Cruising out of the US in April?

[Geobugs]

My best guess would be that since you applied $1974 FCC from your 10/20 cruise, then they will reimburse you the port charges on the $4544, if they were $300 total, you will get that back on your credit card.   Then you will have $4544 minus the port charges in FCC.  They will not give you more FCC for the the difference between the $4544 - (port charges) - $1974.  But I could be wrong.  The wording says that they will give you FCC of 125% of your ORIGINAL fare.  Not of your new fare.

Edited February 4, 2021 by Geobugs

[hamrag]

10 hours ago, paulh84 said:

 

Do FCC's expire? If they do, this works out in their favor although it seems a bit backward on the surface.

 

They do eventually, if unused, but the true loss to you or gain to them is only the deposit you paid (in the specific query I answered, and my own case).

Edited February 4, 2021 by hamrag

[NCTribeFan]

14 hours ago, OneParticularHarbour 71 said:

We received our cancellation notice today too - it says that we can request a refund during a specific time frame once the FCC is issued if we prefer:

 

We hope you appreciate the increased value of the Future Cruise Credit and choose to sail with MSC Cruises in the near future. However, if you prefer a refund, after receiving your Future Cruise Credit, please call our Cruise Consultants at 866-420-3584 between March 1, 2021 and March 31, 2021. At that time, we will deactivate your Future Cruise Credit and process your refund. Note, we can only process your refund once you’ve received your Future Cruise Credit. If you are outside of final payment, and prefer a refund of your deposit, our normal cancellation policies apply.

 

I hadn't read the email closely enough.  That blurb about the refund was at the very bottom.  I was too focused on getting a 25% FCC on a fare I hadn't paid!

 

Does MSC allow you to stack your FCCs?  I booked the 11 nights as 2 separate sailings since I couldn't get the cabin I wanted when I tried to book it as one (which was odd enough).  I'd love to apply them both at once and book something really nice.  The only line I've been able to do that on is HAL. I applied 3 FCCs to one sailing and booked their all-inclusive rate.  

 

That's 10 cancellations now for me, plus one I cancelled on my own, plus a Celebrity sailing that I did a Lift & Shift on.  Since Carnival already cancelled my October Med/TA B2Bs (which were re-bookings from the October 2020 sailings that were cancelled), I don't have anything booked until December (the HAL rebooking or a rebooking).  After that is Oz/NZ in Feb 2022, and that may not happen, which will make me extremely sad.

Edited February 4, 2021 by NCTribeFan

[dexddd]

Please report back on processing of FCCs.  Not much in reports, even from last round.

[phissy]

MSC seems to cancel cruises after final payment. They then drag their feet when providing FCC for cancelled cruise. Also, deposits on YC cabins are non refundable for any cancellations.  Looks like they need to keep cash 

on the books , during this difficult time.

[NCTribeFan]

All cruise lines need to keep cash.  They're all hurting.

 

I'm still confused on what sort of FCC I'll get for the 4-night that I'd only paid the deposit, but I'll just wait until I actually get the FCC and see what it is.  Like I've said, the fare was pretty low (I booked the base cabin only, not the drinks/wi-fi option).

 

Maybe by the time I'm ready to re-book, the folks in DC will have decided to re-open Cuba and I'll get to return to Havana.  I think I was on the next-to-last sailing in May 2019 that got to call there.  It was fabulous and I really hope I get to go again.

[Muushka]

On 2/3/2021 at 9:27 PM, Geobugs said:

My best guess would be that since you applied $1974 FCC from your 10/20 cruise, then they will reimburse you the port charges on the $4544, if they were $300 total, you will get that back on your credit card.   Then you will have $4544 minus the port charges in FCC.  They will not give you more FCC for the the difference between the $4544 - (port charges) - $1974.  But I could be wrong.  The wording says that they will give you FCC of 125% of your ORIGINAL fare.  Not of your new fare.

That's what I thought would happen (except I didn't know about the port charge refund).

Thank you!

[Debde]

Well from the get go I thought I'll wait and hope to plan for a November cruise. Now I am even highly doubting that. 😭

 

[hamrag]

2 hours ago, Debde said:

Well from the get go I thought I'll wait and hope to plan for a November cruise. Now I am even highly doubting that. 😭

 

I agree! Assuming it sails from the Med to the Caribbean, I believe the closest to US cruising will occur this year might be Seaview in the Caribbean. The boarding ports are Martinique (weekly), Guadeloupe (weekly) and Barbados (fortnightly) from 4 December.

[NCTribeFan]

Just for fun, even though I don't really know yet what my FCCs will be, I decided to look at early December.  I have my HAL re-booked cruise in December and thought, hmmm, maybe I can put together a quasi B2B with MSC & HAL.

 

One of the reasons I've gone ahead and rebooked every cancelled cruise is that my feeling is that when the go-ahead is given to resume sailing, there will be tremendous pent-up demand.  If the ships have to also sail at limited capacity, demand will far outstrip supply and cause prices to skyrocket.

 

I can't seem to find a fare that is truly "just" the cabin.  But the 5+10 Voyager price for a Bella interior (which is as cheap as you can get) is only a few dollars less than what I had booked for Fantastica Balcony for April.  The interior on the 7-night is $418.  I had the balcony for $468.  Yikes!  And that's with the 5+10 discount compared to the 5+5 on the original booking.  And I'd get less OBC in the interior.

 

Sigh.

 

I don't believe I got an answer to an earlier question.  Does MSC allow stacking of FCCs?  If they do, I can apply the FCCs from both and only book one, since I'm already booked on a 12-night HAL.

[shipgeeks]

1 hour ago, NCTribeFan said:

 

 

One of the reasons I've gone ahead and rebooked every cancelled cruise is that my feeling is that when the go-ahead is given to resume sailing, there will be tremendous pent-up demand.  If the ships have to also sail at limited capacity, demand will far outstrip supply and cause prices to skyrocket.

 

 

I agree that there will be a big demand once there is some assurance of real cruises.  However, from reading a lot of other posts, I see a lot of comments that "I won't cruise if I have to be vaccinated/be tested/ever wear a mask/only go on cruise line excursions/can't take my unvaccinated kids/can't walk around with a drink/etc.".   If any of those restrictions are in place initially, presumably those posters will opt out.  So I think there will be a place for those of us willing to comply, even with limited capacity, and prices could remain very reasonable.

[Geobugs]

March 2020 was my last actual cruise, on Sky Princess.  Booked Meraviglia for

December, and April, both cancelled.  I changed my mind about booking the May 2021 Meraviglia.  However, the August 21, Sept. 18, Oct 2 cruises on the Meraviglia $400 looks so good.

 

But I am thinking December now, Dec. 4th Seashore $700 or Dec. 11 Seashore $669. 

Edited February 7, 2021 by Geobugs

[Shippy]

   This original posting was soooooo optimistic.

Our cruise is not until the end of September & I am worried about it going !

[dexddd]

2 hours ago, shipgeeks said:

I agree that there will be a big demand once there is some assurance of real cruises.  However, from reading a lot of other posts, I see a lot of comments that "I won't cruise if I have to be vaccinated/be tested/ever wear a mask/only go on cruise line excursions/can't take my unvaccinated kids/can't walk around with a drink/etc.".   If any of those restrictions are in place initially, presumably those posters will opt out.  So I think there will be a place for those of us willing to comply, even with limited capacity, and prices could remain very reasonable.

The other gorilla in the room which I've posted before but doesn't get talked about is those that have to spend significant money just to get to a port.  For the four of us with all things considered probably $4k.  Then the risk of being denied or something happens mid trip.

 

Of course we'll get the buy insurance posters but what will that even cost or cover going forward?

[sidari]

1 hour ago, Shippy said:

   This original posting was soooooo optimistic.

Our cruise is not until the end of September & I am worried about it going !

Our next cruise was September albeit with Princess to Alaska but that is not likely now that Canada have banned cruise ships until 2022. The way things are going the same could happen in the USA which would impact our November Seashore sailing.

[Beamafar]

On 2/7/2021 at 1:47 PM, NCTribeFan said:

Just for fun, even though I don't really know yet what my FCCs will be, I decided to look at early December.  I have my HAL re-booked cruise in December and thought, hmmm, maybe I can put together a quasi B2B with MSC & HAL.

 

One of the reasons I've gone ahead and rebooked every cancelled cruise is that my feeling is that when the go-ahead is given to resume sailing, there will be tremendous pent-up demand.  If the ships have to also sail at limited capacity, demand will far outstrip supply and cause prices to skyrocket.

 

I can't seem to find a fare that is truly "just" the cabin.  But the 5+10 Voyager price for a Bella interior (which is as cheap as you can get) is only a few dollars less than what I had booked for Fantastica Balcony for April.  The interior on the 7-night is $418.  I had the balcony for $468.  Yikes!  And that's with the 5+10 discount compared to the 5+5 on the original booking.  And I'd get less OBC in the interior.

 

Sigh.

 

I don't believe I got an answer to an earlier question.  Does MSC allow stacking of FCCs?  If they do, I can apply the FCCs from both and only book one, since I'm already booked on a 12-night HAL.

No, you cannot use more than one FCC on a booking.   The original booking number is retained when using an FCC from the booking it originates from. 
 

In reply to another query, the FCCs do have expiry dates and also time frame limits in which you must sail.   I had 2 FCCs from last year’s cancelled cruises - they had to be used to book by 31 December 2020 for sailings before 31 December 2021. 
 

Despite only having a €200 deposit on one cruise (and €500 on another),  I received 2 FCCs each made up of 100% deposit plus 25% of the original fare.

Edited February 10, 2021 by Beamafar

[NCTribeFan]

Does MSC require a new deposit when you rebook or will they just apply the FCC?  I've had Carnival do both (not sure whether it had something to do with the fare code or what).  Sometimes they've just moved the funds to a new booking; others I've had to put down a new deposit.  HAL wouldn't apply my 1st FCC to a rebookings that were "free" B2B casino cruises (I had to pay $200 for the cabin but got that back as OBC), but when those were cancelled, I was able to apply all three FCCs to the one 12-night December sailing.

 

If the prices are really going to be what I saw for December, maybe I'll opt for a refund after all.  But I don't want to do that.

 

So far, the only line I've encountered that allowed the FCC stacking has been HAL.  Certainly not Carnival!  Wish I could stack some of mine!  Their FCCs are 100% of fare paid but the $600 OBC for 7 night & longer sailings is nice.

[Beamafar]

MSC uses the FCC as the deposit - they’re basically moving your original  deposit from one booking to another (as well as giving an extra discount for not requesting a refund instead).

[NCTribeFan]

Got updated booking confirmations on my cancelled April cruises the other day.  The 7-night (that was paid in full) showed a credit of $150, which would be the taxes/fees, so I guess that's being processed.

 

No idea how long it takes them to actually issue the FCCs, but I'm in no hurry to rebook at those December rates.

 

Getting vaccination #2 this afternoon.  Yay!!

[Geobugs]

December rates are very high, I agree.  I will check for my port charges refund on the CC.

[dexddd]

20 hours ago, NCTribeFan said:

Got updated booking confirmations on my cancelled April cruises the other day.  The 7-night (that was paid in full) showed a credit of $150, which would be the taxes/fees, so I guess that's being processed.

 

No idea how long it takes them to actually issue the FCCs, but I'm in no hurry to rebook at those December rates.

 

Getting vaccination #2 this afternoon.  Yay!!

11 months and waiting for our fcc.

[DCGuy64]

On 2/7/2021 at 10:49 AM, shipgeeks said:

I agree that there will be a big demand once there is some assurance of real cruises.  However, from reading a lot of other posts, I see a lot of comments that "I won't cruise if I have to be vaccinated/be tested/ever wear a mask/only go on cruise line excursions/can't take my unvaccinated kids/can't walk around with a drink/etc.".   If any of those restrictions are in place initially, presumably those posters will opt out.  So I think there will be a place for those of us willing to comply, even with limited capacity, and prices could remain very reasonable.

Yes, agreed, although it bears repeating that Cruise Critic isn't the sum total of all cruisers. Far from it.

Apart from the people I've met onboard at the Meet and Greets, most cruisers I talk to have never even heard of Cruise Critic. That's especially true of people not from the US/UK/Canada/Australia/NZ. And the response so far (if MSC is any indication) is that PLENTY of people are willing to cruise with the restrictions you alluded to. The issue isn't lack of demand, it's lack of access due to government lock downs. I think the pent up demand is enormous. Just my $.02.

 

 

 

 

[KennyFla]

On 2/7/2021 at 10:49 AM, shipgeeks said:

I agree that there will be a big demand once there is some assurance of real cruises.  However, from reading a lot of other posts, I see a lot of comments that "I won't cruise if I have to be vaccinated/be tested/ever wear a mask/only go on cruise line excursions/can't take my unvaccinated kids/can't walk around with a drink/etc.".   If any of those restrictions are in place initially, presumably those posters will opt out.  So I think there will be a place for those of us willing to comply, even with limited capacity, and prices could remain very reasonable.

 

Seems those who think mandatory vaccination will deter cruisers are in the minority:

"Many cruise enthusiasts appear to be on the same page as Waggoner. In a recent survey of nearly 3,000 Cruise Critic readers, a hefty majority believed vaccines will be important to the restart of cruising. More than eight in 10 (81%) respondents said they would cruise if a vaccine were mandated prior to setting sail. Only 5% said that a vaccine requirement would deter them from cruising, while the remaining 14% were unsure."

 

[DCGuy64]

10 minutes ago, KennyFla said:

 

Seems those who think mandatory vaccination will deter cruisers are in the minority:

"Many cruise enthusiasts appear to be on the same page as Waggoner. In a recent survey of nearly 3,000 Cruise Critic readers, a hefty majority believed vaccines will be important to the restart of cruising. More than eight in 10 (81%) respondents said they would cruise if a vaccine were mandated prior to setting sail. Only 5% said that a vaccine requirement would deter them from cruising, while the remaining 14% were unsure."

 

That whole article you referenced is worth reading. Rather eye-opening, too, if you ask me.

Thanks.

[hamrag]

16 hours ago, DCGuy64 said:

That whole article you referenced is worth reading. Rather eye-opening, too, if you ask me.

Thanks.

 

Indeed it is.

 

I received an email from Crystal yesterday, so they can be added to the cruiselines referenced in the article as requiring and evidencing vaccine to cruise with them. Surely it's only a matter of time before all major cruiselines confirm such requirement.

 

COVID-19 VACCINE REQUIREMENT

• Statement Re: COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement For All Crystal Guests

   

  UPDATED Thursday, February 18, 2021 1pm EST

  Like our guests, the Crystal team is eagerly looking forward to the resumption of service for our fleet of Ocean, River, Yacht and upcoming Expedition ship later this year. The company is preparing for this time by planning enhanced safety and health measures for guests and crew through its Crystal Clean+ protocols, which are continually evaluated and updated as appropriate. We are encouraged by the recent development of multiple vaccines and optimistic about what this means for the wellbeing of the Crystal Family and their loved ones around the world.
   
  With this in mind, and according to the latest scientific data and expert guidance, we have made the decision that guests must be fully inoculated with a COVID-19 vaccine (with both doses if recommended by the manufacturer) at least 14 days prior to boarding any Crystal ship and will be asked to provide proof of vaccination before embarkation. The new requirement is in addition to existing Crystal Clean+ 4.0 measures, including negative COVID-19 tests and health screening questionnaires. 
   
  We understand that the widespread availability of vaccines varies according to the distribution plan of each travelers’ home country and/or state. As of today, Crystal has voluntarily paused operations through May 2021 for our River fleet with cancellations into June for our Ocean ships, through August 1 for Crystal Esprit and through August for Crystal Endeavor. We are confident that our timeline for returning to cruising this summer will allow guests sufficient time to get fully vaccinated. 
   
  We expect all crew to be vaccinated; however, we understand that as it stands today this may not be a viable option for all crew members given their age and/or the availability of vaccines in their home countries. As part of the company’s Crystal Clean+ 4.0 measures, crew members are required to be tested for COVID-19 prior to leaving their home location to join the ship and must receive a negative result; they also will take a COVID-19 test at embarkation; quarantine for seven days upon arrival; and take a test at the end of that seven-day period and must receive a negative result, before beginning their duties. When vaccines are widely available, they will be a requirement of employment at least 14 days prior to service.
   
  There is no greater luxury than peace of mind, and it is important that each guest aboard Crystal ships enjoys the reassurance that every detail of their journey has been considered. This sentiment is underscored by conversations with our guests and travel partners and a recent Cruise Critic survey of cruisers that revealed that more than 80 percent of respondents would cruise if a vaccine were required.  Crystal’s top priority is its guests’ and crew’s health and safety and, along with our comprehensive health and safety protocols, this additional measure will allow travelers to explore the world again with their minds at ease and their spirit of discovery renewed.