Never will I complain about how Princess handles Cancelled Cruised after my MSC

[merryjewelhound]

Well just woke up in Civitavecchia as we had planned to board MSC Armonia today. A few of my thoughts about MSC and you can imagine I don't think highly of them. 1. A text was sent out that the cruise was cancelled at 1430 April 3, 2023 so less than 24 hours before boarding. 2. There was NO phone number or contact person "contact your MSC office" that was hard using an American cell phone and no idea how to find the number. Eventually the travel insurance agent was able to transfer us to them. 3. I fulfilled my obligations' to them. I traveled in a day early, The extremely kind agent could only repeat what corporate told them. Not their fault and we would get 50% free cruise credit.` I checked airfare and it was over $1000 to fly home from Rome to IAD. No mention of how to get to next port where our travel arrangements were in place or where to stay. NO OFFER OF ASSIST by MSC. I have taken city buses that cared more. 

We are Princess Elite and Sailed the Sun and it was fantastic! We were offered a move over by Princess but declined due to the MSC cruise ( I would have loved to have taken that) We spent extra days in Rome waiting for MSC Armonia 4 day cruise to get us to Venice. Princess is a total pro compared to what MSC has been

 

[cr8tiv1]

You might be able to edit your post (... in upper right hand corner).  I think you meant to write 2024.

 

[reedprincess]

https://apnews.com/article/spain-cruise-ship-bolivians-visas-197d178f424ca2cceaf82f5d5d66d4da?utm_source=RecoReel&utm_medium=articlePage&utm_id=Taboola

 

Why your raise was cancelled.... And yeah - you'll want to update to reflect you meant 2024... 

[merryjewelhound]

Sorry yes! 2024. I saw that article yesterday. I feel bad for the company...but I am still at the Dock with no ship to board and no way to spend the next 4 day nor get to Venice. I guess there will always be something that comes up as we have seen in the last few year. At least I can rave about the SUN.

[Guest Cable3232]

1 hour ago, merryjewelhound said:

Sorry yes! 2024. I saw that article yesterday. I feel bad for the company...but I am still at the Dock with no ship to board and no way to spend the next 4 day nor get to Venice. I guess there will always be something that comes up as we have seen in the last few year. At least I can rave about the SUN.

 

MSC is a budget cruise company, and Princess is not a budget cruise company, so I wouldn't have expected anything less.

MSC will follow the letter of the law and not any more. We have had a run-in with MSC that landed in small claims court. 

 

Time to make lemonade out of lemons.

The train from Rome to Venice is only 4 hours, and you get to see the wonderful countryside.

[merryjewelhound]

Thanks Cable, We spent 5 days in Rome touring waiting for the next ship and our happy with our decision to leave something for next time and head back home. Easter in Rome was lovely. 

[Guest Snaxmuppet]

I feel for you.

 

Have you seen how MSC treated Ben & David, well-known video makes (can't mention the video site or I'll get into trouble!)...? 

[ontheweb]

5 hours ago, reedprincess said:

https://apnews.com/article/spain-cruise-ship-bolivians-visas-197d178f424ca2cceaf82f5d5d66d4da?utm_source=RecoReel&utm_medium=articlePage&utm_id=Taboola

 

Why your raise was cancelled.... And yeah - you'll want to update to reflect you meant 2024... 

Wow, that is some story. I thought the people checking passengers in were supposed to catch that sort of problem to prevent exactly what happened there.

[Haveuseen1]

I go to Italy a lot.  You can jump on a train and go to Venice for about $50.00 per person or less. Nonstop in 3.5 hours.

[Essiesmom]

I doubt that the port employees checking in guests are trained to detect fake documents.  MSC is as much a victim here as the guests on the ship who expected to continue on, and those who expected to board the next cruise.  When an airline fails to detect fake docs or other causes that a passenger is not admissible to a country, the airline has to return them to their point of origin at their expense.  MSC is now stuck with having to send these people back…somewhere.  EM

[merryjewelhound]

We decided to head back home as we had reservations for in 4 days (Monday April 8) in Venice and didn't know where to stay till then as we would not be on the cruise. We are just so grateful to have been able to sail on the Sun. We LOVED it and look forward to sailing that class again. Maybe next year when they bring the new ship out we will try again for Venice.

[merryjewelhound]

2 hours ago, Essiesmom said:

I doubt that the port employees checking in guests are trained to detect fake documents.  MSC is as much a victim here as the guests on the ship who expected to continue on, and those who expected to board the next cruise.  When an airline fails to detect fake docs or other causes that a passenger is not admissible to a country, the airline has to return them to their point of origin at their expense.  MSC is now stuck with having to send these people back…somewhere.  EM

I could understand the failure to detect fake documents. It was that MSC didn't even give us a phone number to call when they cancelled the cruise. Princess has always been great in helping.

[ontheweb]

3 hours ago, Essiesmom said:

I doubt that the port employees checking in guests are trained to detect fake documents.  MSC is as much a victim here as the guests on the ship who expected to continue on, and those who expected to board the next cruise.  When an airline fails to detect fake docs or other causes that a passenger is not admissible to a country, the airline has to return them to their point of origin at their expense.  MSC is now stuck with having to send these people back…somewhere.  EM

But doesn't the cruise contract state that the passenger is totally responsible for having the proper documentation? Wouldn't that absolve them of the responsibility of getting them back home?

 

It really is a mess!

[Mark_K]

3 minutes ago, ontheweb said:

But doesn't the cruise contract state that the passenger is totally responsible for having the proper documentation? Wouldn't that absolve them of the responsibility of getting them back home?

 

It really is a mess!

It is a mess, and I doubt the Spanish government cares about contractual arrangements between the passengers and the cruise line.

[ontheweb]

1 minute ago, Mark_K said:

It is a mess, and I doubt the Spanish government cares about contractual arrangements between the passengers and the cruise line.

My point was meant to be maybe the cruise line will tell the passengers that it is their responsibility to get back and not the cruise line's responsibility. In other words, tell them they are out of luck and have to pay their own way back.  

[notley-cruise]

40 minutes ago, ontheweb said:

My point was meant to be maybe the cruise line will tell the passengers that it is their responsibility to get back and not the cruise line's responsibility. In other words, tell them they are out of luck and have to pay their own way back.  

 

Presumably if these 'passengers' had the intent to return home they would have had a flight home booked.  If they didn't then it adds fuel to the 'illegal immigrants' train of thought. 

 

Either way, without valid entry visas the Spanish authorities will be escorting them from their temporary ferry accomodation to the airplane and waving them goodbye all at MSC's expense, the carrier been held liable for the invalidity of the visas.

Edited April 4 by notley-cruise

[Eric from San Diego]

51 minutes ago, ontheweb said:

But doesn't the cruise contract state that the passenger is totally responsible for having the proper documentation? Wouldn't that absolve them of the responsibility of getting them back home?

It doesn't mean what you think.   When they state that "the passenger is responsible for having proper documentation" they are saying that if you show up for embarkation without proper documentation and are denied boarding, your cruise fare will not be refunded.   It is the same for the airlines.  

 

But as with the airlines, if they board you and transport you to a foreign country without proper documentation, they are responsible for transporting you somewhere you can be admitted.  This usually means back home. 

[Xinran]

On 4/4/2024 at 1:16 PM, Haveuseen1 said:

I go to Italy a lot.  You can jump on a train and go to Venice for about $50.00 per person or less. Nonstop in 3.5 hours.

The problem is that you then need to spend five days waiting for your flight home. Accommodation, food, drink entertainment at added cost. 

We were also left high and dry in Rome because of this incident. We’re making the most of our journey across Italy to Venice, to catch our flight back. But it’s most definitely not been the relaxing holiday we bought into.

The MSC employees at the port in Civitavecchia non-apologetically giggled when we asked whether MSC would be organising our journey to the final port, Venice. We were told it was easy to catch the train to Rome, then Venice, and were directed to the public bus to the train station.

We weren’t annoyed at the giggling staff - they were young, inexperienced and unfairly put in a position, way beyond their capabilities, to deal with the growing number of shocked and confused passengers.

 

 

 

Edited April 6 by Xinran

[ChutChut]

I'm really sorry this happened to you. I would be frustrated too - however, I don't see how MSC is at fault here. Just review your travel insurance policy and determine what, if anything, can be reimbursed. 

[merryjewelhound]

We made it safely home last night. My refund has already been posted. I am sorry I will never get to try MSC but could never trust them again. I did purchase MSC cruise insurance and we started a claim the day of the cancellation. I will keep you updated. I don't know what MSC could have done differently. BUT some show of caring (other than the cruise credit as I would need to have my head examined before I would use). I hope others that were stranded are able enjoy the rest of the journey. Plus now I have a dramatic cruise tale. I was telling the flight attendant and he couldn't believe.....

Xinran good luck.

[Arizona Wildcat]

The MSC employees would have had exactly no idea how to get anywhere in Italy.  Certainly not hard using a phone to Google, directions from X to Y.  You will get several choices.  Look at unexpected changes as an opportunity and your travels will be lots easier.

MSC got hoodwinked by the Bolivian passengers who showed official looking documents to Argentine officials (not MSC employees).  Spain handled it poorly and the decision to sequester the people and return them to Bolivia should have happened very quickly as the cost was always MSC's responsibility.

Sorry for your situation. 

[jwattle]

On 4/4/2024 at 1:00 AM, Snaxmuppet said:

I feel for you.

 

Have you seen how MSC treated Ben & David, well-known video makes (can't mention the video site or I'll get into trouble!)...? 

Honestly, I prefer to see how they treat regular guests rather that how they treat the "well known video bloggers"... 🙂

 

[cr8tiv1]

26 minutes ago, jwattle said:

Honestly, I prefer to see how they treat regular guests rather that how they treat the "well known video bloggers"... 🙂

 

The referenced YouTubers returned several times to their site to follow up on their MSC experience.  They were able to do a zoom conference call with corporate who apologized profusely for the misunderstanding.  The YouTubers have put this aside and all has been cleared.

 

I am not defending MSC for this latest delay.  It was something that was completely out of their control.  As stated, the port staff that allowed the Bolivian guests to board is a good place to start.  MSC could have required guests on board to clear required documents before the ship arrived (but then it would still have been too late). 

 

This reminds me of the long long lines of people trying to clear Covid forms before arriving in Hawaii post pandemic.  Or Japan that made us fill out immigration forms for Korea before we got there.  

 

This is not as bad as Princess cancelling Sun "inaugural cruiseS" at the last minute.  MSC was held up by Spain. 

 

[Guest Snaxmuppet]

51 minutes ago, jwattle said:

Honestly, I prefer to see how they treat regular guests rather that how they treat the "well known video bloggers"... 🙂

 

Why should it be any different? They were not doing anything that non-bloggers were also doing.

[Guest Snaxmuppet]

20 minutes ago, cr8tiv1 said:

 

The referenced YouTubers returned several times to their site to follow up on their MSC experience.  They were able to do a zoom conference call with corporate who apologized profusely for the misunderstanding.  The YouTubers have put this aside and all has been cleared.

 

I am not defending MSC for this latest delay.  It was something that was completely out of their control.  As stated, the port staff that allowed the Bolivian guests to board is a good place to start.  MSC could have required guests on board to clear required documents before the ship arrived (but then it would still have been too late). 

 

This reminds me of the long long lines of people trying to clear Covid forms before arriving in Hawaii post pandemic.  Or Japan that made us fill out immigration forms for Korea before we got there.  

 

This is not as bad as Princess cancelling Sun "inaugural cruiseS" at the last minute.  MSC was held up by Spain. 

 

Yes, the apology came afterwards... when corporate discovered the impact it had. It was just inexcusable IMO and not something that a corporate apology remedies for me.