MSC changes Saudi cruise again. Splendida, Jeddah to Trieste April 2023

[mscdivina2016]

This is the 2nd time that they have costed me money now.  My cruise is now an extra day longer.  They already added 3 days about 2 months ago and airline fee's costed me $400, now they did it again. Another $400 change fee I just paid.

I do have 4 additional nights in Yacht club. Total of 18 nights now.

 

They also reassigned my cabin from deck 15 to deck 16, directly under the pool area where they drag the tent every morning at the crack of Dawn.

 

I am starting to feel bad for the TA now.

[Hlitner]

Remind me to never book a MSC cruise on which you are a passenger :).  Your track record with "issues" is something we wish to avoid.

 

Hank

[awhcruiser]

If I were mscdivina I would cancel all my cruises with MSC and never sail them again.  

[mscdivina2016]

6 minutes ago, awhcruiser said:

If I were mscdivina I would cancel all my cruises with MSC and never sail them again.  

Yacht club deposits non refundable.

Our family has 19 yacht club cabins booked over the next several months.

[SirWolf]

I called MSC U.S.A. customer service after noticing that the stateroom has changed in my booking from selected room number to Guarantee.

MSC Customer Service representative told me that the change of itinerary ( 1 more day .. Bari, Italy ) caused the change.. and that staterooms will get (re)-assigned within 1 to 2 business days.

Let’s see if anything happens..

[mscdivina2016]

23 minutes ago, SirWolf said:

I called MSC U.S.A. customer service after noticing that the stateroom has changed in my booking from selected room number to Guarantee.

MSC Customer Service representative told me that the change of itinerary ( 1 more day .. Bari, Italy ) caused the change.. and that staterooms will get (re)-assigned within 1 to 2 business days.

Let’s see if anything happens..

Is that in Yacht club?  I actually have a YC cabin but it's terrible.

[SirWolf]

1 minute ago, mscdivina2016 said:

Is that in Yacht club?  I actually have a YC cabin but it's terrible.

Yes, it’s a YC booking.

The cruise from Cairo is no longer on MSC U.S.A. website.. and the cruise from Luxor showed yesterday that many staterooms on deck 16 are still available.. but no stateroom on deck 15 .

[DoubleSix]

Last time they sent an email telling people about their cancellation options (full refund of deposit). Has anyone received an email this time? 

 

I'm fed up with MSC and want to cancel the entire cruise but I don't want to lose my deposit.  

 

When I asked them how many more changes they would make, they said they don't anticipate any more but cannot guarantee there won't be more. They said this two months ago when they made the last change. 

Edited September 15, 2022 by DoubleSix

[SirWolf]

8 minutes ago, DoubleSix said:

Last time they sent an email telling people about their cancellation options (full refund of deposit). Has anyone received an email this time? 

 

The “Itinerary Change Notice” from yesterday (09-14-2022) included information how to reschedule or cancel the cruise.

 

Quote: “ Alternatively, if you prefer to cancel your reservation and request a refund in the amount paid to MSC, please call your Travel Advisor. “

Edited September 15, 2022 by SirWolf

[DoubleSix]

2 minutes ago, SirWolf said:

The “Itinerary Change Notice” from yesterday (09-14-2022) included information how to reschedule or cancel the cruise.

Quote: “ Alternatively, if you prefer to cancel your reservation and request a refund in the amount paid to MSC, please call your Travel Advisor. “

Thanks! Last time it took them 2 whole weeks to and me calling every other day to get an official email with my cancelation options, but I think that is because I'm a Canadian Customer (but hopefully, will not be for long). I book cruises when I want a stress-free vacation. This cruise gives me nothing but anxiety. I'm 99.9% sure I will just cancel at this point.

 

 

[awhcruiser]

 

[Dididi]

We booked the Sokhna to Trieste version of your itinerary, embarking on April 15th.  When I received the email about the stop in Bari, I checked our booking and realized that not only did MSC change the end of the cruise, but the beginning.  

 

We were supposed to board in Sokhna on April 15th, sail to Safaga on April 16th, return to Sokhna on April 17th (to see the pyramids), and the onto a day at sea and the visit to Petra. The current schedule has us boarding in Sokhna on April 15th and spending two nights in Safaga before the day at sea.  No visit to Sokhna on April 17th.  We're not traveling to Egypt without seeing the pyramids.  Thus, I've requested our travel agent to move us to the April 16th departure from Safaga.  We'll spend a couple of days in Cairo before the cruise and take the short flight to the airport near Safaga on the 16th to board the ship.

 

The agent with whom we usually make our bookings won't book MSC because of complaints from other clients.  So we're using a new agent for this cruise.  The change in the itinerary has us very concerned.  This would be our first MSC cruise.

 

There's also the issue about our preference to disembark in Athens on April 25th.  Because the ship would be entering Schengen after stopping in Jordan, Egypt (and other countries before we board in Egypt), immigration has to stamp all of passengers' passports.  I don't know how MSC does this.  In other cruises, immigration officers would board the ship and either stamp the passports without seeing the passengers or would meet each of us at one of the public areas of the ship.  I'm assuming Greek immigration officers will "process" all of us into the Schengen Zone probably when we arrive to Santorini but in case this is not done until we arrive in Athens (after the stop in Mykonos), we'll be on the ship until that port.  Calling MSC didn't help.  Oh, oh.

[mscdivina2016]

2 hours ago, Dididi said:

We booked the Sokhna to Trieste version of your itinerary, embarking on April 15th.  When I received the email about the stop in Bari, I checked our booking and realized that not only did MSC change the end of the cruise, but the beginning.  

 

We were supposed to board in Sokhna on April 15th, sail to Safaga on April 16th, return to Sokhna on April 17th (to see the pyramids), and the onto a day at sea and the visit to Petra. The current schedule has us boarding in Sokhna on April 15th and spending two nights in Safaga before the day at sea.  No visit to Sokhna on April 17th.  We're not traveling to Egypt without seeing the pyramids.  Thus, I've requested our travel agent to move us to the April 16th departure from Safaga.  We'll spend a couple of days in Cairo before the cruise and take the short flight to the airport near Safaga on the 16th to board the ship.

 

The agent with whom we usually make our bookings won't book MSC because of complaints from other clients.  So we're using a new agent for this cruise.  The change in the itinerary has us very concerned.  This would be our first MSC cruise.

 

There's also the issue about our preference to disembark in Athens on April 25th.  Because the ship would be entering Schengen after stopping in Jordan, Egypt (and other countries before we board in Egypt), immigration has to stamp all of passengers' passports.  I don't know how MSC does this.  In other cruises, immigration officers would board the ship and either stamp the passports without seeing the passengers or would meet each of us at one of the public areas of the ship.  I'm assuming Greek immigration officers will "process" all of us into the Schengen Zone probably when we arrive to Santorini but in case this is not done until we arrive in Athens (after the stop in Mykonos), we'll be on the ship until that port.  Calling MSC didn't help.  Oh, oh.

First MSC....

Good thing you use a TA. Never book MSC without a TA.

 

Some advice....never call them or email them either. Have the TA do it or your booking will get screwed up.

I was booked on the Sinfonia prior to this but the extra 3 days is going to kill that.

 

MSC has lousy IT and worse customer service.

Great product in Yacht club which is why I keep booking.

[SirWolf]

2 hours ago, Dididi said:

We booked the Sokhna to Trieste version of your itinerary, embarking on April 15th.  When I received the email about the stop in Bari, I checked our booking and realized that not only did MSC change the end of the cruise, but the beginning.  

 

Thank you for the important information.

We arrive 5 days prior in Cairo and we actually like two days in Safaga (Luxor) instead of going back to Sokhna ) Cairo.

 

Modified itinerary as per today, 09-16-2022

 

Sat. 04-15-2023 ~ Sokhna Port (Embarking)

Sun. 04-16-2023 ~ Safaga

Mon. 04-17-2023 ~ Safaga

Tue. 04-18-2023 ~ At Sea

Wed. 04-19-2023 ~ Aqaba

Thu. 04-20-2023 ~ Suez Canal

Fri. 04-21-2023 ~ Suez Canal

Sat. 04-22-2023 ~ At Sea

Sun. 04-23-2023 ~ Santorini

Mon. 04-24-2023 ~ Mykonos

Tue. 04-25-2023 ~ Piraeus

Wed. 04-26-2023 ~ Katakolon

Thu. 04-27-2023 ~ Kotor

Fri. 04-28-2023 ~ Bari

Sat. 04-29-2023 ~ At Sea

Sun. 04-30-2023 ~ Trieste (Disembarking)

 

[KINGBOBOFTHENORTH]

On 9/16/2022 at 11:50 AM, Dididi said:

There's also the issue about our preference to disembark in Athens on April 25th.  Because the ship would be entering Schengen after stopping in Jordan, Egypt (and other countries before we board in Egypt), immigration has to stamp all of passengers' passports.  I don't know how MSC does this.  In other cruises, immigration officers would board the ship and either stamp the passports without seeing the passengers or would meet each of us at one of the public areas of the ship.  I'm assuming Greek immigration officers will "process" all of us into the Schengen Zone probably when we arrive to Santorini but in case this is not done until we arrive in Athens (after the stop in Mykonos), we'll be on the ship until that port. 

It seems likely that MSC will collect everyone's passports at the beginning of the cruise and then return them just prior to entering the EU or just after the first EU port. Passport stamps as required will be obtained by MSC.

[mscdivina2016]

5 minutes ago, KINGBOBOFTHENORTH said:

It seems likely that MSC will collect everyone's passports at the beginning of the cruise and then return them just prior to entering the EU or just after the first EU port. Passport stamps as required will be obtained by MSC.

You are partially correct if not fully correct. It's a wait and see.

 

I the past they have collected them and then we need to pick them up, go ashore and give them back. Other times we needed a face to face onboard on a Sea day.  

Depends on each countries requirements at that time.

[KINGBOBOFTHENORTH]

21 hours ago, mscdivina2016 said:

Depends on each countries requirements at that time.

Makes sense.