The Armonia is Cancelled for April 4th

[jabcruiser]

I had just read an article this am about MSC and how it might be a good choice for US cruisers.  I had never considered them.  However, I decided to look at CC boards to get other cruisers opinions.  Oops.  Now I know.  NEVER EVER BOOK A CRUISE ON MSC.  Thank you for letting me know about this sleazy outfit.  Now I will continue on with my search for a new cruise to book.  Probably thru HAL.

Jane

[shipgeeks]

1 minute ago, jabcruiser said:

I had just read an article this am about MSC and how it might be a good choice for US cruisers.  I had never considered them.  However, I decided to look at CC boards to get other cruisers opinions.  Oops.  Now I know.  NEVER EVER BOOK A CRUISE ON MSC.  Thank you for letting me know about this sleazy outfit.  Now I will continue on with my search for a new cruise to book.  Probably thru HAL.

Jane

And then again, there are those of us who have no complaints at all about our MSC cruises.

[merryjewelhound]

Shipgeeks, I was super excited to try them. I mean I stayed 5 days in Rome to take a 4 day cruise (about $500 for 2). I will never know. I am not slamming them to be mean, They really did leave me with less than 24 hour notice of cancellation and no phone number or any help. 

[8420PR]

Others are reporting they were offered to change to a cruise leaving on the 7th April for free?   Did they not offer this to you?

 

[merryjewelhound]

11 minutes ago, 8420PR said:

Others are reporting they were offered to change to a cruise leaving on the 7th April for free?   Did they not offer this to you?

 

They did mention that cruise but nothing about it being free. I had concerns about paying for a hotel room for 3 days and it seemed to be from another city. The problems we have run into and hopefully insurance may cover???? is that we were too late to cancel our hotel in Venice and have been charged for 1 night of it. We were in the port so we paid taxi, transportation to get there, the hotel and then the next day back to Rome. Each fee is not much but I have now exceeded the price of the $500 4 day experimental cruise to see if I liked MSC. I just wasn't confident in MSC to help me.

Edited April 4 by merryjewelhound
duplicate wording

[MsTabbyKats]

1 hour ago, merryjewelhound said:

They did mention that cruise but nothing about it being free. I had concerns about paying for a hotel room for 3 days and it seemed to be from another city. The problems we have run into and hopefully insurance may cover???? is that we were too late to cancel our hotel in Venice and have been charged for 1 night of it. We were in the port so we paid taxi, transportation to get there, the hotel and then the next day back to Rome. Each fee is not much but I have now exceeded the price of the $500 4 day experimental cruise to see if I liked MSC. I just wasn't confident in MSC to help me.

They are giving you the fare back and a FCC credit of 50%...yes, only $250 but you paid only $500.

Traveling is always riskly...things go wrong.  That's what insurance if for.

I don't know what else you expected MSC to do?  

[merryjewelhound]

Thank you for your thoughts MsTabbyKats.

[merryjewelhound]

Well, I don't have much more to add to this topic. So I hope everyone has smooth sailing.

[MsTabbyKats]

10 minutes ago, merryjewelhound said:

Thank you for your thoughts MsTabbyKats.

You said you were in contact with your TA.  If anyone should have "serviced you", it should have been the TA.  That's what they're getting paid for.

[no1talks]

1 hour ago, MsTabbyKats said:

"Traveling is always riskly...things go wrong.  That's what insurance if for."

You are so right, Ms TK.

[CruiseMH]

20 hours ago, Essiesmom said:

 but they called at ports in the Canary Islands, (Spain), Madeira (Portugal) and then Malaga (Spain), all Schengen country ports, before being detained in Barcelona.  Were they trying to debark there?

 

the cruise ended in Barcelona. At the other ports one could assume that they would go back on board. But in Barcelona they had to do the regular immigration process because they were disembarking.

 

[8420PR]

3 hours ago, merryjewelhound said:

They did mention that cruise but nothing about it being free. I had concerns about paying for a hotel room for 3 days and it seemed to be from another city. The problems we have run into and hopefully insurance may cover???? is that we were too late to cancel our hotel in Venice and have been charged for 1 night of it. We were in the port so we paid taxi, transportation to get there, the hotel and then the next day back to Rome. Each fee is not much but I have now exceeded the price of the $500 4 day experimental cruise to see if I liked MSC. I just wasn't confident in MSC to help me.

Keep the receipts for the accommodation and food, and either you, your TA or insurance company can submit them to MSC for reimbursement (up to €80 per night for the accommodation for 3 nights).  

 

https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/travel/passenger-rights/ship/index_en.htm

 

 

As per MSC T&C you have 2 months to make the claim.

 

20.3 Complaints based on Regulation (EU) 1177/2010 regarding accessibility, cancellation or delays must be lodged within 2 months from the date of the provision of services in this regard. The carrier must comment within one month on whether the complaint is justified, has been rejected or is still being processed. The final decision will be communicated within 3 months. The traveler is obliged to provide the company with all information necessary to process the complaint. If the traveler does not agree with the decision, he is free to appeal to the body responsible for his complaint in the country of the port of embarkation.

[Selion]

2 hours ago, MsTabbyKats said:

You said you were in contact with your TA.  If anyone should have "serviced you", it should have been the TA.  That's what they're getting paid for.

Not sure if it's their TA, or MSC's agent.  But if it's a TA, 4 days getting from Rome to Venice is easy to fill.  Either stay extra days in Rome, or even better, Florence.  Transportation?  High speed trains.

[Stockjock]

35 minutes ago, 8420PR said:

Keep the receipts for the accommodation and food, and either you, your TA or insurance company can submit them to MSC for reimbursement (up to €80 per night for the accommodation for 3 nights).  

 

https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/travel/passenger-rights/ship/index_en.htm

 

 

As per MSC T&C you have 2 months to make the claim.

 

20.3 Complaints based on Regulation (EU) 1177/2010 regarding accessibility, cancellation or delays must be lodged within 2 months from the date of the provision of services in this regard. The carrier must comment within one month on whether the complaint is justified, has been rejected or is still being processed. The final decision will be communicated within 3 months. The traveler is obliged to provide the company with all information necessary to process the complaint. If the traveler does not agree with the decision, he is free to appeal to the body responsible for his complaint in the country of the port of embarkation.

It sounds as if this could be a good option.  In my view, MSC needs to make this right.  I understand that this wasn't necessarily their fault, but it would seem that their passengers have rights, and beyond that, taking care of your customers is the right thing to do, within reason, of course.

MSC is a huge company with over $4,000,000,000.00 in revenues in 2023, so it won't break the bank for them to take care of their customers, and provide substantial goodwill in the process.

But from what I can see, EU 1177/2010 might be a good route to take, or at least attempt.

 

Your ship's crossing was cancelled

If the ferry or cruise you are booked on is delayed or cancelled, the carrier or the body managing the terminal has to inform you of the new estimated departure and arrival times within 30 minutes of the originally scheduled departure time. They must also provide information on your passenger rights.

If the service is cancelled, the carrier must offer you a choice between:

• a refund of your ticket and where necessary a free return journey back to your initial departure point – for instance, if the delay prevents you from fulfilling the purpose of your trip

or

• re-routing under comparable conditions to your final destination at the earliest opportunity at no extra cost

If you miss a connecting transport service because of a cancellation, the carrier must make every effort to inform you of alternative connections.

You are also entitled to assistance in the form of:

• snacks, meals or refreshments, in proportion to the waiting time, provided they are available or can reasonably be supplied on the ship or in the terminal
• accommodation if you have to stay overnight – for up to 3 nights, at a maximum rate of €80 per night – and transport to your accommodation and return to the terminal

You are not entitled to accommodation if the cancellation was caused by severe weather conditions.

Claim your rights!

 

Edited April 4 by Stockjock

[Fogfog]

4 hours ago, jabcruiser said:

I had just read an article this am about MSC and how it might be a good choice for US cruisers.  I had never considered them.  However, I decided to look at CC boards to get other cruisers opinions.  Oops.  Now I know.  NEVER EVER BOOK A CRUISE ON MSC.  Thank you for letting me know about this sleazy outfit.  Now I will continue on with my search for a new cruise to book.  Probably thru HAL.

Jane

Wrong and wrong again

MSC is a great line... but you do you.

This visa fiasco is not MSCs fault.. 

 

[Stockjock]

5 minutes ago, Fogfog said:

Wrong and wrong again

MSC is a great line... but you do you.

This visa fiasco is not MSCs fault.. 

 

Whether is it or isn't their fault isn't necessarily relevant.  As I see it, there are two issues.

1. What is the law?

2. Is further goodwill compensation warranted?

As I see it, the law *may* require MSC to provide additional compensation.  But beyond that, when folks buy tickets to cruise on your ship, possibly take holiday/vacation time off from work, possibly book hotels and flights, you have to realize how much that impacts your customer and, within reason, I think it's reasonable to take care of that customer under the heading of "The Right Thing to Do."

But again, *if* the law protects customers under these circumstances, then certainly the impacted passengers should claim their rights under EU laws.

Now if you were impacted in such a way, and would voluntarily choose not to exercise your potential rights, and/or request further compensation, then certainly that would be your right.

Edited April 4 by Stockjock

[alserrod]

10 hours ago, Fogfog said:

Wrong and wrong again

MSC is a great line... but you do you.

This visa fiasco is not MSCs fault.. 

 

 

I am sorry. It is MSC fault.

 

All documents are electronically delivered and it means they have some written code. There are several ways to know if they are true or false.

This is.... we aren't talking about if someone bought a passport in a black market and it is impossible to distinguish or if you have a fake stamp into a paper and it is impossible to know who stamped it.

We are talking about someone who took a paper, made a copy-paste and it seemed real but it was fake.

If someone accepts and sample that "seems" a document we have a real problem.

 

I bet next time they will ask people to send in advance these types of documents and will check them some days before embarking.

 

 

 

 

10 hours ago, Stockjock said:

Whether is it or isn't their fault isn't necessarily relevant.  As I see it, there are two issues.

1. What is the law?

2. Is further goodwill compensation warranted?

As I see it, the law *may* require MSC to provide additional compensation.  But beyond that, when folks buy tickets to cruise on your ship, possibly take holiday/vacation time off from work, possibly book hotels and flights, you have to realize how much that impacts your customer and, within reason, I think it's reasonable to take care of that customer under the heading of "The Right Thing to Do."

But again, *if* the law protects customers under these circumstances, then certainly the impacted passengers should claim their rights under EU laws.

Now if you were impacted in such a way, and would voluntarily choose not to exercise your potential rights, and/or request further compensation, then certainly that would be your right.

 

 

To be accurate.... it is under Spanish laws.

 

Just to know. EU hasn't any law at all.

EU writes guidelines about laws and it is each country who must make a law following those guidelines. That's the reason why there are a lot of issues shared in laws by the whole EU.

But a country can have the minimal required law or stronger.

 

In this case, I do not know which compensation applies. There aren't previous cases.

It is clear those who kept on itinerary to Italy will not have compensation because the ship captain can change ports of call

 

but those who embarked could.

 

If I were them I would look for a Spanish attorney focused on these issues.

 

 

[Xinran]

Thank you for the links to the EU laws, which may be of some help.

Here is our experience and some opinion.

MSC have not acted reasonably and subsequently have been very unhelpful. They would have known a few hours before they sent the cancellation that they could not have reasonably made it to Civitiveccia. If they had sent notification then, we would not have boarded our flight, and not been in a position of having to book and pay for accommodation, transportation and food for the next five days to get to the Venice destination they agreed to get us to, for our flight home.

We have received the offer of a refund of the tickets, but that will not cover the significantly higher costs of doing the journey to Venice ourselves. We are using public transport, booking basic accommodation, dragging heavy luggage and eating modestly. Not at all comparable to the standard, ease and enjoyment we were expecting on the cruise.
To set the ‘compensation’ into perspective: We have been offered ‘a goodwill gesture’ of £89.50 each (the cruise was a bargain!) FCC to be used only towards a full priced, minimum 7 day future cruise. And only if we release them for any further claims. 
We walked to the cruise terminal to try find someone to talk to from MSC, as we were having no luck with the TA nor our (very reputable) insurance company (both are adamant it is the other’s responsibility). We were eventually met by two MSC employees, who giggled at the suggestion that MSC might arrange transportation to our final suggestion. Their colleague went to get the letter setting out the cancellation, refund and goodwill gesture. 
No mention of an alternative cruise, which some have indicated above.
Due to the heat, the two mile walk from our pre cruise hotel, with cruise luggage, I sat on a chair to read the letter. (To complete the picture, we are in our sixties.) They quickly directed us to the public bus, to take us to the station, so we could catch our train to Venice - presumably where we could wait for four days for our flight home. Throughout, we were very polite, and undemanding, to the employees, who were clearly inexperienced and frankly unsuitable to face the small number of passengers starting to gather.

We are experienced, independent travellers, and dealing with this has potentially been easier for us, than many others. Nevertheless, I am finding it quite stressful, somewhat frustrating…and am very disappointed with the lack of support from our insurance company, the TA and of course MSC

Edited April 5 by Xinran

[alserrod]

I think there are several things that are clear

- There has been an error when accepting passengers with falsified documentation. This documentation is unusual but there are ways and means to check if it is correct or not.
- there is very little precedent for having to cancel a cruise. They are usually due to serious damage to ships.
- MSC does not have a protocol to manage cancellation problems (I don't know if other companies have it as robust). Especially when, at the beginning, responsibility was still unclear.

 

 

And what is seen is that all companies try to apply the criterion of "I will give you some compensation if you agree not to claim more."

 

I have accepted it on other occasions (not necessarily in trips, in any type of services) when the inconvenience generated had been minor and the expenses of claiming were much greater.

In this case I would complain with a lawyer (if the trip started in Civitavecchia you should look for an Italian lawyer).

 

Ask with the consulate that corresponds to you. One of the missions that the consulates have is to ensure that the law is complied with for you as with any national resident wherever you are and this includes providing you with a list of lawyers so that you can choose (I say this because the work of the consulates in general terms is unknown There are things they can do for you that we don't know and other people think they are personal managers).

And in this case, the compensation will be what the Italian legislation indicates, which I am not familiar with.

[merryjewelhound]

What I wondered why the option to join at the next port was not offered.

[alserrod]

50 minutes ago, merryjewelhound said:

What I wondered why the option to join at the next port was not offered.

 

 

So do I.

 

I bet because they didn't know when they would be accepted to sail