CarolinaGirl2010

On 7/9/2021 at 12:36 PM, CarolinaGirl2010 said:

We booked our Halloween cruise a year ago.  I sent in my Future Cruise Credit certificate and when I checked to see if it was applied the price jumped by over $1,000.  I'm getting nowhere with customer service either by phone or by email.  I've sent them all the documentation.  The girl on the phone did say that they had no record of my cruise credit being applied.  Our final payment is due in two weeks and no way I'm going to pay what they're asking.  I guess we're going to be cancelling and booking Carnival instead.  The only reason we booked this sailing anyway was because the price was good and we had the cruise credit.  

Update:   We never heard back from anyone that we tried to get help from on this problem.  The BBB even acknowledged that MSC wasn't going to follow up on my complaint.  Existing reservations never answered my email, and I never got an answer from the Chairman of MSC Cruises USA.  I decided to cancel rather than give them any more money. Thankfully they only have the $98 deposit that hopefully I will get back eventually.  We ended up rebooking for Halloween on the Carnival Magic which has some good prices.  I think I made a good move in doing that.

I finally gave up and cancelled the cruise.  Anyone that has an MSC cruise should check their booking often.  They changed things twice on me without informing me.  We're now booked on Carnival Magic for Halloween.

14 minutes ago, Shippy said:

  I would have assumed (maybe wrong) you would have booked over the phone & then faxed or sent your certificate.. That would have given you a booking number when you held your cruise..

  I ALWAYS insist on a booking number. Even If I just put a hold on a room, they give me one. I then print it off.

Your booking number is really your only proof.

 

I have it all.  And I've sent all my documentation to them.  All I can figure is that they're trying to delay it because I would have had a really good price after the future cruise credit.  

1 minute ago, Two Wheels Only said:

 

Do you have the confirmation pdf from when you booked?

 

If yes, you can try emailing your information to MSCExistingReservations@msccruisesusa.com

They are better than the phone reps when it comes to correcting price changes . Whatever the price was the day that you booked should be your price, not the current price. They usually say 10 business days but they can be quicker. They should be able to get the correct price before your final payment date.

 

As for the FCC and where it is....I have no idea. Do they say that you still have it or is it missing?

Yes, I have everything and I've already sent it all to the MSC Existing Reservations email.  I'm just not going to put more money into it if they don't fix it soon since final payment is due on August 2.  This isn't my first issue with this booking and I'm kind of getting low on trust and patience.  

We booked our Halloween cruise a year ago.  I sent in my Future Cruise Credit certificate and when I checked to see if it was applied the price jumped by over $1,000.  I'm getting nowhere with customer service either by phone or by email.  I've sent them all the documentation.  The girl on the phone did say that they had no record of my cruise credit being applied.  Our final payment is due in two weeks and no way I'm going to pay what they're asking.  I guess we're going to be cancelling and booking Carnival instead.  The only reason we booked this sailing anyway was because the price was good and we had the cruise credit.  

We just booked a Norwegian cruise to Dominican Republic for November.  I'm assuming that we'll be docking in Taino Bay.  Has anyone heard anything about the new port and when it's opening?  It will be nice to see a new port area.

It's so peaceful on the ocean, plus my husband doesn't fly well so if I want to go anywhere besides the US, we have to cruise.

I absolutely loved Oasis of the Seas and didn't find it overly crowded.  I love the Central Park area, it's so peaceful.

Sometimes it's fun to eat in port.  We normally only do that if lunch comes with our excursion.  Be careful with drinks.  For one thing, cans and bottles of water and soda may be been sitting in contaminated ice.  Bring a straw, and don't drink directly out of the can or bottle.  Also, if you get mixed drinks, make sure you know where the ice is coming from.  I've gotten sick from Margaritas in Roatan because of the ice.  

Gotta have a cruise to get you through to your next cruise! 😉

Everyone is doing great this week!  Congratulations!

As for me, I at least didn't budge from the weight I was when I gained back the 1.5 lbs.    Since I can't walk as much right now due to my foot arch tendinitis I'm going to at least try not to gain.  I'm going to do another round of the 21 day fix, and keep going to the gym to do the weight machines, elliptical, and bike.  If I don't go at all I'll get out of the habit and not get back into it.  Since it's a three day weekend, I'm going to try and get some better shoes with more support, and rest my foot.  At least I'm eating healthier, and the weight machines have to be helping my muscles get stronger, which will hopefully help with my metabolism.

2 hours ago, pacruise804 said:

@CarolinaGirl2010, I left you some suggestions for stretches/pain relief in the Thursday thread.  I think the bike would be a little less weight bearing than the elliptical (more weight distributed to the seat vs. all on the feet) but elliptical would still be better than treadmill.  Bike was recommended for me as non-weight bearing when my hip was at its worst.

 

Focusing on diet and nutrition (while not as fun as cardio 😉 ) might be your best bet if you can't get relief.

Thanks.  I'm used to walking so much and I found the elliptical so hard.  Guess I may try doing that for a few minutes each day till I get more used to it.  And the rest of the time can be the bike.    I have been walking outside once a day for a few minutes.  The doctor thinks it's tendonitis due to overpronation, so I have an orthotic with a higher arch in my shoe to see if it helps.  

39 minutes ago, RobinCruiser said:

HI CarolinaGirl2010,

 

One thing I've found that helps is swimming or water aerobics classes.. or really anything in water. Less impact on the foot and still lets you get a workout. 

 

Robin

Thanks Robin,  that sounds like fun but I have no access to a pool right now.  Planet Fitness doesn't have one.  Hope your foot is doing well.  I broke my toes once and that really hurts.  

I'm kind of discouraged today.  I've had foot pain for a week.  I don't think it's plantar fasciitis, I think it may be Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome.  I'd noticed when walking lately that my ankle was turning in with my walking shoes so that may be the cause.  But I rested all weekend, and even though I stayed pretty close to my 21 day fix diet, gained 1.5 lbs back, and my foot still hurts.  I changed shoes to some Naturalizers that I had.   I'm going to make a podiatrist appointment tomorrow if it isn't a lot better.  

My biggest exercise is walking, outside and on the treadmill, and I walk a lot, so what's the best substitution?  I do weight machines at the gym a couple of times a week and the treadmill the other days.  Do you think that the eliptical or the bike would be best?   I need to get my foot better before our cruise in November.  But I still need to lose some weight.  

1 hour ago, JennyB1977 said:

@CarolinaGirl2010 If you have a tennis, lacrosse or squash type ball try rolling your foot, ankle, Achilles on it. A lot of time arch pain is caused by tightness in the ankle/Achilles. Also, using your big toe as a point draw the entire alphabet (capital letters) twice several times throughout the day. It helps loosen everything 🙂

Thanks @JennyB1977   I'll try that. I'm thinking it may be my shoes, I've noticed my foot lately rolling in, so I may look into new ones this weekend.

I lost 1.5 lbs this week.  4 lbs altogether in the last two weeks so not too bad.  I'm on the 21 day fix and normally lose the most in the early part of the program.  I have one more week, then I'll take a few days off and start again.  I have 80 days till my cruise so I still have time. 

My problem is that suddenly I have arch pain in my foot, and I have to walk.  Trying to figure out what I'm doing wrong.  I'll do the weight machines at the gym today instead of the treadmill and hope I feel better tomorrow.

Sounds like everyone did well this week!

3 minutes ago, deliver42 said:

If in the Caribbean, yes. In Europe, I don't know.

Caribbean.  Thanks.

It's our first cruise on MSC.  I'm seeing that water is not included on the Meraviglia Bella Experience.  Does that mean bottled water?  Can we get tap water and iced tea included with our meals like on other cruise lines?    

Don't know if the attached will help but it's the one I use for my website.

Packing List Compliments of The Quiet Cruiser.pdf

13 hours ago, AndyB said:

 

@CarolinaGirl2010 I've just recently got a BeachBody workout subscription and one of the workouts is called 21 Day Fix.  Is that what you have done?  I haven't tried it yet (the subscription doesn't come with the meal plans, but I think I've got that side covered).  I haven't tried it yet - been messing around with the Country Heat workouts.

 

 

@AndyB      Yes, the 21 Day fix is the Beachbody program.  I never paid for the program, just figured out how to do it on my own.  The Shakes are so expensive so I don't use them.  I bought the food containers at Walmart.com.   The colors are different but that didn't matter.  I've attached a chart I made to keep track of the food containers, and a chart with the kind of foods you can eat if you want.  I do whatever exercises I want to.  

21 Day fix.xlsx 21-Day-Fix-Food-List-Reference-Guide.pdf

On 6/9/2018 at 7:15 PM, IsaSweden69 said:

 

 

On 8/8/2019 at 6:26 PM, Jan_In_Maine said:

 

33 minutes ago, RobinCruiser said:

 

 

@CarolinaGirl2010 - Great start! Congratulations. I've been curious about the 21 Day fix... heard a bit about it.. It's a diet and exercise plan isn't it? Sound like you are pretty active. Way to go!

 

 

 

Thanks.  I do the 21 day fix, but I kind of cheated.  I bought the containers at Walmart on the As Seen on TV section.  They are different colors than the Fix, but still work.  And then I went around the internet and found all the charts and info I needed for it.  No way I'm going to put out the kind of money that they want.  And then I do my own exercises.  I love Jillian Michaels!  (Sorry about those extra quotes, not sure where they came from and I can't get rid of them.)

3 minutes ago, retiring soon said:

I'm about at my highest weight ever so will smarten up soon, I hope!!

 

 

 

I don't think it's about being smart.  It's more like that darn flab just won't let go no matter how hard we work.  Guess it's gotten attached to us. 😄

I'm new here.  I figured out some of the things I was doing wrong on my 21 day fix diet and fixed them, so I've been on it seriously for a week.  I've done it before a few years ago and it worked well then.  I lost 2 lbs this week, but normally I lose the most the first week of the 21 day fix, then less after that.  I'll take it.  I have almost three months till my cruise in November, and I want to lose at least 7 more lbs by then.  I've been trying to walk at least 9,000 steps a day, and preferably over 10,000.  I've started walking the 8 flights up to my office once a day.  I'm going to the gym at least 4 times a week, but I only stay for 30-40 minutes and either use the treadmill or the weight machines on alternating days.  I'm 62 and want to keep my muscles in shape.  But I tell you, the older you get, the harder it is.  If I'd worked this hard when I was younger, I'd have been too thin.  And now I'm struggling to lose the flab and it's going way too slowly.  

I managed not to gain weight last cruise somehow.  I ate no bread at all.  I figured it was just wasted calories and I didn't really need it.  I was as careful as I could be on my meals but I did eat some desserts.  I only had one pina colada the whole cruise and I had water or sugar free drinks the rest of the time.   I went to the gym, and we also walked and walked and walked.  I love when the ship has a wrap around deck to walk on.

I take mine with me onshore just in case.