Prepurchasing Issues

[jimdicap]

Hello--I am on the Seaside in May 2018, and just pre-purchased photo and restaurant packages. In reading reviews of the technological challenges at MSC has me concerned. Should i be? Anyone have experience prepurchasing where it hasn't gone well? How was it resolved? Did you prepare for issues in advance? any input would be greatly appreciated.

[timelordjason]

I have not had any issues with this but as a general rule I have a plastic folding folder I call it my magical plastic paper. I dont go on any trips without it. ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING I purchase for the trip, bookings for hotels, cruises, prepaid tours, receipts of ANYTHING I will receive later I keep in there along with directions and instructions for each day and or place.This way I know if I get on that ship and they say I did not purchase something I will pull out my paper and make them give it to me lol. Nicely of course.

[Skier52]

Hello--I am on the Seaside in May 2018, and just pre-purchased photo and restaurant packages. In reading reviews of the technological challenges at MSC has me concerned. Should i be? Anyone have experience prepurchasing where it hasn't gone well? How was it resolved? Did you prepare for issues in advance? any input would be greatly appreciated.

I'd have a paper copy of every purchase you have made with you just in case.

 

I say this because when I did a B2B cruise in April 2016 they had my wife's booking for the second cruise but not mine, so she was booked on for 28 nights whereas I was booked on for 14 nights.

 

The best way of proving the fact to the guest relations manager was to fetch my booking form and ticket. he was most apologetic and we got some really good compensatory freebies (4 free massages, 4 extra bottles of prosecco, a total of 8 chocolate ships and a few other gifts) for their "computer says no" problem.

 

 

Even after 3 more days the computer still said no, but eventually they got it to say yes.

 

The treatment I got from guest relations, and all the other staff I had contact with, was superb throughout what was a most enjoyable 28 nights aboard.

 

So if they can get a fundamental issue, the booking of a cruise wrong, they can get extras wrong as well. So go armed with any piece of paper that relates to your booking, just in case "the computer says NO"

 

Pete

 

edit:- I've just read the post above mine and can truthfully say I do exactly the same with regards to a folder with every pertinent fact in black and white contained within it.

[riclop]

No issues here either.

[rednose]

As well as the folder I also scan all my documents and email them to myself. I then have them on my phone, tablet and available on web mail. Just in case.

Just make sure you save the email attachment to your phone and tablet as it could disappear.

[Beamafar]

I always print off everything, too. Came in useful when a booking for a show on Meraviglia was not in the system. I was able to "prove" that I had, in fact, pre-booked it.

[deliver42]

Like everyone else, I bring hard copies of everything I have with me, in case of any errors on board.

[CruisingFox27]

I feel much better knowing that I'm not the only one carrying a folder of documents in the digital age :D

The computer didn't have one of my Internet packages and lost DH from one of our prebooked excursions. Concierge sorted in a jiffy with the backup paperwork.

[timelordjason]

I feel much better knowing that I'm not the only one carrying a folder of documents in the digital age :D

The computer didn't have one of my Internet packages and lost DH from one of our prebooked excursions. Concierge sorted in a jiffy with the backup paperwork.

magic fun folders are the number one rule of all types of travel. Mine goes very extensive with envelopes for daily spending etc lol

[HRose]

My pre-purchased items appeared immediately on the website. They're listed on the e tickets too. They split the cost of the package prices on each of our documents.

[lisamarieh]

Just be careful if you upgrade your cabin and your reservation number changes. I had pre- purchased a wine package and about a week before our cruise a more desirable cabin became available and I jumped on it. I paid the upcharge and was given a different reservation number. Thankfully, I too print everything i purchase. When we arrived in the dining room, I was told they had no record of me pre- purchasing the wine package. I showed guest services the receipt with the old reservation number and I had a screen shot of my bank account on my phone showing the amount that had been charged. 3 days later I was still going back and forth with guest services, missing out on time on the ship or ports. Finally, they asked me to pay for another package and then dispute the charge with my bank. I told them I would not do that and in the end they gave it to me but what an ordeal!!

[Zephyr173]

Same here. Consider having paper and electronic versions. Don't forget to have static (I.e. Downloaded versions) in your tablet, phone or computer, not just cloud versions. Dropbox, for example, is really easy to use in such fashion, which is not necessarily the case for other products.

 

I had an issue where I had a pre-purchased meal, that added a code on the cruise card and "bumped" the Aurea drinks package code. So we had to get that sorted out and the charges for the first day's drinks reversed. No problem as I had all the backup documents.

[Beamafar]

Same here. Consider having paper and electronic versions. Don't forget to have static (I.e. Downloaded versions) in your tablet, phone or computer, not just cloud versions. Dropbox, for example, is really easy to use in such fashion, which is not necessarily the case for other products.

 

I have an iPad and keep PDF versions of everything stored in folders in iBooks so as not to be internet dependent for access.

[GOLDENBONNY]

Hello--I am on the Seaside in May 2018, and just pre-purchased photo and restaurant packages. In reading reviews of the technological challenges at MSC has me concerned. Should i be? Anyone have experience prepurchasing where it hasn't gone well? How was it resolved? Did you prepare for issues in advance? any input would be greatly appreciated.

 

do not book over web, just call them and book. Make sure its written on your tickets after. Should be no problem.

[renysmom]

As well as the folder I also scan all my documents and email them to myself. I then have them on my phone, tablet and available on web mail. Just in case.

Just make sure you save the email attachment to your phone and tablet as it could disappear.

 

 

We do the same thing.