aprilF

6 hours ago, mickey89 said:

 

..........except it will take MSC another week to decide to follow suit.

 

Selfishly I am hoping for just a tad longer.  I have reservations on 5/20 and I cant imagine being on the first or second wave back.  That said it looks to me like if MSC cancels a cruise you are no better off than if you had just called today and taken the FCC (for US bookings).  I dont see how this is legal.  My contract clearly spells out that if MSC cancels a cruise for whatever reason, no exclusions that I could find, that the customer would receive a full refund.  So am I going to have to sue MSC to get what their contract calls for as a resolution?  Are they just counting on the fact that Americans wont go to Switzerland (or wherever) to do so and we will take what's given?  Does anyone see why MSC thinks this is a valid way for them to resolve this issue?

1 minute ago, Addict said:

 

We have an ongoing annual worldwide policy.  Are you saying most insurers won't now cover you even if you were insured before all this started?

 

YOu will only know by reading your specific policy but some do exclude pandemics.

1 minute ago, antiq said:

I received an email from my TA, MSC advised I should cancel my reservation for our MSC Grandiosa May2nd out of Marseille.

Does not appear refund is an option?  Has anyone had a refund without the hefty penalty?

I am not planning for another long distance holiday in 2021.

Is anyone able to get a travel insurance that will cover Corona Virus medical events?

So are you saying that MSC advises you to cancel but will offer noting but FCC?  Can you share the email content?

4 minutes ago, Gerard02 said:

Was due to fly to Brazil tomorrow and pick up the MSC Sinfonia and sail back to the Med. Cruise wads cancelled, Cruise 1st gave a full refund.

Full refund as in money?  Not credit?  Some people are saying refund when they mean credit.

And I'm sorry your trip was cancelled.

1 minute ago, L2float said:

The new booking confirmations and e tickets were for the cruise I cancelled! We did not rebook. I’m really concerned. It sounds like we signed up for cruise assurance, but didn’t actually have our cruise cancelled. Will be on the phone all day again today. 😔

Oh no!  That sounds like a big error.  I'm sorry.

10 hours ago, L2float said:

3 hours after getting a confirmation from MSC assurance concerning our cancellation, I received new booking confirmations and E tickets for our cruise on Friday. My online account still shows our booking confirmed and that we leave in 3 days. Did anyone else who used the assurance program have this happen?

Just a little nervous about losing the money as we’ve had several booking issues with MSC before.

GTK that you can immediately rebook another cruise.  That's somewhat helpful over waiting for a FCC to show up months from now.

I cant help with your specific question but I can say that when we cancelled another booking months ago it took 2-3 days to show as cancelled on MSC's website.  FWIW that booking number still pops up first when I log in so it didnt roll off eventually even though its been canceled for months.  Did you receive a new booking number?  If so as long as you can plug that in and get the correct information, I wouldnt be too concerned.  But without that booking number there is really no way for you to double check MSC's work that I can think of.  Sorry.

12 hours ago, ste17l said:

 

This is indeed true. I was on hold for 45min with their call center. When I finally got a hold of them, they mentioned that the FCC is issued within that 15 day period after sailing of your original booking. 

 

Side note, I am disappointed that my current category on the MSC Seaside (May 9) is now $240 cheaper than what I paid. 

I guess this is being used as a measure to keep people from rebooking the same cruise at a lower rate? 

With MSC's um, track record in honoring promotions like missed OCs 20% I'd be loathe to have to wait until June to rebook and hope that MSC keeps their word and makes the process easy.  Cancellation and losing the deposit it is for me then.  😞

6 hours ago, Number34 said:

An update on my situation with regards to my 4 April sailing from Marseille. My TA confirmed that the itinerary would change so much that it would be a completely different cruise. Have moved the booking to the 3 October sailing, plus is that the difference is only £230, minus is I had to pay now! This means I am fully paid up months before the normal final payment would be due.

Care to share what the new route is?  Please. 

22 minutes ago, L2float said:

Thanks for the positive vibes! Our last call was at 5:01 and we received an email with the reference number by 6:04. A certificate with the FCC should be received within 15 days of sail date. Let's hope this isn't another Ocean Cay 20% voucher that takes months to use! I hope the best for all as you make your travel decisions. 

Wow, so we cant even make plans for the rebook until 15 days after our sailing date?  Or I wonder if that was just because you date was so close.

14 minutes ago, HofstraJet said:

i was booked on a Mediterranean cruise in balcony. I have no idea where the Caribbean restriction came from - it’s very odd. And the YC restriction is just greedy - I’m obviously going to spend more on a cabin to be in YC so they still have new money coming in. 

Please keep us updated!  I am really torn between just losing our deposit or getting 100% FFC. 

A part of me is just a little too concerned about leaving that much money with MSC until this blows over.  They are not a US based line, they depend on customers from everywhere and right now those customers are getting the short shrift.  Its really not wise to treat a large portion of your customer base this way.  Especially if it seems you are showing favoritism to a small portion of your customer base.  Hopefully tomorrow MSC makes it right for everyone.

3 minutes ago, LAOkie said:

Anyone heard anything about MSC’s new policy? They’re supposed to roll out a new one today. I’ve checked their website and my emails and have heard nothing. I’m on hold with them right now (been on hold for over an hour) and still nada. 
 

If anyone has details, I’d appreciate it! 

On and off today MSC's site has had a Cruise Assurance page.  Terms are:

14 minutes ago, niko40 said:

Well as it was direct from MSC that said they would not refund my MSC cruise i can only believe  that MSC will not refund my MSC cruise. Not sure where your not getting this.

What I am getting at is what I have stated clearly several times now.  Customer service representatives or corp policy will often say one thing but what actually happens is another.  I have heard of no one being denied due to MSC's posted policy therefore we havent heard what they are actually doing even though we know what's been said to you.

7 minutes ago, rikitikitavii said:

We are boarding Divina on Tuesday, if for some reason we are not allowed on, I will let you know what MSC tells me.  Currently have no listed symptoms, so expect no issue.

I hope you will have nothing to tell us and that your cruise goes wonderfully.

2 minutes ago, niko40 said:

Well im assuming as they haven't offerd a refund they wont be to anyone i dont think you need proof they have stated via email that no refunds.

What I gather from this is that you believe that they will not offer refunds because that is what was stated to you by MSC.  I would like to see what is actually happening in practice though because what some rep tell some customer isnt always what happens IRL.  It's not that I think you didnt make the right call, I would have done the same.  I just havent heard one way or the other from people denied at port, except for that one group of Italians that should not have been denied so their experience isnt relevant.

If I have misunderstood what you are trying to say, please clarify.

1 hour ago, niko40 said:

Read my email i received from MSC on the first post they told me no refunds will be offered i have spiken to them on phone twice since then and they will not be offering refunds. Only through  ypur insurance 

Ive read your posts.  MSC (or lots of businesses) dont actually always do what they say.   I would still like to know if anyone denied boarding was not given either a refund or credit.  And if so I would like to know the reason they were denied. 

So far Ive only heard of a group of Italians (non affected region) that were denied.  They were issued refunds and some help with travel expenses.  I suspect MSC was extra generous since at the time the passengers that were denied werent on the restricted list and they denied only in hopes that Jamaica and GC would allow them entry if they carried no Italian passengers. 

Id still like to hear from someone that was denied based on MSC policy and what happened.  Even though that's no guarantee that's what would happen to someone else it is a data point.

1 minute ago, sidari said:

But not likely after Monday.

:fingerscrossed: and :holdingbreath:

Yet, apparently embarking in Italy is just fine.

4 hours ago, DKNE said:

We are booked on the Seaview next month. Last night we were told by MSC we could have 100% refund or rebook for within a year. We have 21 days prior to sailing to cancel or change. They are only doing this for Mediterranean cruises only. We have 3 stops in Italy. However our flight goes to Barcelona, which we will loose our flights,  as Air Canada said Barcelona isn't a hot spot. I said so if we do this cruise, stop in Italy for 3 ports, your saying it's ok to fly home. They kept saying Barcelona isn't a restricted area to cancel flights. MSC was great to deal with, Air Canada not so much. 

What was the cancellation penalty you were quoted?

1 hour ago, smz4psu said:

so is it a fair assumption, based upon the new travel restrictions that include all of Italy, that any/all Italian ports on Med cruises will be cancelled?

I suppose if you can teleport onto the ship you will be allowed to sail.  Just dont get off at any Italian ports.  :eyeroll:

41 minutes ago, sidari said:

Only the US site has changed on this issue, the UK and Europe sites have not been changed as of yet! So is it just for the Caribbean sailings ?

The sites are where you are booking from, independent of where you are sailing to.  So that shpuldnt be what they are conveying.  But its MSC so who the f$#@ really knows.

13 hours ago, mattcruise615 said:

Hi aprilF, 

 

We booked through the German office of MSC (which is located in Vienna and handles customers in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland). So they may have different policies, we are trying to find that out. 

 

We cannot find anything about a "no show fee" in the fine print and contract that we received with our booking from the German office. However, we called them again (the German MSC office) to ask and got a different representative and they said the same thing about a 50% charge per person will be added on to our original bill.

 

Maybe this is a special policy that they have only for long itineraries (15+ nights), or for Grand Voyages (repositioning cruises) only? In any case, it seems like it is applicable only for booking through the German office. 

Well thats just crazypants.  How do they even justify that?  I can see giving no refund except for port fees.  But you arent on the ship eating their food, using their water and electricity.  If anything you are a negative cost to them.  It does impact your service team in that their tips will be less for that sailing.  But I doubt that extra 50% is going to your service team.

I hope the people you talked with are incorrect. 

11 hours ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

no- that’s what I keep saying :). That is why I am posting all the other policies. The only consumer friendly policy msc put out they retracted. 
 

I posted a link to an article from Reuter’s suggesting the USA will be making the same recommendation. Tomorrow mornings meeting between VP Pence and the cruise executives should tell a lot. 
 

I do suspect MSc will be offering something along the lines of a   soon. 

The insane thing is that MSC did offer to do rebookings well before most (all?) other lines.  They could have been seen as an industry leader.  Now, even if they do reinstate rebookings they will have lost so much credit with so many people.  We will remember that the retracted, not that they finally did the right thing (assuming they do).  Those that are considering rebooking should probably think hard about if MSC will even be in a position to offer cruises a year from now.

40 minutes ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

This is the reason I'm holding out hope the MSC will fall in line with the rest of the industry. NCL, CCL, and RCL have to answer to their shareholders (you and I) and are doing everything they can to stabilize their stock. MSC Is privately held, so they don't need to respond quite as quick, but they aren't total idiots. Not revising their cancellation policy will do very serious long term damage to their company. North American's sailing in the Caribbean won't forget, and with social media, they won't let others forget either. 

 

 

This is all true but you arent mentioning that they briefly offered to rebook once and then quickly pulled the offer.  For those few that took advantage, some have had their rebooks cancelled, many are in limbo.  I dont recall any saying very recently (last 6 hours or so) that they are still good (meaning still booked on their new cruise).  So even if they were to make an offer again, why should they be trusted.  That's where my biggest issue is.

1 hour ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

@Homosassa I thought you said the MSC site was updated today but I can't find your post :(. I am not finding any new updates other than a few enhanced screening policies. Am I missing something? If so, can you please point me to it? I'm clicking on the very top of the page (the orange) coronavirus update. The site says updated March 3rd (see red arrow below), but then when you click on it it says updated March 6th, but nothing is actually updated March 6th, it's still the March 3rd update. Anyway, where is the update you mentioned? I'm eager to read it.

 

 

MSC's site is bad with the updates.  As you click around to different parts pf the site the updated link changes, often to a very outdated link.  This, along with the pulling of the offer and the silence from them since gives me very little hope about MSC.  The update is linked in the Thinking of Canceling thread if you want to read it.  I didnt see any meaningful changes beyond MSC patting themselves on the back for not allowing people from certain countries on there ship for the past month.

As for me I am pretty sure I am outright canceling.  I have a few days to decide still before I move from losing my deposit to losing 50%.   I doubt I would trust MSC since they have seemingly renegotiated their stance at least once from allowing rebookings to not.  The only thing MSC has to gain from me by reinstating the rebooking offer and actually sticking to it is if I would consider sailing them for a big vacation again.  I like them enough that Id take a cheap, short notice cruise in the future but right now I am not feeling booking any sort of pricier trip with them.

5 minutes ago, LAOkie said:

 

I called MSC today and it was a total joke. They refused to transfer me to the Crisis team because my sail date is May 11th - they would only let people who were booked in March/April through to the Crisis desk. I was told there was nothing else they could do, but if I wanted to cancel my cruise, I would incur a penalty. Now just 4 more days that I can cancel without losing half of my cruise fare (right now it's $400 to cancel).

Thanks for posting.  I wont bother with calling today, thank you for saving my time and making the queue a little shorter for others.  🙂

The silence from MSC this morning is deafening.

3 hours ago, aprilF said:

Wait, the way I read this is that they are saying they will charge you 50% more to *not* sail than if you were sailing.  Can anyone do a read of the contract right now to see if that is possible because it sure doesnt make any kind of sense!

 

Maybe he meant that you would, in essence, get a 50% refund but something got lost in translation? :fingerscrossed:

Just updating since I have no edit button.  I read through the policies for US passengers and it explicitly states no refund but no additional charges for no shows.  So either you are outside the US (and have wacky policies) or the rep was just making stuff up.  Or, I guess, weve figured out how MSC plans to stay afloat.