travelberlin

There was never a need of a PCR for Brazil. For the Grand Voyage there was the requirement of either PCR or antigen. As per the message we have all received, there is no need of any kind of covid test anymore if we are vaccinated for our Grand Voyage. Ivi

We have just received from MSC a message indicating that for our MSC grandvoyage, starting from April 1st , no COVID test is required for embarkation if we are vaccinated. Has somebody else received that message? Ivi

Update on this. Moecker and Ass. found my husband’s submission and everything has been clarified. Ivi

Ok. This is the type of thread that could have dog’s lovers confronted with the rest of the world (which probably are a minority). I refrain to comment specially on the issue of emotional support dogs. Just for the record we love our rescued dog, she behaves well and if we could, we would take her with us. But… Ivi

Thanks Sidari for posting Beas impressions. Bea, would you recommend Aurea as an alternative for Yacht Club? Unfortunately the prices for Yacht Club are very expensive in the some itineraries and the intimacy seems to be gone whit large numbers of people in Yacht Club. Ivi

Me too I am really surprised about this. I am wondering if there are not some kind of mistakes on those lists. For example my husband’s claim cannot be found by the Assignees. He has submitted his claim in March 11th 2022 but the Assignees, even though they have confirmed receiving the claim, have not found a claim under his name. We have provided the necessary information for them to be able to find it and are currently waiting for them to correct their mistake. I would recommend that people who have put a claim, verify the status of their claim with Moecker and Ass. Ivi

We were not able to do it online. The webpage did not allow us to change the total due. Via our TA, we communicated this to MSC and MSC sent us a link to make the payment. Ivi

When I had received a small amount refunded by my credit card after submitting my claim, I have written to Moecker to inform them so that they reduce the amount of my claim. Ivi

Thanks Keith. We appreciate you asking NC about this. Ivi

Thanks. Rather dissapointed. General questions with general answers. I have thought someone from MSC was going to be able to see our questions/request and not that there were going to be selected for a very general meeting. In the meantime raised issues remain because no one addressed them. Thanks for the effort Ivi

I have also received the email. Are they sending this email to everybody or just to those who have been financially affected? As I have mentioned before, we understand that by applying for this initiative, we are not renouncing to our right to receive our money from the Assignees ( it is not relevant if this refunded money is just a small amount or not). At least nothing in the terms of conditions says this. It mainly says that NC will verify the eligibility using the information from Moecker and Ass. We understand that the NC initiative is complementary to the work of the Assignees and not replacing it. In any case, I would like for NC to confirm this. Keith, could you please kindly give us an email from NC to write to them? We cannot use the phone numbers and anyhow we prefer to have a written answer. This is important for us before we book a cruise. Thanks in advance. Ivi

The same as you we will prefer to receive first whatever money Moecker and associates will return to us as part of the legal process. We have applied for the NC initiative but not booked yet. We understand that this applying does not mean that we are renouncing to our refunds from Moecker. Ivi

Explora announces special destination experiences https://cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/2023/03/explora-journey-announces-destinations-experiences/?feed_id=2120&_unique_id=64231d77145b3&fbclid=IwAR0BdBTNWvag-3rxOcaz6NocoazSQcUfdF26UIX1MtBTEtyIFvQA00B0cYY

I am also interested to see what cruises will Explora offer in Sommer 2024 in Europe. Until now only cruises for Explora 2 are mentioned. Ivi

Does MSC offer a solo discount for the WC or do you have to pay por two passengers? There are plenty of opportunities to get to know other people. For example you might be allocated a table for 6 or 8 people. Not all of them solo but you might not dine alone if you prefer to dine with others. Ivi

Threads about dress codes are fun 😂 and always the same. However when I read about someone saying “I am on my vacation so I dont do this or I do the other”, I have to think about a very considerate person (sarcasm) on a cruise we were, who kept coughing and coughing. We were on an elevator and a lady asked him why if he was coughing that bad he did not use a mask 😷. His answer was “I am on my vacation and I do what I want”. Ivi

Nice for you. But you also do not seem to like MSC but despite that you cruise with them. So I guess you are not the typical MSC client 😉 Ivi

If NC needs to quantify the level of debt that it would cost them in terms of credits for future bookings, they do not need to share our information with the Assignees. They just need to register the amount that we have mentioned at the time of registering for the initiative. Like I have said for this transfer of information among two companies, we would have to sign an agreement. I have not seen this agreement anywhere. Ivi

Thanks Keith, but we prefer to receive our money back first from the Assignees before booking. The attraction of NC offer is for us to be able to use whatever is left of the money not refunded by the Assignees. We do not intend to replace the refund that will come from the Assignees with this offer. Or it is for sure that the Assignees will only pay the amount of a little bit more of US 2000 per claim as it was mentioned before on this thread? Ivi

Thanks Terry. Maybe is sounding complicated, however I am trying to understand. For Germans is not usual that companies communicate and transfer information among individuals without our consent. Data protection laws are very strong for us. This is why I am assuming that we will inform personally whatever it has to be informed. NC has received our applications but we do not have bookings so what is it that NC will inform the Assignees? There is nothing to inform yet. Unless we book a cruise. Ivi

You will not be forced to stay in your room but almost every body will dress up and the whole atmosphere on the ship will be elegant and special. The elegant/ formal nights are an invitation to go like for any invitation in which that dress code is required. No one says you have to go at that invitation. If this kind of elegant events is not something for your husband he can freely decide not to go and have dinner for example at the buffet restaurant which might be more suitable to him. Ivi

Keith, How it is going to be for those who have booked already with NC? Will you receive the discount in your first cruise and in the subsequent ones and not anymore from the Assignees? I guess you will have to inform to the Assignees that you are receiving your credit from New Crystal. For those of us who have not booked yet, even though we have registered for the offer from New Crystal, we will have to wait before booking that the Assignees finish their work. Hopefully this will happen before the deadline from New Crystal. Otherwise neither we, nor NC will know what the amount of the Credit is, because it has to be the rest that is left unpaid by the Assignees. Ivi

We cruise at least three times per year plus land experiences like hiking in Switzerland or exploring Puglia. 5 cruises in 3 years is not impossible if the price is right. We are not attached to any ship and have several options. Probably most of us behave like that and have several options. Ivi

I am more motivated to book a NC cruise now than I was before this initiative. As some of the money that OC owes us, was because of cruises I have booked solo, I will see if I find cruises for solo bookings at per diems competitive with other cruise lines. My problem is that the allocated single cabins are not of my preference and if I would have to come on a queue for those cabins, it would make them less preferable. If NC would reduce/drop the solo supplement of other cabins, I would have a further motivation to book. Now, due to my experience with the OC, I am not booking cruises too far in advance. Only exception Explora, which I really trust because of the parent company (MSC has refunded us all our money due to cancellations during the Pandemia within 3 months). I have registered for this offer from NC but I have not booked yet any cruise. My approach will be: 1) first I will wait to receive my money back from the Assignees. I have not renounced to this refund by applying for NC offer. My preference is to receive my money back without conditions. 2) if the money from the Assignees will arrive during the first two weeks of July, if this refund is definitive without further expected payments, and if there is something left which is still due to me, I will inform NC of the new amount due and book my first NC cruise with the hope that they deliver what they promise. If no money is left, I will treat NC like any other cruise line I do not know and wait for reviews first. For our bookings as a couple, the approach will be similar. Ivi

It appears that the NC is attracting at least as many solo cruisers as the number of the single cabins. How many are those cabins? Ivi