MSC assurance program

[CruisingMom77]

Has anyone contacted the dedicated number yet? I'm curious about how it goes. Are they able to reschedule your cruise while  on the phone  or they just issue the credit and then you have to call again to book your trip for another date. 

[CelebrationFamily]

Along these same lines, if you get a credit, can you then simply book online? Also, why not just send us an email with our options? Wouldn't that be easier on everyone? 🤔

[Tara619]

I’m planning on calling today to postpone my 3/21 cruise but I was waiting until later today so that hopefully the CS reps have a better idea of what they’re doing.


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[mlbdude]

I was on hold for almost 3 hours, but eventually got through to a very helpful agent that cancelled my 3/14 cruise.  I got the FCC and did not have to book immediately.

[joemcdub]

I called at exactly 8am when the phone lines opened, spent 6 minutes on hold and was the rep's first call of the day. And after a second brief hold was informed that the system wasn't working but she'd continue to try and would follow up. Got an email 20 minutes later that the form had been submitted.

[CelebrationFamily]

Thanks for the updates! Not sure when I'll call to cancel my March 27 Grandiosa sailing, but I appreciate being armed with all the info beforehand.

[Beardface]

1 hour ago, Tara619 said:

I’m planning on calling today to postpone my 3/21 cruise but I was waiting until later today so that hopefully the CS reps have a better idea of what they’re doing.


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You have 11 days to cancel.  I'd give it until at least later this week to call.  I imagine their lines are going to be swamped the next couple days.  By Friday and certainly next Monday things should start to clear up a bit.

[CruisingMom77]

35 minutes ago, mlbdude said:

I was on hold for almost 3 hours, but eventually got through to a very helpful agent that cancelled my 3/14 cruise.  I got the FCC and did not have to book immediately.

Thank you. but if you want, can you book immediately? Did you receive an e-mail about the FCC? Can you book your next cruise online with the FCC or do you have to call?

[mlbdude]

2 hours ago, CruisingMom77 said:

Thank you. but if you want, can you book immediately? Did you receive an e-mail about the FCC? Can you book your next cruise online with the FCC or do you have to call?

 

I don't know if you can book immediately, we were not even asked to.  They waited (and stayed on the line) until I received an email with a "transaction ID" for later reference.  

[CruisingMom77]

16 minutes ago, mlbdude said:

 

I don't know if you can book immediately, we were not even asked to.  They waited (and stayed on the line) until I received an email with a "transaction ID" for later reference.  

Thank you. Can you use the FCC to book your next cruise online, or do you have to call?

[mlbdude]

 

Just now, CruisingMom77 said:

Thank you. Can you use the FCC to book your next cruise online, or do you have to call?

I believe you have to call.  Never seen a place for that on their website.

[andymattmom]

Does anyone know if you can make a deposit to hold the cruise you want to rebook then use certificate to pay for? 

[BermudaBound2014]

Thank you to those that have shared experiences. I'm going to wait until next week to call. My cruise is still 3 weeks away.  I'll post what my experience is.

[L2float]

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.

[BermudaBound2014]

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

[L2float]

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. 

[aprilF]

22 minutes ago, L2float said:

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. 

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.

[L2float]

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!

[ste17l]

36 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.

 

This is indeed true. I was on hold for 45min with their call center. When I finally got a hold of them, they mentioned that the FCC is issued within that 15 day period after sailing of your original booking. 

 

Side note, I am disappointed that my current category on the MSC Seaside (May 9) is now $240 cheaper than what I paid. 

[L2float]

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.

[cellfree]

I have just found the form that you can complete on-line on the MSC website to cancel current March 2020 cruise and receive credit for another cruise anytime before 12/31/2021.  Has anyone used it and did it seem to work?  It would save me being 'on hold' if I call in to a MSC rep. Just a little concerned with the time frame that is implied.

[jhaagens]

17 minutes ago, cellfree said:

I have just found the form that you can complete on-line on the MSC website to cancel current March 2020 cruise and receive credit for another cruise anytime before 12/31/2021.  Has anyone used it and did it seem to work?  It would save me being 'on hold' if I call in to a MSC rep. Just a little concerned with the time frame that is implied.

 

I just did it, and received a FCC confirmation number within seconds.  It said that they would send a FCC certificate within 14 days of original departure.

 

The email is worded like to a travel agent's client, so I'm the littlest bit leery.  But, our sailing isn't until April 4th, so I will probably call in a week or so, once things have died down a little, to verify.

[skings]

I called 8:15 this AM. Cancelled my TA on Meraviglia. Booked Seaside for November 2020 and Grandiosa for May 2021. Will received credit that will be applied to new cruises in approx 14 days.  Did pay the required booking fee of $99.00 and $199 respectively because I wanted both of these dates and the cabin selected beforehand.  My understanding is the cruise credit will be applied to the first one than any balance to the second. Also my insurance will be transferred. 

[DaveNetMan]

I too would like to know if you can cancel your cruise and then immediately re-book it (to take advantage of the new lower rates)? Or do you have to wait until your FCC is mailed out?

 

We originally booked on the Armonia for $279pp for an inside cabin. The current sale rate on the same ship/sailing is $249pp for a balcony. In other words, a balcony is cheaper than the inside we booked. I discovered this on Sunday. I called MSC Monday morning, and was told they can't match/honor the lower price on an existing booking. My two options were to a) 'uprgade' to a balcony at the rate a balcony was at the time we originally booked and pay the $500 difference, or b) cancel our current booking and re-book to get the new lower balcony rate, but there's a 50% cancellation fee (as of Monday) which for us would be about $450. Neither choice is good.

 

So now with the new Cruise Assurance program which just started, looks like we can cancel w/no fees. But the only reason we'd want to cancel is to immediately re-book at the current lower rate. Has anyone tried this yet? Is it possible we can immediately use the FCC?

 

Thanks so much,

davenetman

[Cullyman15]

4 hours ago, DaveNetMan said:

I too would like to know if you can cancel your cruise and then immediately re-book it (to take advantage of the new lower rates)? Or do you have to wait until your FCC is mailed out?

 

We originally booked on the Armonia for $279pp for an inside cabin. The current sale rate on the same ship/sailing is $249pp for a balcony. In other words, a balcony is cheaper than the inside we booked. I discovered this on Sunday. I called MSC Monday morning, and was told they can't match/honor the lower price on an existing booking. My two options were to a) 'uprgade' to a balcony at the rate a balcony was at the time we originally booked and pay the $500 difference, or b) cancel our current booking and re-book to get the new lower balcony rate, but there's a 50% cancellation fee (as of Monday) which for us would be about $450. Neither choice is good.

 

So now with the new Cruise Assurance program which just started, looks like we can cancel w/no fees. But the only reason we'd want to cancel is to immediately re-book at the current lower rate. Has anyone tried this yet? Is it possible we can immediately use the FCC?

 

Thanks so much,

davenetman

What lower rate?