MSC and the not so stress free booking policy.

[staffpage]

Hi All

Just a little insight into my experience with MSC stress free booking policy. Booked a 7 night cruise out of Dubai for February and payed my six hundred pound deposit at the end of September. We were travelling four adults and two children, one Ten, one Twelve in two cabins. Then Omicron hit and rules regarding children over twelve being vaccinated, PCR tests changing, etc, etc, made me decide to cancel our booking under the MSC policy. After careful consideration and uncertainty of the cruise and airline industries I decided on a two night cruise out of Southampton for myself and my partner utilising my six hundred pound deposit and a little extra cash. A call to MSC at which I asked for the change I was informed very politely that quote " you must spend about the same amount as you original cruise" I reached out to MSC through Email to explain that the stress free booking policy states "Your new cruise can be up to the value of your current cruise" not it has to be. After several Emails asking were in the terms and conditions does it state that the spend has to be about the same and no answer I was then informed it had to be the same length. Again I could not find any reference to the length in the terms and conditions on MSC's UK web site. I decided on a different approach. As a past MSC cruiser i asked would it not be good customer relations to find a solution to this matter. The answer was as I had booked two cabins originally only three hundred pounds would be allocated to the new booking. My Son, daughter in law and two grand children had the choice to go and utilise the other three hundred pounds or lose it. I made the booking. I payed for the booking. At no point did MSC ask for the second cabin to be involved but the money deposited is now split in two ! As I was only a couple of days away for losing another 25% under MSC standard cancellation policy and not wishing to pay another £300-£400 towards a two night cruise I decided to cut my loses and cancel completely. It is a shame as I have travelled with MSC cruises twice before but feel that I have been misled and that MSC have not made the full terms and conditions readerly available. If you wish to make a booking with MSC and are persuaded by the Stress free booking incentive beware. 

[wowzz]

On 1/14/2022 at 11:04 AM, staffpage said:

Hi All

Just a little insight into my experience with MSC stress free booking policy. Booked a 7 night cruise out of Dubai for February and payed my six hundred pound deposit at the end of September. We were travelling four adults and two children, one Ten, one Twelve in two cabins. Then Omicron hit and rules regarding children over twelve being vaccinated, PCR tests changing, etc, etc, made me decide to cancel our booking under the MSC policy. After careful consideration and uncertainty of the cruise and airline industries I decided on a two night cruise out of Southampton for myself and my partner utilising my six hundred pound deposit and a little extra cash. A call to MSC at which I asked for the change I was informed very politely that quote " you must spend about the same amount as you original cruise" I reached out to MSC through Email to explain that the stress free booking policy states "Your new cruise can be up to the value of your current cruise" not it has to be. After several Emails asking were in the terms and conditions does it state that the spend has to be about the same and no answer I was then informed it had to be the same length. Again I could not find any reference to the length in the terms and conditions on MSC's UK web site. I decided on a different approach. As a past MSC cruiser i asked would it not be good customer relations to find a solution to this matter. The answer was as I had booked two cabins originally only three hundred pounds would be allocated to the new booking. My Son, daughter in law and two grand children had the choice to go and utilise the other three hundred pounds or lose it. I made the booking. I payed for the booking. At no point did MSC ask for the second cabin to be involved but the money deposited is now split in two ! As I was only a couple of days away for losing another 25% under MSC standard cancellation policy and not wishing to pay another £300-£400 towards a two night cruise I decided to cut my loses and cancel completely. It is a shame as I have travelled with MSC cruises twice before but feel that I have been misled and that MSC have not made the full terms and conditions readerly available. If you wish to make a booking with MSC and are persuaded by the Stress free booking incentive beware. 

You might also want to post this on the MSC forum, so as to get a greater readership. 

[staffpage]

Thank's WOWZZ I have now posted on the MSC forum