Bluewake- I am so happy to hear that you received your credit!! We also booked  a cruise in 2022. Maybe we will find ourselves on a roll call together again in the future! Our travel agent has requested that our voucher from Ocean Cay be credited to our next cruise. I'll let you know if it goes smoothly. It's not the same as the credits for the cancelled cruises, but I'm still nervous due to all of the ridiculousness we've encountered over the past 16 months! 

On 3/7/2021 at 7:30 AM, Bluewake said:

 

We are a few days away from waiting one full year for MSC to issue the FCC for which we've been assured we are entitled.  The initial email said it would take "two weeks".   We've gone through multiple escalations, repeatedly been asked to "be patient", and given a variety of reasons for the lack of action.  

On April 20th, we finally received a full refund to our CC for our March 2020 cruise. This was after turning to the BBB. We were supposed to get a credit, but requested a full refund due to the amount of time and effort we, like many of you, expended in an effort to get what was ours. I don't know if the BBB made a difference or our time just came, but we're just glad it's done. We had 3 other cruises with MSC and received refunds without any issues. These were in June and September of 2020. Final payment had not been made.

We do have another FCC, so we booked another cruise for the end of the year. Our travel agent is working on applying the FCC. We hope that doesn't become an issue. I'll update when it's done. We were hesitant to book again after the difficulties we've had in getting a credit or refund. However, we wanted to use the FCC and found a room we've always wanted at a decent price. MSC has always had great service on board, so we took the jump! Hoping for the best. I feel for those of you who are still waiting. It is really frustrating. I just wanted to let you know that our issue was resolved. 

On 12/19/2020 at 12:33 PM, dexddd said:

Vaccine is going to make it before our March MSC FCCs.

Sadly, I think you’re correct!

Hi, Bluewake! I was so glad to see your name! I hope you are well.

We share everyone’s frustrations on this post.
We contacted a reporter who published an article on Sunday about this mess. We are still waiting for our refund from March 13th. Our other 3 cruises were all refunded, but we seem to have lost a $900 credit used to pay for a summer cruise in Europe. We have spent hours on the phone, sent numerous emails, and mailed  letters to corporate, including certified letters. Last week we were promised a full refund rather than a credit. Our case has been sent in to the “escalation “ department for the umpteenth time. I really don’t think there is such a thing. We are so disappointed. Every 2 weeks for 9 months we have been promised resolution within 2 weeks. I can’t count the number of times I had to submit evidence after being told I was a no show!!! We loved MSC. If I get credits, I’ll use them, but this is way too stressful. We don’t even know if we want to cruise anymore. So sad that things were handled so poorly. Cruising use to be my escape. I feel like we should be compensated for our time, trouble, and stress.We’ve decided to create our own Yacht Club on our lanai! I’ll just have to be my own bartender....

On 4/6/2020 at 9:05 PM, Twigster said:

We were scheduled to be on a cruise leaving Miami on March 13th.    A few days before our sail date, MSC created the "Cruise Assurance" program, offering passengers the opportunity to cancel and receive a future cruise credit. On March 10th, I called MSC to participate in the program, cancelled our cruise, and immediately was sent an email containing a "Cruise Assurance Request Number".  However, I have yet to receive a follow-up email confirming the credit, the amount, or anything else.  I am curious to know if others are also waiting for their emails?  Just beginning to wonder if there may have been some sort of problem with ours.

We were also scheduled to sail on March 13th onboard Divina. We called to take advantage of the Cruise Assurance program the same day as you as my husband and I both are in high risk groups. We have nothing but an email confirmation with request number. We did not receive a refund of port fees and taxes. Unfortunately, we had 2 cruises out of Venice in June with MSC. Lost flights, wondering if our cruise money is lost, too. I don’t think Europe is going to be welcoming US citizens in early June.

Looks so nice! Maybe we’ll get it next trip. They will be called Grand Suites soon and will be sold at a higher price. You lucked out!

This is the thread- sorry about the size, I couldn't adjust it!

Miami Boarding: New Medical Screening, March 14+

3 hours ago, Bluewake said:

Does anyone know how the current Divina cruise is going?  We were scheduled to be on it but due to concerns stemming from being in a high risk group for corona, we decided the prudent thing to do would be to cancel and take the future cruise credit option.  The people with whom we corresponded on the roll call were delightful so we truly hope it is going well.  However, based on some things we've read online  [https://www.cruisehive.com/complex-requirements-forces-cruise-ships-to-cancel-san-juan/38445] , it seems that the Divina may not have been allowed to dock in San Juan but was, instead, heading to Great Stirrup Caye.   And, it also seems that Tortola is not allowing ships to dock for 30 days .  [ http://www.virginislandsdailynews.com/day-cruise-ship-ban-among-series-of-bvi-s-coronavirus/article_2d42539d-1f67-582e-8e4c-5da893cd8466.html  ].   Not sure about St. Maarten.   In spite of any such challenges, we do hope they are managing to have a good time.

 

 

We, too, are following as we cancelled due to being in the high risk group. One person is posting on another thread and seems to be enjoying the trip despite the different itinerary. There are about 2000 passengers onboard. I'm glad they are enjoying and wish we could have joined them. I feel good about our decision, though. I hope to hear more from them when they return!

I know! Such a bummer. Funny thing is I saw on a thread that you had one of the square rooms in the Divina YC that we had booked. We were to be in16034. Were you across from us again? 😂 We are supposed to get the FCC in a couple of weeks...this is like Groundhog Day! Please let it be easier this time! So glad you enjoyed your trip. 

I tried to do a booking for that week on Grandiosa  just to see and there is no cruise showing up for April 3rd. Since I had to cancel my cruise for this week, I have way too much time on my hands. 😔 Looks like it’s cancelled, but they’re going to make you call!

So do we! 🤞We’ll have to keep in touch!

We decided to make the final payment for our 2 cruises out of Venice in June because of the new cancellation policy. We are currently having a "staycation" at our home as we cancelled our Divina trip out of Miami for this week. We couldn't take the risk due to health issues. I'm cautiously optimistic and know we're probably in for another staycation in June. I'm losing my love of cruising. It has become too exhausting to plan and reschedule. Things will look better down the road.

I wish everyone the best as you navigate.

8 minutes ago, aprilF said:

GTK that you can immediately rebook another cruise.  That's somewhat helpful over waiting for a FCC to show up months from now.

 

I cant help with your specific question but I can say that when we cancelled another booking months ago it took 2-3 days to show as cancelled on MSC's website.  FWIW that booking number still pops up first when I log in so it didnt roll off eventually even though its been canceled for months.  Did you receive a new booking number?  If so as long as you can plug that in and get the correct information, I wouldnt be too concerned.  But without that booking number there is really no way for you to double check MSC's work that I can think of.  Sorry.

The new booking confirmations and e tickets were for the cruise I cancelled! We did not rebook. I’m really concerned. It sounds like we signed up for cruise assurance, but didn’t actually have our cruise cancelled. Will be on the phone all day again today. 😔

3 hours after getting a confirmation from MSC assurance concerning our cancellation, I received new booking confirmations and E tickets for our cruise on Friday. My online account still shows our booking confirmed and that we leave in 3 days. Did anyone else who used the assurance program have this happen?

Just a little nervous about losing the money as we’ve had several booking issues with MSC before.

12 minutes ago, aprilF said:

Wow, so we cant even make plans for the rebook until 15 days after our sailing date?  Or I wonder if that was just because you date was so close.

They're probably still figuring it out!

52 minutes ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

@L2float OMGosh, that is just terrible. Very frustrating. Sending you positive vibes to get this straightened out immediately!!! 

Thanks for the positive vibes! Our last call was at 5:01 and we received an email with the reference number by 6:04. A certificate with the FCC should be received within 15 days of sail date. Let's hope this isn't another Ocean Cay 20% voucher that takes months to use! I hope the best for all as you make your travel decisions. 

My husband began to call at 8 am. Stayed on hold until 2 phones died. Tried again after recharging. Tomorrow is our last chance to cancel as we sail on Friday. 😔

I wish they would take numbers or emails and reply. They need a triage system to help those who are set to embark first. I'm happy they have made an offer, but hope we can take advantage.

We’ve been calling ALL day, sitting with the speaker phone for hours plus and have not had our call answered. We leave Friday. Tomorrow is my last day to cancel. I feel like the FCC is a farce.

We cancelled a cruise because we found an itinerary we liked better several months back. We were told 1-2 months for the credit of our deposit on our card, but we received it in a couple of days. I hope this is the same for you!

22 hours ago, Hootss said:

Sorry to hear about the cancer L2Float.  Two years ago my wife was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer.  She is doing as well as can be expected and we look forward to these cruises (ours is scheduled for July) as a great way to get away from the daily grind.  

Thank you for the encouragement. So glad to hear that you’re traveling together after 2 years. Hoping all of our summer cruises go as planned.

26 minutes ago, Jewel2020 said:

We have a Mediterranean cruise booked for end of May, with 5 days booked in Rome before the cruise and other areas in Europe after the cruise. This is our dream vacation and have waited a very long time for this trip, we booked this last Fall. Everything is paid for!  I am very depressed over this situation and yes very nervous about this, the only way I will get any money back I suspect is if the flights into Rome are cancelled and if the cruise is cancelled.  So I'm waiting it out.  Sucks!!  we waited till we were empty nesters and this was our gift to us after we sent our child off to University..LOL!

I feel for you. This was our dream vacation, too. It was planned for after our last child graduated. Three weeks alone in Europe. We put a lot of money into this and it is doubtful that we would be able to do it again. Let’s just hope for the best. Things may look very different in a couple of months.  🙏🏻🤞

18 minutes ago, ela05 said:

Hi I just want to share my thoughts about the Coronavirus, as I'm italian and I live in Italy, near Turin, in north west of the country.

On a population of about 55 millions people, we have about 1600 test-positive people. Our life here is more or less always the same: go to work, go shopping, but we have taken some precautions towards the possible spread of the virus: all school and universities have been closed last week in regions affected from the majority of cases: Lombardia (Milano region, 984 reported test-positive), Veneto (Venezia and Verona region, 263), Emilia Romagna (Bologna region, 285), Piemonte (Torino region, 49). School still closed now in Lombardia, Veneto and Emilia Romagna until 3/8, in Piemonte kids will go back to school in 2 days.

Every single person who looks ill, with fever, cough, etc... undergoes Coronavirus test. Our sanitary service is working great to prevent new infections, unlike other countries we have free access to every level of sanitary care, so there is no risk of people not having the right care just because they can't pay for that, and this is a great way to border infection, I guess.

I cannot tell you to keep your travel plans or to change them, of course, I just want to share a little optimism for the ones who have reservations for next months. The biggest problem is the policy of foreign countries towards people who go back home after being in Italy, nobody wants to be quarantined...unless you have severe health condition, the risk is not being ill, but being quarantined, as someone said before in this topic. Next 2 weeks will be crucial for the developments of the situation.

I have travel plans for may (our 25th marriage anniversary, a long week end in Budapest) and for august (Brilliance OTS , Norway and Iceland), and I am more than sure that I will be able to enjoy my holidays and that's what I wish for you all.

I'll say a prayer for L2float's husband, please do so for all of us in Italy, for the people who is working hard 24/7 to take care of sick people and for the ones who risk to lose their job (this is another consequence of the virus, especially for the ones working in tourism, restaurants and so on). Thank you (and sorry for writing mistakes)...

 

Thank you so much for taking the time to post. It is good to get the perspective of someone living in the area. Our media tends to get us worked into a frenzy at times. I know the risk is real, but your words have helped me take a deep breath and relax. Thank you so much for your prayers and warm thoughts. You are in our thoughts and prayers as well. We will definitely take your post into consideration when we finalize our plans. Please do post any updates here, either positive or negative.

28 minutes ago, GatorMomInNC said:

OP here.  I got this link from another cruising website, but it is an interview with (some big wig?) at MSC.  It is in French but he is saying they are changing PIF to 21 days for cruises through June.  Not sure if all bookings or new bookings, but this would be graat news for me personally, although unfortunately too late for some.

 

https://www.tourmag.com/Coronavirus-Nous-avons-revu-nos-budgets-a-la-baisse-et-retarde-des-projets-Patrick-Pourbaix-MSC-Croisieres_a102557.html

 

When I ran this through a translator it said new bookings. Hopefully there will be a post on the MSC site tomorrow to clarify. It seems odd that they don’t mind if those of us previously booked drop our sailings! This should be extended to all bookings.

29 minutes ago, GatorMomInNC said:

L2float, I am so sorry for what you are going through 😞 . 

Thank you for the kind words. Do keep us posted about your plans. Our balance is due March 16th. What to do? We thought about a land tour, too. Maybe Switzerland will be safer and we’ll just stay there! Beautiful place, but not what we planned. So want yo see Venice and the Greece!

On 2/26/2020 at 3:41 AM, GatorMomInNC said:

I have had a cruise on MSC Orchestra booked for almost a year for my family of four (2 children in their teens).    We also have plans to spend a week in Paris before hand.  The cruise leaves out of Venice on June 20th and goes to Italy, Greece, Albania and Dubrovnik.  I've been so excited and have loved planning it and looking forward to it.

 

I started to get worried a few days ago due to the spread of COVID-19 to Italy, and specifically Venice.   I am concerned that at some point I will be unable to travel to (or from) Venice or maybe even Europe, if the virus spreads and travel bans are put in place.   So worried that I woke up thinking about this and can't get back to sleep.

 

I went online and cancelled most of the excursions I pre-booked. I figure that if I go I can always re-book and likely there would be availability.  But in case there is a lot of cancellations I would like the money back now.

 

I have about 3 more weeks to cancel the cruise and get a refund. 

 

I bought insurance for the package I bought for Disneyland Paris, but I don't know if it would cover cancellations unless we actually got sick.

 

Stupidly, I didn't buy insurance for my flights to/from US/Paris, or to and from Paris to Venice, so without those being cancelled by the airlines, I would be out about $3,000.

 

If there are no travel bans I would like to go, but I would feel bad possibly exposing my kids to the virus.

 

I would also be afraid I would not be allowed back in the US.

 

Is anyone else booked for European cruises this summer thinking about this, or am I just panicking/over-reacting??

We are also booked on this cruise as well as on Lirica June 12th. We have purchased plane tickets with stays in Zurich for a couple of days before and after our cruises. As if the coronavirus wasn't enough to worry about, my DH was just diagnosed with cancer. We are sailing the Caribbean next week, with the doctor's ok. DH is in experiencing joint pain and quite fatigued, supposedly as side effects of meds,  but we plan to relax in YC. Too late to cancel and we're really looking forward to time alone together. He has an appt Wednesday and we will know more concerning how advanced his illness is. After that, we may cancel anyway. We've decided to wait and see on the June trips. My flights are non refundable, and we got a great deal on inside cabins for the Venice cruises (including application of the famous and extremely difficult to use Ocean Cay voucher!). We're in wait and see mode, like so many others. I've decided to stop planning anything ahead. After this, we plan to only do last minute cruises! Maybe I should just stop traveling. It hasn't been very relaxing over the past year!

Im sorry for the difficulties that everyone is having. Thank you for posting so that I know I'm not the only one with concerns.