Mark_T

MSC seem to meet the conditions for there to be no compensation beyond a full refund: "the organiser is prevented from performing the contract because of unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances and notifies the traveller of the termination of the contract without undue delay before the start of the package." The current dangers to shipping in the Red Sea would seem to meet the standard of "unavoidable and extraordinary" "(3) The organiser— (a)may terminate the package travel contract and provide the traveller with a full refund of any payments made for the package; (b)is not liable for additional compensation." So a full refund is due and no additional compensation. You can't then continue on to try and argue for damages based on non-conformity of the delivery under the contract as the contract has already terminated and the package never starts... This is why it is important to use a TA to assemble a package if you want non-cruise line flights to be covered as part of the package, otherwise you have to fall back on insurance, or book refundable flights...

As far as I am aware, 15 and 16 in Part 4 refer to the non-conformity of the services when they are delivered, but this is a cancellation before the travel has begun and is covered in Part 3 under section 13 so the damages clauses in 15/16 do not come into play as this isn't an issue of conformity as the contract has already been cancelled...

Are you seeing this error...?

Language is no barrier to understanding these days, but I'm happy with French & English (obviously). As I said earlier, if this is an EU regulation which came in after the UK regulations based on the EU rules were separated then you may well be right, but there is nothing that wide-ranging within the UK regulations...

I'd love to be proved wrong on this one, but I really can't find anything that supports this statement... If it is not a package or a linked travel arrangement then there is no protection for components that you separately contract with another supplier that I can find... The linked travel arrangements bit only covers the situation where you get up-sold with say a hotel after booking a flight on the same website etc. Booking a cruise on the MSC website then deciding to go to an airline website and booking a flight there doesn't make MSC liable for your flight if they cancel the cruise...

That bit was poorly worded, they are using the cause as a reason not to offer any additional compensation, but they are correctly offering a full refund of the cruise payment or a transfer to another cruise at the prevailing rate as per their T&C's.

I was about to post the same thing, and also since it isn't clear where the OP was planning to take the food, it is always good to remember that depending on where you are cruising it is often not possible to take food ashore either...

Yes a cruise is considered to be a 'package' for the purposes of the regulations as it includes both transport and accommodation, but that doesn't mean you get cover from the cruise line for additional and separate flights/hotels that you did not book with the cruise line... You can get your total package of flight/hotels/cruise covered by the regulations when you buy them as a package from a TA, and in that case the TA is on the hook for the compensation if things go wrong. For that reason you need to watch for any language in the contract from the TA seeking to treat the components as separate transactions rather than as a package... Your other point is of course correct, the danger to navigation from what would probably be classed as terrorism at this point would usually render most insurance invalid, but at least MSC are not using that as an excuse not to refund those impacted for the cruise cost.

Probably not, you usually bump up against the restrictions when you try to enter your address... US base TA's have been selling to the UK across many lines, but you do have to factor in that you do not get anything close to the same consumer protection as you would in the UK, but yes, the price can be cheaper as long as the exchange rates don't do anything crazy...

Interesting, and helpful, as many cruise lines are careful not to allow bookings in one region from those resident in a different region.

... a lot of us have not been able to log in using our accounts on the website for a few weeks now... A lack of proof reading probably doesn't even register as a problem for them 🙂

It does seem to be a mistake since the quoted text references the 'Easy Package' and is correct for that package, just not for the other two...

Look for a section in the policy covering 'travel disruption' or similar... They don't generally cover cancellation by the cruise company as that generally requires the cruise company to repay in full, so there is no loss to cover. ...but 'travel disruption' clauses would usually cover the related hotel and air costs if your policy has that, but not all do...

I certainly would not have handled it in the same way as the OP, but I'd have to agree that it is unacceptable for a guest to just wander into a shared space and start playing whatever he brought with him, be it an instrument or the speaker on his phone... I have known talented guests to offer their services to the ship and when approved there is no problem with that in place of the normal entertainment offered in that space, but it isn't OK to just set up and make noise in what is otherwise a relaxing space for all YC guests to enjoy. Not just a YC issue either as this applies to all shared spaces around the ship.

That is true, but people should not plan to miss it as you do not want to be chased around on the following morning for the mandatory 09:30 Theatre attendance...

There is protection for flights+cruise purchased as a package but not usually when purchased individually. This is why I mentioned right at the start that if you buy both through your TA as a package you would be covered... The UK has been out of the EU for a while now, so if this is a recent change then you may be right, but for the UK it would have to be a package. None of this is helpful for the OP though given they are booking from far outside the EU/UK...

There will be a long walk as the muster stations need to be somewhere with easy access to the lifeboats. Talk to your Butler or the Concierge when you board, if only one person is a cabin has mobility concerns then it is often suggested that the other takes both cards down to the muster station to be scanned. They will find a workable solution and it is always a good thing to make sure they are aware of those who would need further assistance in the event of a real emergency...

These days there are no spirits in the YC mini bars, but you do get to choose a full bottle for the cabin (more in some higher grades).

Use Disney, you may get Diamond with that, Sapphire with NCL will only get you Gold at most.

Unfortunately this is the risk you take when you assemble your own package of cruise/flights/hotel and you would usually cover that risk with travel insurance, or if living in UK/EU you could use a Travel Agent to put the package together for you. MSC are not liable for your flights/hotel or other costs like the visa, so there isn't really any basis for negotiation... With your flights, is there the option to cancel and have the value available for booking another flight in the future, or did you choose to book flights where you lose the entire value if you cancel?

I don't believe so as it doesn't appear on your onboard account.

Unless something has changed recently this is likely to be the current deal... You also get whatever is available by booking on the MSC web site. Regarding excursions, I've always found the MSC prices to be low compared to Celebrity for example.

... I imagine most cruise lines are back to a focus on Norovirus symptoms these days so the same questions as we used to have...

2 per person, but you cannot switch devices. Also note that it is is the 'Surf' package, not 'Surf and Stream'

If payment is showing as pending on your card I wouldn't worry, just keep an eye on it and if you don't get an email confirmation once the payment is cleared onto your card, or it vanishes from pending without getting charged to your card, then I'd call.