Do MSC not want solo travellers?

Hi all

I am a solo traveller, and was wanting to try MSC

....specifically Preziosa in 2017, yacht club. The ship looks stunning!

Well, after 3 days of trying to book this on the website I've given up :(

I get as far as picking the cabin, click on 'complete booking' and it is straight back to the home page!

Is this a website issue, or does MSC not welcome solo bookings?

Any insights? :)

Could be the website, give them a ring and ask about booking.

The website is notorious for glitches.

In the last 18 months or so they have not been making all cabins or even all cruises available to solos. You can tell if this is the case though because when you choose for 1 cabin and 1 person, the next page says no cabins available at this occupancy. Go back and select 2 and then there are loads of cabins available. Doesn't sound like it is that message you've been getting.

Give them a call in case it is yet another website issue.

Thanks for the replies :)

I was beginning to feel unwanted :(

I'll give them a ring tomorrow :)

Let us know how you get on ... :)

I know someone has booked as a solo on the Seaside in 2018, it is on one of the threads.

They do accept solo's.

When I originally tried to book the MSC Seaside it would not let me book solo, so I called and was told they were not booking solo's at this time. I went to cruise critic and was told several had been able to book solo. I called back and was able to book without a problem.

pat

They do accept solo's.

As has been pointed out by Amo Mondo, MSC has lost a lot of Solo customers since Giles Hawke took over the UK, Europe and Ireland mantle in the UK office and they have refused to book Solo customers at any price, these boards have also sadly lost a wealth of information on MSC because most of those Solo customers have gone elsewhere.

So while they may be booking Solo customers on Seaside I doubt that there are any on Divina and certainly few if any in Europe.

This has also made worse by the watering down of Black card benefits and the latest issue of status matching.

They do accept solo's.

 

As has been pointed out by Amo Mondo, MSC has lost a lot of Solo customers since Giles Hawke took over the UK, Europe and Ireland mantle in the UK office and they have refused to book Solo customers at any price, these boards have also sadly lost a wealth of information on MSC because most of those Solo customers have gone elsewhere.

So while they may be booking Solo customers on Seaside I doubt that there are any on Divina and certainly few if any in Europe.

 

This has also made worse by the watering down of Black card benefits and the latest issue of status matching.

Not true my friend has 3 solo's booked on the Divina!!!!!!!

My mom is booked on the divina in March she just had to pay 200% of the regular rate

Not true my friend has 3 solo's booked on the Divina!!!!!!!

Absolutely is true. Remember MSC do not operate the same way in every country. Your friend may have been able to book on the Divina. I on the other hand could not book on the Lirica and Fantasia and various other ships from 2014-2015. Why would I lie about this?

Why also would other UK posters lie about this? Look back the threads to 2014. When MSC UK did a complete about face from being very solo friendly to severely restricting places available to them.

They blocked entire sailing programmes on some ships and just popular sailings on others.

I can understand them preferring to have 2 rather than 1 person in a cabin. In the past they may have a quota from Italy on how many cabins they would allow at solo occupancy. Then if you called them, they would contact Italy and get another cabin cleared to sell to a solo. When the new policy came into force, even when they had dozens of cabins available less than 3 weeks to whe sailing date, they would not relent. Napoli insisted no solos, so they preferred to have empty cabins than a solo occupying them.

The OP is from the UK like me, not the US.

The position seems to have improved again albeit you still encounter a certain sailing where they will say that no cabins are available at that occupancy.

Not true my friend has 3 solo's booked on the Divina!!!!!!!

MSC is not just the Divina!

I tried yesterday online to make a solo booking on at least three cruises this year in the Med and Greek islands with the same answer, it would not allow you to book.

Not true my friend has 3 solo's booked on the Divina!!!!!!!

 

MSC is not just the Divina!

 

I tried yesterday online to make a solo booking on at least three cruises this year in the Med and Greek islands with the same answer, it would not allow you to book.

Thanks Dave!

My daughter booked a solo just recently for Ma rch 19 th Divina sailing- granted it was $300 more for inside cabin but worth it to her to come on family cruise .

She did not book thru MSC however. I'm m not sure if I'm allowed to mention website she went thru but if you give me your email I'll give you info

MSC USA may well be accepting Solo cruisers in order to get the brand out there, it would be interesting to hear from someone who has booked a Solo cruise direct with MSC USA.

My daughter booked a solo just recently for Ma rch 19 th Divina sailing- granted it was $300 more for inside cabin but worth it to her to come on family cruise .

She did not book thru MSC however. I'm m not sure if I'm allowed to mention website she went thru but if you give me your email I'll give you info

MSC has 11 other ships operating out of other countries, with others due in the coming years. The restrictions on solos we are talking about is for UK pax sailing in Europe and other non US locations. I believe that it is different with MSC USA, unfortunately neither I or the OP were wanting to book the Divina.

My recent experience: I am from the U.S. And gave up on the website. While the website is less than desirable, the lady who answered the phone was terrific. She pulled all inventory. We found and aft facing balcony that wasn't available on ANY of the traditional

Cabin inventory sites. She offered to hold cabin. I had my wonderful travel agent call immediately (because her agency was offering an additional 75.00 obc). No problem booking a b2 solo on divina for Easter week with education discount and a total of $175 in obc. Granted, solo rate was 200% but given baseline price of divina I feel happy with my selection and price point given this is a holiday week (only time I can travel in March).

My recent experience: I am from the U.S. And gave up on the website. While the website is less than desirable, the lady who answered the phone was terrific. She pulled all inventory. We found and aft facing balcony that wasn't available on ANY of the traditional

Cabin inventory sites. She offered to hold cabin. I had my wonderful travel agent call immediately (because her agency was offering an additional 75.00 obc). No problem booking a b2 solo on divina for Easter week with education discount and a total of $175 in obc. Granted, solo rate was 200% but given baseline price of divina I feel happy with my selection and price point given this is a holiday week (only time I can travel in March).

Yes it's always better to call.

My recent experience: I am from the U.S. And gave up on the website. While the website is less than desirable, the lady who answered the phone was terrific. She pulled all inventory. We found and aft facing balcony that wasn't available on ANY of the traditional

Cabin inventory sites. She offered to hold cabin. I had my wonderful travel agent call immediately (because her agency was offering an additional 75.00 obc). No problem booking a b2 solo on divina for Easter week with education discount and a total of $175 in obc. Granted, solo rate was 200% but given baseline price of divina I feel happy with my selection and price point given this is a holiday week (only time I can travel in March).

How much is the educator discount?

How much is the educator discount?[/quote

 

 

I found it.

An update :)

Finally, after multiple aborted online attempts and several frustrating phone calls I am booked on Preziosa, in the Yacht Club, for September 2017 :)

I'm a very easy going person - but I really hope the onboard experience is better than the booking/ customer services situation has been :rolleyes:

Oh, and the MSC website stinks! :(

An update :)

 

 

 

Finally, after multiple aborted online attempts and several frustrating phone calls I am booked on Preziosa, in the Yacht Club, for September 2017 :)

 

 

 

I'm a very easy going person - but I really hope the onboard experience is better than the booking/ customer services situation has been :rolleyes:

 

 

 

Oh, and the MSC website stinks! :(

My T.A. said MSC is taking solo bookings on the MSC Meraviglia without any issues.

An update :)

 

Finally, after multiple aborted online attempts and several frustrating phone calls I am booked on Preziosa, in the Yacht Club, for September 2017 :)

 

I'm a very easy going person - but I really hope the onboard experience is better than the booking/ customer services situation has been :rolleyes:

 

Oh, and the MSC website stinks! :(

It will be.

An update :)

 

Finally, after multiple aborted online attempts and several frustrating phone calls I am booked on Preziosa, in the Yacht Club, for September 2017 :)

 

I'm a very easy going person - but I really hope the onboard experience is better than the booking/ customer services situation has been :rolleyes:

 

Oh, and the MSC website stinks! :(

Yes onboard is definitely better than Landside and infinitely better than the website.

Yes onboard is definitely better than Landside and infinitely better than the website.

Good to hear :)

I have only ever cruised Princess, and the MSC booking set up appears to be vastly different! I have some questions as a result -

When I finally got the booking done, I had to phone again to get the booking number and ask for an email confirmation - is that not normally sent routinely?

How do I pay the balance? It seems there is no option online for this. Some instructions would have been helpful :rolleyes:

How would I request the bed being set up as queen?

The ship looks stunning, and the Yacht Club a great experience

....but I just feel a bit short on details right now! :)