Booking cruise with MSC USA if you are not US/Canada citizen

Hi,

It's been a while from my last post in this forum. So I have question/topic which I would like to discuss with all of you.

My wife and I, we are not US/Canada citizens, we are Europeans. We are living in non EU member country.

MSC web site for our country is connected to EU member countries website, where we can search for itineraries, we can see prices, but that's it. We can't make an reservation, we can't book cruise, and there is no option for any other option after booking purchase.

Everything going through local travel agents.

So, prices can be very dubious! Sometimes, for the same cruise, they are same as in Italy or Spain (lowest European rates), and sometimes they are higher then in Germany or in UK (highest European rates, cruise only).

My wife and I, we are both MSC Club/MSC Voyagers Club members, Black (me) and Gold(my lady).

So few days ago, we saw this nice cruise with MSC Poesia from Genova, May 1, 2016, and we decided to go. But price was sky high! We contacted our usual local TA, they offer was even pricier. So we decide to try an web travel agent for the first time. After small research we decided to try with Cruise.com.

The price we got was much lower, we picked Guarantee balcony cabin and we went through booking process without any problems, and we paid full price, because it was less then 45 days prior to our cruise.

OK, no problem.

Then I found on Cruise.com web site small notice that MSC, Costa, HAL, RCCL, Oceania and Princess prohibit U.S. travel agencies from selling cruises to customers who do not have a residence in the U.S. or Canada.

And even on there website there is series of special numbers for customers from UK, Australia etc. http://m.cruise.com/international-cruise-clients/.

So question is how they can sold something what is prohibited? Our country name was there (almost every country in the world is there), as customer I didn't saw any potential problem.

But we got out invoice and booking number without problems.

I sent an email to TA, and they immediately responded that there is actually an forbidden countries list, but our country isn't on that list, and we are fine.

Then I tried to made an web check-in and I passed through with my booking # and name. Everything was correct except there is no our passport numbers (with issuing/validity dates). Immediately I call MSCUSA call center over Skype, I talked with nice lady, and she explained to me that our cabin is Guaranteed one, and when system decide our cabin #, then we will be able to make an web check-in.

OK, that is very reasonable.

After few days I tried with web check-in again, but now I've got message that procedure has failed. I received a message stating that I have to contact my travel agent or MSC Cruises. And I did!

After few calls to MSC USA over Skype, I didn't solve nothing. Except one of the ladies I spoked with, told me that cabin is assigned, she told me our cabin #, and then she asked me why I booked my cruise over US web site, I described our reason, then she put me on hold, and after ~ 20 minutes of holding the connection was broken.

Then I called my TA, another lady was very polite and nice, but basically useless. She explained that everything is OK, but I can't make an web check-in, and I have to go in Genova (1.180km/708 miles away from our home) to the pier to make an check in. I asked what if they refuse boarding, she just answered "they will not".

Immediately after that call, I tried web check-in again, and I passed through!!!

I made an check-in, and I printed that verification document, with our correct names, correct passport #, issuing/validity dates, correct nationality and cabin #.

Only glitch on that paper is address, it's correct street and street #, city name, but country is UNITED STATES. I tried to correct that immediately but without changes.

So let it be! We are very close to our dream holiday.

But today, I tried to enter "MY BOOKING" zone on MSC USA web site, and again I got a message that booking # is not valid. I wrote an email to TA immediately, with basically only one big question:

WHO WILL PROVIDE CRUISE CARD/BOARDING PASS AND LUGGAGE TAGS to us?

On our previous cruises few times we got our boarding pass and tags by an email, but few times they sent it to us by the regular postal mail.

TA didn't answered yet.

I spent whole afternoon reading this forums, but I didn't found anything similar to our case.

So my question, is there anybody with same experience with MSC or any other cruise line? And what if they deny boarding to us?

Excuse me for this very long story, but there is no way to explain it otherwise.

Thanks for help.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

It makes no sense

as:-

Carnival group cruise brands include P&O Cruises, Cunard, Princess Cruises, Seabourn Cruise Line,P&O Cruises Australia, Holland America Line, Carnival Cruises, AIDA and Costa.

In your case the TA accepts some of these cruise lines for bookings outside USA and some not yet they are all in the same company.I am from the UK and do not understand any of it.

It makes no sense

 

as:-

 

Carnival group cruise brands include P&O Cruises, Cunard, Princess Cruises, Seabourn Cruise Line,P&O Cruises Australia, Holland America Line, Carnival Cruises, AIDA and Costa.

 

In your case the TA accepts some of these cruise lines for bookings outside USA and some not yet they are all in the same company.I am from the UK and do not understand any of it.

Just go to the link I provided and you will see.

We have booked two cruises through a USA based TA (cruiseshopping dot com) with no problems. We have booked direct through MSC Australia as well.

We got better service with the USA based TA than direct with MSC Australia, also we got added perks through the USA TA such as a discount and small OBC direct from the TA.

The US is obviously a more competitive market than Aus/NZ due their much larger population.

For those of you booking through a US TA from outside the USA/Canada, you may not want to mention the TA web site or agency. It is forbidden under the Terms of Agreement with MSC for US agencies to sell to none US/Canadian citizens. Doing so could result in them being banned from selling MSC in the future.

Those who have done so, I believe you will be fine but I wouldn't openly discuss it.

Just throwing in my two cents...

Bret

Hi DTL,

You must be coming back now from your cruise and I would greatly appreciate it if you could let us know how it went, did you have any issues when boarding? Did you get your boarding passes and tags before boarding?

Thanks,

Marissa

I have always used TA's based in the US when booking cruises. Done it five six times now with no problems. I much prefer the price in dollars.

I'm considering doing it because of the huge difference between the USD and GBP prices. I can basically get a balcony if paying in USD for the equivalent in GBP that I'd pay for an interior! It's just ridiculous!

Some of these websites offer OBC, even after I put I'm in the UK, but the terms of the offer say it's only for US/Canada residents (at least in one of them). Did you get the OBC advertised or just the savings from the currency difference?

I am also interested in how this turned out

I'm considering doing it because of the huge difference between the USD and GBP prices. I can basically get a balcony if paying in USD for the equivalent in GBP that I'd pay for an interior! It's just ridiculous!

 

Some of these websites offer OBC, even after I put I'm in the UK, but the terms of the offer say it's only for US/Canada residents (at least in one of them). Did you get the OBC advertised or just the savings from the currency difference?

Hi I'm also from the UK can you tell me which web TA you used? My email address is jodieh12@yahoo.com

Many thanks

Liverpool Jo

Hi

I'm also having the same problem. I emailed the USA TA who said that it was fine to book via them online for MSC cruise out of Italy. I have booked and paid my deposit and all seemed good except. I could only login to manage my booking via the MSC USA site however, it states my country of residence is the USA , my address details are entered except the city and country is blank and my passport details are there except my country is blank. I have emailed the agent for the past week and the only reply I have had to date is that they will refer it to a manager. We are 10 months away from the cruise date however I will need it sorted as we are travelling in Europe for a month or so before our departure and don't need paperwork problems in Italy. If anyone here has booked via the USA from Australia was your paperwork OK?

Regards ern

The exact same thing happened to me and it turns out that you can't check in online if you are an EU citizen and book through a U.S. Agent. Added to this if you want to add the drinks package you have to pay the higher U.S. Price and can only do it through your agent. As I am managing the booking for our whole group including 3 oap's I didn't want the extra hassle of having to process a paperwork at the cruise terminal so I cancelled my booking with the U.S. Operator loosing my deposit and rebooked direct with MSC. An expensive mistake for me!

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Thanks for the information. I booked online through the USA site after I emailed them and asked if they could/ were allowed to book cruises from clients in Australia. They assured me that I could and their contract with MSC allows this. Despite their assurance I'm having all sorts of problems trying to complete the online check in . Unsure what to do about this...Should I ring MSC direct in the states and explain the problem to them direct? Or will it not matter that my country says USA and not Australia ...any thoughts?

Regards ern

I used the online live chat with the TA I had booked with and they assured me there was no issue, I could check in at the port even though the information on their system said I was a US citizen. I have no doubt that that would have been the case, but they did say I wouldn't be able to check in online because I booked in the US. I just didn't want the hassle as I am managing both children and OAP's in an extended family group so I decided it was worth loosing the deposit. I would say if you are OK with checking in at the port you won't have an issue.

Thanks for that. I can go to the online check in and all is good except it list my country as USA. The online check in then asks me to confirm all the details are correct to proceed. Of course they are not...The travel agent has come back and said all MSC international bookings default to USA as country of residence and this is fine. They have had no problems with people boarding...Just wondering if anyone has actually done this and boarded...was there any problems at the port?

hi

Just to let you all know that it worked out fine. Dispite the paperwork saying i was a US citizen and not Australian, that fact did not show up on the boarding documents once i printed them after booking in online. So I booked from Australia via Cruise compete link to Cabin clearance store to cruise out of Ancona Italy and i was worried. Online booking done in Italy was easy and smooth.However I was assured by Cabin clearance store that it would be fine and it was. :)

That's great to know. A few posters have said I can't book with a US TA from here in the UK and I may be refused boarding and have my cruise cancelled. However I made it quite clear to them I was booking from UK and I even messaged msc about it and they didn't say I could not book...

That's great to know. A few posters have said I can't book with a US TA from here in the UK and I may be refused boarding and have my cruise cancelled. However I made it quite clear to them I was booking from UK and I even messaged msc about it and they didn't say I could not book...

I was very worried. Having USA as country of residence not australia and boarding in Ancona Italy. However there was not the slightest hiccup in Ancona. Just showed my Australian passport and got on board. Not sure if I would go though the worries for a few hundred dollars again...however as i said it all went fine.