Low or no deposits

[Rob-Bob]

Please MSC can you go to low or no deposits to book a cruise during the next 9 months.  There is too much unknown out there to tie up $396 and then try to get it back if the cruise doesn't go.  If we didn't need to put down any cash I would book one.  If I book one in February 2021 and there is no sailing I do not want the hassle of trying to get money back from MSC. 

[emmas gran]

There is little hope of that happening, I for one would not expect it.

You May have to use avtravel agency as they seem to do deals in the US

[mamaneedsavacay]

I booked during the 4th of July sale when deposits were only $49/pp and kids were free. If it had been any more than that, I agree with you, I wouldn't have been willing to put any more money down, when they still owe me FCC! Then they ran almost the same sale over Labor day, although I can't swear to the Labor day details. My advice is to wait on the next sale. They will keep running them to get new money in.

[Budget Queen]

What about from a business point of view????    YOU could bail out anytime you wanted,  with no deposit.   Frankly you have to have some money down.   

 

I guess,  I don't care about the money being "tied" up and certainly no big deal  with the example of  $396 in my case.   

[Tapi]

We booked the Seaside for February 2021 in part because it was a 100$ per cabin deposit, and we can cancel until 48 hours before departure. I have a feeling that bookings on MSC have gone up since their restart in the Med, but keep your eyes peeled for special offers. You may see a reduced deposit offer, as well as other promotions again. 

Edited September 24, 2020 by Tapi

[mamaneedsavacay]

Just got off the phone with an MSC agent who basically told me that I'd be forfeiting my aforementioned $98 deposit because THEY don't have the FCC ready to apply to my cruise. So I forfeit my deposit and hold my breath that the FCC comes through before they cancel me for non-payment, in which case I owe them $98 again because my deposit is already gone. Or the FCC never comes through, the deposit is gone and I lose my cabin and don't cruise. For that reason alone, I'm glad it was "only" $98. I wouldn't give MSC any money that I wasn't prepared to never see again. 

[Budget Queen]

On 9/23/2020 at 8:45 PM, mamaneedsavacay said:

Just got off the phone with an MSC agent who basically told me that I'd be forfeiting my aforementioned $98 deposit because THEY don't have the FCC ready to apply to my cruise. So I forfeit my deposit and hold my breath that the FCC comes through before they cancel me for non-payment, in which case I owe them $98 again because my deposit is already gone. Or the FCC never comes through, the deposit is gone and I lose my cabin and don't cruise. For that reason alone, I'm glad it was "only" $98. I wouldn't give MSC any money that I wasn't prepared to never see again. 

This makes no sense.   IF you "lost" your deposit-  you lost your cabin too.    Is it final payment?    Again,  your claim is missing vital details.   

[mamaneedsavacay]

12 minutes ago, Budget Queen said:

This makes no sense.   IF you "lost" your deposit-  you lost your cabin too.    Is it final payment?    Again,  your claim is missing vital details.   

 

Sorry, because I've posted in multiple places, I was trying not to rehash the whole story in this thread. As of last night, I stood to lose it all. The cabin, the deposit, and based on personal circumstances and limited availability, it was that cruise or no cruise. I would have to wait for December 2021 for my FCC to expire and hope for a refund for the March 2020 cruise that was canceled. See the thread about the March "black hole" and you'll understand why I wasn't optimistic about that.

 

Here's the story in a nutshell:

1)March 2020- cruise was canceled. I opted for 125% FCC instead of refund. 

Sometime later- taxes, fees and prepaid items were refunded to my credit card. No FCC email ever came. My Travel Agent followed up. They were seeing a 100% FCC in my account, but were told to wait for the other 25%. We decided to be patient until there was actually another cruise I wanted to take.

 

2)July 2020- 4th of July sale, I found a cruise date that works with my family members' school and work schedules, and a cabin category I was excited to try. My travel agent tried to book it and was advised that my FCC wasn't ready and couldn't be applied. She was told to have me book it online while I had it open there in my browser, because it was the last of it's category and the deposit was only $49pp. The MSC agent told her that once the FCC was ready, we would cancel that booking, and move the cabin and rate to my FCC number. 

 

3)Last week- both my TA and I were getting anxious as the final payment deadline was approaching and still no sign of the completed FCC. She began making phone calls and was given an email address to request a hold on the new booking so that it wouldn't be canceled due to lack of payment. A couple of emails were exchanged, but no progress. 

 

4)Last night- it was nagging at me that I only had the 5% discount on my new booking and not the 5+5 +OBC. I wanted the best price because that's what we were told they would honor whenever they finally moved the FCC. I had made this new booking myself, so I called MSC to take one small thing off my TA's to-do list. The MSC agent was able to apply the proper Voyagers club discount code (5+5% with OBC). While I had her on the phone, I asked her if they had made the note to extend the final payment deadline, and she said no. She checked with a supervisor, and they said no. She told me that if I wanted my $98 deposit back, I should cancel in the next four days. If I canceled it and then tried to rebook later, it would cost $3,000 more. -OR- she said I could "let it ride" and not cancel. SHE SAID that I would lose my $98 for not paying on time, but they might not cancel the reservation. If the FCC came through before the reservation was totally lost, then I could get it applied and keep the cruise but the deposit would be forfeit. (Maybe that's incorrect, but that's what she said. ) She advised me to get my TA to shake every cage between now and then. 

 

5)Today- my TA forwards me an email that progress has been made. She went to the higher ups in her agency, who reached out to their MSC higher-ups contacts. They haven't got it fixed yet, but have taken some steps that I can see reflected in my MSC account that gives me great hope. I have said that if this all works out, I'd be happy to turn around and be MSC's biggest cheerleader. Had I booked the original cruise myself, and not had the power of my TA and her agency behind me, I'd be at a dead end. There's an entire social media group called "waiting on MSC refunds" where others are in my same situation and have no one to go to bat for them. Many people owed many thousands of dollars.

 

So I stand by my statement that I wouldn't risk what I wasn't willing to lose. In this case, I'm glad I risked paying a new $98 deposit, even while MSC owed me over $4000. I hope that they can get their shoreside accounting together, because I do wish them success as a cruise line. They present a good value and a decent product, and they are leading the way to return to sea. 

[Rob-Bob]

This is why I am not interested in risking $396.  It will not break me if it were to happen but I am still not interested in throwing away $396.  I have actually gone through the booking process right up to where MSC asks for the down payment.  I then stop and back out.  I do not see any way to see what the deposit will be until you go through the whole booking process and get to the payment page.  

 

Of course most of what they appear to offer in perks really doesn't translate to the actual booking.  Frustrating.  I have gone on 2 MSC cruises and had my 3rd cancelled by MSC in March 2020.  I really enjoyed the cruises and experience and looked forward to OC.  This is a tough company to navigate through.

[mamaneedsavacay]

8 minutes ago, Rob-Bob said:

This is why I am not interested in risking $396.  It will not break me if it were to happen but I am still not interested in throwing away $396.  I have actually gone through the booking process right up to where MSC asks for the down payment.  I then stop and back out.  I do not see any way to see what the deposit will be until you go through the whole booking process and get to the payment page.  

 

Of course most of what they appear to offer in perks really doesn't translate to the actual booking.  Frustrating.  I have gone on 2 MSC cruises and had my 3rd cancelled by MSC in March 2020.  I really enjoyed the cruises and experience and looked forward to OC.  This is a tough company to navigate through.

 $396 must be the typical deposit for what you are looking for. I would wait for a sale. When they ran the specials over 4th of July, it was boldly advertised for $49/pp deposits, so I would just wait until they run one of those again. Since they did it for 4th of July and then Labor day, I have a feeling that they'll do it again. Maybe Thanksgiving/Black Friday..

 

Also, I would really really recommend using a personal Travel Agent. I do all my own research, but when it comes to the booking, I send it to my TA and ask her to do it. The price never goes up, she throws in a perk, and in my personal scenario, she was able to throw the weight of her national agency into getting my situation resolved. (Still in process today, but looking good.) 

 

And you do still have to comb over your booking and make sure the promo makes it onto your booking. I had the 4th of July promo, but had to call and ask for the Voyagers 5+5 promo to be applied. It wasn't much in terms of another 5% off, but it was in terms of the additional OBC that goes with the promo. I caught it, my TA didn't. I don't blame her, she was working on the larger issue, and not getting paid for any of this extra work. 

[Rob-Bob]

Thanks for the advice.  I am not even sure what the Voyagers 5+5 promo is.  I guess I will look periodically to see if anything is boldly advertised regarding deposits.    

[Budget Queen]

3 hours ago, Rob-Bob said:

Thanks for the advice.  I am not even sure what the Voyagers 5+5 promo is.  I guess I will look periodically to see if anything is boldly advertised regarding deposits.    

5% off for Voyager Club menbers,-   is standard every cruise booked.    Then the current promotion of an additional 5% off.    Also Voyager cruises got $50+++  obc.     You've booked with this benefit already haven't you?  

 

Frankly-  $199 to reserve a favorable cruise anyone wants is how it goes.   🙂     IF you don't book,  of well  you aren't going and prices could go up.     I currently have 3 cheap cruises booked,   1 was $260  total,  solo,  haven't seen that again as example.   Worth the $199 for the booking for me.   

[Budget Queen]

1 minute ago, Budget Queen said:

 

duplicate

[mamaneedsavacay]

4 hours ago, Rob-Bob said:

Thanks for the advice.  I am not even sure what the Voyagers 5+5 promo is.  I guess I will look periodically to see if anything is boldly advertised regarding deposits.    

This is the 5+5+OBC I was talking about and it's good on all cruises booked before 10/20 this year. 

https://www.msccruisesusa.com/manage-booking/msc-voyagers-club/msc-club-pax-type-55

 

It is on top of any other offer/promo. But it was not applied automatically in my case, contrary to what the page states.  It was easy to get applied with one phone call. I started another thread about the 5+5 specifically where others gave me advice about how to look for it on my booking and followed their advice. What would we do without Cruise Critic 🙂 ? 

 

Sorry- I wasn't specific about the bold advertising- it's on the main header of the MSC USA page that revolves between specials. That's where they have those kinds of sales. Right now it's showing the "Fall for Cruising" special, but no mention of reduced deposits. Good luck!

[deliver42]

I booked the Seashore when they had the $49.00 pp deal, so I really don't care if I wind up losing it.

[hmorrow]

We just booked on the Poesia -sp?, yesterday for Oct 2021, out of Barcelona. Travel agent said dep was 398. I figured that was each, as on RCCL, its always 500 or 900 each. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that was for the cabin!!! YAY.

Also, It's refundable, till 90 days from sailing. For me, it was a win, win

[mamaneedsavacay]

Well, I am now in the position now of waiting for my $98 deposit to be refunded. Glad it isn't more, but still annoying. I had heard that these new deposit refunds had been happening quickly, but that's not the case for us.

[Hlitner]

We are all familiar with the saying "it is all relative" and that truly applies to MSC's deposits.  When compared to most cruise lines (we have cruised on 14 lines) MSC has among the lowest deposit requirements in the industry.  While $396 is a lot of money for some folks, it is not a problem for most.   Very low or no deposits have previously caused lots of grief for cruise lines because some folks will book multiple cruises (often for the same time) and wait until the final payment date to make their decisions and cancel most of their bookings.  This puts the cruise lines in the position of having to do more last minute selling which often must be done at a big discount.  

 

I will tell the OP that we are seeing a relatively new trend among the competition.  They will now routinely offer at least 2 options one of which is a larger deposit with a lower cruise price vs a smaller deposit with a much higher cruise price.  So those that opt for low deposits will find themselves paying a significantly higher price for the cruise.  This has become the typical model for lines like HAL.  

 

Hank

[Two Wheels Only]

On 9/28/2020 at 12:03 AM, deliver42 said:

I booked the Seashore when they had the $49.00 pp deal, so I really don't care if I wind up losing it.

 

I did the same. I wish that the booking dates extended to summer 2022. I'd book another one. 

 

49 minutes ago, mamaneedsavacay said:

Well, I am now in the position now of waiting for my $98 deposit to be refunded. Glad it isn't more, but still annoying. I had heard that these new deposit refunds had been happening quickly, but that's not the case for us.

 

My wait was 31 days for a cruise that I cancelled after MSC changed ships. I had already re-booked on the intended ship but MSC didn't want to simply transfer the deposit to the other cruise. I tried to make it easier for them (no cash returned to me) but they did it their way. 

[sverigecruiser]

 

My opinion is that $396 is a low deposit. We have paid around $1000 for our cruise in July.

[Two Wheels Only]

36 minutes ago, sverigecruiser said:

My opinion is that $396 is a low deposit. We have paid around $1000 for our cruise in July.

 

Since NCL Haven and MSC Yacht Club are most often compared, MSC's deposits are extremely low in comparison. Typical Haven deposits are $1500 ($750pp) for 7 nights for the first 2 guests and $250 each for the remaining guests. Garden Villa deposits are usually $5000 ($2500pp) plus $250 each for the rest.

 

Being able to book a Royal Suite on MSC for a total deposit of $98 is much better. 😁 

[sverigecruiser]

1 hour ago, Two Wheels Only said:

 

Since NCL Haven and MSC Yacht Club are most often compared, MSC's deposits are extremely low in comparison. Typical Haven deposits are $1500 ($750pp) for 7 nights for the first 2 guests and $250 each for the remaining guests. Garden Villa deposits are usually $5000 ($2500pp) plus $250 each for the rest.

 

Being able to book a Royal Suite on MSC for a total deposit of $98 is much better. 😁 

 

It was a few years since we cruised on NCL but if I remember correct the deposit was around $600 for two then. 

[lienf]

We booked a YC suite on the Meraviglia for November next year with a $98 deposit. Apparently it is non refundable because it is YC. I’m confident we will be doing that cruise. Our first on MSC. 👍

[Até]

3 hours ago, lienf said:

Apparently it is non refundable because it is YC.

MSC Canada still has conflicting information regarding deposit refunds, just like the US site.  In the Terms and Conditions section one (Booking Procedure and Deposit) it states non-refundable deposits for all cabin classes and lengths of sailing.  But in section seven (Cancellations and Changes By Passenger) it shows the deposit only becomes non-refundable at either 90, 100 or 120 days before sailing depending on cabin class and length of the cruise.  Yacht Club cabin deposit loss falls into the 120 days before sailing category according to that section.  I believe final payment is still required at 90 days though. 

 

You are likely to get several different answers regarding this question.  The US site has the same deposit discrepancy, but only regarding YC cabins.  I've been told multiple times by MSC US agents that YC cabin deposits are still refundable even though the US Terms and Conditions section one states otherwise.

 

https://www.msccruises.ca/terms-conditions

[dexddd]

13 hours ago, sverigecruiser said:

 

It was a few years since we cruised on NCL but if I remember correct the deposit was around $600 for two then. 

It has been awhile since that low.  Booking Haven will bring several thousand deposit.