, if you booked through a travel agent and dispute the charge on your credit card because you lose patience, the cruise line can ultimately charge the travel agent back for the full amount of the dispute. 

1 hour ago, Até said:

Did you take a FCC for the cruise fare?

Yes. That came the week before last. 

Great news...I just received notification from my credit card that my refund has posted from MSC.  This was for prepaid items and port charges from the March 15th Meraviglia cancelled sailing. Even better news...It was the right amount.

2 hours ago, CGTNORMANDIE said:

Highly unlikely that a company that is making billions of dollars and euros in the freight business will need to borrow money.

 

 

MSC Cruises operates independently of the MSC Group Shipping Company.  They are a "bankruptcy remote" entity, and while the parent organization would have the ability to invest additional equity to stave off a bankruptcy, there is no obligation to, and no recourse if they don't.  Additionally, according to the annual report, MSC Cruises carries about $5B Euros of debt, with $3.5B being for the ship construction, and $1.5B being general corporate debt. So yes, they do use debt, and they will likely take on more if needed.

6 minutes ago, cruiseguyinorl said:

 

Think you might have overlooked the email to TA's dated April 29th that advised of the extension of canceled cruises till July 10th. The part of the sentence in that letter that has everyone up in arms I put in italics.

 

Refunds will be issued the later of either 60 days after the original sail date or 60 days from the date the online form [requesting a refund] is completed.

 

I previously confirmed with them that if you request a refund today for a July 9th sailing for example, the refund would not be generated until 60 days from July 9 or September 9 to be exact. I can understand why folks would be upset about them keeping money for up to 4 months basically. 

 

Just trying to help out @aprilF with her question.

Bret

No...That is one of them I am referring to. I said much earlier in the thread that MSC has been advising the 60 days from sail date policy from the very beginning, which was what stemmed the replies to me. I 100% agree that this is the policy they are using, and was stating that I have been told that since day 1 (though it wasn't in writing until later than that). Aside from those mid-March cruises that were cancelled right at the getgo, I highly doubt there will be many forms filled out after the sail date, so by default, that policy will in most cases be 60 days after the sailing date.

I also understand people being upset about their money being held...But being in such an unprecedented situation, we all need to have patience. I have clients still waiting on refunds from March cancelled sailings on Royal, MSC, and Carnival, whether it be the entire cruise price or just port fees and prepaid items. Royal is the only one that I have seen anything out of so far (and they are still owing some people), though we have received FCC's for all of them where applicable. I would rather them hold the cash for a few months and come out the other end solvent and operating, than rush to pay back and either get it wrong (because it is all manual when they are determining how much goes back), or run out of cash partway through refunding and have everyone else be SOL.

16 minutes ago, aprilF said:

Youve received communications about your refund after the initial "got your request" auto email that states 60 days from submission?  What kind of written followup and at what increments (a week after the submission, two weeks, month, etc.)?

 

I've received nothing beyond the "we got your request" auto email right after I submitted. 

Nothing specific about a requested refund. I am also a TA and receive emails from them regularly about the updated cancellations, options, choices for clients, etc. I have not actually had myself or a client choose a refund...We were told the 60 days from sailing for port charges and prepaid items. 
 

We did receive our FCC’s last week. 

47 minutes ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

 

I'm confused. Did they tell you from Day 1 that it would be 60 days from the sailing date or did they tell you it would be 60 days from submission of preference? These seem entirely different things. Forgive me if I'm missed something.

I went back and looked at my email after the first time I posted. I should have clarified. I was told on the phone day 1 that it would be from sailing date. The email said from submission of preference. All communication I have received since has said since sailing date. 

1 hour ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

 
exactly what Aprilf said, there was nothing in my paperwork suggesting 60 days from sail date. That Language was added after the fact- poor customer service imo. 

The original email I got on March 13 said please allow up to 60 days from submission of preference for refund to be processed. This was when they were only canceling through 4/30. While inconvenient and a poor choice for customer service for them to change/extend this timeframe, with 3 more months of cruises now canceled it is understandable. They are working through them and ensuring they maintain the liquidity needed to continue as a business. I understand the frustration, and see it with every cruise line right now, but these are unprecedented times that nobody was prepared for. I work for a hospitality company that is in the same situation of a full shutdown, and I see first hand every day the challenging decisions needing to be made to ensure survival. Unfortunately, we all need to be understanding and patient during these times and let this play it’s course. 

They have stated from day one that it would be 60 days from sailing date. It’s not unexpected that it is taking a while.