Cancelled Sailings?

[Liviucostin]

Both Lirica and Musica were scheduled to be in South Africa for the 2021-2022 season. Musica cruises are still on for now.. 

[Bgwest]

Would it be reasonable to conclude that the Musica sailing from Venice to Durban is a repositioning cruise?

[drsel]

22 hours ago, Bgwest said:

Would it be reasonable to conclude that the Musica sailing from Venice to Durban is a repositioning cruise?

Yes, but they have not  listed ANY Musica cruise either before or after that sailing

[Bgwest]

10 hours ago, drsel said:

Yes, but they have not  listed ANY Musica cruise either before or after that sailing

I called the MSC 800# a couple of days ago and asked that very question. To my great surprise the agent I spoke with advised me that she saw several 3 day sailings in and out of Durban during the period after the Musica arrives on November 18, 2021. I immediately (and again just now) searched their website and could find no mention of these sailings.  

 

Musica shows to arrive in Venice on October 24, 2021 from Genoa with several consecutive sailings prior to Genoa so there is a steady scheduled leading up to the sailing from Venice to Durban but nothing showing after she arrives in Durban. 

 

Like everything with MSC, a total lack of communication and transparency with the paying public. 

 

We are still MSC newbies but we are clearly seeing a pattern that is deeply distressing. 

 

[drsel]

1 hour ago, Bgwest said:

Musica shows to arrive in Venice on October 24, 2021 from Genoa with several consecutive sailings prior to Genoa so there is a steady scheduled leading up to the sailing from Venice to Durban but nothing showing after she arrives in Durban.

Can U see any sailing prior to 7 Oct 2021?

[Liviucostin]

7 hours ago, drsel said:

Can U see any sailing prior to 7 Oct 2021?

I don't see any sailings prior to October 7 either but according to their website all Musica cruises until September 27 are canceled, so that leaves just a 10 days frame.. 

[drsel]

1 hour ago, Liviucostin said:

I don't see any sailings prior to October 7 either but according to their website all Musica cruises until September 27 are canceled, so that leaves just a 10 days frame.. 

I got a 12 night Musica booking from Copenhagen to Barcelona from 25th September to 7th October still showing as confirmed when I login to my MSc account.

 

Musica is supposed to reach Genoa on 8 October

Edited June 4, 2021 by drsel

[Stockjock]

12 hours ago, Bgwest said:

I called the MSC 800# a couple of days ago and asked that very question. To my great surprise the agent I spoke with advised me that she saw several 3 day sailings in and out of Durban during the period after the Musica arrives on November 18, 2021. I immediately (and again just now) searched their website and could find no mention of these sailings.  

 

Musica shows to arrive in Venice on October 24, 2021 from Genoa with several consecutive sailings prior to Genoa so there is a steady scheduled leading up to the sailing from Venice to Durban but nothing showing after she arrives in Durban. 

 

Like everything with MSC, a total lack of communication and transparency with the paying public. 

 

We are still MSC newbies but we are clearly seeing a pattern that is deeply distressing. 

 

I think you’re starting to get it. I got into a disagreement with a fellow on another thread who did not want to hear this sort of negativity, and had accused me of dwelling on the past, but the reality is these problems have not been fixed and persist to this day.

 

I was hoping to cruise this fall on MSC, and I have two active bookings. However due to lack of communication and transparency, I have booked a back up cruise on a competing cruise line during the same period and I could do that one without disrupting the flights that I have in place. I am not ruling out MSC for this fall, but if I don’t hear from them soon, I will just pull the plug on my two MSC bookings and go with the competing cruise line, which doesn’t seem to suffer nearly as much from these issues.

Edited June 4, 2021 by Stockjock

[Bgwest]

6 hours ago, Liviucostin said:

 but according to their website all Musica cruises until September 27 are canceled

This is exactly what I've been looking for confirmation on. 

 

Would you please tell me where you found that piece of information. Thank you VERY much!

[Wor1dTrave11er]

1 hour ago, Bgwest said:

This is exactly what I've been looking for confirmation on. 

 

Would you please tell me where you found that piece of information. Thank you VERY much!

 

Here you go:  COVID MSC Musica Updates| MSC Cruises (msccruisesusa.com)

 

MARCH 16, 2020 - SEPTEMBER 27, 2021 CANCELED CRUISES: 

Guests who have paid in full automatically receive a Future Cruise Credit (sent to guest or travel advisor email on file).If you prefer a refund once you receive your Future Cruise Credit (you must have your FCC prior to requesting a refund) you may call us at: 1-866-420-3584. 
 

Please see refund request timeline below:

April 1 - May 14, 2021 canceled cruises call us between May 17 - Jun. 14, 2021
May 1 - 31, 2021 canceled cruises call us between May 18 - Jun. 18, 2021
June onward canceled cruises call us within 30 days of receiving your FCC

[Bgwest]

4 hours ago, Wor1dTrave11er said:

 

Here you go:  COVID MSC Musica Updates| MSC Cruises (msccruisesusa.com)

 

MARCH 16, 2020 - SEPTEMBER 27, 2021 CANCELED CRUISES: 

Guests who have paid in full automatically receive a Future Cruise Credit (sent to guest or travel advisor email on file).If you prefer a refund once you receive your Future Cruise Credit (you must have your FCC prior to requesting a refund) you may call us at: 1-866-420-3584. 
 

Please see refund request timeline below:

April 1 - May 14, 2021 canceled cruises call us between May 17 - Jun. 14, 2021
May 1 - 31, 2021 canceled cruises call us between May 18 - Jun. 18, 2021
June onward canceled cruises call us within 30 days of receiving your FCC

Thank you very much!!

[drsel]

June 11, 2021

With significant travel restrictions still in place and following the guidance of governments and health authorities around the world, we have made the difficult decision to cancel bookings for guests *outside of Schengen regions* booked on the following sailings:

• MSC Musica cruises with departures from June 19, 2021 to September 27, 2021
• MSC Preziosa cruises with departures from June 21, 2021 to September 22, 2021

GUEST COMPENSATION

If you booked through MSC Cruises USA and have already paid for your cruise in full, we will provide you a 100% Future Cruise Credit of your original cruise fare paid, excluding government taxes and fees.

In addition, you will receive onboard credit to use on your next cruise, based on the length of your original cruise.

• If your original cruise was 5 to 14 nights, you will receive $200 onboard credit per stateroom to use on your next cruise. Those booked in a single occupancy stateroom will receive $100 onboard credit per stateroom.
• If your original cruise was 15 nights or longer, you will receive $400 onboard credit per stateroom to use on your next cruise. Those booked in a single occupancy stateroom will receive $200 onboard credit per stateroom.

Your Future Cruise Credit can be used on any future cruise of your choice – including any ship and any itinerary that is open for sale when you make your new booking. Your new cruise, using your Future Cruise Credit, must be booked by April 30, 2022.

Please consider this email to be your confirmation of your 100% Future Cruise Credit — equal to the amount paid to MSC Cruises — and onboard credit which will be automatically applied to your new cruise at the time of booking. To redeem your FCC and onboard credit, call your travel advisor or MSC Cruises at 866-420-3584 and reference your booking number. For any other expenses that you may have incurred, such as flights, hotels, or transport, please contact your travel advisor or airline.

Due to the extraordinary circumstances related to the pandemic, we are currently processing a high volume of transactions. We appreciate your patience as we aim to process refunds to prepaid items and government taxes and fees as quickly as possible.

How to Use Your Future Cruise Credit & Onboard Credit

With the Future Cruise Credit and additional onboard credit, you can rebook your cruise and treat yourself to an add-on that you pre-purchase such as specialty dining, beverage packages, Wi-Fi or spa treatments. As an added level of comfort, if you do not use your Future Cruise Credit by April 30, 2022, we will automatically provide you a full refund equal to the original amount paid.

Please note, if you booked your cruise with a Future Cruise Credit that you had already received for a previous cancellation, you will receive 100% Future Cruise Credit for the total amount paid on your current booking, including your previous Future Cruise Credit value, whether your cruise was paid in full or outside of final payment. This amount already includes compensation provided for previous bookings that were paid in full or outside of final payment. Any applicable pre-paid items and government taxes and fees will be automatically refunded to your original form of payment. *The Future Cruise Credit will be good for any future cruise of your choice – including any ship and any itinerary in MSC Cruises’ fleet that is open for sale – as long as it’s booked before April 30, 2022.*

We hope you choose to sail with MSC Cruises in the near future using your Future Cruise Credit and onboard credit. However, if you prefer a refund, please call our Cruise Consultants at 866-420-3584 between July 19, 2021 and August 19, 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.

We appreciate your understanding given the extraordinary circumstances the world is currently facing in connection with the COVID-19 virus, and we hope to welcome you aboard a future sailing with MSC Cruises

Edited June 12, 2021 by drsel

[DCGuy64]

Wow, guess you have your answer, eh @drsel? 

[drsel]

15 minutes ago, DCGuy64 said:

Wow, guess you have your answer, eh @drsel? 

Now we can use the FCC to book any Cruise in 2022, 2023 and 2024 and we have 10 months to decide what we want to book

Edited June 12, 2021 by drsel

[Stockjock]

7 minutes ago, drsel said:

Now we can use the FCC to book any Cruise in 2022, 2023 and 2024 and we have 10 months to decide what we want to book

My advice is to skip the FCC, get a cash refund, and start over on a new booking.  FCCs are non-transferrable and non-refundable.   Plus, there's no premium listed, other than a low level of OBC.  Not worth the risk, imo.  Take the money and run then start over.

[drsel]

1 minute ago, Stockjock said:

My advice is to skip the FCC, get a cash refund, and start over on a new booking.  FCCs are non-transferrable and non-refundable.   Plus, there's no premium listed, other than a low level of OBC.  Not worth the risk, imo.  Take the money and run then start over.

 I am getting 50% return on investment and that's a good deal, I think

[Stockjock]

1 minute ago, drsel said:

 I am getting 50% return on investment and that's a good deal, I think

True, but you took a fully refundable deposit and turned into a non-refundable deposit, I believe.  Not worth picking up 50% in OBC to take on that risk, imo.

[drsel]

8 minutes ago, Stockjock said:

True, but you took a fully refundable deposit and turned into a non-refundable deposit, I believe.  Not worth picking up 50% in OBC to take on that risk, imo.

In addition to this 50% bonus, they will allow also me to transfer the new booking to any other  booking in future in case we cannot make it, for whatever reason.

We anyway want to Cruise with MSC in future, so we are not asking for a refund.

Edited June 12, 2021 by drsel

[Stockjock]

Just now, drsel said:

In addition to this 50% bonus, they will allow also me to transfer the new booking to any other  booking in future in case we cannot make it, for whatever reason.

We anyway want to Cruise with MSC over the next 30 years, so we are not asking for a refund.

I presume that there are some limitations to that offer?  If you can cancel for any reason and kick it forward indefinitely, then that's not too bad.  Just make sure you have that in writing.

[drsel]

1 minute ago, Stockjock said:

I presume that there are some limitations to that offer?  If you can cancel for any reason and kick it forward indefinitely, then that's not too bad.  Just make sure you have that in writing.

Refund will not be possible but yes, more than 90 days prior to the sailing of the new cruise and before final payment, I can transfer the FCC to a future Cruise

[drsel]

I also strongly feel that the risk we are taking with $398 is minuscule compared to the risk taken by MSC, who are spending billions of dollars buying beautiful state of the art new ships every year;

without any guarantee that they will derive adequate revenue from these ships and get a decent return on investment

[Stockjock]

7 hours ago, drsel said:

I also strongly feel that the risk we are taking with $398 is minuscule compared to the risk taken by MSC, who are spending billions of dollars buying beautiful state of the art new ships every year;

without any guarantee that they will derive adequate revenue from these ships and get a decent return on investment

FWIW, do bear in mind that MSC is, I believe, the world's 2nd largest shipper in terms of container ships.  So presumably they have a more diversified revenue stream than other cruise lines.
https://www.ledgerinsights.com/msc-container-shipper-wave-blockchain-bill-of-lading-ebl/

Edited June 12, 2021 by Stockjock

[drsel]

26 minutes ago, Stockjock said:

FWIW, do bear in mind that MSC is, I believe, the world's 2nd largest shipper in terms of container ships.  So presumably they have a more diversified revenue stream than other cruise lines.

Yes, so they are more likely to survive this pandemic.

they are much stronger financially than all the other Cruise lines.

In fact I expect them to grow faster than all the other Cruise lines and become number one in a few years time

Edited June 12, 2021 by drsel

[drsel]

In fact, their pricing power can soon make them a monopoly in the cruise industry.

[drsel]

Also remember, that unlike most of the other Cruise lines, they did not sell even a single ship, leave alone scrap them.

And they have the newest and most beautiful fleet in the entire Cruise industry.